When we first met, the sets of music we listened to were disjoint. One of the most fun aspects of getting to know each other's tastes and preferences has been to share music we like with each other. It turns out that we enjoy similar types of music! There are many songs that we love, but here we have compiled a short list of songs that we decided were meaningful to our relationship, wedding, and upcoming marriage. We have provided a brief description of why each one is meaningful.

We won't sugarcoat it-- this past year has been a rough one. Between financial struggles, general demands of grad school, and Dion and his roommates being forced to move several times on short notice, this song is practically the theme song to our lives right now. This song is a good reminder that all of that seems trivial when we are with each other.

"Monday morning came too soon, Friday night seems as far as June. Every day we spend apart seems to make a bigger hole in my heart." This song became very meaningful when we starting dating and we would leave each other during breaks. As much as we loved being with our families, we would miss each other very much during these times.

Gwyn ein byd-- we are blessed. This song is a good reminder of all the ways in which we are blessed.

Hopefully this one is obvious from the title.

"With two cats in the yard, life used to be so hard; now everything is easy 'cause of you." Though in many ways our circumstances are similar to how they were before we met, we don't seem to get bothered by things as much now, since we have each other. On an additional note, Dion realized how much he liked cats after meeting Heidi's family's cats: Lily and Trixie. Now we are planning on getting a cat once we are married.

O mi awn ni am dro-- oh, we will go for a walk. One thing we love to do together is go for walks. However, going for a walk is not literally what this song is about. It is more about taking a walk in each other's minds. This is something we like to do even more-- talk to each other and get to know each other better. Another line of the song that is meaningful is "a dw i'n lwcus o dy gwmni ar daith mor hir" ("I'm lucky of your company on such a long journey").

"Rho dy law, rho dy law i mi...cei di weld y byd mewn lliw" ("give your hand, give your hand to me...you will see the world in color"). It is amazing how much brighter and more colorful the world appears when you have someone who you love beside you; someone with whom you can share a life and exchange perspectives.

One thing we enjoy doing is collaborating on music playlists. At one point, we realized that there was a significant enough amount of songs about pirates that we decided to make a pirate playlist. Here is one of the songs that was on that playlist. On a related note, we also enjoy playing computer games together in order to wind down. One series of computer games that we have been playing together is Monkey Island, which is also about pirates. The second game in this series was particularly challenging and that was a very bonding experience.

Another pirate song. See above.

"And the harmony constant in all of these things is the thought of a future with you". Sometimes it is tempting for us to worry about the future. One thing that helps is to remember that we will be facing any challenges together.

"Mae'n bwrw glaw, so dal fy llaw" ("it's raining, so hold my hand"). Dion will use any excuse to hold Heidi's hand, which is perfectly fine with Heidi. "Ond mae'r gaeaf mor hir" ("but the winter is so long"). Living in Connecticut, this is not an uncommon observation for Dion and Heidi to make to each other. Even so, "isn't it a lovely day for love"?

Diwedd y Byd-- the end of the world. Why are we including a song about the end of the world on a wedding reception playlist? Well, it is another song about having each other when going through difficult times.