\n\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nThe first\u00a0mix tape I ever made was for a boy in my middle school homeroom who I will<\/span> call, Brian of the Beautiful Blue Eyes. \u00a0He was popular, funny, and confident without being cocky which is so hard for a twelve-year-old boy.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t too bright, but made\u00a0me\u00a0<\/i>feel<\/span> smart by asking for homework help. Brian of the Beautiful Blue Eyes was my muse for all the heroes in my journal of short stories.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n I found\u00a0myself day dreaming about him, doodling his name and mine intertwined in hearts<\/span> on my binder, and daring to myself to ask him to an upcoming dance where I<\/span> would give him his very own, made by me,\u00a0Mix Tape O\u2019 Love: forty minutes of<\/b><\/span>\u00a0nine songs on a heart themed decorated cassette with<\/em> my phone number written on<\/span><\/b> the spine in my best, most romantic cursive.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n I spent a\u00a0whole week planning the playlist and sweet messages in between the songs.\u00a0 A<\/span> portion of my Teen Beat allowance went to buy the supplies and I devoted the weekend before the dance to<\/span>\u00a0record songs off of borrowed CDs and tapes on my Boombox.\u00a0 I did all of this to make my <\/span>profession of tween love just perfect.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n And the darn thing never made it from my purse into the hands of my beloved Brian of the Beautiful\u00a0<\/span><\/b> Blue Eyes.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n I\u2019ll admit\u00a0it: I chickened out at the middle school\u2019s Winter Dance. (Hang head in<\/span> shame).\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n I saw him\u00a0on the dance floor stiffly rocking side to side with<\/span> Sarah of the Freakishly Perfect Blonde Hair while Whitney belted out \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d. \u00a0Realizing I\u2019d probably make a huge fool of myself if I tried to pry Brian away from Sarah, \u00a0turned and ran to the hallway under an arch of garishly red heart balloons, into the (thankfully empty) bathroom. The b<\/span>lood red heart balloons hanging from every available stationary bathroom fixture\u00a0<\/span>mocked me as I had a good old-fashioned, broken-hearted, ugly cry into the mirror.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Top that\u00a0Molly Ringwald!<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Although\u00a0tragic and riddled with tween angst, that experience didn\u2019t ruin me for love. I <\/span>don\u2019t I pine for Brian of the Beautiful Blue Eyes anymore because I\u2019ve got someone<\/span> better\u2014T.C. of the Tremendous, Terrific, Tempting\u2026 Total Package.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n And yes, he\u00a0has beautiful blue eyes.\u00a0 Check it:<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/oshetablogs.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/294687_10150788525060077_5804928_n.jpg\") <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n So this\u00a0Valentine\u2019s Day I wish to redeem the lost energy, time, and mental space I gave<\/span> Brian, and create a mix tape O\u2019 Love for my hubby.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n I didn\u2019t really love Brian (how can you love someone at twelve) but<\/span> those songs made him and the prospect of being with him bigger.\u00a0 He was more charismatic, funnier, kinder, and attainable after I spent a week meditating on heart-felt lyrics and sweet melodies.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n The music\u00a0transformed my teenage dream into a tenuous reality.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n So I\u00a0wondered what would happen if those feelings of love, commitment, and passion<\/span>\u00a0that are already sure and settled in my heart for T.C. were stoked by the magic of<\/span> music.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n It\u2019s incredible that after I made a playlist for him, my love for my husband grew. I<\/span> appreciate him more, I\u2019m fonder of him, and I\u2019m straight up smitten by him.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n The music\u00a0transformed our twelve-year love story into a timeless tale.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n (Ok, maybe\u00a0I\u2019ve gotten a bit carried away with the lovey-dovey language. Can you blame me<\/span> after a week of listening to every Brian Mcknight wedding song to find the perfect<\/span> one T.C.\u2019s Mix Tape O\u2019 Love<\/span>?)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n So, Happy\u00a0Valentine\u2019s Day, my friends!\u00a0 Thanks for\u00a0sitting in on my walk down middle school memory lane and enjoy the playlist\u00a0below.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to offer a bit of\u00a0explanation for each song \u2014just \u2018cause I\u2019m sappy like that. \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Maybe it\u2019ll inspire you to make a playlist for that special someone\u2026just<\/span><\/div>\ndon\u2019t forget to use lots of heart emoticons when you email them the list!<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Osheta\u2019s\u00a0Mix \u2018O Love for T.C.<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n[spotify id=\u201dspotify:user:oshetamoore:playlist:3JIFp402qnF2C1ahJUp4PL\u201d width=\u201d300\u2033 height=\u201d380\u2033 \/]\n<\/div>\n (lyrics of<\/span> the songs are italicized)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1: The Rest\u00a0of My Life: Brian Mcknight\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Ok, I have\u00a0to admit, the beginning has a bit of that Edward Cullen creep factor, \u201cthree in the morning, I can\u2019t be dreaming,\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/span>I\u2019m wide-awake, watching you sleeping<\/b>\u2026\u201d, <\/i>but the rest is really sweet\u2014promise!