An open letter to graduates.

An open letter to graduates: 

Dear graduate, 

You made it!  For some, I'm sure it was a very difficult ride, filled with all-nighters, hours in the library, copious classroom notes, and lots and lots of coffee. For others (the kind of people that most people don't like), you were able to rely on your natural gifts to skate through, baffling your classmates at the ease in which you could recall information or make astute connections.   I am sure that most of you were able to strike a balance between work and play that allowed you to make some great memories and walk across the stage to receive your diploma.  In the long run, it matters little how you got here, but that you got here, so Congratulations!

First of all, take time the time to say thank you!  I think this applies to all aspects of life, but there isn't a better time to do it than after finishing such an important milestone.  Thank your parents for putting up with you, supporting you, and pushing you so that you could get to this point.  If you are currently sitting at home on the couch, unemployed, wondering "where do I go from here?" while your parents are constantly nagging you to look for jobs, it is only because they can't stand having you around the house.  JUST KIDDING!  It is because they love you, have seen you work so hard to get to this point, and want to urge you to continue moving forward.   Thank your teachers for spending countless years educating themselves and planning so that they can teach you tools to success in your future (and of course, vital knowledge).  Thank your friends for putting up with you during college and sticking by your side no matter what (we all know that the best, healthiest decisions aren't always made).  A sincere thank you can go such a long way, and sadly it is something that is not said enough, so say it!   

Secondly, please make sure to give yourself a minute to reflect on your job well done over the last four (or more for some) years.  Make sure that you take time (in your own way) to decompress and process the fact that this chapter of your life is coming to a close and a new page is about to be written.  Take a minute or two to think about all the great times you had during your journey, because college is truly unlike any other time in your life.  Pretty soon, you will be in the working world, paying bills, starting families, buying homes, and doing adult things.  It is certainly a scary reality, but college is a stepping stone to get to this place, so embrace the excitement of new opportunities.

Along the journey, make sure to maintain contact with former teachers, professors, and employers.  We are living in a hyper competitive time where who you know could make the difference between a job and sitting in the living room watching TV.  If I could go back in time to change one thing about my college experience, I would have spent more time trying to develop a more professional relationship with my professors.  For those of you that were able to make these connections, make sure to use them to your advantage!  Speaking from experience, there are few things that make a teacher prouder than watching their former students go on and have success in their fields.  Take time in the future to visit your school, not only to see your underclassmen friends, but also to say hello to your teacher, coaches, and college employers: they will be super interested to hear how you are doing, and to help any way that they can.  If you are out of range for a visit, send a quick e-mail or write a letter to check in on their year.  Don't only contact them when you need something (a recommendation for example), but because you are genuinely interested in how they are doing!

While you travel through life, there are few things more important than having companions to accompany you as you go.  Therefore, make space in your busy lives to spend time with your friends and family.  Since I have gotten out of college, I have had the good fortune of having an amazing core of friends from both college and high school, that I have been able to visit with on a pretty regular basis.  Although we have all taken different paths, we have made it a priority to stay in touch and remain close.  It is always a treat to relive old memories while creating new ones.  While I have many amazing friends, I have also regretfully lost some through the cracks, because I didn't take the time to reach out to them or respond to a message that they sent.  If there is someone like that in your lives, take a minute to reconnect, you won't be sorry. 

Maintain a hunger for learning.  There will never be a time in your life when learning isn't vital.  In all fields of work, there are always going to be advancements and opportunities for professional development.  TAKE THEM!  Not only do these chances make you more marketable in the job world, but also help you to be better at your job.  Away from your job, take the time to read some books.  Not only are they exciting ways to using your imagination, but they will help expand your vocabulary (and if you read some of the classics, you can sound smart in book conversations).  If you think that maybe, someday you want to pursue a Master's Degree, don't wait!  Your brain is in the perfect place to continue to take classes.

Stay resilient!  We are living in a time filled with recent college graduates.  While it is wonderful that so many of us now have the opportunities to fulfill that dream, it definitely creates a nightmare when it comes down to finding a job (especially with a history degree).  You will likely apply to hundreds of jobs and many of them may never give your application a second look, and that's okay.  Just make sure to know that something will fall into place and that as long as you stay positive and continue to work hard, you will end up where you are supposed to be.  Its these challenges that shape us into the people that we will become and going through them with your head held high will only make you stronger!

Enjoy the little things and if you don't notice the little things, take time to do so.  There are so many parts of life to enjoy, whether its the annoying little birds that wake you up in the morning or the way the sun paints the sky as it sets in the evening, so stop what you are doing, take a deep breath, and enjoy those moments.  I know that you've heard all of this before, but seriously, if you are having a down day just take a moment to appreciate the blessings that you have and the beautiful things that are around you, and I bet things will look just a little bit brighter.

Finally, live life in a manner that you are comfortable and happy with!  If you aren't, don't be afraid to make a change so that you can be.  Obviously, there will be times where you will feel completely run down and overworked, but make sure that this is because you are setting yourself up to have a long fruitful career doing something you love.  There is nothing worst than being stuck in a rut and just letting the tires spin.  If you aren't getting that traction, don't be afraid to try new things to maintain a happier lifestyle.

In summary, be happy, resilient, thankful, driven, and follow good values.  I know its a tall order, but strive to make the best of every situation that you end up in!  I know you will all work hard to make great decisions, nuture friendships, and have successful careers in whatever it is you are doing!

Enjoy adulthood!

Until next time,

Noah

Happy Mother's Day!

I may be biased in saying this, but I strongly believe that I have the best mother in the world!  She has been a mother since she was twenty-four (crazy to think she was younger than me) and it has always been clear that she loves her boys to no end!  Through the years, she has provided us with strong guidance, a calming presence, and has really and truly helped shape us into the men we are today.  So with that said, this Mother's Day post is all about Mom!

For many of the years prior to starting school, Mom did not work, but instead stayed home with Isaiah and me.  While she stayed at home with us, we did so many fun things.  Our days were filled with board games (a lot of Candy Land), going for walks around our neighborhoods, and most importantly, learning.  We started simply with letters and the sounds they made, then when I was good at that, we moved on to words and what they look and side like.  While I was learning words she taught me how to write the letters and words.  I learned quickly from such an outstanding teacher, and moved on to math.  Mom made flash cards with simple math problems that I would excitedly answer.  Thanks to Mom taking an active role in my learning, I entered Kindergarten with a very solid educational foundation.  This foundation became apparent when I was invited to join my school's gifted and talented program in first grade.  Mom could have very easily chose to find a job and make more money for our family, but made that sacrifice to make sure that her kids were well cared for and off to a great start in life.  One of the many sacrifices that she has made to make sure that we have had all the opportunities to find success.
My Mom's desire to help us learn however, definitely did not stop once we got into school.  I can remember her volunteering regularly in our classrooms to read to the class or lend a hand where she was needed.  It was clear in those times that she not only wanted us to have a great education, but that she aimed for the success of all of the students in the class.  On one very stormy, scary day in Mississippi, she came in to read to the class and as she left, I begged her to let me go home early with her so I could be in the comfort of my own home during the projected storm, but she insisted on me staying in school.  Later in the day, I had to suffer through several tornado drills, one of which occurred as we were boarding the buses.  As we went inside, I made sure that I was near Isaiah (who was in Kindergarten) and comforted him while we waited for the swell to pass.  When we got home, Mom apologized for not letting us come home, and let us build a pillow fort as we listened to radio updates on the storm.  She was obviously concerned for our safety, but also didn't want us to miss important learning!

