There's just no stoppin' those girls with guitars

I remember when my mum bought me my first guitar. I was 10 and it was the year I learned about Santa’s magic. From the moment I came down the stairs, I could tell what it was because HOW THE HECK DO YOU WRAP A GUITAR?! 🤣 It was beautiful and there’s a picture of me somewhere sitting on the couch strumming in some rainbow striped toe socks (are those still a thing?) I will have to dig up that picture and post it here, because I don’t have many pictures from my childhood, but I do remember that one!

I have had a grand total of ONE guitar lesson since I received the guitar and it was for good reason. My first lesson was with a 30 something mouse-y looking man with light brown hair and large silver rimmed glasses. He was pale with an obvious struggle with acne. I don’t imagine he was much of a social person based on the way our first lesson went. Let alone, a person who has been around kids before.

Just a reminder that this is the NINETIES…where comments with strange sexual innuendos didn’t crank anyone’s neck backwards. At my first lesson, we spent the majority of the time learning how to strum. He was the start slow and steady type…reeeeally slow. My 45 minute lesson was spent being told to…STROKE THE CHEESE. Did you just make that face where your eyebrows are ruffled and your lips look like a squiggly line? Because that’s the appropriate response here. 🤨 I mean, it’s 2020 and for the past 20+ years, I have wondered how any of those words go together, make sense, or serve any kind of a purpose. 🤣

Maybe if he asked me to SHAVE the cheese 🧀 or SHRED the cheese. But WHY IS THERE CHEESE ON A GUITAR?! 🎸 Why am I touching cheese with my hands? SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.

So here I am with one guitar lesson under my belt and no real experience to share with Waylin. It’s a good thing that the Bohlen family has a lot of musical talent! My FIL is definitely the star! I’ve heard/seen him sing several times and it’s always very calming and effortless.

Waylin had fun listening to him at the 4th of July party they had a couple years ago. MIL and FIL setup a little concert on their patio/gazebo area and Waylin got a chance to shine on the mic too! Actually, after the music was over and I had the mic, I started a game show for everyone sitting around and we asked 21 questions to everyone.

GAH! She was so little!

When MIL watched Waylin, they would walk over to FIL’s lab and he would play the guitar for her and feed her M&Ms (M’s as she calls it ❤). As you can see below, she had some Ms before their jam session started. 😆

It’s no surprise that Ben’s dad encouraged him to learn how to play guitar as well. Ben had REAL lessons and was never told to STROKE THE CHEESE. 🤣 Ben doesn’t play very often, but ever since Waylin could sit up on her own, she’s been interested in the guitar that hangs in our bedroom.

I actually remember this day very vividly! Ben brought out his guitar and amp to the living room in the middle of one of our renovation projects. He picked up Waylin and sat her in his lap to show her how to play the guitar. And BAM! There’s where the happy dopamine chemicals started swirling around in my brain! I love when Ben stops what he’s doing to show Waylin something. I don’t think he realizes how important that is to her (and me!).

Isn’t everyone’s first song on a guitar “Smoke on the Water?” I mean, I wouldn’t know…I only know about hands and dairy products. 🤣 I love how she starts bobbing her head like she’s asking for more!

This past weekend, Waylin and Ben started rockin’ in the morning and I captured this sweet moment between the two loves of my life. ❤

Those little John Lennon glasses were leftover from our Halloween costume and were within reach when they first started playing. Waylin learned how to also take on the persona of a member from the band KISS too…I’m not sure what I think about that! 😂

Ben doesn’t read my blog anymore, but I hope I can convince him to read this post because I hope he sees how meaningful these moments are and will continue to be in Waylin’s life as she grows up. They always say that you’ll never forget your first guitar, and based on how this blog post started, I would say that is a true statement!

Wynonna Judd has said, 🎵"There's just no stoppin' those girls with guitars"🎵 and I’m cool with that.

🤘