79. Create a “favorites of 2011” playlist on my iTunes

What a difference a year makes. I now use Spotify to make my playlists. I will however, be purchasing the songs on this list that I don't already own to complete my "Favorites of 2011" list.

I did make a concerted effort to pay more attention to music this year and discover new artists (new to me at least). If you compare this list to last year's, I think you'll agree that I was pretty successful with that.

So, here is my 2011 list, in alphabetical order by the artist's name. Music can tell many a story, and this list kind of tells the story of my year, in part. My disclaimer: Not all songs were released in 2011. Just happens to be when I latched on to them.

If you have Spotify, just click here. If not, keep scrolling.

1. The Civil Wars - Poison and Wine
This duo is haunting. Got to see them live in Annapolis back in the summer. Fantastic.

2. The Decemberists - This is Why We Fight
This is a band I know about because of friends. Always fun when songs bring to mind specific people. 

 

3. The Dirty Guv'nahs - Wide Awake

This band is from Knoxville, TN. First heard about them on Facebook from childhood friends who are very close to the band. They are a fanstastic modern southern rock band and are even better live than recorded. I have seen them twice in concert this year and continue to be a big fan. This song, to me, captures all their strengths.

4. Florence + The Machine - Shake It Out
I can't remember where I first heard this one. But it's a keeper. "I am done with my graceless heart."

5. Foster the People - Call it What You Want
After I had fallen victim to the catchy tune of "Pumped Up Kicks" a friend revealed to me that the song is about a kid shooting up his high school. And that's just not ok. But FTP is a talented band that writes catchy songs, so I wanted to include this one on the list. We'll see what happens to this group in the next couple of years...

6. Gabe Dixon Band - All Will Be Well
Not a new song, but one I really liked this year. A good reminder that all WILL be well. The great promise of the Gospel. 

7. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - Paris
One of my former bosses told me about Grace Potter & The Nocturnals after seeing them perform at Bonnaroo this year. I think this song is definitely their best, and the fact that it is quite different from the rest of the album is a little disappointing. Hoping for more of this type of stuff in the future!

8. Jason Gray - Remind Me Who I Am
Another Facebook discovery: Someone had posted this video and after playing it, I played it again, and again. Great truths in these lyrics and a easy one to get stuck in your head for all the right reasons. Also I'm really glad to have found another Christian music artist that I like.

9. Joanna Smith - Gettin Married
This was the first song I saved for this list back in the beginning of the year. It and the video are funny and definitely remind me of a few years ago when I was the singer's age - right out of college, everyone around me getting married, and I was secretly SO over it. So my attitude has changed (matured?) since then, but this song makes me sing along and smile every time.

10. LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
What would a list like this be without a dance song? I spent a couple of days of a housesitting stint this summer trying to learn the dance. I had it for about a day, but haven't been able to perfect it. Get shufflin.

11. Locksley - The Whip
Another Facebook discovery - someone has posted a video of this song that I recognized from some commercial. (How's that for a sentence about our culture?) This band is like a modern-day Oneders and they fully buy into the whole shtick - short pants, slicked hair, and all. Another dance song.

12. The Naked and Famous - No Way
Found this one via a friend's Spotify playlist. Spotify has been a great way to discover new music. This video is weird.

13. Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel
Yes, this is another not-new song. But when you hear it done at a Karaoke bar at 2am, it sticks with you.

14. The Shins - New Slang
Another not new one, but this one is a great driving song.

15. Two Door Cinema Club - I Can Talk
Leave it to summer interns to introduce us old folks to new music. A friend's summer intern introduced her to Two Door Cinema Club, and I immediately liked it.

16. Young the Giant - 12 Fingers
Another artist found via Spotify. It was difficult to pick a favorite of theirs as I like several of them. So feel free to explore the entire album!

17. Rizzle Kicks - Down With The Trumpets
(Spotify listed them last because it didn't save the name correctly, in case you are OCD and thought that this messed up the alphabetical order.)
Introduced to this by a friend. Immediately loved it.

And there you have it! A year of good music, at least in my opinion :)

11. Do a one week Facebook fast

Times I wanted to check FB the first day of the fast: 7
Times I dreamed about logging in to FB, thinking I had broken the fast: 3
Things I did instead of being on FB: Google+, Twitter, read more news, looked at magazines, slept, emailed people, updated this blog.
Day of the fast that I realized I am addicted to FB: 2
Day I definitively decided to streamline my FB page and account once this fast has ended: 6

Other observations: It is very difficult to avoid FB completely. Websites I visit show which of my friends "like" that page. Links on twitter go to facebook pages (but I avoided those b/c they are easily recognizable by their url). Articles I read show the number of "shares" on FB that article has had.

IT


IS


EVERYWHERE

And I am not ok with that. I think it has done some good and helpful things in its time, but it is SO far from what it originally was, and has pervaded our culture, our social interaction, and yes, even our minds, in such a way that is quite alarming.

