Dance Party

One of my favorite memories growing up was when my mom was either cleaning or baking and she would turn off the TV and crank up the stereo. The stereo was older than me, taking up a large amount of floor space, very similar to this one:

The 8-track player was not in use, but the record player was fully functional. Some of the better records we listened to were the Big Chill soundtrack and music from the Moonlighting TV show. Whitney Houston and Elvis got some play as well. I remember my sisters and I dancing around the house as my mom belted out such gems as "Good Lovin'," and we would throw our arms up to her and beg her to dance with us, and she would happily oblige, throwing us around the kitchen and singing emphatically to us, "You make me feel like a natural woman..."

Now, the girls and I have our own dance parties, but it's the laptop on the counter spewing out music via Youtube or Spotify. Jayson doesn't get in on the dancing, but he does suggest songs. Each girl has their own dance techniques. As soon as Charlie hears the music, she comes running from whichever corner of the house she is in, laughing hysterically as she throws her stiff arms and legs all over the place, performing a kind of funky Frankenstein dance. Audrey is much more soulful, holding her fake microphone, she squeezes her eyes shut and lip-syncs as she rolls her head around and her hair (which she refuses to to wear back) falls all over the place. Lydia spins. That's her move. She spins and spins until she's a turning pile of Lydia on the floor. All three of them throw their arms up and beg me to dance with them and I happily oblige, and remember my mom grabbing me and lifting me up and dancing like crazy, and that feeling of pure joy.