\u00a0<\/i><\/span> Plus, Brian Mcknight accompanies and harmonizes with his two grown sons\u2014so beautiful it makes me want to cry .<\/span> There\u2019s no\u00a0one I\u2019d rather spend the rest of my life with than my husband.\u00a0 He\u2019s my best friend who I can tell\u00a0everything. We had a bit of a rocky start, but we\u2019re oh so solid now.\u00a0 I\u00a0swear\u00a0<\/b><\/i><\/span>we haven\u2019t seen nothing yet.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n 2: Made for Me by TobyMac<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Confession\u00a0time again: My best friend and I made a Mix-tape for DC. Talk.\u00a0 She was supposed to marry Kevin Smith and I\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/div>\nwas supposed to marry Michael Tait.\u00a0 We\u00a0told them we loved them. They wrote back, \u201cthanks for the tape\u201d.\u00a0 We squealed and jumped on her bed.\u00a0 We were thirteen.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<\/div>\n This song\u00a0is so much fun it makes me want to bop around the kitchen in my red and black apron while making<\/span> dinner,\u00a0 singing into my wooden spoon, and grabbing whatever child that passes me to sneak a Danimal before dinner to bop with me\u2014hypothetically speaking of course ;).\u00a0 I love the chorus, because sometimes T.C. and I will say the same thing or make the same facial expressions and I\u2019ll think, \u201cwow it\u2019s almost like we were made for each other\u201d. \u00a0Plus c\u2019mon how can you not love lyrics like:\u00a0\u201cWell I got white skin and she got brown skin, but milk and coffee\u00a0always been a beautiful blend\u201d?<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n 3: Let\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><\/b> Stay Together as sung by Maroon 5.<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n This one\u2019s\u00a0a no brainer.\u00a0 It\u2019s Adam Lavine singing\u00a0Al Green\u2014that alone gives it admission onto the playlist. I\u2019m in my marriage\u00a0for the long haul,\u00a0whether times are good\u00a0or bad, happy or sad.<\/b> \u00a0<\/i>Sing it Adam,\u00a0<\/span>sing it in your $500 holey t-shirts.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n 4: Sweetest\u00a0Love by Robin Thicke<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Robin\u2019s\u00a0falsetto proclaiming he\u2019s\u00a0\u201cgot the sweetest\u00a0love\u201d\u00a0<\/b>inspires me to tell T.C. that he\u2019s the sweetest love I\u2019ve ever had.\u00a0Seriously, dude always calls me when he\u2019s near the store to see if I need anything, brings me Starbucks,\u00a0and puts the kids to bed every night because he knows I\u2019m done after<\/span> dinner.\u00a0\u00a0There \u2018aint nothing sweeter!<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n 5: It\u2019s Oh\u00a0So Quiet by as sung by Lucy Woodward.<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n I wasn\u2019t looking for a boyfriend when I met\u00a0T.C.\u00a0 In fact I was \u201cdating Jesus\u201d enjoying<\/span>\u00a0his still small voice, but he brought this man into my life and\u00a0Zing! Boom! I\u2019ve never been so nuts about a\u00a0<\/b><\/i><\/span>guy.<\/b>\u00a0 <\/i>Also, we\u2019re both really\u00a0<\/span>opinionated people so we\u2019ve had to learn how to fight fair and not\u00a0blow a fuse, Zing! Boom!<\/b>\u00a0<\/i>I guess that\u2019s what happens\u00a0when you fall in love.<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n 6: Can\u2019t\u00a0Take My Eyes Off Of You as sung by Lauyrn Hill<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n This smooth\u00a0hip-hop rendition of a classic makes me want to grab T.C. and\u00a0hold (him) so much.<\/b>\u00a0 The first time I knew I could love T.C., was\u00a0when he put Lauyrn Hill\u2019s \u201cUnplugged\u201d album in my car\u2019s CD player and began to\u00a0break down the theology and philosophy of each song. I knew he was\u00a0too good to be true<\/b><\/i>, so cute I\u00a0couldn\u2019t take my eyes\u00a0off <\/i><\/b>of him but\u00a0super smart too. \u00a0Score for Osheta.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n 7: End of\u00a0Time by Beyonce<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n The drum-line\u00a0in this song is sick!\u00a0 So much fun and\u00a0makes me want to celebrate the love I share with T.C.\u00a0\u00a0I will\u00a0<\/b><\/i><\/span>love this boy like crazy until the end of time<\/b>.\u00a0 <\/i>Plus, the speed of the second verse reminds\u00a0<\/span>of how I was so intimidated by his coolness when we first met, that I talked\u00a0way, way, way too fast.\u00a0 Oh, and we did\u00a0the whole courting thing so I remember what a big step holding hands was for us. Now we\u2019re married and I can say,\u00a0\u201ccome take my hand\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/b>anytime I want.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n So here it\u00a0is, my:<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mix tape O\u2019Love for T.C. Moore: twenty-seven minutes of seven songs in a Spotify playlist,<\/span> written with my best, most romantic words, on a pretty blog that he created for me<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Happy\u00a0Valentine\u2019s Day, to my T.C. of the Tremendous, Terrific, Tempting\u2026 Total<\/span> |
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/oshetablogs.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/tape2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n