friday photos: the last of 2010

thanks to technology, this is a "live blog", blogging from my phone a picture of what i'm doing at this very moment. i can't imagine ending the year any other way than with some great local music:

2010 in review

january
favorite blog post: undefined
what i read: "confessions" - st. augustine
best live music event: 12th & porter's healing haiti benefit concert on 1/27 with matt ridenour, heidi rojas, melinda doolittle, matt wertz, josh hoge, dave barnes, tommy sims, marc broussard, and jonny lang. jonny.freaking.lang. i waited 12 years to see him live, and i got to do it from front row of a small intimate venue. i dig.
summary: january was a month full of the promise of new beginnings. though i didn't make any specific new year's resolutions (i never do), i had hope that 2010 would be a year of growth.

february
favorite blog post: questions and coffee
what i read: "to be told" - dan allender
best live music event: the help haiti benefit on 2/27. not only did it include some of my favorite artists (the lineup: brandon heath/matt wertz/dave barnes/mat kearney/needtobreathe/jon foreman/alison krauss and union station/jars of clay/big kenny), but it was at the ryman, one of nashville's most beautiful and historic venues.
summary: i learned a lot about myself in february. i revisted my past and looked ahead to my future. i stepped out of my comfort zone in a few different areas, and while things didn't always turn out like i expected, i'm glad i put myself out there.

march
favorite blog post: identifying my boston(s)
what i read: "to be told" - dan allender (it's not a long book, but it's heavy, and must be read slowly)
best live music event: the three amigos [steve moakler, andrew ripp, ben rector) at 3rd & lindlsey on 3/21. these boys are all incredible on their own (though andrew ripp can't sing worth a darn [insert sarcasm font here]), the energy they had on stage together was memorable to say the least. what a fun bunch of guys and a fun night out in nashville.
summary: looking back on march 2010, i remember feeling disappointed that things didn't fall into place like i had hoped they would. but i was able to look beyond that and was reminded that my maker knows what he's doing and that things will work out in the end. i reminded myself that i really want what he wants, whatever that may be.

april
favorite blog post: living my story
what i read: "to be told" by dan allender. yeah. (see: this month's favorite blog post)
best live music event: i'm cheating and picking five. because all five were part of the same week-long event: hanson's five of five. five albums in five nights.
summary: planning for and being excited about our road trip to new york for the five of five concert series previously mentioned.

may
favorite blog post: buses, music, bombs, and floodwaters (part 4)
what i read: nothing. it was a busy month.
best live music event: andy osenga, stacy lantz, and eric vinson at 12th & porter on 5/27. i'm picking this one because y'all really need to check out my very talented and beautiful roommate stacy. and this was her first show in nashville in several years.
summary: on may 1st & 2nd nashville suffered from a 500-year flood. but we didn't suffer for long in that we rose above the flood waters and came together to help our neighbors. when i think of may 2010, i think of nashville defining community, and as such i fell in love with this city all over again. i was also busy moving amongst all the post-flood chaos.

june
favorite blog: so many thoughts, so little time
what i read: "no compromise: the life of keith green" - melody green
best live music event: "3 out of tenn" (trent dabbs, andrew belle, and andy davis) at 3rd & lindsley on 6/12. just check these boys out for yourselves, and you'll understand.
summary: change. living in a new house with new roommates, i found that june was a month of change. some change was directly related to the move, some not. some were conscious changes, some were not. but they were all good and necessary. i feel like i grew up a lot in june.

july
favorite blog: a lesson from the bachelorette
what i read: "the irresistible revolution" - shane claiborne
best live music event: mat kearney at rhythm and brews on 7/31. mat's hilarious. i had no idea.
summary: july was very relaxing in a busy way. i house-sat for 10 days and i went on several weekend road trips. granted it was hot, but i really enjoyed the month.

august
favorite blog: wanderlust and dreams undreamt
what i read: "journey of desire" by john eldredge & "sacred romance" by brent curtis & john eldredge
best live music event: any of the four hanson shows i saw during the month.
summary: august was a month of travel. i was gone almost every weekend. i loved it.