 I think both of my parents played a really large role in my upbringing (and continuing practice) in the Catholic church, but being home with Mom meant that I was also likely going to go to daily mass at the local retirement community (St. Catherine's Village).  I fondly remember attending mass and then afterwards going out back to the kitchen so I could have a coca cola with the priest and the old folks.  I wasn't as shy then as I am now, so I would ham it up for the residents, while Mom chatted with them.  Afterwards, we would spend time looking around the parking lot to find the largest pine cones around (they were huge!)  Usually, when we got out of church, we would stop by the library so that Isaiah and I could pick out new books to read at home.  As children, we devoured books. 

On Vacation In Maine!

Another major sacrifice that my Mom made, was to move down to Mississippi when my Dad took a job offer down there.  She had been away from Maine before, but with her family all living in New England, I am sure it was difficult to make the move away from them again to go down to Mississippi.  She has always been extremely close to her family, so it was always a very great experience for her when we got to come up north and spend time with them.  We would come up for weeks at a time and spend countless hours with our cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  Mom's devotion to family and family values has provided such a great model for us to follow as we have gotten older.  As her parents have gotten older, she (and her siblings) have spent more and more time making sure that they are being properly cared for and have everything they need to live a comfortable life at home.  She is truly one of the most caring people I know.
I definitely have some qualities of my father, but if someone were to compare me to either one of my parents, I think they would find that I share many more qualities with Mom.  Mom is quiet and even keeled, but confident in the things she does.  She has a burning love for God and all the people around her.  Since we have grown up, she has gone back to work and currently educates people who were recently diagnosed with diabetes how to diet and manage their new disorder.  I have never witnessed her in this practice, but I imagine she does so with patience and enthusiasm.  Like me, she holds her feelings close to the chest, choosing to internalize concerns rather than sharing them with others.  There have been very few days when I ask her how work was when she doesn't respond "work was work," or "it was okay."  I was usually hard to tell if it was a bad day or good day unless I questioned her further.  She has a propensity to put forth quality work, but on occasion is known to push her work to the last minute (that's where I get it from) so that she can go for long walks, cross-country ski, or work in the garden.
Mom is definitely an outdoors fanatic.  As she has gotten older, she has stuck mostly to walking, hiking, xc skiing, or working around the yard.  When she was younger however, she was an avid downhill skiier.  Our love of skiing definitely stemmed from Mom dragging us out of bed early on the weekends so that we could get first runs on the mountain.  The rides up were always a groggy blur, but once we got on the mountain, we would only take breaks to eat lunch.  She still skis alpine now and then, but now that we aren't around, she has lost her skiing companions.  She was also quite the tennis player.  She has never been super competitive throughout her life, but in playing tennis with her you could see glimpses of frustration or joy after a good or bad shot.  On the court, she has always been the most consistent player, using her experience to keep the ball in play and being in a great position to send the ball back at me.  I'm not sure that I ever beat her (for the record, my serve has since improved greatly).

She's smiling even after going through childbirth with Isaiah!

There are so many more things that I could write in this blog, but I will save them for future post.  But for now I will just say that I speak for all the boys in saying that my family has been blessed to have such a wonderful, loving mother.  Her natural goodness and zeal for life has pushed us to aspire to live like her and be the best people that we can be.  If there was a better combination of genes than Mom and Dad's I would be surprise (I am biased).  So with all that said, Happy Mother's Day Mom!  Thank you for always being there with a word of advice or a strong guiding hand!  I am the person I am today because of you and Dad!  I'm glad that I can continue to absorb your kindness and share it with others!

Mom's always the centerpiece to an amazing family!

 Until Next Time!

Happy Birthday Joe!

Not only is today National Star Wars Day, it is also the birthday of my oldest brother Joe!  If you know anything about Joe, it is very clear that he is the oldest in a house of four boys.  When we are all together as a family or need to make a decision among the brothers, Joe always takes the lead role, deciding what we are going to do and when we are going to do it.  As the third, this is fine with me, because I am a roll with the punches type of guy, but for Josh and Isaiah, this can sometimes be difficult. 

Guarantee he's singing "What It's Like" by Everlast

Joe is about five and a half years older than me, which isn't a huge age gap, but he was far enough ahead of me in school (he graduated high school when I was in seventh grade) that our social lives never really intersected.  I think having two older brothers became a huge advantage to me as I went through life experiences that I had seen Joe and Josh go through years before.  Joe has never been one to struggle in a social atmosphere, as he is friendly, outgoing, athletic, and very goal-driven.  There has never been anything that Joe has done that he does not strive to be the very best at.  I have always envied the success that he has had in all walks of life, and really look up to him (there is something about all the brothers that I strive to emulate).
When I was very young, there was nothing that I wanted to do more than to be able to play soccer like Joe.  He was never the biggest or strongest kid on the soccer field, but he always found a way to make his impact on the game felt, whether it was by scoring goals or beating defenders one on one.  In Mississippi, I watched from the sidelines for years with a ball on my feet, practicing moves that he was using against kids his age, knowing that someday I would have the chance to use the same moves.  I watched with glee as his teams won state championships and out-of state tournaments and in agony when they would lose closely contested shootouts that seemed to end at midnight.  Once we got to Maine, I got to watch with pride as Joe was one of only a few underclassmen to get playing time on an undefeated state championship winning team (which had to have been one of the most talented teams ever in Maine).  Due to my love of the sport, the head coach of that team asked me to one of the ball boys for the varsity games.  As a fifth grader, I was on top of the world.  I held the post for the next few years.

Joe's High School Soccer Days

 It was from this vantage point that I got to watch Joe score 27 goals in the season following the state championship, to lead another talented team in scoring.  There was one thing that could be said about Joe, and that was that he lacked no confidence.  He has always thought highly of himself and it reflects not only on the soccer field, but in school, as well as his job now.  I remember one game, they were playing Brunswick, and Joe was facing a defender one on one and someone in the crowd yelled "go by him Joe!" Joe probably could have passed the ball and beat the defender, but always a showman, he nut-megged the defender and basked in the cheers coming from the sideline.

