it's all coming back

So I learned tonight that Parker and I had another shared interest. No, it's not being biters (a.k.a. ice chompers, sucker crushers, hard candy chewers) or making up rules when we're losing games. It is...get ready for it...Celine Dion.

Everyone has those songs that take them on a walk down memory lane. Celine Dion does that to me. Every time I hear her voice I'm reminded of my cherished 90's-era childhood. I love it! My memories of life before 14 aren't very vivid anymore, but I DO remember being in a music store, long ago, and buying her latest album on cassette tape. I felt so cool having my own music collection and read the little booklet with the lyrics cover to cover.

But my little heart dropped when I came to the pictures...I couldn't believe she'd hacked her hair! I expressed my distaste and disappointment over and over to my mom (you'd think I'd have more important things to worry about at age 6) but quieted my criticisms as soon as I heard her voice. I decided I could like her (even if she did look like a boy) as I fell in LOVE with two songs on my new tape. "Because You Loved Me" and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now...."

My love for Celine continued to grow as the years went on. I remember late nights on the highway listening to Delilah intro Celine's rendition of "Beauty and the Beast" and the road trip to Paradise for that dreaded Christmas of '99 accompanied by that year's best stocking stuffer, "Celine Dion: A Decade of Song." I even defended her from my brother who called her a 'middle-aged diva who thinks she's hotter than she is'...a big deal if you take into account how I idolized him growing up.

So I know by now you're likely thinking, "That's all wonderful Chelsey, but I can't say I'm seeing how this childhood diva has anything to do with your sugar-daddy."

Well, let's just say the Parker-Celine combo helped me make another memory tonight.

Parker typically harasses me for "ignoring him" on our Sunday drive to-and-from Lara & Kirk's place. We're not over there every week, but when we do make the commute we usually drive from Point A to Point B sans music. Our typical station choices seem a bit too raucous while Soft Sunday Sounds are too tacky and over the top. So, to pass the time, we talk!

Anyone who knows me knows I can talk, and if I can talk to anyone it's my husband. We're good little chatters. I just have this habit of multitasking in the car. When I drive, it's downright scary. When he drives, I tend to try and tackle ten times more. Hence...my "ignoring" him.

So tonight, I cut him the deal that if he drove, I'd be attentive. And I was...for a minute or two. I'm awful! I know. But this time I had a good reason. I'd glued myself to my phone in an attempt to sort out our upcoming YW activity (apparently our new combined program is a bit more militarized than the old regime...treats must be prepared and delivered the night BEFORE so we can have them to the activity a full 45 minutes early...heaven forbid they show up only 15 minutes prior!) and made my poor Parker feel, well, lonely.

I normally don't break these types of promises and I promise you, he is number 1 on my list, always. But when I'd received an email, phone call, voicemail, and text message about the celery sticks we needed for Tuesday night in just a 3 hour window, I thought it'd be best to respond before they issued an Amber alert (as they were obviously very concerned about my whereabouts).

So, needless to say, by the time we reached the I-15 Parker's patience peaked and on came the radio. Nothing good seemed to be coming over the airwaves, so he settled for a CD...and whose voice do you think came to console my dear husband??? None other than Miss Celine Dion's (thank you Kaitlin for our love song collection...you made your brother's night). Parker jammed to "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" all along the I-15 stretch and even rewound the track so she could serenade us on the last little leg of the trip too. It was PRICELESS!

As Celine performed her vocal acrobatics, Parker narrated his vision of her next Vegas show.

"Blue lights sweep the stage...then...FIREWORKS!"

I was in HYSTERICS! Seriously. I can't even do this one justice with my words because you HAD TO BE THERE. From his complete butchering of the lyrics to his musings of whether or not they'd do a Celine episode on this season of Glee to his determination that, if they tried, they'd "never do it justice"...he had me rolling. I just could not figure out how these words were coming out of my Parker's mouth. My football-loving, extreme-biking, tool-buying, MANLY husband's mouth!

Granted, most of it stemmed from his super silly mood...but even still. Having him serenade me in bed with his own rendition of "It's All Coming Back" (a.k.a. his using my hand as a mic while repeating two splintered lines of the chorus followed by "baby! baby! baby! baby! baby...baby??? i'm stuck. what comes next?) just about made my night.

He's such a goober.

And I love him for it.

And he'll probably kill me if he sees this post.

But, odds are, he won't. hehehe...

So happy Sunday everyone!

Hope someone's singing you to sleep tonight too.