beautiful ordinary day: listening to

{Dinner at Eight is a special project I am doing with my friend Rebekah this year - planning date nights at home for our husbands every other week, putting the kids to bed early and being intentional about our marriages! Read more Dinner at Eight posts HERE!}

via

For this week's Dinner at Eight, Rebekah and I decided to put together playlists of some of our favorite love songs for our husbands. Instead of just picking some of my current favorite love songs, I decided to create a playlist that shares some of our favorite songs from different stages of our relationship.

Now promise me you won't laugh. There is definite cheesiness involved here! But in all seriousness, I really, really enjoyed putting this together. I had so much fun reminiscing; the whole process reminded me how powerful music is in bringing back memories. When I listened to these songs, I was immediately transported back to where we were when we first listened to them. Whether it be our first home or when we started a family, these are a few of the songs that tell our story...

01. Roll To Me (Del Amitri):
The summer camp where Erik and I met played this song every time we came into the dining hall for meals. Every time I hear this song, I immediately think of that rustic room surrounded by the beautiful mountains of British Columbia, Canada and everything that trip gave to me- a relationship with Christ and a future husband!

02. You Were Meant for Me (Jewel):
I bought the cd this song is on the week after I came home from camp and every time I listened to it, it made me think of that handsome, sweet boy from eastern Washington who I had just met and never thought I would see again.

03. Is This Love (Bob Marley):
I have a very vivid memory from the first time I visited Erik and his family (our senior year of high school) of him and I driving in his orange Volkswagen fastback, listening to this song. The boy loved reggie, and I was hoping that it was indeed love (I know, I know. So cheesy. But I really did think + wonder that!)

04. Baby I Love Your Way (Big Mountain):
I fully embraced reggie music after visiting Erik and this one was on repeat a lot. Of course, it didn't hurt that it was also on the soundtrack to my favorite movie at the time.

05. No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley):
Erik requested this song at my senior prom. He still loved his reggie and I was hoping hoping for a kiss, but it was not yet to be...

06. Say a Little Prayer (My Best Friend's Wedding soundtrack):
No joke. Two days before we started dating, Erik and I went to see this movie together. It definitely got us thinking about our relationship and what we wanted it to be.

07. I Am Your Beloved (Vineyard Music):
Three months after we started dating, Erik went off to YWAM (I was soon to follow) and this song was one we both loved during that season. God was busy capturing our hearts and we were so passionate about Him.

08. Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble? (Delirious):
Another favorite song from our YWAM days. This song makes me think of Hawaii and the Philippines, trying to learn how to play guitar and dear friends.

09. What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong):
The one + only song that we have ever called "our" song. We had only been dating about five months and I was visiting him in Hawaii during his DTS with YWAM. We wanted to have a song of our own and after flipping through the cd collection at the house where we were staying, we landed on this one and have loved it ever since.

10. I Will Not Forget You (Enter the Worship Circle- 100 Portraits + Waterdeep):
Post YWAM days led into Bible college days and Enter the Worship Circle was on heavy, heavy rotation.

11. Faith My Eyes (Cademon's Call):
Cademon's Call was also very loved during those Bible college/early married days. In fact, their Forty Acres concert was one of my very first concerts ever. Cademon's Call + Enter the Worship Circle remind me so much of our first apartment, living in Ballard, WA.

12. You Put This Love in My Heart (Keith Green):
Erik and I both grew up listening to the music of Keith Green; our parents all became Christians in the 70s and he was a staple in the Christian music scene at the time. His music is part of my childhood soundtrack, as well as the early days of my journey of faith. Erik and were both such big fans that we included two of his songs in our wedding- You Put This Love in My Heart (we walked out to it at the end of our ceremony) and Rushing Wind (played during communion).

13. 2 Dollar Shoes (Rosie Thomas):
After we got married, we lived in Ballard, went to Bible college, and both worked at Starbucks. Rosie Thomas was the music we heard almost every day at work and we loved her so much that we played her at home too.

14. Psalm 18 (Waterdeep):
Our love for Enter the Worship Circle lived on and on and on...

15. When You Come Back Down (Nickel Creek):
Not long after we got married, we discovered the music of Nickel Creek. The few concerts of theirs that we had the opportunity to go to still remain our favorite concerts of all time.

16. Its Amazing (Mindy Smith):
At a Nickel Creek concert in Seattle, we were introduced to the music of Mindy Smith (she opened for them). Her music reminds me of our early days of living in Bellingham, WA. A sunny apartment, her music playing, happy days.

17. Yellow Ledbetter (Pearl Jam):
The essential Erik road trip song. No road trip is complete without it! This song especially makes me think of our road trip down the coast the summer before we got pregnant with Audrey. We cruised through Washington, Oregon, and California with no real agenda for two weeks other than to be together and drive. It was awesome.

18. Better Together (Jack Johnson):
This song makes me think of sweet happy days right after Audrey was born as a new family of three.

19. Gotta Have You (The Weepies):
I got the cd this song is on for my very first Mother's Day. Still one of my most favorite songs ever.

20. Mushaboom (Feist):
I heard this song for the first time when Audrey was a baby and immediately loved it so much. This song reminds me so much of our time together in the house we lived in our last year in Bellingham. In fact, I think we have video of Audrey trying to walk that has this song on playing in the background.

21. Such Great Heights (Iron and Wine):
We started listening to Iron and Wine after I checked out a few cds from the library because I had read rave reviews online. Iron and Wine bring back so many memories for me of our last summer in Bellingham, with Elliot as a baby and Audrey as a toddler. We were getting ready to move across the state and we were feeling sad, yet hopeful about our upcoming changes.

22. The Way I Am (Ingrid Michaelson):
This song reminds me of our early days in eastern Washington. Trying to figure out our way as the new people in town, feeling so grateful for each other and for our little family.

23. Your Hands (JJ Heller):
I have shared a little bit here and there about how the past year or so has been really rough for our family. Things are definitely looking brighter now and when I feel up to it, I might share a little bit more of our story. But this song was such an encouragement to us during those difficult times.

24. One Day (Matisyahu):
I know this song seems completely random, but for some reason over the past few months it has kind of become our family song. Whenever we turn it on, a dance party in the living room immediately ensues! And clearly Erik still has a little bit of that reggie loving soul in him...

25. Your Song (Ellie Goulding):
This has kind of became "our" song as of late. I first wrote about it here.

26. May Waltz (Brooke Fraser) and 27. All About Your Heart (Mindy Gledhill):
These are both newer songs that I have recently fallen in love with. I love it when I hear songs that immediately make me think of my husband and of the love we have. I love that even after almost 11 years of marriage and 14 years of being together, I still feel butterflies when I see him. He is a pretty amazing guy.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
(songs that were not available on the playlist website, but that we love):

* Land (JJ Heller):
I played this song to Erik for our anniversary last year. It is one that really speaks to us both about our marriage. It puts into words so many of the feelings + love I have for him.

* One-Eyed Cat (Jenny + Tyler):
Love love love this song! It is definitely my current favorite love song. Ironically Erik really, really loves to surf and wishes he could live by the ocean, and I have a slight ice-cream addiction...
And are they not just one of the cutest couples ever?

So, what are some of the songs that tell your story? I would love to hear!

And don't forget to check out Rebekah's Dinner at Eight!

ann with an e

dinner at eight :: love songs

Valentine

how wonderful life is while you're in the world