So I'm choosing to back way off. And I say this with full realization that some of you are only reading this because you got to my blog from my FB page. But I don't care if that makes this hypocritical. These times they are a changin' and I'm going to respond to that by backing off of FB.

But not backing off of Twitter or Google+ so feel free to find me there. And no, I'm not removing the button below that allows you to share this on FB. Don't try to understand my decisions......

91. Learn how to cook artichokes

So this is not actually at all how I cooked artichokes tonight, but it's the next method I want to try. I boiled them for about 25 minutes in a lot more than 2 inches of salt water, then used garlic butter for dipping.

But this way sounds tasty, too. And I'm all about tasty. And these 30 second food/recipe videos from yummeo.


Such a pretty food.

55. Submit c/o 2001 contact info to WPS for alumni purposes

You know what happens when your friendmates* are willing to help you plan your high school reunion? They end up taking care of one of your 101 list items without even knowing it.

Excellent.



*for definition of this term, see the previous post

9. Plan and attend my 10th high school reunion

I pity all of you that did not graduate high school with me because I graduated with the best class of folks ever. I had my suspicions that this was true, but through this whole reunion process, it was confirmed.

These people hold a very dear place in my heart, and they always will. I felt like a proud parent (well, I guess proud class president would be more accurate) when, in the course of talking with various folks at our reunion this past weekend and catching up on life, it suddenly hit me how well they were doing. I always knew these kids were smart and were 'goin places' in life, but goodness, I was really humbled by this collection of Westminster alums. I was in the company of great minds, driven personalities, determined leaders, and kind hearts. It's so exciting and such a huge blessing to see everyone healthy, successful, and able to come together after a decade of life to spend time with one another.

Ok, ok I'm gushing, I admit it. But when you start a party at 5pm and at 11:30pm a large majority of folks are still talking and laughing together, I'd say the love might be somewhat mutual. Southern manners would've only carried that party til about 8. 11:30=true love. And that is coming from me - the one who moaned and groaned about having to plan a reunion and this time last year was not at all enthused. I am a class reunion convert.

Three of my classmates were a HUGE help in pulling this party off, and time after time during this planning process the kindness and enthusiasm of these friends and our classmates really impressed me. Which got me thinking. Can we come up with a new term for these old friends who were classmates and will continue to care about each others' lives? Friendmates? Clands? I'll keep tinkering....

So without further delay, you need to see this classy bunch. 18 of the 40 of us friendmates made it to the reunion, and I wish terribly that others in our class could have been there to share in the fun.

WPS Class of 2001 - I love ya!

80. Buy someone a bouquet of balloons for their birthday

Happy Birthday to my favorite brother!

44. Send a care package to my cousins at college

How many times in college did I go to the mailbox just hoping for something out of the ordinary? And how much was I encouraged by postcards from home, packages, cards from friends, etc.?

So I wanted to do this for my cousins.

Since I began this blog, the cousins that are in college has changed (!) and now my youngest cousins -- the babies that I held when I was in elementary school - are both in college, a year apart.

And because of the magic of Facebook, I can catch glimpses of their college adventures. Which can only be helped by sugar of assorted varieties and healthy servings of cousinly advice.

And I love that they both texted me upon arrival of their care packages. Ah, technology :)

Love my cousins!

Meet Olivia:



and Reese:


(don't they have cool names?)

4. Play bocce ball

Summertime and bocce go hand in hand. I know that now. It's a game that, like most things related to physical activity and coordination, I do not excel at doing, but still somehow enjoy.

I played a couple different times this summer and think that I'll add bocce to my repertoire of lawn games that I will gladly play whenever a good opportunity arises.

1. Go back to Nashville for a visit

Well it's not quite London or the south of France
Or an Asian island or a second chance....


Those are some of the lyrics to a song called "Nashville" that I first heard about six months before I moved to Nashville back in 2005. That song's writer David Mead became one of the musicians I would become a fan of during my time there, and in true Nashville form, ended up hanging out on his porch one Saturday for a yard sale that wasn't his. Typical.


Anyway, my friend Emily and I semi-spontaneously decided to road trip to Nash-vegas for Labor Day weekend. We stopped in Knoxville on the way down to see The Dirty Guv'nahs perform a hometown show:


Amazingly fun band with a very dynamic lead singer who has some Jagger-esque moves on stage
But I digress. On to Nashville...


You're a distant memory, you're an exit sign....

It had been four years since I had been back to Nashville and you know that weird mix of sensory memory and some other kind of memory that enables you to drive on auto pilot to work and suddenly think "how did I get here?" - well, I had that as soon as we got to town. Things were familiar but evasive. But it was good to be back.

We of course ate at my favorite restaurant where lunch for 3 people was only $15. And I showed Emily the appropriate amounts of downtown Nashville and Broadway, including my favorite honky tonk, Robert's Western World:


We also had a great time reconnecting (or just connecting I guess for Emily) with some of my friends in Nashville over meals. Lots of laughs and lots of catching up on life. My favorite times are always spent with a good mixture of both of those.

