#2

Best of 2008

I am a fan of looking back and thinking about a year. And, although it is the end of February, below serves as a list of some of our favorites in 2008. Thus, although many of these things may not have been introduced in 2008, they were new to us and that is good enough for this list.

Also, in order to stave off criticism, just know that making our “Best of” list does not equal a wholesale endorsement of anyone or anything. If a pick makes you cringe, I probably saw that coming, and welcome your feedback. But at the end of the day, I invite you to make your own list if this one does not suit you.

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Best Music:

Ginny is my introduction to all music. She is an avid new-music hunter and has a knack for finding good stuff that I would otherwise never have heard of. With that said, I can typically take or leave quite a bit of the up-and-comers that she is excited about. However, here are a couple that stood out upon introduction, and have managed to find their way onto both of our short list:

> Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago

Here's a video of them produced by Vincent Moon who has pioneered these low-tech, one-shot videos.

#93.1 - BON IVER - Lump Sum
by lablogotheque

> Band of Horses- Cease to Begin

> Ben Rector- Songs that Duke Wrote.

Sure, he’s our friend. But he makes good music. Been waiting for this new CD.

Ben

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Books:

If this were just a Ginny list it would include many pregnancy & baby books that were merely flipped through. I did not list the baby books, but I did make mention of a book on grief that I revisited much in ’08. Matt is a much more avid reader than I, and had a hard time making mention of just a few:

> Jesus Wants to Save Christians. Rob Bell.
> A Grace Disguised. Jerry Sittser.
> Girl Meets God. Lauren Winner. (Ginny lost it, but she loved the parts she read)

However, there was one particular book that stood out this year for us both. It involves an incredible story, is well-told, and mentions many of our friends in Fort Worth, TX:

> Same of Kind of Different As Me. Ron Hall & Denver Moore.

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Movies:

> Juno.

Documentaries:

I have an affinity for documentaries that is seldom rivaled, so just know that. Ginny proves what a great wife she is by humoring my pastime and watching numerous docs that only I enjoy, but these she actually stayed awake through:

> My Kid Could Paint That
> King of Kong ; Fist Full of Quarters

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Websites:

> Pandora (M & G)

> Design Sponge (G)
> NYTimes (M)

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Podcast:

> This American Life

> Relevant Podcast
> Village Church

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Gadget:

> Iphone (MM)

I fought this purchase hard. Too expensive. Too pretensous. I broke down and got it. Love it. And kind of wish I could go back to the day when I didn’t think it would be impossible to go without it.

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Baby Product:

> Bum Genius (G)

> Mutsy Spider (stroller/ M & G)-

If pre-baby mothers are known to nest, my wife instead chose to research. She actually spent 2 months of her life seeking referrals, googling, and possibly praying over which stroller we should get.

The criteria were:
- Fold into really small (in order to fit in our VW bug).

- Lightweight.
- Look like trendy modern hipsters who just happen to live in Arkansas (joke).
- Not make Matt stroke at the pricetag (thus, Bugaboo was out).

Thanks to our friend Cary, we found one we love.

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Most Significant Moment:

> Hazel’s Birth-

Obviously, for us this is hands down, and alone makes 2008 terrific.

> Obama Inauguration-

Before you write me off as a liberal, just read. No matter who was your preferred candidate, Ginny and I both had a feeling that we were witness to something that was quite unexpected in the way of historical moments. A black man became President of the United States. It seems America has come a long way, and that, we were proud to be witness to.

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“Best Of” that doesn’t fit into a category:

> FLOR –

(www.flor.com) We were leery buying this rug-subsitute over the internet. But were really pleased. It is easy to clean, but not an industrial feel. Thus, she can crawl on it, and do what she inevitably will do…get it dirty.