Best of 2007 (Finally!)

And in no particular order.

Sufjan Stevens. Rachel introduced me to Sufjan in the summer of 2006, but Suf has made the 2007 list because I’ve listened to him and loved him (he’s currently my musician crush – sorry Chris Tomlin!) for the entire year. Rachel, Kandi and I even loved him enough to stand out in the early morning February cold at 5am at the Kennedy Center to try to get free tickets to his concert. There were about 20 people in front of us when they handed out the last ticket. Boo! Maybe 2008 will be the year I see Suf in concert? My fav songs are Casimir Pulaski Day, Come On! Feel The Illinoise! (I’ve choreographed a great marching band field show to this song) and To Be Alone with You.

Here’s a little Suf (singing Casimir Pulaski Day) for you all to enjoy:



The NP’s. I can’t write out their name because I just can’t, but I love their music! One of my goals is to be tambourine girl for the NP’s. Fav songs right now are Myriad Harbor, Go Places and All the Old Showstoppers.

Here they are singing All the Old Showstoppers:



John Piper and his stinkin Future Grace! I lost my salvation at least two times while reading this book! But we’re back on track. And as much as Piper drove me crazy with repeating the phrase “faith in future grace” at least 37,000 times, I did take a lot away from the book. His chapters on future grace verses “whatever sin” were all very practical and helpful with reminders that God give us the grace each day to trust Him and His promises rather than give in to the promise of sin.

Dawn’s suggestion for bridesmaid dresses. Dawn is awesome. Just look at the dress and you’ll see why. Don’t worry – we went with something else.

The Pioneer Woman. By far my favorite blog this year. I am addicted to her “Black Heels to Tractor Wheels” story of how she and her husband met.

AAA guys – sometimes nice, sometimes creepy, but always helpful. It was such a relief to see the AAA guy show up in Hyannis this summer that I told him I loved him. And when Rachel locked her keys in her car in Williamsburg she called AAA and within 23 seconds we saw a AAA car coming down the street. We all flipped out (talk about service!) but it turns out that he was off to help someone else around the corner. Still got to us in about 20 minutes and then tried to pick up Lyndsay (there’s the creepy), the one gal in the group who actually has a boyfriend!

Liza. Duh. Did you think she wouldn’t make the list? 2007 was definitely the year o’ Liza! I saw her in concert for gosh sakes! Best concert ever and she didn’t even fall off the stage. Here’s a favorite Liza number for your viewing pleasure:

Beth Moore – My small group finished the Tabernacle study (aka “A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling place) in 2007 and it was a blast. Of course my brain retains only about 1.2% of what I read, so I don’t remember a whole lot about it, but I can draw a mean rendition of the tabernacle down to the cubit. Seeing Beth Moore at the Women of Faith conference was a highlight of my year and my obsession with her blog is another reason why she made the list. And I love that Jill and I talk about Beth, Amanda and Melissa like they’re our bff’s.

The Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup shirt. It was most def the shirt of the year for me and only cost like $7 at Walmart. I wore it all the time this summer! It looks especially nice paired with a white sequined tube top worn as a mini skirt but no one except Rachel, Lyndsay and Kandi will ever see that.

Burt’s Bees. I (with the Lord’s help of course) kicked my Chap Stick addiction this year. I was then introduced to Burt’s Bees (I think by Rachel, which would make since because she’s introduced me to just about everything else that has been wonderful in my life this year!) and it has been great. When I apply it to my lips (maybe once a day) it doesn’t cause them to feel even more dry 7 minutes later. Unfortunately, I did not inform Jimmy that this chain in my life was broken, and he bought me a 20 pack of Chap Stick for Christmas. I haven’t decided what to do with it yet, but I kind of want to burn it because I certainly don’t want to give it to someone else and perhaps cause them to fall into the pit of Chap Stick addiction that I was in for so many years!

Travel. This year was chock full of trips! There was WV girls weekend with Lynds, Rachel and Kandi, the SC/GA/FL trip with my mom, the New England road trip with Liz, the CO/WY/MT/ND/SD trip with Liz, Traci (and a visit to see Danica), the Jamaica trip with Liz, Katy and Paige, and the ladies trip to NY with Dawn and all her lady peeps. Here’s a pic from the NY trip since I don’t think I’ve posted any of those before:

Quiznos (the restaurant) and Quizno (the boyfriend). I’ve been to Quiznos a lot this year. It all started when Eboni introduced me to the Roasted Chicken Salad. I love it. Then one day I smiled at the guy behind the counter (who I’ve nicknamed “Quizno – the lunchtime boyfriend”) and he gave me a discount. Since then, whenever he is working the register he gives me a discount. And sometimes when he’s not working the register and he sees me coming, he’ll slide down the line and whisper in the register girl’s ear and then give me a wink to let me know I’ll get my discount. So I keep coming back :)

Youtube. Obviously. Look how many clips I’ve included in this post. I love it! I’ve been able to watch so many great clips from TV shows or concerts that took place before my time that I never thought I would see. And look what God did. He brought me Youtube. This is a favorite example of something I never would have seen had Youtube not come to be.

Turkey Lurkey Time from the 1968 Tony Awards:

That's it! Can't wait to see what happens in 2008!