URI Celebrating one of their A-10 championships (Joe is slightly hidden in the back)

He was so good, that he was able to continue his career at the University of Rhode Island, where he played alongside a handful of future MLS players and Geoff Cameron who represented the United States in the previous World Cup.  It was a real pleasure to get the opportunity to watch these games live, as the skill and the atmosphere was unmatched.  At the time, soccer was one of the two biggest sports at URI and it was apparent based on the size of the crowds.  I was so happy to have been able to attend the game in which Joe scored his first (and almost second if not for an offsides call) collegiate goal.  His college career was obviously met with more success, as they won their conference championships three of the four years he was at school.  He takes pride in being one of the "locker room guys" during this stretch.  

How could the ladies resist?

Beyond the soccer field, I admire Joe for being a great brother.  He has always been there with advice and a guiding hand to help me prevent making the same mistakes he did when he was younger.  I remember when I had my first girlfriend, the first question he asked was "does she laugh a lot?"  Now that may seem like a silly question, but there is something so important to finding a girl with a great sense of humor (fortunately, I have found exactly that).  I also envied Joe for his constant success with the ladies.  His confidence seemed to help him in this department as well.  I won't dig in too deep because I don't want to embarrass him, but I always wanted to have whatever mojo Joe had in the girl department.  Unfortunately, I have not met his current girlfriend, but I have heard that she is wonderful and I look forward to meeting her soon!
Joe's swagger even existed when we would play pick-up sports around the house, particularly basketball.  We would play two on two: me and Josh against Isaiah and Joe, and for years, Joe carried their team to the closest games with us.  Isaiah was not super talented at any sport until he got older, so his goal was to not turn the ball over to me and to pass it to Joe, and Joe would do the rest.  Nothing made Josh more angry than playing driveway basketball with Joe.  It lead to many a scuffle in the driveway (or a punted basketball).  When Joe was little, he broke over 30 windows playing baseball in the side yard.  When he was around, he was always trying to get us to play sports (which I loved).  Even though we are growing up fast, he still pushes us to play driveway sports when we are all home (Josh and Isaiah have grown progressively more resistant.) 
It is no wonder that Joe has found success in everything he has put his mind to.  He has come from great stock and has made solid choices to put himself where he is now.  He is currently working in sales of promotional products and like everything he does, he treats it like a competition and wins over his clientele.  We only see each other a couple times a year since he is in DC and I am in Boston, but it is always a pleasure.  He also makes sure to try to call at least once a week to stay updated on my life (something that I am really thankful for).  He is an outstanding brother and I wish him the happiest of birthdays today!

Happy 31st Birthday Joe!!

Until next time!!

My life in youth sports!

 

See the kid up above in the pink, taking a goal kick?  Yeah, you guessed it, that was me!  For as long as I can remember, I have loved playing sports (particularly soccer) and have been fortunate to be athletic enough to participate in several organized sports through the years.  I think a lot of this yearning for sports was spurred on by older brothers who also loved sports, and as I covered a few blog posts back, I really wanted to be one of the guys.  Outside of organized sports, I have spent countless hours practicing all kinds of sport from tennis to soccer to golf (I have a good story about golf that I will share some other time).  All of the time spent playing with my brothers or by myself paid off, as I have been able to have a diverse, exciting career in organized sports.

The Mississippi Years: "One Sport Only!"

Living in Mississippi definitely gets a lot of the credit for my later prowess on the soccer field.  In the town we lived in, we received a lot of quality training from semi-pro players, and were exposed to a basically never ending soccer season.  The weather in Mississippi, as anyone who has visited it can tell you, is very hot all year long!  This heat allowed us to play year-round athletics, whereas New England has very clear obstacles that one must get around in order to play an outdoor sport all year.  

Due to the nature of a year-round season, it made sense that my parents implemented a one sport only rule during our time in Mississippi.  Athletics were expensive and they just didn't have the time to tote four kids to different sports all around Mississippi.  At the time, I was too young to play travel soccer, so I did rec, where we had a couple of games and practices per week (those specifics I don't really remember).  For one season, however, I was able to play baseball, and that is where I will begin.

The Yellow Team (Baseball):  

I can honestly say that I do not remember much from my very short-lived baseball career.  I do know that I was on the yellow team and that there is photo evidence that I played baseball.  I also remember that the specific league that I was in was a coach pitch league.  I vaguely remember running the bases as well as making some plays in the field, so I was at least able to hold my own (I think).  I also know for a fact that I was not a fun person to be around if we ever lost (and that went with every sport).  My most vivid memory of my one season of baseball, however, came not on the field, but at the year-end team party.  At the party (a pool party, in a gated community, if my memory serves me correctly) each player received a participation trophy for a job well-done in our games.  I got my trophy, looked down at the name, and read Noah Spoffaro.  I guess that they thought I was Italian.  My family all got a kick out of the misspelling (coincidentally not the only time my last name has been misspelled).

The Yellow Team (Soccer):  

The first soccer team that I played on was "the yellow team."  I have very little recollection of playing on this team, but I do know that for some reason, I ended up playing on a lot of yellow teams throughout my soccer career.  I also remember that I wore white cleats (what a boss).

Blimpie (The Pink Team):

As I aged up in Mississippi, I entered a league in which each team was sponsored by a local business. The first team sponsor that I played for was Blimpie.  I don't think I have ever eaten at a Blimpie, but I do know that it is quite similar to Subway or Amato's.  It was in the league that I really started to stand out for my play.  Prior to and while playing in this league, I spent a lot of time practicing my own skills on the sidelines of my older brothers games.  I spent hours juggling, and was rarely spotted without a soccer ball.  I was also fortunate enough to be able to play with my older brothers in the yard, which helped me stay fearless against kids who were the same size as I was.  One valuable skill that I learned when I was playing on Blimpie was the slide tackle (taught to me by Joe).  In the specific league that I was playing in, goalies were not yet allowed to use their hands, so therefore had to make saves with their feet.  The new found slide tackling skill became priceless.  In the game I played directly after I learned this new skill, I immediately put it into practice.  The coach put me in at goalie (see me above taking a goal kick) and I was a brick wall.  Anytime any the other team came close with the ball, I ran out of the net and slide tackled the ball away (A pretty impressive skill set for a first grader).  I was also one of the few kids at that age that had a brief idea of positions and didn't spend the entire game swarming around the ball like a pack of bees.  If I was outside the pack and the ball got to me, I would be all by myself with the goalie!

Check out those cars in the background!

Baptist Hospital (The Red Team):

This team was cool for a couple of reasons: 1. My Mom and another family friend were the coach and 2. my Dad worked at Baptist Hospital, so I was pretty proud of our sponsor.  I don't really remember what it was like having my mother as a coach, but I'm sure I didn't mind it.  She wasn't really the type to be an overbearing coach, more like the kill them with kindness type.  While I was playing on Baptist, I also learned a new move from my older brothers that would stay in my arsenal for the rest of my life: the pass to myself around the defender move.  For a second grader to be pulling out those kind of moves, was advanced to say the least.  Since I was one of the older kids in my grade, I was placed in the league that consisted mostly of kids from the grade above mine.  Since I grew up playing with my older brothers and their friends, this was a welcome challenge.  Even as a second grader, when I stepped onto the field, I had the confidence that I could compete with any of my opponents, older or younger.  The only game that I have ever been filmed by my family occurred while I was playing on Baptist.  My aunt and uncle (who had a video camera) came down to Mississippi to visit us and video taped it.  Watching it back, it was clear that I was one of the better players and that I loved the pass the ball to myself move.  It was definitely my signature move for a while.  It was great that they filmed the game, but they arrived to the game a little bit late, and missed my game winning goal.

