Another year in the books

2010 is now in the rearview. As someone stated today on Facebook, "I remember 2010 like it was yesterday." I can't say it was a bad year by any measure. It may not have been what I had planned for it to be but it was still a year to remember. It was a big deal to me to get back into school and this year was the time. Two of my best friends got engaged and that was such a great feeling. I cannot express how excited I am for their weddings. Brett has asked me to be his best man and it is such an honor that I hope to one day reciprocate.

That brings me to my "resolutions" for the upcoming year. I don't like to call them that, more like goals or things I need to work on. My weight has always been a struggle of mine and I hope to get it more under control this year. After consulting with Brett and Brock and Dane we have all decided to try and live a little healthier this year and lose some weight in time for Brett's wedding in June. Today was the first day of many without pop. It will be a victory if I can work that out of my diet for extended periods of time.

Another goal of mine is to go to church more. I realize that by playing at Dane's church more that I will accomplish my goal but I would like to go for more than that. There are many other goals that I would like to accomplish but they are a tad more personal. Hopefully I can report back that I succeeded in working on my faults.

Last year was full of wonderful memories with great people. I met a great deal of new friends and had a great time living my life. Thank you to all who helped me get through all 365 days of it.

2010 Albums of the Year

Athlete, Bon Iver, Brandon Flowers, Free Energy, Fake Problems, Jonsi, Kings of Leon, Meese, Mumford and Sons, The National, Neon Trees, Phil Wickham, She & Him, A Rocket to the Moon, Taking Back Sunday, Two Door Cinema Club, Valencia, Gungor, Hellogoodbye, House of Heroes, Something Corporate, Civil Twilight, A Day to Remember, Zac Brown Band.

All of these bands put out great records this year and that doesn't include other albums that could be on other's lists. It was such a great year for music and I was inspired by a lot of these albums, some for their music and composing, others for their lyrical content. I picked a few fun albums, some new bands, some old ones. But the quality they all share is that I love the entire cd. None of it goes unlistened to. So here are my Top 10 Albums of the year.

10. Free Energy - Stuck On Nothing

9. Jonsi - Go

8. Phil Wickham - Heaven and Earth

7. Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown

6. Hellogoodbye - Would It Kill You?

5. Athlete - Black Swan

4. Taking Back Sunday - Live From Orensanz

3. Neon Trees - Habits

2. Brandon Flowers - Flamingo

1. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More

Favorite Songs of 2010

It's that time of year. Not only is it time for school to be over for awhile but it's time to countdown my favorite albums and songs of the year. Albums this year will be harder than what songs are on my list. There were so many good albums that I enjoyed listening to that I am probably leaving some out. However, the songs I have had cycling throughout the past year are pretty obvious to me. I can't put them in a specific order but I can choose my favorites. So here are my favorite songs of this year, 2010. What do you think?

Finding Something to Do by Hellogoodbye
Superhuman Touch by Athlete
Airplanes pt. 2 by B.O.B. feat. Haley Williams and Eminem
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas by Brandon Flowers
Free Energy by Free Energy
Beautiful Things by Gungor
Back Down South by Kings of Leon
Growing Up by The Maine
Excuses by The Morning Benders
A Lifeless Ordinary by Motion City Soundtrack
Animal by Neon Trees
Ridin' California by Paper Tongues
All The Single Ladies by A Rocket to the Moon
Colder Weather by Zac Brown Band
Love the Way You Lie pt. 1 and 2. by Eminiem feat. Rihanna
The Golden State by Abandon Kansas
Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons*

I know this album was released in 2009 but come on, we all fell in love with them this year. Enjoy the good music. My albums list will be up as soon as I can get the order down!

The Happy List

I started walking at night the past week. It gives me great time to think about things like life, school, love, friends, ect. Tonight the stars were at their best. Bright, crisp, it was cloud-free and there was a nice soft moon. This thought was more from last night but tonight I continued my thoughts on the subject. I was trying to decide what makes me happy? What makes you happy? Are they tangible feelings? Is it something that I can buy? Something I can put into a thought or put my finger on? I guess the easiest way to get it all out is to just make a big list of things that make me happy. This list is by no means official, complete or anything of that nature. Just random ideas that pop up.
- Music
-Stars
-Donald Miller Books
-The Kansas countryside
-Teaching kids
-Playing music
-My friends
-My Family
-Thinking deep thoughts
-The Look of Apple products
-Driving
-Colorado
-Riding trails on my bike
-Skinny Jeans
-Hoodies
-Pandas
-Pillow top mattresses
-Down blankets
-Sweats over shorts
-Concerts
-Reading
-Fantasy Football
-Cleaning

That's the list for now. Did I miss anything? What makes you happy??

