Joelle: On wedding mixes

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mix tapeIn honor of mom and dad’s upcoming 25th Wedding Anniversary, I decided to write about something that keeps me close and connected to Daddy to this day – the soundtrack he created for his wedding day, a la cassette tape. Since mom and dad’s wedding was a small one (only 32 guests), instead of having the live music of a DJ at the reception, Daddy created the ORIGINAL MIX TAPE! Well, actually tapes. I don’t know how many volumes there were, but I have listened to “Our Wedding, Vol. III” about a million times. When I was younger, I used to listen to it while falling asleep. Now, I listen to it in Dad’s car and belt out every word. It is a really cool feeling to drive down the highway behind the wheel of the Passat, listening to the very songs that he handpicked 25 years ago to profess his love to Mom on their wedding day. It’s definitely cheesy, but that’s Daddy for you. I wrote down all of the songs after listening to the tape form beginning to end so that I could give them to you. There are some live versions or incredibly rare versions that I cannot find to save my life, so this is the best that I could do. They are in order (somewhat).

Listen to all of the songs here:

  1. Smiling Face by James Taylor
  2. I Will Be Here For You by Al Jarreau
  3. Waiting For A Star To Fall by Boy Meets Girl
  4. So Amazing by Luther Vandross
  5. In the Eye Of The Storm by Michael Franks
  6. Love Will Come Someday by David Sanborn
  7. Without Love by Fattburger 
  8. Imagine by Randy Crawford (cover)
  9. Dreams I Dream by Dave Mason & Phoebe Snow
  10. After All by Al Jarreau
  11. We’ve Saved the Best For Last by Kenny G
  12. Somehow Our Love Survives by Joe Sample
  13. Nightmoves by Michael Franks
  14. Saje by David Foster
  15. Snow Dancing by David Benoit
  16. Morning Rays by Tom Scott
  17. House at Pooh Corner by Loggins & Messina
  18. So Good by Al Jarreau

Mom: On daffodils

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When we were all together as a family, your Dad did all the driving. Back then, I was content and thrilled to be a passenger, as your Dad was much better at navigating around town. In fact, in many respects, before GPS navigation was available, I would have been called directionally-challenged.

One early spring day, we were all getting ready to go out, and it was early in the day, so it must have been a weekend. No sooner had your Dad rounded the corner of Winding Creek and Creekbend Court, than I had let out an audible scream. Your Dad reacted to my scream by slamming on the brakes of the vehicle. He says to me “what’s wrong?!”, and sheepishly, I reply “the daffodils are blooming.”

Your Dad could not help but laugh given my enthusiasm. The prior fall, I had planted daffodils in the mulched bed at the corner of our property beneath a grouping of pine trees. To see all that hard work pay off, and to see all the daffodils in full bloom was such a wonderful surprise, I could not help but scream! To this day, I can’t see a daffodil in bloom without thinking of this story, and I believe your sisters feel the same way.

Uncle Stan: On a wolf-whistle whoops

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One of Grandma’s favorite memories about daddy shared by Uncle Stan.

Jon was about 6-7 months old; crawling fast, but not walking; whistling, but not talking. Grandma Halle was playing with him at our local beach, when she realized that she needed to go potty. She took Jon into the stall with her, and put him down on the floor for a moment while she unbuckled her pants and sat down. He had crawled away under the stall and into each one down the row. When he encountered another lady sitting doing her ‘business,’ he looked up and did his best wolf-whistle. The lady got very upset, yelling “if he’s old enough to whistle, he’s damn well old enough to go to the Men’s Room himself!”

Lauren Carter: On riding in the car with Mr. Halle

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My main memory of your dad is his laugh and how Sam and I would pick on him nonstop. Like the time we were driving back from somewhere and had balloons in the car. We kept bouncing around, and I’m sure there’s no way he could see out the back window. I thought it’d be hilarious to repeatedly rub your dad’s head with the balloon as he was driving, and it started off funny, but by the end of it, he was struggling really hard not to throw my ass to the curb. But that was what was so cool about him…no matter how many times he tried to act big and scary and tough-guy dad, he had the biggest heart and a total soft spot for us, and we loved to take advantage of that by messing with him constantly.