september
favorite blog: i'm a hypocrite
what i read: "wild at heart" by john eldredge, "tom sawyer" by mark twain, "captivating" by john & stasi eldredge, & "a cry for mercy" by henri nouwen
best live music event: it's a tie. erick baker & andy davis at 3rd & lindsley on 9/12 - erick blew my mind away with his voice, and andy always puts on a fun show. also, lots of inside jokes were created that night and it was a night full of side-splitting laughter. also andrew ripp at 3rd & lindsley on 9/19 - andrew is stupid good. the end.
summary: a lot of music. a lot of reading. a few healthy changes in life. freaking hot for being almost fall (up until the last week of the month, we were still in the mid-90's).

october
favorite blog: look for me on the big screen
what i read: i started re-reads of both "unstoppable force" by erwin mcmanus and "blue like jazz" by don miller but did not finish either
best live music event: todd cary/seth philpott/nathan angelo on 10/9 at 3rd & lindsley - i had never heard todd before, but he was great. it was my first time seeing seth after his long absence from music city, and nathan always puts on a great show. it was also a fun night hanging out with old and new friends.
summary: october was one of my biggest "music" months, and i also squeezed in two road trips. october is always my favorite month and this year was no exception.

november
favorite blog: the fear of no fear
what i read: i finished "blue like jazz" and read some more of "unstoppable force" but still didn't finish it. it's a good, slow read.
best live music event: the means/clayton graham fike/stacy lantz on 11/20 at the darkroom. the darkroom is a new venue in town, and it was a great night to just sit back and watch my friends do what they were made to do.
summary: november. what a whirlwind of a month. many hours were spent as an extra on the set of the "blue like jazz" movie. my car broke down just before thanksgiving, which also happened to me last year with a different car. thankfully this was easily fixed at a decent - though still very much painful - price. thanksgiving was spent with family and the whole month was very reflective of all that god has given to me. even the trials.

december
favorite blog: "an open letter to me, from ten-years-into-the-future-me"
what i read: finished "unstoppable force" by erwin mcmanus. also read "humility" by andrew murray
best live music event: tyler bryant and andrew ripp at 12th and porter on 12/16. that much talent in one room should be illegal. it was also a goodbye party for a really good friend.
summary: december definitely went by way too fast (the whole year did). i would sum it up the way most decembers are summed up: full of christmas festivities, memories, and trying to make the most out of what little time is left in the year.

the music of 2010

last year i told you how i went to a bunch of shows. this year i went to exactly 100. (well, i've been to 99 and friday, new year's eve, will be #100). if you actually read this list, be sure to check out some of these artists.

