So Oscar season is in full swing. Yes, I am a nerd, and yes I do try to see most of the oscar nominated films each year. In all honesty, I love films. I love the stories that they tell and the thoughts that they can provoke.

So now I shall present my top five of 2010 (these are in no particular order):

Black Swan, Winter’s Bone, The King’s Speech, True Grit, & 127 Hours.

Honorable Mention Goes To:

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows I mean, Duh!

Movies I have yet to see from 2010:

The Kids are Alright, Toy Story 3, The Social Network, Blue Valentine, The Fighter

(all of which are in my netflix queue)

So there you have it.

**UPDATE**
Loved: The Kids are Alright, Toy Story 3, & The Fighter

Did not love: The Social Network

Still in the queue: Blue Valentine

today I am thankful for & inspired by higher education. so many brilliant minds that I get to be in the midst of & so much knowledge that I am able to soak up.

oh dear, I fear that I am not so good at blogging. I forgot about it for a few months, oh well. It’s the new year. A good year 2010 was for me. A hard year 2010 was for me. filled with much joy and sorrow. laughter and tears. life is so bittersweet in the most beautiful way. I hope this year to graduate, train for a race, find a non-profit job, love jared, my family & my friends more than ever. I hope this year that I find God, he has felt so distant lately. or maybe I have felt so distant lately? 

 I hope in 2011 I will keep on questioning my beliefs and searching for truth. may I never stop evolving and denying myself. I’m finding change is hard but necessary. love others. love, love, love. never stop.

today: wow, it’s a day. one where i wake up late, because i had one too many pints with friends. one where i sit outside and enjoy the cool air. listen to my wind chimes. my trusty dog by my side. closing my eyes and feeling nostalgic about life. reminisce of my blessings: friends, family, husband, dog. wow, this girl is blessed.

my cup is full…in a good way. gosh, so many people in my life that have changed me and moved me. they have helped me grow and evolve. so many beautiful friends, i am blessed beyond reason. so many are living all over this country. they are missed and loved. oh i could be such a better friend. thinking about those in dc, chicago, colorado, those that are going to be moving soon. life changes so fast. but life is so full of love and joy. don’t let me take it for granted. 

“our spot”: ah, the repetition and nostalgia that helps create spots. you don’t realize they are spots until you go there without that person, or perhaps they go there without you. but that’s our spot…i have found myself saying that to jared. ooops guess it shouldn’t bother me that he got the filling station coffee before church without me. or had the vegetarian dinner for two at korma with someone else…we have dozens of these sorts of places. i realized just the other day as we took luc for a evening walk that we had another spot. “want to go to our spot?” jared asked. ahhhh. yes, it was our spot, mmm tucked away on a quiet street in the most perfect neighborhood is our spot. from this spot you can see the whole skyline, and sunsets and storms paint the perfect backdrop. ooh and i must add the house that is on this piece of land is quite dreamy. complete with a double decker deck to soak up the view. i love spots.

have i told you about lucy? no? oh dear, this incredible canine came into our lives two months ago. she had been abused and thrown on the streets. she was so afraid of humans, leashes, water, other animals…the list goes on. oh what a fearful little dog she was. we saw her at the shelter and fell for her fast, it was her timidness and honest eyes. they told us she would be a hard case. she would not show us immediate affection and may even hide from for awhile. that could not have been more wrong. the night she came home she followed me around the house, never left my side. we snuggled and i pet her all night, i knew we were meant to be. since then she has overcome some of her fears and is working on overcoming other ones. she has brought so much love and joy to me & jared. she is learning how to play. she had to learn how to play. she is learning that not all people are mean. through love we are rehabilitating her, and can’t imagine how someone could hurt such a gentle, loving creature. lucy. sigh. 

It’s the little things that made my weekend so excellent. The patio of Mccoys, good beer, crepes, farmer’s markets, antique malls, dog parks, lake swimming, ice cream eating, movie watching, long walks, good homemade dinners, freshcut flowers, our church.

all spent with my husband! and most of it spent with our dog lucy. 

Allons! the road is before us! It is safe—I have tried it—my own feet have tried it well.   Allons! be not detain’d! Let the paper remain on the desk unwritten, and the book on the shelf unopen’d! Let the tools remain in the workshop! let the money remain unearn’d! Let the school stand! mind not the cry of the teacher! Let the preacher preach in his pulpit! let the lawyer plead in the court, and the judge expound the law.   Mon enfant! I give you my hand! I give you my love, more precious than money, I give you myself, before preaching or law; Will you give me yourself? will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?

-Walt Whitman “Song of the Open Road” 

oh walt, this poem sends me into a frenzy of daydreams. All of which involve my love, my dog, and me traveling to the ends of the earth and everywhere in between.