Best Van Ride Home Ever

Today we played Santa Ynez in tennis and knew that we were going to get our butts kicked. I had played Pandora on the way there and the team decided that we put on the High School Musical station for the drive home. Let me tell you that that was the most genius idea that we've made collectively yet! I had my phone plugged into the stereo system and the greatest songs from our childhood and tween years played, no skips needed! "Work It Out" HSM2, "The Climb" Miley Cyrus, "What Dreams are Made Of" Hillary Duff, "Beautiful Soul" Jesse McCartney, "Right Now" HSM3, "Rockstar" Miley Cyrus, "Year 3000" Jonas Brothers, "You Are the Music In Me" HSM2, "Nobody's Perfect" Hannah Montana, and more were played (my phone died about half way and Meagan came in clutch with her phone ready). We all sand along to every song and it was one of the most beautiful and memorable experiences I've ever been a part of. It might sound cheesy or weird, but it's true. All of us nine, Mellany, Judith, Meagan, Darien, Jaymie, Leann, Brittney, and Anais, and me, unfortunately Kate couldn't join, in the van. It was such a collective moment in time that I will always treasure. I absolutely love how we would all gasp and look at each other when we would hear the first sound of the next song because in those moments we instantly knew what song it was. Not only did we sing at the top of our lungs with the correct lyrics because we still knew them, for the most part, we would recall memories about the singers and how we felt about them then and now. Even though we are all different people, we all had the same feelings about these songs and could reflect on the past. It was such a nostalgic ride and one that will stay dear to my heart. We'd sing to one another, dance together, laugh together and it made me forget about all of my worries. I love that feeling- being with people and doing things that are just straight out fun. I laughed so hard that I could not physically sing and my cheeks still hurt from smiling. My voice is returning to normal, I think. It was all so perfect, I can't get over how great that van ride was! "Nobody's Perfect" comes on as we arrive at school and what a song to end on, we tried to blast it, but coach didn't let us. I almost cried laughing at times. I was in a spot where I could see all of the other girls passionately sing to "Beautiful Soul" and have feelings still, after all of these years, associated with this song. I feel as if I could talk about each song and how we all responded individually and as a whole. Jaymie would always talk about the song or make a comment, like how "Year 3000" wasn't originally by the Jonas Brothers and how Zac Efron could actually sing. Leann was on point with the lyrics and Brit had the dance moves. Darien would make great expressions, Meagan is always hilarious, Judith was emotional during "The Climb" and Mellany had a straight face during one song that Jaymie called out. I could write this all out and it might not (well, probably won't) seem as funny or special to you, but it was magical. If you could picture a van full of sixteen and seventeen-year-old girls singing along to High School Musical songs with passion then you have half of it down.