Where did the sunshine go? Here in Utah, it has been a dark and rainy week. I’m ready for some sunshine again. But, if we can’t have sunshine, we can at least brighten things up with a new printable, huh! Today I’m sharing a design I think would work really well as an anniversary gift. It incorporates a quote from one of my new favorite songs: Hold Each Other by A Great Big World.
If you listen to the radio at least occasionally, you’ve probably heard this song (unless you only listen to country stations…or hip-hop…or polka)—OK, maybe I should rephrase that: If you listen to radio stations that plays new “hit-music,” then you’ve probably heard this song. If not, here it is for your listening enjoyment:
My hubby and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary last month. I was having the hardest time trying to figure out what to get him (especially since I knew he was planning something big for me). Finally, instead of getting him a gift, I decided to do something romantic: I was going to learn how to play this song on the ukulele and sing it for him. There were three main reasons why this was a disastrous idea: (1) I don’t really sing that well, (2) I had never even played the ukulele before, and (3) I only had a week to teach myself (what was I thinking?).
So, there I was: sneaking my husband’s ukulele to work each day (somehow without him noticing), and practicing during my lunch breaks. I found a good tutorial on YouTube, saw that there were only three cords to learn—easy peasy, right? Wrong.
Once I got started there were a slew of other, unanticipated problems that arose: (1) my fingers would start killing me after 10 minutes of practicing, let alone an hour each day, (2) switching from one cord to another…a lot harder to do that I expected (3) I have to learn different strumming patterns—what? (4) Am I even holding this thing right?
After a round of “Ukulele for Dummies” tutorials, lots of watching and re-watching the video of how to play the actual song, and some really sore fingers…I wasn’t even close to ready. I could barely get through the song itself, and not even at the correct tempo—let alone actually SING. But, I was already committed. There wasn’t time to whip up a super thoughtful anniversary gift now, so I went with it.
The day came, and I played the song for him. My performance could only be compared to a 5th grade violin concert: (1) because the audience was 100% supportive, and (2) because, despite my best efforts, it totally sucked.
My husband still loved the surprise, and even showed me how to play a few other [easier] songs. It’s unlikely that I’ll ever be a ukulele prodigy, but I’m having fun learning and getting better each day. I guess, I can take away three things from this: (1) I have a really supportive and caring husband, (2) I’ve developed a newfound respect for musicians in general, and (3) I really like writing numbered sentences like this.
I hope you enjoyed my embarrassing anniversary story! If you like the geometric motif I used in this design, you can download the set for free. Have you ever tried something new as a surprise or for a gift that just didn’t work out?
*I am linking up to these parties
Mandee is a professional graphic designer, amateur bird watcher, and rollercoaster enthusiast. She is a wife to hardworking high school teacher and mommy to three adorable little humans. She fell in love with graphic design when she started working on a comedy website with a guy she met her freshman year of college. Design wasn’t the only thing she fell in love with, and they were married a year and a half later. She created Designs By Miss Mandee to be a place where she could merge her passion for design with her lifelong love of crafting. 5 Comments on Hold Each Other Song Quote & My {Embarrassing} Anniversary Gift
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Linda
September 18, 2015 at 2:20 pm (8 years ago)Darling. I love your stuff!! Pinned, of course. Your friend, Linda @Crafts a la mode
Mandee
September 21, 2015 at 9:49 am (8 years ago)Thanks Linda!!
simple nature decor
September 19, 2015 at 8:37 pm (8 years ago)Hey there, i love your quote, thanks for sharing this! I hope you are spending your weekend and having fun.
Thanks
Maria
Mandee
September 21, 2015 at 9:49 am (8 years ago)Thanks Maria! We did have a fun weekend. Thanks for stopping by. 😀
Lou Lou Girls
September 28, 2015 at 9:39 am (8 years ago)Oh my! This looks so incredible! Pinned and tweeted. We love partying with you and we appreciate you stopping by! Please take a minute to stop by next week, so we can pin and tweet your new creation. The party starts on Monday at 7 pm! Have a great Monday! Lou Lou Girls