Pizza Hut (The Yellow Team)(THE RAGE):

When I entered third grade I was picked up by a team that was sponsored by Pizza Hut (which made for a really great end of the season party).  We were called the rage.  I'm not sure how that name originated, but we liked it!  This team was by far the most skilled team I had played on to date.  Most of the kids on the team were a year older and thus a year more developed.  Playing on this team challenged me to step my game up, and that I did.  Most of the clear memories I have of my early days of soccer came while I was playing on this team.  I am going to digress for a moment to say that playing soccer in Mississippi was so special to me, because the league I was in and the teams I played on were so concerned with skill building.  The adults in the system weren't obsessed with winning (I was) and allowed players to get playing time to help them grow in confidence on the field.  The emphasis on fundamentals really helped as I got older.  Anyways, back to THE RAGE.  There was no trophy or reward for record in this league (just a trophy for participation), but I did not ever want to lose.  I remember losing one game during my time on this team and boy was I upset.  My parents had to console me while I bawled on the sidelines following the game.  As I remember, we played that team again later in the season and beat them (just for good measure).  At one point in that season, we won a 10-7 offensive battle: I scored 7 of our team's goals.  It was during my time on this team that I made my first all-star game and got to participate in a competition against other town's best players.  Down in Mississippi, this was a really cool process, as they had an opening ceremony the night before the tournament.  Unfortunately our team did not have a great amount of success, but it was a really cool experience.

The move to Maine:

WYSA (A collective memory):

We moved to Maine when I was going into fourth grade.  Needless to say, my love of soccer did not die with the move.  In fact, soccer was the only non-school sport that I played in an organized fashion in Maine.  My first exposure to soccer in Maine came not too long after our move, as my parents signed me up for an age group league.  One benefit of living in Waterville was that unlike a lot of towns in Maine, there was actually a reasonably strong feeder program for soccer.  My time playing in WYSA definitely helped me learn to become a much more gracious loser.  Due to the nature of the league, there was a variety of skill levels on each time and a very equal amount of playing time.  In my first game ever, we lost 6-4 (I scored three).  The team we consisted had some really good players (Jochem, Juice, and Teddy) and it really forced me to step my game up.  Following the game, a couple of the parents approached my parents and asked if I would be interested in playing on the local travel team, The Maine Novas.  Obviously, I was thrilled and told my parents that of course I wanted to play!  Luckily, my parents were supportive and I was able to get a spot on the team.  The only catch was that they had already given out all their uniforms, so I had to come up with a yellow jersey.  This wouldn't be a problem, since I got to keep my Pizza Hut jersey!

Maine Novas (Yes, another yellow team):

Playing on the Novas was such an important part of my life for the next eight or so years.  I met most of my closest friends and generated bonds with longtime teammates by playing with this team.  It definitely took me a little bit of time to get used to the styles of play of my teammates, but shortly after starting, I got the knack of things really quickly.  We had a really good team and competed very closely with the best teams throughout the state of Maine.  Our closest competition always came during the regional finals, when we would face Bangor or Ellsworth/Black Bear United (a collection of players from the Ellsworth/Belfast/Bar Harbor area).  For whatever reason, we always seemed to get stuck and lose a painfully close one to Black Bear (I think most of our players were already thinking about hockey season).  During my time playing with the Novas, we won one state championship, and boy was it a memorable one.  We were playing Scarborough and were down 1-0 going into halftime.  We had already played the semi-final earlier that day, so we were pretty exhausted, but we got our oranges and re-energized for the second half.  The Scarborough team had a really big for his age sweeper that we were having trouble getting around.  Finally with about 15 minutes left, Matt broke through and scored the goal that tied the game.  We finally had life!  With about 10 minutes left, I received a pass near the top of the eighteen yard box, beat one defender and shot the ball as hard as I could.  I watched the ball, as it sailed towards the goal.  It felt good off my foot, I just hoped it was on target.  The ball struck the post (thankfully it was round), and deflected into the goal.  The team went CRAZY! We were playing in Winslow, so many of the parents and siblings were able to come out to watch.  The crowd cheered loudly and I celebrated so hard that I nearly had to be substituted out of the game.  We survived the last 10 minutes to escape with a thrilling 2-1 victory!  As seventh graders, we were elated.  The team naturally changed throughout my time on it, but the core stayed the same.  When we weren't playing, we spent a lot of time carpooling together and hanging out (especially when I moved to Mathews Ave).  Unfortunately, the team was composed of players from several towns in the area, so as we went to Middle and High School, we were competing against many of our teammates.  This made victories against them so much sweeter and defeat was bitter, but we remained friends and teammates in travel soccer.  We played in a golden age of the Maine Novas and had a great amount of success for the program, including wins in the Coastal Challenge and the Falmouth Fall Classic. (If anyone reading this has a picture of any of the Novas teams, I would love to post it on this! Share it with me!)

Maine Terriers:

This was the last team that I played on that wasn't associated with school.  As I got older, many of my friends were focusing on other sports (mostly hockey) and didn't have as much time to devote to playing travel soccer.  I had played against many of my teammates, but there was definitely a longer adjustment period learning how to play with them.  We were competitive in our games, but I never felt as cohesive with this group as I had playing with the Novas.  Playing on the Terriers did present the opportunity to travel out of state to play in tournaments as well as competing in the state Snicker's Cup to have the opportunity to play in the Atlantic Regionals.  Unfortunately, we never made it that far, because there was one team that pulled ODP players from all over the state and was regularly one of the strongest competitors at regionals.  They often walked all over their Maine opponents (they beat us 6-0 on the dreariest of days).

Soon, I will talk about my jr. high and high school career, which was met with a lot of successes and growing experiences!

Until next time!

Senior Year: Suite K Part I

My freshman year of college was without a doubt the most socially difficult years of my life.  I had a new girlfriend at a different school, I didn't have a car, I missed my family, and I wasn't overly interested in getting into any of the mischievous that newly liberated freshmen are inclined to do.  I ate many meals alone, spent a lot of time in the library and immersed myself into my school work.

Kind of like Steven Glandsberg

The only thing that I looked forward to during the week was when I would be able to leave campus and go home or head to Bates to see Amy.  The only other place where I felt comfortable at all, was in the classroom, where I was recognized by my teachers and classmates for my academic achievements (but unfortunately, that does not earn you cool points in college).  I definitely looked a little bit into transferring, and if second semester had gone like the first, there is a good chance that I would have left St. Joe's.  Fortunately, however, things did not and I ended up making friendships that last to this day.