1/8 andrew belle & trent dabbs
1/8 parachute musical
1/12 tom yarbrough & regan
1/13 kelleigh bannen
1/20 tim schurrer & andrew belle
1/26 dave barnes, brandon heath, matt wertz
1/27 matt ridenour, heidi rojas, melinda doolittle, matt wertz, josh hoge, dave barnes, tommy sims, marc broussard, jonny lang
2/6 seth philpott/steve moakler/andy davis
2/9 seth philpott/rob blackledge/andy davis
2/10 trent dabbs/tyler james/ks rhoads/erin mccarely
2/19 seth philpott/ben schofield/seth jones/ricky braddy/heidi rojas/matt ridenour/jason eskridge/rachel lampa/brendan mccarthy/k.s. rhoads/civil twighlight/tyler bryant/leroy powell
2/22 seth philpott
3/16 alvin love/seth philpott/ben schofield/seth jones
3/21 rey fresco/andrew ripp/steve moakler/ben rector
3/25 boot hill and the paramount ship
3/26 graham colton/stephen kellogg & the sixers/needtobreathe
3/27 eikon/nathan angelo/steve means
3/30 rhett akins/scooter carusoe/brandon heath/lee thomas miller
3/31 victoria shaw/gary burr/mark hudson/south of eden
4/1 marc broussard/drew ramsey/shannon sanders/tommy sims
4/1 barry dean/natalie hemby/tony lane/ben schofield
4/3 dave barnes/don chaffer/jennifer knapp/amy stroup/charlie peacock
4/7 stephen gordon/heidi rojas/seth philpott/marc scibilia
4/9 seth philpott/griffin house
4/11 andrew ripp/dave barnes
4/13 will solomon/adam james/ben schofield/seth jones
4/16 andrew ripp/ben rector/steve moakler/dave barnes
4/17 andrew ripp/ben rector/steve moakler/dave barnes
4/26 hanson
4/27 hanson
4/28 hanson
4/29 hanson
4/30 hanson
5/1 relient k/hanson
5/5 eric wilson and empty hearts/kopecky family band/how i became the bomb/paper route
5/6 holly williams/michelle branch/brett eldredge/matt wertz/coldwater jane
5/12 andy davis/will hoge
5/27 andy osenga/stacy lantz/eric vinson
6/5 jon mclaughlin/needtobreathe
6/10 andrew ripp/steve moakler/cary barlowe/shane stevens
6/12 jt sprangler/trent dabbs/andrew belle/andy davis
6/13 terra naomi/madi diaz/landon pigg
6/16 shel/andrew belle
6/17 clark richard/parker welling/joey hyde/stephanie lambring/steve moakler/andrew ripp
6/18 the bridges/mikky ekko/keegan dewitt
6/30 rob blackledge/the co
7/9 ben schofield/heidi rojas/sinead burgess/tyler bryant/damien horne
7/14 rachel goodrich/young the giant/steel train
7/15 karissa la cour
7/31 jane carrey/mat kearney
8/3 jeffrey james/rooney/hanson
8/8 the kopecky family band/griffin house
8/11 andrew ripp/ben rector/steve moakler/dave barnes
8/13 wes kirkpatrick/rooney/hanson
8/14 happy go lovely/rooney/hanson
8/21 acalasia/rooney/hanson
8/23 pico vs island trees/matthew perryman jones/peter barbee/eric wilson/tyler james/boss of nova/andrew osenga
8/28 westbound rangers/michael logen/ali rogers/keenan hunter/courtney jaye/drew holcomb
8/28 brice ash/jon troast
8/28 ronnie lee twist and the future cats
9/2 dc and julia/brendan mccarthy/sara beck/allie hays/rachel lampa/derek webb
9/12 erick baker/andy davis
9/13 rob blackledge/heather bond/ferrier/reed pittman
9/16 glossary/dr dog
9/17 ninja gun/samantha crain/murder by death
9/18 the kingston springs/the family tree/andy osenga/the co/jason eskridge
9/19 andrew ripp/robert francis
9/21 john lefler/mike dunn/kevin griffin/tyler bryant
9/24 marrow/nathanael mehrens
9/25 danny salazar/michael logen/alvin love/kazike
9/25 josh hoge/will hoge
9/28 the roy jay's/the small pond/stephen kellogg & the sixers
9/30 sixpence none the richer/jars of clay
10/5 dave barnes/jonathan singleton/thad cockrell/matt wertz
10/7 karissa lacour/stacy lantz
10/7 band of horses
10/9 big surr/natalie prass/evan p. donohue/the carter administration
10/9 todd carey/seth philpott/nathan angelo
10/11 the lonely forest/margot & the nuclear so and so's
10/12 joel rakes/jenny & taylor/jon troast/jeanne richardson/karleen watt/jamie prosser/aimee romero/katie schaefer bell/daniel romero
10/14 cori lecain/ben ewen/warren whitten/erin mckaskle
10/16 clayton graham fike/stacy lantz
10/23 emily deloach
10/23 ben schofield
10/25 buffalo clover/the future/clayton graham fike
10/26 the kinn/barefoot truth/the alternate routes
10/28 regan
11/4 amy courts/carolina story/katy kinard
11/9 dave barnes/brandon heath/gabe dixon/jon mclaughlin
11/20 the means/clayton graham fike/stacy lantz
12/1 micah dalton
12/6 reed pittman
12/7 regan
12/9 curtis peoples
12/10 space capone
12/15 madi diaz
12/16 ben schofield/andrew ripp/tyler bryant
12/18 drew holcomb/dave barnes
12/21 nick flora
12/31 brenn/honeymoon thrillers/kyle andrews/mikky ekko

my predictions for the new year.

around this time last year i told everyone i had a feeling 2010 would be an amazing year. i obviously had no idea what specific things would take place, i just had this feeling it would be great. and it was indeed an incredible year.

