butterfly kisses

I can't remember how old I was the first time we sang it.

All I remember was that we would sing it every Father's Day, my dad and I.
Butterfly Kisses.

I also remember thinking it was our song. I remember people at church always asking when we would sing it again, and telling me how beautifully I sang. I remember loving every moment of being on stage with my dad, because he and my mom were the best singers I knew.
Dad has always been a passionate, animated, and loving man. His presence on stage and as a speaker have always blown me away.
And he definitely spoiled me.
He used to tell me that my shoulder blades were the stubs left behind from my angel wings.
I believed him.

That songs still gives me goosebumps, and brings tears to my eyes. I can hear my dad singing it, and I would give anything to have a recording of that first time, when I was so little.

I remember the way our church smelled, and the way it felt to be in there before everyone else, practicing together. I remember the bliss of being young, living only in happiness and play.
When the bridge of the song would come up, right before the beginning of the verse "Sweet 16 today", there was a little section that echoed "spread your wings and fly."
When I was young, I would flap my little arms and go down the steps to sit in the front row, and dad would finish the song alone. Since the next part was about being 16 and then getting married, it didn't really apply to me.

But I remember that first time I was able to stay for the whole song. Boy oh boy, it was a big step.
I felt really grown up, and I also felt a little scared and sad. I think dad did too, because it was making us both cry.

When Dusty and I got engaged in the Powerscourt gardens in Enniskerry, Ireland, my family was waiting inside, safe from the wind and rain.
They were watching through the windows.

Powerscourt Estate Gardens

The proposal begins...

Coming in from the wind and rain and with the elation of the moment, I came into a warm embrace from dad.

He leaned down and whispered, "There are two things I know for sure. You were sent here from heaven, and you'll always be daddy's little girl."

Crying as I write this, it was one of the most special moments of my life. Years and years of memories and happy father-daughter dates and sweet moments were wrapped up in that moment.

One year and two days later, Dusty and I got married.

My dad spoke beautiful words in the ceremony and at the reception, loving on us and blessing us.

He walked me down the aisle...in the same church he married my mother, in the same church we had sang Butterfly Kisses so many times before.

"Walk me down the aisle daddy, it's just about time!"

Such a beautiful moment, one which I could not contain my tears from.
As soon as those big doors opened, I was lost. Dad had to keep pulling my arm back, trying to have me slow down and enjoy the moment. My face was distorted in tears, and all I could keep thinking was, "I have to hurry or I won't get through this!"

At the reception, we walked out to the dance floor to dance to our lifelong theme song.
"Butterfly Kisses" played, and we cried, and he was sweet and wonderful. I love my daddy.
I'm so glad we danced to this song, because I never would have made through singing it.

I love my family.

I am so thankful for a mom and dad that have raised me in the ways of the Lord, to love and to laugh and to experience and learn all that I can.

I'm so thankful for my humor and silliness that I have inherited from parents who love to laugh.

Singing at Johnny Fox's pub in Ireland.

Dad's 60th birthday party!

I am thankful for the many, many memories of travel and adventure and story-telling and laughter and family and friends and so much more.

While I don't have current access to our many childhood pictures or photos of dad and I when I was a little girl, I have all of those memories locked up tight in my reservoir.

When Dusty and I started dating, I would save his texts and notes, and mom would always call that my love bank.
I think the development of words of affirmation as my love language began from my parents constant output of positive encouragement and edification to who I was.
I have all of those tucked away in a special place inside of me.
When I was in High School, my dad would tuck little sticky notes inside of my lunch box. "You rock!" and "You're beautiful" and "Have a groovy day" and so many more little nuggets of love.
I owe so much to my loving family. The more and more days that go by, the more I realize that I have been raised by two wonderful people, by God's design.

Thank you, to both of you.
And thanks to you dad, as today we celebrate you as a father. Thanks for raising a beautiful family with our beautiful mother, and for continuing to love us and pray for us together.
We are so lucky.

In love,
Cait

take a breath

Cause we all NEEDTOBREATHE.