What I was so glad to come away with from the weekend was two-fold:
1) Even more of an appreciation for my friendship with Emily. She's a fantastic person, sister in Christ, and friend and a guaranteed good time even for hours in a car.

2) A new perspective on Nashville. I love that town and am glad I could see it with new eyes this trip. I am now even more thankful for the nearly 2 years I spent there and even though it wasn't a perfect fit, since God wanted me in Arlington, I can now see that the hardest things for me about being in Nashville would have been true wherever I had been. And David Mead's song, which has meant different things to me at different times over the past 6 years since I first heard it, took on yet another meaning for me because of this trip. Oh, Nashville. Your songwriters really are incredibly talented.

Going back to Nashville, thinking about the whole thing
Guess you gotta run sometimes
Maybe I'm a fast train rolling down the mountain
Watching all my life go by
Going back to Nashville, laughing at a bad break
What's the use in wondering why
Maybe I'm a storm front rolling through the valley
Tearing up a good July....

65. Meet my next door neighbors

This 4th of July, my whole family was in town and we had a cookout at our building with some friends before heading out to watch fireworks. Of course homemade peach ice cream was on the menu, and while we were enjoying some, I noticed my next door neighbors were out in their backyard, so I walked over to the fence and offered them some ice cream. Matthew and Colleen (errr I think..I'm pretty terrible with names).

We exchanged "Happy 4th" greetings.

Nothing like good southern food to bring people together!

53. Host a game night

Just believe me on this one: Catch Phrase is the greatest game ever invented.


My Augusta friends and I will play for HOURS. I'm talking like 4 hours at a time. I have to admit, it sometimes brings out the worst in me - there is no other game in which I get more competitive or more bossy about rules.

But every time, EVERY TIME there are always laughs. And what more can you really ask for in a game?

So our Community Group did a "Men's Appreciation Night" a few weeks back - the females provided food and due to looming thunderstorms, decided to play a couple of lawn games, then move it inside for Catch Phrase.

It was such a good way to break down barriers and see people's personalities come through in different ways.

Such a great game.....wanna come over and play?

19. Go to a DC United game

Oooooh oooh hot summer nii-iights.

DC U-nite-ED! DC U-nite-ED!


A few weeks ago I got a group of my friends together to go to a DC United game at RFK. Upon our arrival, the parking attendants would not let us in the closest parking lot to the stadium, even though 3 or 4 cars just in front of us were allowed in.

So I drove past the parking attendant, and turned into the lot between two barricades. My friend Emily said from the backseat "Oh now there's another attendant running after your car."

I thought she was joking. She wasn't.

So when my car, full of 5 eager DC United (or at least soon to be) fans, pulled into a parking spot, and I saw a man in the standard parking attendant attire (orange vest, mini light saber) at my window, I simply rolled it down and the PR skills kicked in.

It also helped that he didn't speak much English. I may have taken advantage of that...

Him: No, no, exit!
Me: Oh, we're good here, thanks.
Him: He say no (referring to the first attendant that wouldn't let me into the lot.)
Me: Well, we'll just park here, it's fine.
Him: You have pass?
Me: Oh, sure here's my ticket. (I show him the generic pass they give you when you first enter and pay the $15 fee.
(He takes it, looks at it, hands it back.)
Him: No, no.....exit.
Me: (pulling the car forward a bit more, then putting it in park) Thanks, but I think we're good here. It's fine. We'll just park here.

he finally gave up and walked away...


There is a bit of my dad in me, what can I say....


So we enjoyed a toasty evening watching the Beautiful Sport and I decided that I should become a bigger United fan. But I haven't done a single thing about it since then save the email list I agreed to be put on...oh well.

DC U-nite-ED!

10. Convince someone else to start their 101 list

Lillian's List!

74. Make a list of movies I’ve wanted to see, and rent/watch them all

Body of Lies


Yes, another Leo movie. But this one is definitely not my favorite. Not even close. I felt more like I was watching Tom Cruise than Leo, and I think I have to blame that mostly on the writing and directing, because Leo doesn't typically overact as much as I felt he did in this one.


Basic plot: Leo is CIA working in Jordan and other areas of the MidEast trapping terrorists and working on American diplomacy with international leaders while fighting "the man" (Russell Crowe) who is back in his luxurious Northern Virginia life.


It has twists and turns in the plot that lots of other movies do, this time the setting just happens to be modern day terrorism. Meh, not impressed.

74. Make a list of movies I’ve wanted to see, and rent/watch them all

Chocolat

Let's just say it's a good thing we don't have much chocolate in our apartment, otherwise I would have likely eaten it all after watching this movie.

It's one from a few years ago that I just never got around to seeing at the time the buzz was going around about it. Chocolat has a very serious plot line with very weighty themes and character conflicts: Religious Legalism v. Pagan Indulgence; Domestic abuse; politics; and the list goes on...