but for 2011, i have a different feeling. i have a feeling that it will be a hard, trying year. but the good kind of hard... the character-building kind. and if that's the way it turns out, then i'm prepared for it and i'm ready to face what challenges may come. if it's going to be another great year, then i'm ready for that too. of course i can't say for sure, but either way, i'm excited.

i think this quote might be my theme though:

"and then the day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - anaïs nin

brought to you by the letter p

remember last year, when i posted about christmas with libby? that year, we had pre-planned our party for this year. and we were true to our words. and we planned next year. once again, it will involve pairing pajamas (we'll buy matching sets at thanksgiving), pizza, presents, and "the pony" (richard simmons), plenty of points in taboo (for libby and i anyway, currently at 101, our parents at 73, the game is on pause until next year). next year we will add sharing private previously penned thoughts from our personal journals.

hopefully unlike this year, it will not include putrid poopy poofalating perfume from pepper, our puppy. too much information? perhaps.

wednesday wisdom #9

"god wants to do more for us than we could ever ask. we can never say that our dreams are too big. it is god's desire to take us where our imaginations can soar. sometimes we forget that dreams require change. if you are not willing to change, you are not willing to venture to the place where your dreams can come true. people who do not change in the end become people without dreams."
-erwin mcmanus

an open letter to me, from ten-years-into-the-future me

dear almost-28-year-old-holly,

you're an adult, one who is way past the "semi-adult" stage. you're a full-fledged grown up and it's time to start taking responsibility for yourself. remember 10 years ago when your room was always a disaster? you've grown up from that. your bed is made most mornings, your clothes are kept up off the floor, your dishes are in the sink or on the drying rack. congratulations. now take what you've learned from that and apply it to the other areas of your life. start with small steps, but don't be afraid to dream big. god's placed those dreams in your head and your heart and he has a purpose for them, even if things don't turn out quite like you hope. i know you want to change the world, and chances are, you have and you will. it might not be through your day job, and that's okay. i know that you're hoping that i'll tell you that you have a husband and some babies. and maybe you do, maybe you don't. i won't say. but know this - either way, those things have worked themselves out. don't be afraid. of anything. get rid of your excuses, chase the dreams you deny having, and really just don't be afraid to speak up and have a conversation with that boy you think is cute. but most importantly, as you continue to search for your story, just remember that it's not your story at all. it's god's. seek to glorify him in all that you do and things will be just fine. 2010 was a good year for you. just wait until you see what lies ahead.


sincerely,
almost-38-year-old-holly

lyric of the day

"with all that idle sitting you might as well just quit and dig your grave wherever you land" - samuel gregg

friday photos #8

saturday, december 11

fancy pants dinner party place settings for sixteen friends.

sunday, december 12

the first "real" snowfall of the season resulted in this snowman.

tuesday, decmeber 14

opryland hotel

wednesday, december 15

katie (23) and baylor (1) have the same hat.

11 in 11 part 2

in conjunction with tuesday's post, here are 11 things i want to do, or begin to do, in oh-leven:

1. be more active in my ideas. (stop just talking about change; create it.)
2. exercise regularly
3. have coffee with someone i look up to
4. take at least one picture every day (i have tried this several times and always fail)
5. get to know one of the pastors at my church
6. create when i don't feel like it
7. visit at least one city i've never been to before
8. live on a budget
9. visit radnor lake regularly
10. journal at least once a week even if i feel i have nothing to write
11. have a theme verse for the year

wednesday wisdom #8

"you don't let a "feeling" decide if you'll work or love a spouse today. why let it decide if you "feel" like creating art?
-jon acuff

11 in 11 part 1

disclaimer: i've heard many people call 2010 "oh-ten". that being said, i hereby declare next year to be "twenty-oh-leven". anyway.

11 things to get rid of (or work towards ridding of) in oh-leven:

1. debt
2. excess weight
3. fear
4. excuses
5. masks (being a different person around different people)
6. routine
7. unread books (aka read the books i own)
8. shyness
9. journals (aka sell more)
10. a box of stuff i collected in high school (post on ebay)
11. a specific "other" that i don't think needs to be shared with the entire blogosphere.

it's that time of year

when we all start to wind down and reminisce over the past 12 months and look ahead to the future. while i'll save my year-end review blog post for a bit closer to the end, tonight i was prompted to summarize my 2010 in one word. and i think for me, it would be growth. growth in pretty much every aspect of my life... friendships, responsibilities, community, my relationship with god, and self-awareness (for lack of a better term). it's been a great year.

the best way to spread christmas cheer...