The Boys: Suite K

During the course of my sophomore and junior year I became was able to become significantly more social and really enjoy the excellent people at St. Joe's.  When I first started this blog, I was going to type an individual blurb about each of my roommates senior year, but I realized that not only would it take forever because I have so many good things to say but it was really the group as a whole that made senior year so special.  Eccluding myself, our suite consisted of (in alphabetical order): Ben, Ebb, Josh, Kevin, Kyle, Nick, and Rob (I will probably refer to him mostly as Taco).  Six out of the eight in our suite had lived together the year prior and the other two (Nick and Kevin) were most welcome additions.
Semester One:
First semester began early for me because I was starting my student teaching internship at Windham High School.  Since St. Joe's didn't start until after Labor Day, I had to come about a week early to make sure that my schedule aligned with the high school's.  Fortunately, fall sports were also starting that week, so I was not the only one on campus.  In fact, a number of my suite mates played on the golf or soccer team, so they also had to arrive on campus early.  As a true testament to the excitement levels for the upcoming school year, a couple of the guys ended their summer jobs a week early, just so that they could come and hang out with us at school.  In their defense, there are few places more beautiful than St. Joe's in late August!  One of the first things to get set up was our brand new flat screen tv.  Now normally, this wouldn't have a whole lot of significance, but this particular TV was going to be the grand prize for the winner of our newly formed fantasy football league!

The League: Suite K

Between the new tv, an awesome surround sound system (provided by Josh), and premium cable (paid for by bottle return money), we had a pretty phenomenal set-up.  Unfortunately, I did not win the TV (that honor went to Kyle), but we definitely made sure to get our money's worth while we all had access.
Student teaching was an amazing experience, but also required some self-sacrifice during the course of the school week.  The school started at 7:25, so I woke up at 6 every morning to make sure that I was dressed professionally and at least semi-nourished before getting to school.  This meant that I had to go to bed between 9:30 and 10 almost every night, to make sure that I wasn't useless as a teacher.  With seven other roommates, this is not the easiest thing to do.  There were many nights where I would wake up to go to the bathroom around 2:30 am and 2-3 of my other roommates (usually Kyle, Ben, or Taco) would be up in the common room playing video games or arguing about something trivial.  Ben and Taco were also really into wrestling, and would faithfully watch Monday Night Raw.  I am not against watching wrestling and in fact find it quite entertaining, but it was the things that went along with it that would rile me up.  I would try to go to sleep around 10 and as soon as I was nodding off, I would all of the sudden hear a loud clatter outside my bed room.  The guys would start laughing loudly and commotion ensued.  I couldn't get back to sleep, so I got out of bed to figure out what was going on outside of my bedroom.  As I opened the door, I saw Ben holding a metal sign, moving it in slow motion towards Taco's head.  As it gently hit Taco, he reared back slowly as though he were in a movie being punched.  I quickly realized that they were "slow motion wrestling."  This was the first time it happened, but it was certainly not the last.  Their slow motion wrestling became a common occurance and even evolved to the point that they challenged each other for a championship belt!  Most nights, however, they kept the noise level at bay and were respectful of my need to sleep.  Another extremely underrated thing that I love about the guys of Suite K, is their selflessness.  For example, during my internship, I did not have a car, and worked about 10 minutes away from school.  The guys (Taco and Josh in particular) would wake up early  or take time in the middle of their busy days to come to school to pick me up.  It was a little thing, but it made my life so much easier and I truly appreciated it.
In the fall of 2011, three things happened that improved Suite K's life (particularly mine) significantly: 1. The release of Fifa '12, 2. Jay-Z and Kanye's release of Watch the Throne, and 3. Coldplay's release of Xylo Myloto.  The first thing on this list was the most significant in terms of group entertainment, but the second two provided fantastic soundtracks for us to get our gaming on.  The guys spent countless hours playing FIFA in the common room and was often how we kicked off our weekends.  It was not rare for us to play tournaments to crown the king of the moment.  It also spurred the birth of "Ye Olde Rivalry," AKA the rivalry between Josh and Ebb (four year roommates and lifetime best friends).  Up until this point, Ebb had little interest in watching, talking about, or playing video games related to soccer, but thanks to this wonderful game, his eyes were awaken!  There was rarely an evening when you couldn't walk into Josh and Ebb's room to find them deeply immersed in their fourth game of the night (there was also a fair amount of yelling).
The fall of 2011 also saw the St. Joseph's mens soccer team win their second GNAC championship in four years.  This one was particularly exciting for us, because Nick, one of our roommates was on the team.  I remember watching the game with Amy and Isaiah and being so excited for Nick when they won!  Needless to say, he was stoked too.  It was awesome to go to a small DIII school that was really competitive in most of their sports.  It really built a strong camaraderie among the student body.

Halloween 2011

I would be remiss if I didn't say a few words about Josh's girlfriend (now wife) Kim and her off-campus housemates Danielle and Casey.  They were definitely most definitely our most common visitors and welcomed guests.  On weekends at the beginning of the year, they hosted "family dinners," where they would invite the guys from Suite K over for a nice dinner prepared by them.  Even though it was not a super common occurance, it was always a treat.  It was at these family dinners that I showed my love for rice pilaf by eating a really absurd quantity of it.  These three had been around for the past few years (especially Kim), so during senior year they fit in really well with the guys of Suite K.  On one occasion, we watched Pearl Jam 20 (an amazing documentary about Pearl Jam) and then Danielle convinced us to watch Never Say Never (Justin Bieber's documentary).  Although we were skeptical, we definitely were not entirely unimpressed.
Sundays during the fall semester were dedicated to football.  We often had multiple TVs on at the same time, televising the different games or streaming NFL Sunday Ticket.  Streaming in the Suites was difficult though, because St. Joe's had pretty terrible wi-fi.  Watching football meant that we were eating one of two things: Dominoes or China Taste.  Dominoes was always a popular choice for their cheap pizza, but when we really wanted greasy and filling, we went with China Taste.  China Taste was a local Chinese restaurant known for their unreasonably large quantities and deep fried Chinese food.  Needless to say, it was delicious.  The most popular orders from Suite K were their General Tsao's or Orange chicken combos.  A single order from China Taste could fill me up for at least three separate sittings (great for a poor college kid).

I realize that there are so many things that I am missing about the first semester, but that is because I was living with such a great group of guys.  Eventually, I will get into the second semester and graduation, but will stop here for now.

Until next time!   

The Spoffords: Road Trip Edition

For much of my youth, the van above was how we rolled.  It was always very clear when the Spofford's were rolling up to an event.  Not only did we have this monster, it was carrying around four boys.  When I texted my Dad to find out what the name of this van was, he responded "chevy astro, remember the movie lights in the van? That's what sold me on the van... plus the VCR for you guys."  THE VAN HAD A VCR!! (for all you youngsters, VCR's played movies).  I feel like my words don't do it justice, but it looked a little like this:

Pretty legit, right!?

