With every new year comes a swarm of obligatory year-end blog posts, best-of lists, worst-of lists, etc. So at the risk of adding to the sometimes overwhelming ocean of these online posts, I have a little list of my own on the past year.

It’s definitely been a great year; I’ve been to some exciting places, done some cool things and have gotten to spend time with a lot of people that I really care about. So, without further ado (and in no particular order), here is my personal list of the best things about 2014.

Travel. I love traveling and exploring new places. This past spring I took a trip with 3 of my good friends to Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico and Big Bend National Park in Texas. We did a lot of hiking, camping, swimming, exploring and just having a blast. Bonus: I discovered that parts of Texas are actually really beautiful.

Just 2 days ago I got back from another trip to a very different part of the country. This year my family decided to have a destination Christmas in Grafton, VT. If you have never been to this part of the country, you need to go. We spent a week in this quaint town in the mountains, sledding, snowshoeing, exploring, eating carbs and drinking lots of wine. It was a really great time with family and I’m really thankful we decided to do something different this year.

Live shows. For years I’ve watched bands come through town (or those towns close enough to drive to) and decided against going for various reasons. At the end of 2013 I promised myself that in 2014 I would see as many bands as I could and I am so glad that I did.

Mogwai: I have been a huge fan of this band for the past 15 years and they did not disappoint. Bonus: taking the train from OKC to FTW.

Spoon: this year spoon released it’s best album in years (IMO). Their live show was one of the best I’ve experienced.

The War on Drugs: Driving to dallas for 3 hours of live music is only worth it when the music is at this caliber. Califone opened with an amazing set and TWOD blew it out of the park.

Tattoo. On my birthday this year I gave myself the gift of my first tattoo. I’m really happy with the artwork, really happy with my decision to finally do it and can’t wait to get more.
Instagram. I had one of my Instagram photos featured on the npr website. You can see it here. (3rd one down)
World Cup. I wasn't always a soccer fan, but I've become a bit one over the years and watching the US in the World Club is something I now greatly anticipate. I loved watching my favorite player Tim Howard give a record-breaking performance.
Where was God? Last spring I had the honor of being asked to do some artwork for a locally made and incredibly important documentary about the 2013 Tornadoes that struck Moore, OK. More information on that project here.
New Music. Every year I look forward to whatever new music is going to come out. 2014 did not disappoint. Below is a playlist of some of my favorite songs of the past year (I chose just one from each artist).

Bonus: This album isn’t out yet but the single was released this past fall and it’s one of my absolute favorites of the year. I’m really not a fan of a lot of the “indie-folk” music that’s so popular right now (a discussion for another time and place) but Jessica Pratt is the real deal. absolutely beautiful.

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