Soul Jersey Angel: Bon Jovi - Influenced my life

By August of 1987, I was settled into Gallatin, Tennessee, enrolled into the local Junior High School, which was

for grades 7 and 8. I remember how mom had to fi ght to get us both enrolled as she did not have our previous

school records, and our safety was her top concern. My sister would be attending a diff erent school, that ended

with 6th grade, in the same district. I had a fun summer. I never fully understood what it meant to be a foster

child. I was one of my cousin’s foster kids. Even though mom, had moved to Gallatin, she was not taking care of

me, my cousin was. I saw mom a few times. My older cousin, and I became fast friends, sharing a love for the

music of Bon Jovi and boys. We used to strap on our roller skates, and choreograph routines to songs off 7800

Degrees Fahrenheit and Slippery When Wet. I remember fondly, skating around the patio for hours in the hot

summer sun, doing our silly dance moves for “Living on a Prayer, King of the Mountain, Bad Name, and Wild in

the Streets.” Mom fl ew to Oregon to pick my sister up and bring her to Tennessee. We lived there for almost one

year almost. My sister got a strange package from our step father just aft er her 13th birthday.

Pictures of Christy Peak and I hanging out

In the package, were 2 broken glass unicorns. Somehow he had found us. It had frightened my mother, and the

two of us. Mom decided aft er we had moved, that it would be ok if we wanted to contact our father again. We

started out by trying to fi nd him, and found our Uncle Charlie, who still lived in the same house in Newport

News, Virginia. Mom made that very hard phone call and explained the situation. We were welcomed and

missed by dad’s side of the family. Mom had rules in place for both of us. No one could pick us up from school

without her being notifi ed. My father however come out to visit my sister and I for our birthday in February,

1987. He had a note written from mom, that he had permission to pick both of us up from school. She was to be

contacted no matter what. Th e schools both called mom and she verifi ed that he had permission.

Aft er receiving the package, however, Mom called grandma, and asked her if she needed help. We were then

moving to Oregon, at the end of April 1988. I remember aft er Mom received that package, I put on “Secret

Dreams” and just hoped against hope, that I would not have to move. I was happy where I was. I did not want

to leave my friends or my school. I was enjoying being “Wild In Th e Streets” with my friends, and I really didn’t

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want to have say goodbye. I was just as excited. I wanted to see Bon Jovi when they came to town.

My time in Gallatin Junior High School was fun. I remember being in Brazel’s mini school. My fi rst kiss, was

snuck under the patio at home, wearing my white, Bon Jovi T-shirt, with I believe, “Never Say Goodbye,” playing

on the radio. I attended a couple of dances, learned and honed my skills playing fl ute. I fought my way up to

fi rst chair out of 10 fl utes. I loved my pre-algebra class, but hated biology. I loved my literature classes. I was in

advanced classes and very challenged. I also learned to love writing and began to hone a style of my own.

New Jersey was released in 1988. I loved this record. Th ere is not a bad song on this entire album. To this day it is

one of my all time favorites. I’ve bought at least 10 copies, from cassettes, to CD’s to now MP3. It’s on my Iphone

currently. I was given to me in honor of our move, and to appease me because I could not see Bon Jovi perform

live in Nashville, as they were there the night aft er we began driving to Oregon. My dreams were shattered. I lost

all my friends. I was terrifi ed about starting over again, in a new school, in a town called Bonanza, let the jokes

roll now.

I found courage on this trip across the United States. I listened to “Secret Dreams, Silent Night.” Mom liked

“King of the Mountain, Bad Name, Wanted Dead or Alive, I’d Die For You, Without Love, Wild in the Streets”, and

“Never Say Goodbye”, but she hated “Social Disease.” New Jersey, I love every song on this record. But for that trip,

“Wild is the Wind, Stick to you Guns, Bad Medicine, Born to Be, Lay Your Hands on Me,” all gave me courage,

strength an something to believe in.

In 1990, I was a freshman in high school, Jon Bon Jovi released Blaze of Glory, when I heard that on the radio I

swear it was the whole group but I learned later, it was just Jon, solo. I was very isolated in Bonanza. Cable TV

consisted of ABC,NBC, CBS, PBS, TBS, and WGN. I didn’t have MTV. All the radio stations were primarily

country music. I was in total isolation from everything I really liked. I had made some friends, but I wasn’t

invited to hang out. I rarely did the slumber party / birthday parties scene at all. I wasn’t a drinker, and I didn’t

smoke.

I love “Blaze of Glory” and “Miracle” because I needed a miracle to get me through the tough times and to start

being accepted by my classmates. It’s tough being an outsider. It was terrible being teased because of how I

talked. Th ey used to make me spell my last name, and laugh when I would say the d, or “yall” or soda instead of

pop.

Richie Sambora’s solo album, Stranger in Th is Town, released around 1991. I love that title song,”Stranger In Th is

Town”. It fi t me in high school. I made friends but I never really hung out or got invited to do anything. Mostly,

I could hold my own and we would talk but I was always last man standing when teams were chosen and that

kind of thing. Meanwhile, I had broken up with my fi rst boyfriend. I got tired of getting into trouble because

he’d bring me home late from dates. He would just come over without asking fi rst that kind of thing. I was 16 and

he was 19, mom didn’t like that much. “Bad Medicine” really helped with that decision. I know it was the right

thing to do. I was able to be a cheerleader for 1 year, my sophomore year, 1990-1991.