But amidst these heavy ideas, there is, simply: Chocolat. And its effect on this small French town in the late 1950s. There is the young Catholic priest who loves Elvis Presley music and is conflicted over the council given to him by the town's political bully. There is the endearing older couple who spark a Winter romance through sweets from the chocolatier. There is the young boy who restores the broken relationship with his grandmother...

Honestly, I thought chocolate was a great symbol of grace in the movie. Yet, true to Hollywood norms, the conclusion of the movie taught the worldly view that tolerance = anything goes, which twists true grace in such a way that it tugs at my heart a bit.

It is a delightful and thought provoking film.

And now I want some chocolate with chili pepper.....

69. Map test: see if I can draw and label all 50 states correctly on a blank US map

Ignore the annoying beep, but this site does the trick.

http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf

And yes, I can.

And yes, this test is missing Hawaii and Alaska.

70. Ask 5 friends for book rec’s, then read read 5 of the suggestions

One of my oldest and dearest friends loves brooding European female-centric novels, so even though the preview for the movie version of Jane Eyre looked intriguing (but ended up falling into the totally misleading preview category I mentioned a few posts back...) I had my doubts that I would like the book.

FALSE.

This book is excellent. Excellent. Charlotte redeemed the Bronte brand in my mind since I have a strong dislike for Wuthering Heights.

Jane Eyre, however is winsome. Interesting. And just so different.

I recommend it. Heartily.

The movie isn't bad either -- the preview is. But nevertheless, here it is:

63. Add some more quotations to my quotation book

Freshman year of college I recevied a little square book as a gift. Isn't it cute? I decided to make it a book of quotations that I like.

Here are couple of my favorites:


And, after reading Jane Eyre (ooo that reminds me I need to do another book recommendation blog entry), I added this from that book:
And today I added this one from a piece by David Brooks in the New York Times:



Until next time....

36. Go swimming, 37. Go camping

Ah the great outdoors. I really do love living in a beautiful state like Virginia where in about an hour and a half away from my apartment one direction, I can be surrounded by mountains and rivers, and about the same distance another direction I can be on the Atlantic Ocean. Not bad, not bad at all.

So Memorial Day weekend I joined up with some friends and met some new folks to take part in an overnight camping/canoeing trip out in the Shenandoah foothills. With the threat of hail, thunderstorms, and high winds, we set off, but thankfully the rain held off for most of the night and our day of canoeing really couldn't have been more perfect.

Camping reminded me of two things:
1) I love s'mores.
2) Beds are underrated.

I really like camping. As my friend Rachel and I were discussing while setting up our sleeping bags, camping is just so unpretentious. And that's pretty much me - no frills, what you see is what you get, therefore camping is a delightful comfortable place for me. Except in the middle of the night when my back is already stiff and rain is dripping through the tent onto my face.

I was really bad about taking pictures though, so I'm sorry, but this is what you're stuck with:

My pad: Camping pillow, non battery powered survival flashlight, sleeping bag.

Packing up Caryn's brand-spanking-new tent. Why yes, those are foothills in the background:
A shot of the campground. Those trucks through the trees provided music the entire night before ranging from country to Death Cab. And their drivers provided middle of the night shouts of "Hey! Anybody want some weed?" There was also some Stars & Bars apparel.



On to canoeing!

I love the water and canoeing and "fake" kayaking are great ways to spend time in the water. What a fun day to paddle downstream, take breaks and spend time floating with our group of 16 canoes, and also hop out of the boat to swim every now and then. Warning: The bottom of the Shenandoah River is rocky and the depth level changes quickly. Watch your bum when floating (or attempting to float). Aside from being startling, this is also known to cause uncontrollable laughter. In fact, one of my friends said she could hear my laugh from about a 1/2 mile down the river. :)

I also found a waterproof disposable camera from a couple years go and attempted to take some pics with it, so we'll see how they turn out...I'm going to get them developed this weekend. No promises, though....

Finally, let me put a plug in for Down River Canoe Company. They had a great location just off the river and our van driver, Scotty, who took us to our entry point and is probably doing this as a summer job during college, was equal parts friendly, patient, and adorable.

20. Tell 3 people that haven’t heard of it about Indego Africa

Indego Africa is a wonderful organization that I know about because of my sister's hard work and dedication to the people of Rwanda that she met on a missions trip. Upon her team's return to the US, a group of them decided to pursue organizations with whom they could partner to help the women in the villages they had visited.

They found Indego Africa.

They tell their story better than I, so I'll let you check out their website full of fabulous products that you should buy in large quantities:

http://shop.indegoafrica.org/

So to cross this one off my list, I enlisted the help of Facebook and posted this on my page:


Done!

74. Make a list of movies I’ve wanted to see, and rent/watch them all

Leo may be a great actor, but this movie was booooriiiing. It wasn't even as scary/creepy as the previews made it out to be. And can I just pause there for a moment? Why, world, why do studios continue this move to make previews in one of these two extremes:

A) Showing all the good/funny/plot revealing parts of the movie in the preview so that actually watching the film is very disappointing

or

B)Splicing scenes from the movie together in such a way that they end up promoting an entirely different film than the one that is actually playing?

