Tuesday, January 21, 2014

LISTS 2013



In 2008 I started what is a fun, annual post for me. I suspect these annual "LISTS" posts will mean even more in 40 years when I want to take a trip down memory lane....

Here are my "Top Five" lists from 2013.

Top Five Movies I Saw (key words are “I saw.” I watched maybe 10 movies all year.):
1. Now You See Me (What you see isn’t always what is there)
2. Rush (Two clear, contrasting ways to live. And fodder for hours of post-movie discussion)
3. Flight (An unforgettable movie about the horrors of alcohol abuse)
4. Hunger Games: Catching Fire (I love the passion and courage and longing of justice)
5. Tangled (on video, sitting next to my daughter by the fireplace and eating popcorn!) and Escape Plan (at the theater with my son; nothing like a good break-out-of-jail flick)


Top Five Websites/Apps I Visited/Used:
1. AJC.com / CNN.com  (And their apps)
2. Pandora.com / Pandora App – LOVE IT!
3. CBSsports.com
4. ESPN.com / Sports Center App /Watch ESPN App
5. Words With Friends App


Top Seven Books I Read:
1. Heretics and Heroes by Thomas Cahill
2. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
3. David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
4. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
5. Talent Is Overrated by Geoff Colvin
6. How God Became King by N.T. Wright
7. The Pastor: A Memoir by Eugene Peterson


Top Five Restaurants I Ate At:
(in order of frequency)
1. Starbucks (four times/week on average)
2. McAlister’s Deli
3. Taco Mac (still for the football and friendships, not the food)
4. Sid’s Pizza (for pick-up, not dine-in)
5. Cheesecake Factory

Top Five Things I'm Really Glad I Spent My Time Doing:
1. Growing my relationship with my children
2. Being with my church family on Sunday mornings, and Wednesday/Thursday nights!
3. Volunteering at Esther Jackson Elementary School and helping to fund the digging of freshwater wells in Africa.
4. Spending time with new friends.   
5. Reading.

Eleven Great Memories
1. Going to movies and eating out and talking with my son. He is truly awesome!!
2. Tucking my daughter in at night and driving her to school every morning, Mon-Fri, and helping her with her homework, and seeing her worship God on Sunday mornings, and listening to her sing anytime, anywhere!
3. Our annual summer vacation in Hilton Head.  Great again for the 30-something-eth year.
4. Old friendships going deeper – SteveW, George/Dianne, Kristal/Warren, JC, Susie/Eddie
5. New friendships – So many!  Especially Starbucks friends and Jeff King, Nizekick! 
6. Talking on the phone with my parents, and times my parents visited us in ATL.
7. Sunday nights at Taco Mac with friends.
8. My high school friends at church – Jack, Jake, John, Chase, Hanna, Xander.
9. Christmas brunch with my church family at Altobeli’s on December 8.  Christmas Communion on December 22.
10. Thanksgiving with my family in North Carolina—SNOW on the ground and a bon-fire in the back yard.
11. The Fourth of July party and the New Year’s Eve party at my house!