Songs of 2010

Personally, i think 2010 was a great year for music. Maybe not what was on the radio (but lbtch here, the radio sucks), but I found some awesome stuff to shake my booty to, cry to, and just enjoy life with. Here are my picks from the year - granted not all of them came out this year, they just happened to make the soundtrack of my year.

1. Dance Yrself Clean - LCD Soundsystem

2. Spanish Pipedream - Avett Brothers (John Prine cover)

3. When the Night Feels My Song - Bedouin Soundclash

4. Cable TV - Fol Chen

5. The Perfect Space - Avett Brothers

6. Is There a Ghost - Band of Horses

7. If I Needed You - Townes Van Zandt

8. I'm Not the One - The Black Keys

9. Standing in the Doorway - Bob Dylan

10. Watch the Sunrise - Big Star

11. The World (Will Soon Turn Our Way) - The Autumn Defense

12. Hey, Soul Sister - Train

13. Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show

14. Excuses - The Morning Benders

15. Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

16. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap

17. Teeth - Lady Gaga

18. Bonafied Lovin' - Chromeo

19. Wild One - Those Darlings

20. One Big Holiday - My Morning Jacket

21. Chicken Fried - Zac Brown Band

22. Awake My Soul - Mumford & Sons

23. Ahead of the Curve - Monsters of Folk

24. Diplomat's Son - Vampire Weekend

25. Forever Young - Bob Dylan (from Planet Waves)

Top 10 of 2010

My fabu roomie, Meg, posted this a few days ago and it got me thinking about my top moments/feelings from this year. I think I’ve grown up a lot in the last 12 months and these are the top 10 things that stand out, for better or for worse.

10. A Single Man

A movie I will never ever watch again. I’m sure it was great, but the memories of the aftermath are way too painful for me to ever enjoy the movie. That night marked a turning point for me and I never want to feel that way again.

9. April 16

The day I moved out of my first Chicago home and away from a horrific and draining relationship. But as the saying goes, when a door closes a window opens. Because of this, I met some amazing people that I can now call my friends. Thank you for being there and putting up with me. It’s been a crazy 8 months.

8. Brother of mine

This year, my big brother and I grew a lot closer. I'm thankful that our relationship has grown and that I can call him one of my closest confidantes and friends. 'Tis nice when the people in your family are also your friends!

7. Lolla 2010

What can I really say about this weekend besides that it was one of the best of my life? Blue box, Mumford & Sons, sweet tea vodka, Edward Sharpe, good friends and Lady Gaga…that might be a start.

6. The Music Never Stopped

Everyone everywhere – go see this movie. I can’t remember the last time I was crying and laughing at the same time during a movie.

5. My awesome roomie

I didn’t think I would enjoy living with another female after some of my other experiences of living with girls (yeah, 507 I’m looking at you) but living with Rusty and the little man has honestly been one of the best/most healthy things I’ve done in a really long time. Between the wine nights, discussions on life and nights out on the town (even though you tend to Houdini!), I know I've found a great friend. Rusty – I’m forever in your debt and will miss you when you leave Chi for bigger and better things!

4. Anchors

A few weeks after I turned 25, I gave myself a birthday present, one that I'd been thinking about for a long time. I got a small white tattoo on the inside of my left wrist. It reminds me of where I came from and where I'm going.

3. Concerts

Because it’s too hard to choose just one (and with the ones I’ve seen this year who would want to?) I’m just going to go with every single band I saw over the past year. I could, and will, write a whole post related to the ridiculous bands I saw. Thanks to the concert crew, I went to at least one show a week for 6 weeks straight.

2. This sunrise

I’ve seen a lot of sunrises in my day but this was the best. A new friend and I went bar hopping then made our way to the lake about 20 minutes before the sunrise. We found my favorite spot in the city and watched the sun rise over the lake and talked about life. I’ll never forget that night, and the fact that he let me wear his shoes on the way home. Even though we aren't as close as we once were, I care about him and the memories we made.

1. Diplomat’s Son

The song of the summer. I will forever remember this song as personifying a perfect day that started with a bike ride to the beach and ended with a late-night ride down the Drive in a convertible with the top down blasting this song at top volume.

Goodbye Mildred, Hello George!

How much is that doggie in the window?

The past few weeks have been CRAZY. Moved out of Mildred Hall and into my first grown-up apartment...I finally have a bedroom door :) Even though I moved pretty much down the street, I can already feel the difference a new place makes. It's like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I'm excited to have a fresh start and create new memories as I enter my third year in Chi.

I live with a great roomie, Rusty, and her adorable puppy HB. In the two weeks we have lived there, we already have (almost) everything in place. Best parts? Exposed brick, built-in wine rack, and balcony.

I can't wait for the rest of the spring and summer in this new space, hopefully in the months to come I'll have more clarity and direction and become the person I was meant to be.

Breakfast nook

Oh hi beautiful courtyard!

Paradise (or how I spent my spring break)

Just got back from a four day vacay in Sarasota, Florida. My parents go down every year and this year they invited me (I know, so nice of them). I've included some of my favorite shots from the week. Enjoy!

Mom e-mails

Usually mom e-mails aren't the best, but I thought this one was neat:

Fuzzy math. If:

2 + 3 = 10

7 + 2 = 63

6 + 5 = 66

8 + 4 = 96

Then:

9 + 7 = ?

DC in pictures

Just a few of the reasons I love visiting DC....

Metro

Yep, that's in the briefing room

Teddy Roosevelt memorial, Roosevelt Island

Ahh....DC

"I have seen war...I hate war"

View from the path

Before our West Wing tour

Good morning DC!

DC bound

Going to DC for the weekend...so excited! Can't wait to see my college friends and Chicago friends who have made the move. Hopefully I'll have some good pictures to go with these new memories...