It makes trailers like this one seem almost believable...



All that to say...movie did not equal preview.

Moving on....





FINALLY I saw this movie. I liked it. Really enjoyed Geoffrey Rush's character and thought he did a fantastic job. Colin Firth also did good work. I won't say this is the best movie of the year (I think my vote would be The Fighter), but it was good and I recommend it.

I did have this thought though --- *spoiler alert* (even though I think I was the last one to actually see this so there's a very small risk of me spoiling anything) --- If I had a speech impediment and was going to do radio addresses, I would have used the playing music trick for the really important ones until I had trained enough to get over the impediment. No one listening would know and there wouldn't be weird phrasing....just sayin.

But anyway, good movie. Interesting story. Final Thought: Guy Pierce looked younger than Colin Firth

21. Do Blood Water’s 40 Days of Water Campaign

Blood:Water Mission is a fantastic organization based out of Nashville, TN and created by the members of the band Jars of Clay, aimed at building wells in Africa to help communities overcome disease and enhance their lives through clean drinking water.

I have known about them for about 6 years now and the more I learn, the more I respect and want to support what they are doing.

Each year during Lent Blood:Water holds a fundraiser called 40 Days of Water. The basic idea is that for these 40 days (or 46 if you don't take Sundays as feast days....but I most definitely did feast on those days) you give up purchasing beverages and instead drink only water. Through their website and mobile website, you can track the amount of money you would have spent on each drink you're giving up, and at the end of the 40 days, you donate that amount of money to Blood: Water.

So many benefits from this campaign - it only takes one American dollar to supply fresh water for a year for one African. The impact of even the relatively small $78 I donated can be a great benefit to our brothers and sisters in Africa.

Personally, the benefits were so great for me - I was healthier because I was cutting calories from my diet (though, unfortunately I didn't lose any ell-bees).

As with all types of fasting, you start to realize things on which you rely and depend that don't satisfy - constantly pointing you back to Christ and his glorious riches.

I also developed a good habit of drinking a lot of water during the work day. I used to drink way too much Coke, and haven't really gone back to that now even though the 40 Days are over. Developing the water habit has also eliminated that 3pm lull where I used to crave caffeine.

It was interesting to try and justify what I would have paid for a beverage....like..should I tally the glass of wine I didn't have at my friend's house, even though I wouldn't have technically been paying for it?.....

Despite those silly instances, 40 Days of Water was a great experience, and I couldn't be happier to help Blood:Water in their work in this way.

Check it out:
http://40days.bloodwatermission.com/

96. Go to The Masters

That was the craziest Sunday I've ever seen at The Masters.

Feel a bit bad for Rory, but wow what a finish - out of 10 possible winners, Charl took it home.

Another beautiful weekend "at" Augusta.

6. Save up money for a down payment on a car

My tax refund has bumped me up to having a feasible amount for a down payment on a car. Thanks, Uncle Sam for giving me back what I have rightfully earned that I let you borrow interest free.

Hopefully I can keep adding to this pot before the Cam Cam needs to be replaced. The bigger the down payment, the better. Long live Cam Cam (she's less than 10k away from the 200k miles mark)!

Here's a shot of Cam Cam's with her latest accessory - a gift from one of my former colleagues in Nashville - a sticker from my favorite restaurant in Nashy:

72. Use my Frontier voucher before it expires in June, 2011

It's my blog and I make the rules. Just because I lost said Frontier voucher doesn't mean I still can't "use it."

I'm using it to inspire more organization in my life....so I spent some time cleaning out the papers on my desk, going through my notebooks of paperwork, and filing receipts and tax info.

To an outside observer, it may have looked more like I was tearing my room apart trying to find an airline voucher, but no, my friend, no. I was simply using the voucher's absence to spur me on toward organization.

Now see, that's thinking outside the box.

57. Eat at Ray’s Hellburger

Ray's Hell Burger is one of those DC area institutions where 20 somethings like me as well as the President have dined. Ray's is part of a restaurant group (Ray's The Steaks, Ray's The Classics) serving up good, quality food.

Ray's Hell Burger has delicious burgers that aren't too greasy and are full of flavor. I enjoyed mine with blue cheese and mushrooms.

I enjoyed a girls' night there with my sister and one of our "building mates" a few weeks ago, and it will definitely be somewhere I will try to keep in mind when thinking about food options in the neighborhood.

43. Write my grandparents a letter

The practice of letter writing is nearly extinct in our culture, and I really think that's a shame. I'm not claiming to be good at writing letters, but I do enjoy receiving them, writing them, and reading letters from the past.

Recently my grandmother, Gran, took a "turn for the worse" as they say, so I wrote her a quick letter just to let her know I was thinking about her. It was more of a note really - just a little something updating her on what was going on with me and telling her that I was thinking of her and praying for her. Words of encouragement (hopefully) in written form.