The Spoffords and this van traveled around much of the United States; stretching as far west as Wyoming, as far south as Florida, and as far north as Maine.  It was a real part of our family and saw the good, the bad, and the silly from us.  We rarely flew as a family, due the the astronomical costs of flying six people, so if we were getting somewhere, chances were, we were traveling in the Big Red.

The Routine:
For a very long time, our road trips had a very similar feel.  We would pack the car the night before our trips, because we typically left very early in the morning, so we would travel through big cities with limited traffic.  So in the mornings, my parents would wake us up at the expected time.  We were usually awaken much earlier than we normally woke up, so typically the four of us boys would zombie around the house, getting showered up and a little food in our stomach, before we piled in the vehicle.  Once we were in the van (or car), it was immediately time to go back to sleep.  We made sure to carry our pillows on so that we could sleep comfortably.  When we travelled in the van, we had plenty of room and usually the sleeping arrangements were quite comfortable.  Later on, as we grew larger and our mode of transport got smaller, this was not the case.  Depending on when we departed the house, our nap time usually lasted between 1-2 hours, at which point the discomfort of sleeping in a vehicle caught up to us and we began to stir.  Once we were awake, we would typically listen to the radio and sing along and chat as a family, until someone had to go to the bathroom.  The bathroom pit stops were few and far between in the Spofford family, so we had to become quite adept at holding it.  After the pit stop, I would usually start to grow restless and start to poke and prod Isaiah, hoping to get a rise out of him.  Of course, being his brother, I knew exactly the things he didn't like and it was only a matter of time before he lashed out at me.  Within minutes, the brothers would be annoyed with each other and began to cause a ruckus.  My parents would let it go on for a couple of minutes to see if it would fizzle  out, but it typically began to escalate.  At this point my Mom would say "Boys, that enough!"  When Mom got after us, we knew we better behave, so we all got quiet again.  Then, satisfied with the silence, Mom (and this never failed to happen) would reach towards her bag and pull out a book on tape.  There was literally nothing that unified us more than resisting Mom's attempt to put on a book on tape. She would put the first tape in and the four of us in the back would immediately let out a collective groan. "MOMMMM, WHAT THE HECK!?"  "Can we pleasseeee not listen to this!?"  "This is SOOOOOO boring!!!"  Eventually we would get her to cave in and take the tape out.  When we had a TV in our car, as soon as Mom took the book on tape out of the player, it was time to watch a movie.  The favorites in the Spofford household included: Remember the Titans, Sister Act, The Mask of Zorro, Aladdin, Lion King, Rudy, and Wild America.  Usually, that would take us to lunch time.  Despite protests from my mom, we typically stopped at fast food restaurants for lunch (usually McDonald's).  As we pulled into the parking lot, Dad would make it very clear that we all had a two dollar limit.  That was not unreasonable at the time, because we could choose between chicken nuggets and a cheeseburger and also get a small fry.  We had other snacks in the car to supplement our lunches.  We would all place our strict 2 dollar orders, except for Josh.  Josh, who has always had expensive taste, would insist on principle that he go over the two dollar limit.  Whether it was swinging for the fences with a big mac meal or getting a burger, fry, and a soda, he always exceeded it.  "Dad, I'll give you the extra dollar if it means that much!" he would always argue.  Looking back, we have had a lot of good laughs over Josh's limit breaking.  Once we ordered, we would get in the car, and that cycle usually repeated until we arrived at our destination. 

The Soccer Tournaments:
Many of our travels when we lived down south (we lived in Mississippi for 5 years) revolved around soccer tournaments for Joe and Josh.  These took us all over the South, namely: Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and all throughout Mississippi.  Joe and Josh always got to sit in the big captain seats, which put Isaiah and I in the back seat, usually separated by mountains of luggage or snacks.  With a family of six active children, my parents could never pack enough.  Our traveling staples were cheddar goldfish and Nestea Lemon Iced tea (few things are better than sweet tea.)  Our "highest profile" soccer trip happened one evening when my Dad got pulled over for his first and only time ever.  We were traveling back from southern Mississippi after a long day of soccer, and Dad was just trying to get home and maybe going just slightly (yes, slightly) over the speed limit. As Dad started pulling the van over, we got confused, because we were so enraptured in our viewing of Aladdin (a Disney classic.)  He came to a stop and we finally understood what was going on.  He told us just to stay quiet and respectful and everything went as it usually does when someone gets pulled over for speeding.  This story wouldn't be particularly notable because for the most part it was pretty mundane, until I mention the part that STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI WAS ALSO IN THE CAR!  

Yes, this Stephen Gostkowski!

At the time, he and my brother Joe were on the same soccer team, and we happened to be giving him a ride to and from the tournament (something that happened on a fairly regular basis).  Unfortunately, after we left Mississippi, we lost touch with him and his family, so I cannot make requests for sideline game tickets.
On a separate occasion, we traveled to Memphis for another of Joe's tournaments.  Josh was particularly excited, because Graceland (Elvis' home) is also in Memphis and my parents said that we would have the opportunity to go!  We arrived at the ticket vendor and were greeted with a really long line.  My Dad skipped ahead to check out how much it would be for us to take a tour.  Upon seeing the length of line and the prices, he decided that it would probably be better if we didn't actually pay for a tour of Graceland.  Josh was pretty angry.  We went into the gift shop to have a look around at the different fan memorabilia, and in place of taking a tour, we crowded around (as a family) one copy of a picture book of Graceland to see what we missed (yes, all six of us around one book).  Instead, we went to a Mud Island to see Mississippi River Park.  That was actually pretty cool!  We took a monorail across the Mississippi River, and once we were on Mud Island, there was a scale model of the Mississippi River that we go to check out.  At the ticket kiosk for that, they charged us for 4 kids and 2 adults.  However, because Joe was a little bit older, we should have been charged for 3 kids and 3 adults.  While we were over on the island, Joe guilted Dad so bad that he returned to the kiosk afterward to fix this mistake.      

Mississippi to Wyoming:
This trip was definitely our longest road trip that didn't involve us moving somewhere.  In one of the summers of the late 90's we embarked on a trip from Mississippi to Wyoming to visit family and some close friends.  Earlier, I mentioned that we rarely took pit stops (usually for Mom), so sometimes when we had to go number 1, it was easier and provided faster relief to go in an empty bottle or a cup.  This was not weird and made possible by living in a family of mostly boys.  Anyways, one of us really had to go and there were no good stopping spots in the middle of Texas, so they went in a left over empty McDonald's cup.  Typically we went in bottles that had caps that we screwed back on and threw them out when we stopped.  McDonald's cups, however cannot be screwed back on, so someone had to either hold it, or we had to put it in the cup holder.  At this point, Mom was driving, and refused to allow the cup to be in the cup holder, because if it spilled or she grabbed the wrong cup, it would really spell disaster and be totally disgusting.  Luckily for us, Dad took one for the team and held it between his legs.  This was all fine and dandy for a while.  As we know, Texas is a very warm state, and driving through it can make someone uncomfortably warm.  As Dad sat with the paper cup between his legs, the warm pee mixed with the warmth that Dad's legs were putting off and the cup began to melt.  All of the sudden, he felt an umcomfortable trickling down his pants and looked down to see that the cup was leaking!  He acted immediately and threw the cup out the window and get it as far away from himself as possible.  Not only was his window down, but because it was so hot, the windows in the back were opened as well.  As Dad threw the cup out the window, the lid came off and all of the boys in the back were hit with a sudden spray of pee.  Needless to say, it was really gross.  Obviously, we were not soaked, just sprayed, and got a real kick out of seeing Dad with a big pee spot on his pants.  At the next pit stop it was quite comical to watch Dad trying to dry his pants off with a hand dryer.
We continued on through Texas, when suddenly we came to a stop.  We were in the middle of a movie, but we looked up and a car in front of us was engulfed in flames!  We were in the middle of nowhere and we were not trying to get caught up in this fire.  Dad peered out back and said "hold on kids!"  As he said it, he sped up and zoomed by the burning car, bringing us to safety. 