...is singing loud for all to hear.

today will easily make my list of "top 2010 moments". it started out as most sunday mornings begin - church at midtown. and today, being a few weeks before christmas, was the day the children's choir came out to sing. too adorable.

and it's been snowing all day. we don't get a lot of snow here in nashville and so i get excited over every little flake. but this was a (relatively) significant snowfall with accumulation. jess, katie and i took advantage of the wintry weather and went caroling for friends and neighbors. we scored some free hot chocolate from frothy monkey and free brownies courtesy of annie's roommate.

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

in case you were wondering...

today my roommate was making a cake and asked me where i put the mixer.

my response was that it was in the bathroom behind the giant bird head.

and yes. that's really where it was.

friday photos #7

friday, decmeber 3

candy-cane shaped ufo, or the nashville christmas parade?

saturday, december 4

babysitting my friend's 21-month old. she insisted she wear her hat and mittens with her pajamas.

tuesday, december 7

typical day at the office.

wednesday, december 8

bought my copy of annie's book.

thursday, december 9

oh tannenbaum

a numbers game.

last night i was asked, on a scale of 1-10, how much do i open up to people about what's really going on in my life, why i'm struggling with, what questions i'm bringing to god, etc. i said i was a 2, at least when it comes to social settings in groups (which is the context in which this question was asked of me). but i'm not a 2 because i don't want to share; i'm a 2 because i don't know how. it takes me a long time to process my thoughts answers to deeper questions, and sometimes, like when i was afraid, it can even take weeks before i know how to share my thoughts. and so i think that's what this blog has been for me lately: a place where i can be more like a 6. i can see my thought written down and edit them before they are really out there. and most of what i share on here comes after several days of planning. (but it's all written in one sitting.)

and i do have a few people i can be 9s and 10s with, but they are few. i think none of us wood survive long in this world if we didn't have at least one person to be a 10

wednesday wisdom #7

"humility is not so much a grace or virtue along with others, it is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before god and allows him, as god, to do all."
- andrew murray

from head to foot

check this out. my friend annie just released her first book today! it's called "from head to foot: all of you living all for him" and you can get it on amazon by clicking on that link. there's also a preview of the book available so you can know what you're getting yourself into. which, btw, you're getting yourself into awesome. this is a memoir/bible study directed towards teen and college-aged girls. so if you fit into that category, or know anyone who does, or if you're a youth leader or just a human, i highly recommend you check the book out. you should also become a regular reader of her blog. it's the perfect blend of humor, honesty, and general awesomeness.

an early year-end wrap-up

courtesy of facebook. here we go. a collage of status updates.

close enough.

it snowed today. kind of. i miss the snow i had as a kid; several feet of snow perfect for building snowmen, snow forts, and igloos, and going sledding down the dunes. this will be my fifth christmas season in nashville, and it's still weird and kind of hard to get into the christmas spirit without snow. but today, it snowed. a few flurries and then what became really more of a sleety-like precipitation. i was helping my friends michael and jenny move into their new home this afternoon. michael referred to it as "dip-n-dots" falling from the sky. so it wasn't really snow, but it was close enough. for now.

so here's a question

what do uncle sam, reindeer, cowboys, and snow white have in common?

the answer: the nashville christmas parade.

the statue of christmas liberty

also known as my roommate kirsten.

will you join me?

i have three plans for the month of december, and i would like you to join me in all of them.

1. blog every day. i attempted this in 2008 & 2009, and did not succeed. but each year i blogged more than i typically average in a month, and really that's the whole point.

2. the book of luke contains an account of the birth of christ. there are 24 chapters in luke. will you join me in reading one chapter each day leading up to christmas day?

3. my final plan for december is to squeeze out every last ounce of goodness that 2010 has had to offer. it's been a great year, but it's not over yet. let's go.