Music has always been  huge part of my life.  Growing up as a teen in the 80’s I listened to it all.  Cried over broken relationships to Air Supply and Journey, rocked out to Kiss, Quiet Riot and Def Leopard, and got crazy dance skills dancing to Wham, Michael Jackson and Cindy Lauper.  What memories!

It only seemed natural that God gave me a musician to marry.  Greg and I LOVE our music.  It plays throughout our house on an almost ongoing basis in some form.  Not always loud, but in the background with the occasional (OK not so occasional) dance party!  Cooking in my kitchen requires music, and depending on what I’m preparing, the genre changes.  A little Ray Lamontagne (whom our youngest daughter has sworn herself to marry) Josh Garrels, Joe Purdy or Passenger when I’m cooking Italian, all the way to opera, playing LOUDLY while I bake pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We have Painting Music when we get the urge to paint a new wall in our home, which is usually The Refreshments, (who are also A MUST on any road trip) and CCR.  Yes, even the old stuff.  Our kids grew up listening with us, and love CCR, Jonny Cash and one of our all time favorites Etta James, At Last (who I know wasn’t the original artist) but is the version we love!  At any given moment when The Nilges’ are all together under one roof, our middle daughter will bust out singing this song.  She’s amazing!  Adore! 

A lot of my time now is filled with worship music.  I run to it; HELLO TobyMac and Newsboys, I dance to it; HELLO Mandisa, I sing it, I bathe myself in the lyrics of adoration.

My hubs, who was a rocker when we met is now playing worship.  He’s still rocking’ it’s just for a different purpose.  I cannot explain how much I delight in hearing him home all day playing his guitar.  Those sounds permeate our home and I cannot help but have a smile on my face as well as the fact that is takes all unfavorable moods out the door.  Music brought my hubby and I together, and it’s a great glue for our household.  It gives it a peace and a joy-filled space.  I will never forget the look on our friends faces a couple of years ago while on a trip to Hawaii.  We walked into a Ukelele store and Greg picked up a Uke.  The friendly, robust, Hawaiian man sitting behind the counter asked Greg to play a little with him.  Within seconds the two were playing Banana Pancakes that trailed into Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  Our friends lit up!  The happiness and smiles that donned their faces were priceless and have written themselves into my memory.  As you can guess, I bought Greg a ukelele that Christmas as a surprise.  The music that comes from the uke around our house, takes me right back to the islands.  Feeling sunny and ready for flip-flops!  It carries me away.  It’s happy!  Music can make such an impact.

What is your favorite type of music?

I have to run now,  and break into a dance party for one!!