Maine to North Carolina to Maine:
When I was in middle school, my family took a trip down to North Carolina to look at schools for Joe and Josh.  We went to Wake Forest, UNC Chapel Hill, and University of Virginia.  We also used the trip as a good opportunity to see family that lived in the Mid-Atlantic states.  We were in the tobacco belt of North Carolina when our van's air conditioner died.  What a miserable time and place for an air conditioner to stop working, it was so hot!  We rolled the windows down and tried to stay as cool as possible, but it was not easy.  The first major story on this trip happened at the University of Virginia and involves my Dad.  Now, for those of you that know my Dad, also know that he can be a jokester and is very outgoing.  His fashion sense for work is outstanding.  When he goes to work or church, he is always well dressed and looks very professional.  His casual outfits, however, leave something to be desired.  He is often spotted wearing a long track shorts and a cut-off work out top to show off the guns.  On this particular day, he was wearing just that!  As we walked on campus, Joe and Josh stayed ahead of the rest of the family to make sure that no one on campus knew that they were on campus with us.  As they walked, they passed through a really beautiful stone archway, when they realized that the UVA girls cross-country team was practicing.  They decided that they had better stop to let them pass (and also get a chance to check them out).  The girls ran by, and as they did, Joe and Josh noticed that the cross country team added one more member.  As they passed us, Dad joined behind them, running with them as they went.  When Joe and Josh saw Dad running behind them, they nearly died.  Dad, Isaiah, and I thought it was hilarious.
On the way back home, we intended to check out Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, but once we got to Gettysburg, Joe and Josh were colleged out.  Instead, we did the historical sightseeing of Gettysburg.  My parents have always been all about the free attractions, most of which are historical sites, so we have been exposed to a lot of history in our lives!  Anyways, while we were walking through the Gettysburg cemetery, we were fooling around as usual.  It is hard to take four adolescent children anywhere and expect them to be little angels.  Josh, Isaiah, and I edged away from Joe and my parents in the middle of the cemetery and found a large tree.  Isaiah had the camera and Josh and I pretended that we were peeing on the tree in the middle of the cemetery!  Looking back, that was very disrespectful and I regret my actions, but at the time it was all about the potty humor.  Needless to say, my parents were pretty furious, and they gave us a nice talking to about how we need to be respectful, particularly in National landmarks.

This is just a brief snapshot into the animated Spofford road trips, with many more stories to come.

Until next time!

Musical Tastes Part I: What I listened to through jr. high!

Growing up, music was (and still is) always a major part of my life.  I remember being in the first grade doing work by myself humming the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song.  Although I was in the zone, my teacher was apparently unimpressed, bringing me into the hall and reminding me (not so gently) that school is not the place for that kind of noise.  I was also part of the children's choir at our church.  While some of the kids in the group were shy and hesitant about their singing, I always posted up right in front of the microphone belting out the church hymns.  There weren't many moments in my youth that I wasn't singing, humming, or making some sort of noise (hence my father calling me "Noisy Noah").  I have always been fond of singing, loudly and freely in the presence of my close friends and family and on occasion around others.  As much as I enjoy singing and playing, just listening to music, so I am going to take you on a brief journey through middle school of my (sometimes embarrassing) musical tastes.

The Early Years (Pre-school): 

When I was very young (like most youngsters) I had very little control over what I listened to on the radio.  Due to this fact, my Mom and Dad dictated what we would be listening to on car rides or around the house.  When I was a little kid, we didn't have mp3's yet for immediate listening (or even CD's for that matter), so we were stuck with whatever cassette tapes that were kicking around the house. The two tapes that I remember being played most often around the house were Raffi and The Lion King Soundtrack, and we played those tapes all the way down to the bone.  Car rides were reserved for much more refined tastes.  Most often during short car rides, my mom would listen to NPR, rather than music, (probably because radio has too many commercials and juggling cassette tapes and four boys is difficult).  We would sit in the back seat complaining until our faces turned blue, but there was no getting around All Things Considered, Prairie Home Companion, or Car Talk while we drove around town.  However, on the occasions when music was playing in the car, more often then not, we were bumping the Phantom of The Opera soundtrack.  I'm not sure what drew my family to soundtracks, but we loved them.  Obviously, the music is amazing, and I would try so hard to emulate the voices coming through the radio.  At that age, I was much closer to Christine Daaé (to this day, still my favorite song from Phantom).  Clearly, based on what I was listening to, I was a very sophisticated young child, then I began listening to popular radio.

Grades K-3: The Mississippi Years

Look at these studs (Hanson)

This era (in my opinion) was a particularly golden age for music.  I really enjoyed many of the songs that were popular then and still find myself listening to many of the same tunes today.  Down in Mississippi, the radio station that played the most up to date popular music was Y 101 Jackson.  I will always remember running errands with my dad on Saturday mornings listening to Casey Kasem's Top 40 countdown.  The following five songs stick out for various reasons:
1. My Heart Will Go On- Celine Dion  
This song is absolutely incredible.  It was the biggest hit, written for the highest grossing film in history (at that point).  I was in second grade when this song became a smash hit, and EVERYONE needed the soundtrack.  I mean, just look at the video (the link above)!  Not only does it have clips from a fantastic movie, but also a dramatic close-up of beautiful Celine Dion.

2. I Don't Want to Miss A Thing- Aerosmith
I will continue on the soundtrack vain with this gem.  This song is a perfect love ballad, written by an excellent New England rock band.  Armageddon was definitely a blockbuster hit, but this song completed star-studded puzzle.  I can remember very clearly this song being played at a party down the street for some friends that were moving out of state.  This is also the only song that I have ever sang for karaoke (not an easy task).

3. Lovefool- The Cardigans
There were most definitely more popular songs at this time, but the bros and I were oddly obsessed with this one.  I can distinctly remember calling in to the radio station regularly requesting this song.  At that time, I thought the song's name was "Love pool," so the radio dj's probably thought I was crazy.  I love how listening to this song can bring me back to an exact moment in my childhood.