Last year, I posted about the amazing opportunity we had to see Taylor Swift and Needtobreathe in New York City, at Madison Square Garden. It was an extremely memorable trip, one that we look back on regularly.
At the end of that trip, we realized that Needtobreathe (my favorite band) would also be playing at Liberty University in April!
(If you're just joining us, my husband is attending law school at Liberty and I work in the library there).
Liberty was a stop on their Reckoning tour. The Reckoning is their newest and (in my opinion) best album yet. We started counting down the days to the concert, and joined "The Insiders", which is their specially named fan club. We also were the first to buy tickets and sign up for Priority Access. We were tickets 1 and 2. :)

Priority Access allowed us to enter before the masses, to choose our seats ahead of everyone else! Only a select few were awarded this honor, and we were the first ones to walk in with our floor tickets and claim the front row.

Once the doors officially opened to everyone else, it began to fill up pretty quickly. There was probably about twenty feet from our front row chairs to the stage, if not more. A group of die-hards began lining up at the foot of the stage, as the non-moshing-mosh pit.

We stayed comfy in our seats, since we knew Ben Rector would be up before Needtobreathe.

Neither Dusty or I had ever heard Ben Rector before, and we were so glad we got the opportunity to hear him for the first time live! He was so great.

Check out this band member's rockin' mustache.

For reference, check out Ben Rector's cover of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". This was so much fun live. Everyone was so into it. He has a lot of really fun rhythms to his songs, as well as some great piano and occasionally saxophone and other dance-inspiring instruments.
He also rocked some real slow, more acoustic songs. He has a great voice; he's worth checking out!

Once the intermission came up between Ben Rector and Needtobreathe, the stage floor was pretty packed. So we decided to stand up (since sitting now meant zero visibility to the stage), and make our way into the crowds in front of the stage.
I hadn't been this excited since I ran up to the stage to sneak pictures of Plus One performing at the Dodge Theatre when I was 13.

The lights when out, the screaming began, and the stage backdrop began to light up. It was a giant typewriter keyboard, and they slowly began to light up...

Then the first notes of "Oohs and Aahs" began to play.

This is arguably the best concert I've ever been to. It was incredible; they are so great live, and I loved being able to experience it so close. I love that they're a small town band that has worked hard to get where they are, while still maintaining their faith and integrity.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the evening:

Rock and Roll.

Never underestimate the power of Banjo.

Stellar. Harmonica shot.

This guy (Seth) has long flowing hair that wisps in the slightest breeze,
which was impossible to ignore.

 I first heard Needtobreathe from one of my favorite movie soundtracks: P.S. I Love You.
Their featured song on that album is More Time. Bo and Bear took center stage for this concert to perform this song acoustically, and it was magical. For the first time, this song made sense to me.
Before, I always wondered what the subject matter was. Death, love, family.
Bear prefaced it by talking about what a tough world the music industry can be, and how there are lies and struggles before any triumphs. Thus, the core of the song was unveiled.

Bo and Bear Rinehart, brothers extraordinaire.
One of my favorite moments of the concert.

After the concert was over, the crowd screamed forever and ever for an encore.
The band came back out, and arranged in this formation, to sing their song Slumber.

They then broke off before the end of the song, and turned off all amplifying devices, including their mics and instruments. They bridged the song acoustically, and it was absolutely fantastic. Everyone was dead silent, mesmerized.

They really saved the best for last. Their encore was awesome, and included some of their best stuff, even stuff we hadn't heard before. Ben Rector also came out and joined them for the last little bit.

I have only one complaint from the concert, and that was the guy standing behind us.
I had to keep grabbing Dusty's shoulder to keep from screaming at the guy.
One of our favorite things to say around Liberty is, "Oh, undergrad..." in a very judgmental, holier-than-thou tone. Because you see, something strange happens to you (staring around high school age) where you suddenly can't stand students in your general age group that are below you in any way.
Being here at Liberty, but not actually at Liberty, is a difficult place to be. We don't quite belong, and we feel older, better, and more experienced than the undergrad that swarms every possible surface.

They don't use cross walks, they're loud, they're stupid (too harsh?) and they yell things like "I WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABIES" and prolonged "OHMYGOOOOOOOD"s at concerts.

Needless to say, the concert was perfect, save for that one guy who was about to have my fist in his stomach.
Oh and P.S., we grabbed this solid piece of gold.

They made a record, an actual record. It includes two unreleased songs, "Disaster Road" and "Cops". I'm dying to listen to it, and can't wait to go home in June to play it on my record player.

The hubby and I have decided that our next venture will be to follow them around Europe on their tours. I think it sounds like a smart plan....they're going to be in Dublin, Ireland in July. Any takers? :)

In love,

Cait