Soundtrack to my Life

Hi everyone!  Today I'm going to be joining in the Show and Tell Tuesday linkup and sharing a more personal post.  The theme for today is Soundtrack of My Life, and I'm going to share a song that either meant a lot to me during different times of my life, or the lyrics highlight important events in my life.  This is going to be sort of a cheesy post, but I hope you enjoy a more personal post!

Birth

Step By Step - New Kids on the Block

I was born on June 28, 1990 in Pittsburgh, and this was the #1 song at that time!  It sounds so 90's..right?  

Elementary School

Born This Way - Lady Gaga

Early on in elementary school, I was tested for the Gifted Center, which was a program in the Pittsburgh Public Schools for people that tested above a certain IQ.  My mom always knew that I was different and actually thought that I was being tested for emotional support.  She could tell you a lot of stories about how I was always slightly off as a kid, so she was relieved to hear that I was actually gifted.  

Being in that different environment from a young age definitely challenged me in so many ways. Once a week, I was taken to a different school and instead of a normal science and English class, we had Medieval Studies, computer programming, Think-a-Thon class and more.  Gifted Center day was always my favorite day of the week because I was with other people that were like me, and I had work that was really interesting to me and pushed me both creatively and intellectually.  

At this time I also started to play the violin and fell in love with music.  I loved to play so much and eventually auditioned for the Center for the Musically Talented.  On the weekends, I would go to a city high school and play in different ensembles and groups.  I also got the chance to play in district orchestra and the All-City orchestra throughout elementary, middle and high school!

Middle School

Heart of a Champion - Nelly

Middle School is where I started to run.  I joined the cross country team at school and also ran in a few local 5ks with my dad and sister.  I used to win a lot of races when I was young (the level of competition wasn't the same as it was today!) and I set the middle school record for cross country!  I think that those years of running really cemented my love for the sport, so every time I hear this song it reminds me of middle school and all the great times I had running and winning races.  In fact, I usually add this song to my race playlists to help inspire me!

High School

Enter Sandman - Metallica

I actually really enjoyed high school.  I continued going to the Gifted Center all throughout elementary and middle school, and that fed into the Center for Advanced Study at my local high school.  The group that was in CAS was really close and we did a lot of activities together, like musical, orchestra and student council.  I also ran cross country and was on the indoor and outdoor track team.  

I was still playing the violin, but when I got to high school there wasn't a string program.  The band director came up to me sophomore year and asked if I could switch to the saxophone and join the marching band.  He pretty much handed me a sax at the end of the school year and told me to come back for band camp.  I practiced all summer long, and when I got to band camp I realized that I learned all of the keys wrong and had to re-train myself how to play while I had to learn all of these new songs!  I always loved playing the sax though, and Enter Sandman was the very first song that I learned how to play. 

College

Don't Stop Believin' - Journey

This song is really meaningful to me for a few reasons.  I was in the Blue Band at Penn State which really changed my life and shaped who I am as a person.  I started out as an alternate for the pre-game show (which is what the band is mostly known for) and eventually worked my way up the ranks to be the leader of the sax section in my senior year.  I also met Dan through the band, so I can't imagine how different my life would be if my high school band director never asked me to switch instruments!  This song was one of the main songs that the band would play and the stadium would play to get the crowd excited.  Any time I picture college, I always think about playing at football games and singing this song along with 100,000 other people! 

I also took the words in this song literally and in college never gave up on myself.  I was in the college of Information Sciences and Technology, which is a male-dominated major.  There were only a handful of women in my class, and it was a struggle to prove myself.  During class projects or team work, the guys would always give me the job of "recorder" or some other easy task, so I always worked on being a great leader and gain their respect.  I ended up becoming my college's delegate in the University Student Government and Faculty Senate and made Dean's List every semester of school.

Sometimes at parties or when I would talk with people for the first time, it would come up that I went to an inner city school and occasionally I would get rude comments about how surprising it was that I made it to main campus or they were shocked that I didn't drop out of college already. I always wanted to prove those people wrong and show that no matter where you come from (or what gender you are), if you don't stop believing in yourself you can achieve anything (I told you this post would be cheesy).

Graduation

Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen

I did end up making it to graduation, but skipped it to complete my first full marathon.  In college, I pretty much stopped running because of all of the activities I was involved in.  I missed the sport a lot and really wanted to get back into it, so I decided it would be fitting to run a marathon to signify the next chapter of my life.

I always had a big desire to travel and see the world, so after I graduated (and completed my race), I went to Europe with my high school best friend and her brother.  We spent almost a month traveling around, and made stops in Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and the Czech Republic.  It was such an eye-opening and life changing trip!  Traveling has definitely become a big passion of mine, and I've actually made it out of the country every year since I've graduated college.

Now

Good to be Alive - Andy Grammer

Yes, this is a super cheesy song, but it's really applicable for how I feel at this point in life!  I know that I've been lucky a lot of my life and have so many blessings.  I've also worked hard to get to this point in my life and try to live every day to the fullest!  I can't wait to see what the next chapter in life holds for me.  Plus, Dan's been singing this song a lot lately so I had to include it as the REAL soundtrack of my life right now ;)


Your turn!  What would be on the soundtrack of your life?
What is one of the most memorable years of your life?
Did you ever feel like you had to prove people wrong in your life?