4. Tubthumping- Chumbawamba
I realize that this song has also probably made a few top five most inappropriate lists, but what was more fun than dancing along to the chorus and falling down around the house?  I still cannot believe that this song was played on the radio as much as it was, but it was very easy to be "kissing the night night away" instead.

5. What If God Was One of Us- Joan Osborne
This was my favorite song from a very good 38th Grammys CD (Gangsta's Paradise, Let Her Cry, One Sweet Day, Waterfalls, Kiss From A Rose, and I Can Love You Like That, just to name a few) that my family played very frequently.  The song was very family friendly, and for a church boy like me it was the perfect song to belt out around the house!

Honorable Mentions: mmmBop!- Hanson, Wannabe- Spice Girls, Truly Madly Deeply- Savage Garden, Semi-Charmed Life- Third Eye Blind, Barbie Girl- Aqua, I Believe I Can Fly- R. Kelly (Thanks Space Jam), Breakfast At Tiffany's- Deep Blue Something, One Headlight- Wallflowers

Grades 4-6: Boy Bands and Brotherly Influence

This was definitely hanging up in my room

When I moved back to Maine, the world was being introduced to: Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, The Backstreet Boys, and N'Sync.  My biggest influences in my musical preferences at this time were my older brothers and my classmates.  With Joe being a freshman in high school (when I was in fourth grade) and Josh being in eighth grade, some of my tastes may have been a little bit more mature than my peers.  I am going to do some songs in this section, but I will also be mixing bands and solo artists in as well.

1. I Want It That Way- Backstreet Boys
Question: Whats cooler than five guys singing in harmony? Answer: Five guys singing in harmony in an airport hanger!  I was definitely a Backstreet Boys kind of kid.  For whatever reason, I was all in on their wagon, and the first person in line in the N'Sync haters club.  It wasn't until college that I was finally convinced that Justin Timberlake is a stellar artist (I have come around on N'Sync as well).

2. Creed
I have to give full credit to my oldest brother Joe for my Creed fandom.  For a while in the Spofford household, whether we liked it or not, Creed was going to be played loudly.  Although they have since fallen out of popular opinion due to some questionable actions by Scott Stapp, their lead singer, they definitely wrote some catchy tunes.

3. Meet Virginia- Train (and subsequently many more of their songs)
I will admit it, I am a big fan of Train.  Isaiah and I joke that I hear a Train song one time, and I am able to remember the words immediately.  This was the first of their hit singles, and it does not disappoint.  In the interest of not putting Train in this blog, I will list their other songs that I really enjoy: Hey, Soul Sister, Drive By, Drops of Jupiter, Calling All Angels, and Marry Me.  Their staying power in the music industry has been a little bit surprising, but not disappointing.

4. Perfect Gentleman- Wyclef Jean
This era also corresponded with the advent of mix cd's, and when I got a hold of my older brother's cds, I was exposed to a whole world of music.  I had no idea what Wyclef was singing about, but I loved the beat and the enthusiasm with which my brothers (particularly Josh) had about this song.

5. Avril Lavigne
Ugh, I can't believe that this is true, but this was the first CD that I ever purchased with my own money.  I had just gotten a CD walkman from my parents for my birthday and needed to get some music to fill it up, so this is what I bought.  I will say that she had some super catchy song, and I love that she spelled skater boy "sk8er boi," that is super early-2000's.  There were few things cooler than punk rocker chicks at this time, so I guess my purchase is semi-defensible, but just barely.

Honorable Mention: Say My Name- Destiny's Child, Summer Girls- LFO (Please watch this link and listen to their rhymes), Shania Twain, The Way- Fastball, Because I Got High- Afroman

Grades 7-8: Musical Explosion
Seventh and Eighth grade were massive for the maturation of my musical tastes.  It was at this time, that I started to develop my own opinion on music and what I wanted to listen to.  I was obviously still influenced by the radio and what people around me were listening to, but my independence was developing.  There were so many artists and songs during these two years that I could probably write an entire blog solely dedicated to it, but I will try to filter it out to the best of the best.

1. Outkast
I believe that I was in 8th grade when Outkast released Speakerboxx/The Love Below, and my mind was blown.  Rap music was obviously very popular at this time with the rise of Eminem and the comeback of Dr. Dre, but Outkast had the knack of creating super catchy beats with amazing lyrics.  They definitely opened the door for rap singers and groups from Atlanta to make it big, and this double release was (at the time) the final chapter in their amazing rap career.  My two favorite songs were Roses and the best music video of all time, Hey Ya:
 
ANDRE 3000 PLAYS HIMSELF AS THE ENTIRE BAND!!!  Although, going back and watches the Roses video, it is clear, this was a golden age for music videos.

2. Hero- Enrique Iglesias
Enrique was always making hot and heavy music videos, but I loved this song because it was the best slow dance song in all of junior high.  If this song came on and you didn't have a dance partner, you better have been hightailing it over to the crying/drama section, because this was the jr high relationship sealer.  Thank you Enrique for all you did for us!

3. Sum 41
In the age of young skater punks, Sum 41 were the heroes of the day.  Their bad behavior and crazy punk rock music, got even the best behaved kids to take some chances.  I listened to their cds so much that eventually they wouldn't work for me. Their biggest hit was Fat Lip and it was a real doozy.  I also truly enjoyed Blink-182, but they were a little bit early for my rebellious streak, so Sum 41 fell in at the perfect time.

4. Gorillaz
I mean, what was cooler than a band that was represented by cartoons?  Their biggest song was definitely Clint Eastwood, but my favorite song was 19-2000, because it was much more upbeat and on the intro video to FIFA 2002.  I always wanted to experience a Gorillaz concert, but never had the opportunity to do so.

5. Pearl Jam   
Any musical list that I make would be incomplete without the mention of Pearl Jam.  Our family became Pearl Jam fans much later than many PJ fans, as Joe discovered them in high school.  We thought that Creed was played a lot, but Pearl Jam was non-stop.  Joe would wake up and immediately begin blasting Elderly Woman.  It is difficult to find any Pearl Jam songs that I don't like, with Eddie Vedder's signature brooding voice driving the music.  Pearl Jam has since become a band that can be heard on rock stations at nearly every time of the day, and I don't hate it.  My favorite song is Betterman, as it has amazing lyrics and also spurred the chill inducing live performance, where the crowd sings the whole song (see link).

Honorable Mention: Mambo No. 5- Lou Bega, Who Let The Dogs Out- Baha Men, Simple Plan, Jasmin- Youth Asylum (that's for you Isaiah), She Will Be Loved- Maroon 5, Eminem, Nelly, Shake Ya Tailfeather- Nelly ft. P. Diddy and Murphy Lee, and many more.

I know that I missed some throughout, but these were clearly the songs and artists who stuck out most clearly.  This undertaking really stretched my memory and brought back some really beautiful memories.  It is truly amazing what music does for the mind! Hope you enjoy.

Until next time!