Well, last week, Gran passed away and I went back to Georgia for her funeral. It was such a special time with my family - remembering and recounting stories, looking through old photographs, and reading a letter that my great grandmother had written to my great grandfather, her "sweetheart," while he was away.

Will future generations have anything like that letter to look back upon to connect them with family and culture? Will emails even be accessible? Does anyone print out emails to cherish?

I am glad I was able to send one last note to Gran while she was still here, and I am glad that she is now in the keep of God, who is the author of our faith and has written us quite a letter in his Word.

So, if you find yourself with a few spare moments, I encourage you to write a letter to your grandparents, if they are still living here, and if not, then maybe you can do a little digging and see if your family has any old letters in safe keeping that you could read.

32. Successfully complete lunch club for a month (bringing lunch/not paying to eat out)

Luuuunnnchhhh Cluuuuuuubbbb!

Shout out to my friend Megan for helping me complete lunch club during the month of March. Saved some money, ate a little more healthily (is that a word?) and crossed an item off the list.

What are the rules of Lunch Club, you wonder?

1. Bring lunch to work every workday for a month
2. After successfully completing a month, go out to eat with Lunch Club members to celebrate.

Exceptions:
- If your lunch is being paid for by work or someone else, it doesn't count against you, in fact it's a bonus and can be considered for earning an additional cheat day.
- You are allowed one "cheat" per month. I took mine on St. Patty's Day and had Shepherd's Pie at Pat Troy's.


Happy Lunching!

74. Make a list of movies I’ve wanted to see, and rent/watch them all

With faces like those, voiced by Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt, how can you resist?

This was a pretty cute movie, fairly funny. Not the best ever, but a decent movie.

I must say their web ads were more impressive to me than the actual movie -- solid advertising is what got me hooked on wanting to see this movie:

16. Share the gospel with a stranger

My Community Group from church had an event this week to help us connect with Muslim folks in the area. The interfaith group, The Buxton Initiative, helped put it together and we had a pretty wonderful evening sharing food, fellowship, and discussing personal aspects of our respective faiths.

While we didn't sit down and start with Genesis and go through Revelation, it was great to instead be sitting around a table with folks in my community as we all chimed in to share the truth of the Gospel to which we cling, and to hear from the Muslims about their beliefs and personal faith.

I can't think of a non-cheesy way to say this, but it was incredibly heart warming to discuss these ultra-significant things with people I'd just met. And to hear how many similarities we have with them. It also helped me see my own faith with fresh eyes - what our distinctives are as Christians and how I can better understand and pray for Muslims that I meet.

We were, both Christians and Muslims, able to dispel a few misconceptions each group had about the other - I'll confess, I didn't know much at all about the specifics of Islam before that evening, so it was great to sit and listen to passionate and sincere Muslims talk about their faith, their frustrations, and hear them be encouraged to hear us talk about our faith as well.

I confess that I get too comfortable talking to those in my own circles and making assumptions about what they know or don't know about what I believe, and more importantly, about what God says about himself. It was great to hear "outsiders" discuss Christ and scripture - it stirred me up a bit and made me realize again what a gift our salvation is, and how I need to be returning again and again to scripture to cherish what God has given us in his Word.

I'm hoping these "strangers" can quickly become friends and that we can continue the good discussions we started this week with each other about those things that get to the core of who we are, why we're here, and what we believe and why.

73. Get a spicy chicken sandwich and milkshake from Chick-fil-a, and enjoy while reading either Southern Living or Garden & Gun

Because I am a fan of Garden & Gun on Facebook and follow them on Twitter,I get a heads up about what will be hitting my mailbox with each new issue.

Let's just say the last issue was highly anticipated - the music issue: concentration on bluegrass. And The Avett brothers on the cover - deeeeeeelightful!


So I thought it would be the best time to have a rendez-vous with my beloved Chick-fil-a, whom I also follow on Twitter.

Granted, there was snow on the ground outside, but it's never a bad time for a milkshake.

The players were assembled:


And so I indulged.

52. Do the 1000 piece puzzle that I have

3 day weekends hold so much potential....like President's Day Weekend -- in which I completed a 1000 piece puzzle.

Puzzles are really good exercises for your brain. They are tests of perseverance, patience, clarity of mind, concentration, focus, spatial reasoning, colorblindness, knowledge of animal shapes, how bad your eyesight is, how long you can sit in the same position, how much temptation to leave your apartment you can resist, and the list goes on and on.

The task:


The accomplishment:

92. Call in to a radio contest to try and win free tix to a concert

There are 2 radio stations between which I typically switch back and forth in my morning and evening commutes. One is a country station and one is a mix of..well...random songs created in order to rival the soft rock station. It's called Fresh FM. It's not fresh, but it's all the songs that got stuck in your head over the past 10-15 years.

