An Old School Road-Trip Mix with Caroline

{Hey all! I am currently driving to Texas, with my car stuffed to the windows, blasting old Backstreet Boys while my sister and I sing along. I'm going to be out for a couple of days to account for travel, recovery and unpacking time. Oh, and to shower my husband with kisses and other signs of affection. In the meantime, you are lucky to have a couple of my favorite bloggers making guest appearances in my absence.}

Today is really fun for me because my guest blogger is my best friend of over 13 years!

If you want to check out her blog, do so here. In the meantime, enjoy her great list of songs reminiscing of our lifelong friendship.

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Fall 1997. I'm in my first year in junior high school; a seventh grader with a thirst to make new friends. I go to a predominantely black school and as a 13-year-old white girl from the suburbs, I was having a hard time finding these new friends to make.

Off and on, I noticed a teeny tiny girl that rode in the first seat of the bus and chatted up the bus driver on our way home. Her blonde hair was down to her butt and sometimes she had too much make-up on for a junior high kid, but she was always smiling and cheerful.

One chilly fall day, I board the bud to find every seat taken except for the first one, straight across the aisle from chatty blonde girl. I sit quietly and zone out thinking about homework, or the Backstreet Boys, and suddenly notice over-make-upped blonde girl putting on dark purple lipstick. Needless to say, I judged her and wondered why she thought that was cute. Blonde girl notices me staring, puts down her compact and lipstick, smiles and says, “Hi! What's your name?”

“Caroline.” I replied hesitantly.

“I'm Melissa!” She exclaimed.

Fast forward 14 years and here we are. Still best friends, still enjoying telling the story of how we met and still making new memories to share.

During Melissa & I's college roommate days, we got a wild hair up our asses to make themed mix cds. Of course, these were the days before iTunes playlists. Our cd themes ranged from 'Even Better Than Chocolate' (songs about sex – though we were still as virginal as the day we were born) to 'It's All In A Name' (songs with a name in the title).

We've had an amazing friendship that has only grown stronger as the years go on and I am incrediby proud of her and all that she has accomplished. She inspires me to do more and be better. She is like a sister I never had.

In celebration of our amazing friendship, I have compiled a playlist of our most favored and memorable songs so far. And without further adeiu...

Peaches & Skittles – Greatest Hits – Vol. I

1. Everybody (Backstreet's Back) – Backstreet Boys

2. Wild Thing – The Troggs

3. Miss Independent – Kelly Clarkson

4. Get Naked – Methods of Mayhem

5. Shake Ya Tailfeathers – Nelly/P. Diddy

6. Dirrty – Christina Aguilera

7. Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard

8. Toxic – Britney Spears

9. We Danced Anyway - Deana Carter

10. This One's For The Girls – Martina McBride

11. Slow Motion – Juvenile

12. Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohen

13. Lady Marmalade – Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, Pink & Mya

14. Home – Michael Buble

15. Whiskey Girl – Toby Keith

Bonus Track:

16. Then – Brad Paisley (My dedication to Melissa and Al's future together)