Mixed Bag of Topics

I looked up some topics to write about because I wanted some fresh ideas. Instead of writing at length about just one topic I thought maybe I would write about just a few topics. What do you think? Sound okay? Alrighty then. Let's begin....

The book that changed my life: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
The Last Lecture reminds the readers how to lead a more fulfilling and inspired life each day. It is based on a lecture by Randy Pausch about how to reach your childhood dreams. He gave the lecture after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Check it out.

Am I superstitious?
No but I am a little stitious. Ha. I have had many times in my life where I have been very superstitious, usually pertaining to sports. Same socks, same routine, same prayer, shoes laced in a specific way.....and so on. I don't have many superstitions these days but I do have a pair of underwear that I consider lucky. No clue if they are though.

My First Kiss:
It was Jessica Lenhart in 2002. I remember it was during a movie at my parents house. I can remember what she was wearing and that it went better than I thought it would.

My favorite place on this planet:
Well I haven't been to all the places I would love to go but so far it would be Grand Lake, Colorado, as many of you know. If I wanted to get specific I would say the Big Medow along the Adam's Falls hiking trail just outside of town.

The song I couldn't live without:
This one is hard because there are so many styles, genres, moods. I will just go with some songs that I consider go-to songs. They would include: Luckie Street by Cartel, Days Like Masquarades by The Academy Is..., Slow Dancing In A Burning Room by John Mayer, Jamie All Over by Mayday Parade, Awake My Soul by Mumford and Sons, Konstantine by Something Corporate and Everything Must Go (Live from Orensanz) by Taking Back Sunday.

Why I love my hometown:
I love Clay Center, Ks because of the small town feel of it and the scenery. It's a beautiful town with lots of great trees. It is perfect to raise a family and has a pretty good academic district.

Why I don't like my hometown:
Some of the reasons I like my hometown are the same reasons I don't like it. It's small at at least an hour away from a Wal-Mart. Lawrence, a town I love to visit, is over two hours away. It also suffers from what I consider high school cliches. Rumors fly everywhere, you can't do anything without your neighbor knowing.

That will be all for now I think. I don't want to reveal too much about myself of course. I've got to stay mysterious!

As we pass the IHOP

I'm struggling to come up with an idea to write about today. I just can't get my mind to settle on a singular topic that I find interesting or that is deep enough to write about. I want to sit here and think about something important but then again, I don't.
In Lit this week we talked about poetry again, and in particular we talked about an elegy. And elegy is something you write to remember someone who has died. Of course we read one about someone who lost their grandfather which made me remember Blackie. It's hard to believe it was almost seven years ago that he passed away. I can remember those days and the hospital and that night that we all slept there. The smells, sounds, the faces of the nurses. I can remember the songs we sang as a family to make sure the last thoughts we had were happy. we cried a little but mostly we celebrated. We celebrated my grandpa because he lived his life until the very end and he lead a full life.
I left the room to let the adults that were there say their goodbyes, his sons and daughters, my Grandma. It was hard to say goodbye knowing that I would never see or talk to him again but I knew that he was going to a place where he would stay forever, waiting to welcome us home, one by one. I gave him a hug, kissed him on his cheek and said my goodbyes. Blackie had me lean over and whispered in my ear "Always do you best. Never give up." Those words didn't always ring throughout me like they should have. Sometimes it takes adversity to remember that those you love will always give the needed advice.
I talked to Blackie before every sporting event I participated in. I carved his initials in my shoulder pads, wrote his name on all my shoes. I didn't take it as far as my Dad, who carried his ashes with him every game he coached. But it felt right, like he was there with us, watching and calling out the defense for us.
It's been so long since that night but it seems like just yesterday. I think about it all the time and I miss you greatly. I haven't always lived by your words but I still haven't given up. And because of you I hope that I never will.

Songs like this are easy to write

I knew the promise of hope, the hope of you and I
Was false hope, filled with false honesty,
And now that you've shown me the truth of you
I can now move on to the next beautiful girl I see

I have figured situations like this out by now
Enough to fill a book that would become a best-seller
But that knowledge doesn't mean a thing to your kind
You'll call when he leaves you deaf, dumb and blind




Songs like this are easy to read. Especially after this happens time after time.