The Best of 2013

     Well, I wrote last year a post called "The Best of 2012", so here's "The Best of 2013". Enjoy!

Best Blog - Again, that would go to It Just Gets Stranger, because, well, A: It's hilarious, even if Eli did go and move from Palau back to the States...and B: Because within all the outlandish humor, he's an extremely skilled writer with in-depth ideas to ponder. And C: Because life just seems to get stranger the more I see of it.

Most Bizarre Movie Seen - Blazing Saddles, for an intersession film class online through TCC. That was...I've never seen a movie anything quite like that before. The best line? "These people is so dumb..." That sums up the entire movie.

The Only-Seen-for-School Movies that I Really Enjoyed - The Godfather, Goodfellas, Pale Rider and Chinatown. Wasn't expecting that.

Best Movie Seen in Theaters - Like last year, this is an easy category to choose. There's only one candidate, Iron Man 3, which was spectacular.

Movies I Wished I Could've Seen in Theaters - Monsters University and Thor: The Dark World. 

Best Country Song of the Year - You're actually expecting me to pick a winner here? Hahahaha.... Brad Paisley's "Southern Comfort Zone" actually came out on radio in fall of 2012, but it fit extremely well my freshman year of college. And the beginning of sophomore year, too. "Highway Don't Care" is amazing, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift AND Keith Urban together? It also has a tremendous video, which is a huge plus. "I Drive Your Truck", by Lee Brice, is brilliant. So is Paisley's "Beat This Summer", and Carrie Underwood's "See You Again".

Important Older Christian Songs this Year - Laura Story's "Blessings", definitely. Eli's "Valleys", too, as well as Rich Mullins' "If I Stand". There's probably a few others, but I can't remember them right now.

Favorite Unexpected Happening of the Year - Passing my math class in spring with an A could be one. And definitely being a part of  SWAT.

Favorite Semiexpected Happening of the Year - Working as a counselor at SGYC. It was a blessing. Great to be "home" there again with several members of my camp family, seeing everyone, and working the behind-the-scenes stuff so that things would run smoothly. It was really neat to be able to attend the Youth Tour reunion, too.

Least Favorite Unexpected Happening of the Year - The entire month of July. If I could put several links under one heading, I would....and September was rough, too.

"Never Saw THAT Coming" Event of the Year - X-raying Robbie's cat Tigger.

Verses of the Year - (All NIV) Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you/ Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Isaiah 43:1-3, which is too long to post with others, thus the link to an old post written last year. And also 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But he(the Lord) said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness."

Weirdest Quote I Can Remember Saying - "Umm....are you allowed to check out books at this library?"

Best Quote of the Year - My six-year-old Downs sister Amy "reading" a picture book about farm animals to me: "Dat a woostare. An' he de-WISH-uss when dead." ("That a rooster. And he delicious when dead.")