So, I always hear about concerts on the country station, but 8 times out of 10, they don't say the phone number when it's time for ticket giveaways, they just say "call in now...we'll take the 9th caller!"

1 time out of 10 they will say the number and I won't be able to get my phone in time to push the power button at the top, slide the unlock button, pull up the keypad, and enter the number before they finish saying said number, and I have been so focused on getting the phone that I've forgotten the number. I love my Droid, but it was not designed for making quick phone calls while driving.

But then there is the remaining 1 time out of 10 when the stars align: My phone is sitting on my leg because I've been checking my work e-mail (ummm...only at stoplights...or..something). The DJ announces the call-in number, and I have time to enter it into my phone, then she says she'll take the fifth caller, and I dial, hoping hoping hoping to win tickets to............a Keith Urban concert...mehh. Oh well, it could be fun.

So I dial, and I get a busy signal. Hang up, redial, busy signal. Hang up, redial, busy signal. Hang up, redial, busy signal.

My brain starts to wander to how Keith Urban has really girly hair and how he an Nicole Kidman used to go to the Starbucks by my house in Nashville.

And I stop the redial game, because I have lost this call-in contest. And because I'm operating a motor vehicle and should really focus on driving.

But, I have succeeded at completing another item on my 101 list.

74. Make a list of movies I’ve wanted to see, and rent/watch them all

Yes, it is this face that I used to watch on "Even Stevens" on the Disney Channel. And yes, I was arguably too old to be watching it, and enjoying it. I don't know whether it's just because we didn't have the Disney Channel growing up, or if I just cling to childhood humor, but in college I started getting hooked on the made-for-tv Disney movies (Motorcrossed, anyone?). That lead to me often flipping over to that channel, and often found me landing on Even Stevens. Shia LaBeouf played the younger, goofball brother on the show, and I loved it. I thought he was funny and entertaining, and made the show pretty likable.

Flash forward a few years, and I now have a full fledged crush on Shia. Much to my chagrin, I think most of the movies he's been in are kinda terrible (see: Disturbia, Transformers) but I still see them anyway. So, when I heard that Wall Street was getting good reviews, I tried not to get too excited.

But then I really wanted to see the movie because of its cultural relevance - set amidst the real life economy of 2008 in the US. So, last weekend I was able to watch the movie, and I must say, I was really impressed. Shia did a great job and though it was slightly predictable at parts, I'd say still worth seeing. It's no Even Stevens, but I'll take it.

27. Cook my way through Paula Deen’s cookbook, “The Lady and Sons Cookbook”

pepper steak.

not a fan.

74. Make a list of movies I’ve wanted to see, and rent/watch them all

So my friend Maggie and I went to go see this gem and there was only one other female in the theater. Needless to say, we were the most audible of the audience: Laughing at clever Coen brothers' lines and squirming at the violent and grotesque parts.

As Maggie put it on Sunday "The more I think about this movie the more I realize how much I enjoyed it."

It really was that good.

Do yourself a favor and check it out.

I might even check the book out if I get around to finding time to read much again.

74. Make a list of movies I’ve wanted to see, and rent/watch them all

Well, I wasted no time getting to work on this list.

Last night I stayed in and watched "The Other Guys." One of my friends told me that they were sure I would like it. I am more and more skeptical about Will Ferrell movies as time goes on (I'm not going to say 'sellout' or 'typecast'.....just that there's shall we say...repetition...in some of his roles.)

But, Mark Wahlberg is becoming a new favorite of mine, and the premise of this movie did seem pretty entertaining, so I went for it.


Um, it's hilarious. Laugh out loud by yourself in your apartment so that your neighbors are probably wondering what the heck is going on up there hilarious.

It's not the greatest movie ever made, but it's really funny.

It's so ridiculous and over the top, that it's entertaining. Ya gotta just go in with no cynicism.

And I wasn't sure how Marky Mark would do in a comedy, but ever since I saw this:



and this:




I have a hard time not laughing when I hear him talk. His character in this movie just yells a lot and is indignant most of the time, and I half expected a "say hi to your mothah for me" slip out.

So, next time you need a mindless, funny movie that you can bond with coworkers over by quoting in the office kitchen, try this one. If you don't mind language and violence and some crude conversation....hey I didn't say it was very redeeming. I said it was funny.

74. Make a list of movies I’ve wanted to see, and rent/watch them all

Alright so here is my list within a list. Movies I want to see. If I didn't go ahead and make one, I'd never get started.

Schindler’s List
The King’s Speech
True Grit
The Other Guys
Wall Street
Toy Story 3
Megamind
Shutter Island
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Body of Lies
Chocolat

78. Create a “favorites of 2010” playlist on my iTunes

Most of these are songs from 2010, a few aren’t, but they have all been, in no particular order, my favorites to play this year. Don’t judge.

Arcade Fire - Rococo



Carrie Underwood - Undo It


Arcade Fire - City With No Children


Mumford and Sons - awake my soul


Lady Antebellum - Our Kind of Love


Weezer - I Want You To


David Nail - Red Light


Van Morrison - Full Force Gale


Antoine Dodson & The Gregory Brothers - Bed Intruder Song


Andrew Ripp - Blue Sky Christmas Eve
https://noisetrade.com - find the song to download here by scrolling through to his name

Broken Bells - The High Road


Loane - Femme Qui Court


Eminem - Not Afraid


Usher featuring Pitbull - DJ Got Us Fallin In Love


Miranda Lambert - The House That Built Me


Zac Brown Band - As She’s Walkin Away (feat. Alan Jackson)

27. Cook my way through Paula Deen’s cookbook, “The Lady and Sons Cookbook”

Chicken and Dumplins.


Don't you feel better just reading those words? Total comfort food.

It's winter, snow was predicted for last night:

(correct prediction)

and I wanted some real food to have around for the weekend, so last night I tackled Paula's chicken and dumplins recipe.

Earlier in the week I was reading over the recipe and saw this:
Gulp. I'd never cut up a whole chicken before -- heck, I'd never even purchased a whole raw chicken before.

I got a tip from a friend that Whole Foods was having a sale on free range whole chickens, so I picked one up. Feeling like a very legitimate cook.

So then last night, I had to look up how to properly cut up a chicken, so I watched this video:



Deep breath, and here we go:


The before.....



And after.....
Let's just say, I think my chicken had more bones than Mr. Pampered Chef's did. Either that or his knife is amazing and slices through bone like it's butter. Or he just cracked a bunch of joints so quickly I didn't notice.

At one point I saw what I think is bone marrow.....eeesh. It was a little bit of a gross process, but worth it.

After this it was pretty smooth sailing --- threw a bunch of stuff in a pot and let it do its thing:






I don't know why it just now occurred to me to start doing videos on the blog instead of photos. So I don't claim to be destined for the Food Network, but here is some commentary:





Now would be a good time to let you know that I got some AMAZING Christmas presents this year -- I had asked for a food processor and when I opened it and it was from my sister, I wondered what on earth my parents were going to give me, because I kind of expected them to be the ones to give me the big ticket item I was asking for.....so I was blown away when I got a Kitchenaid stand mixer. I've been using the food processor this week and it has already changed my life (I'm not joking). I have yet to use the Kitchenaid, but I have no doubts I will use it soon. In the mean time it looks realllll purrrty sitting on my counter.


Ok so after everything cooked, I had to pick the chicken, then throw it back in the pot to cook the dumplins. Given that it was Friday at about 6pm and I was a bit braindead from the week, I read "cut into 1 inch strips" as the width the dumplins should be and made them really long. Next time I'll make them smaller (and OH H-YES there will be a next time).

So, final step:



I then ate a bowl full and shared some with my sister. If you're wondering if it's any good -- it is probably one of, if not THE best things I've ever made. Delicious. Next time I might add some carrots or other vegetables to make it even more hearty. But the flavor....amazing. Thank you Paula Deen.

Recipe here

41. Do something crafty with Grandfather Walker’s journal & 48. Use my 2 Groupons before they expire

2 birds with one stone in this one -- I used my other Groupon (remember this previous entry?) to do something crafty with Grandfather Walker’s journal by using one of his paintings to order some stationary cards. Grandfather Walker is my great-great grandfather who spent some time at sea when he was young and did some paintings in a journal he kept while on his trip. If you’d like to hear more about it sometime, let me know. Pretty interesting family history stuff there. In any case, I used an online company to create some cards with one of the images and they turned out well.

But - there are several reasons why I would highly encourage you to never use A&I Books - but the most entertaining is that they sent me someone elses’ Christmas cards by mistake ---





And then sent me a FedEx label so that I could mail those cards directly to the correct (I mean..I guess it was correct) recipients.

Finally my cards arrived in time for Christmas -- so I split them up among my immediate family as gifts.

Ch-ch-check ‘em out:




What’s that? The image looks familiar? ohhh why yes, that is the image from the header of my blog. It’s one of my favorites from the journal.

Now I’m thinking I should use these cards to fulfill number 22 or 67....

34. Go visit the Scogins in Tacoma, Washington

I made a detour on my work trip and got to visit old Augusta friends the Scogins and meet their son, 6 weeks old at the time, Oliver. I neglected to take any photos with them while I was at their house, so I’m stealing one from FB (thanks Becca, though I doubt you’ll ever read this!)


And I did get to do a quick tour of Seattle -- I’d never been to the Pacific Northwest, and let me just say that I loved it. It’s gorgeous. Although apparently I couldn’t have picked a better day to be there, as it was sunny and clear with amazing views and temps in the 50s.

Pike's Place Market --



Tug Boats -- toot! toot!



The Scogins live in Tacoma, so I even got to see the school where this happened:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6XGUhzfutc


Can you imagine going to high school here?


Check out that view!


A great day overall and I’m glad I was able to make this work and got to see these friends.