A Fool of Myself

• Acquired my first pair of straight leg jeans
• Ate sushi for the first time
• Graduated Missouri State University with a Master of Arts in Writing
• Hung up wedding pictures
• Met Angie Weindinger, the KSFX news anchor
• Ran my first half marathon
• Spoke at STC’s Summit conference in Minneapolis
• Started my first full-time job at LifePoint Church
• Survived the 2007 Ice Storm
• Swam in the ocean for the first time
• Vacationed in Orlando with my hubby

My favorite video of 2007 was the first video I posted on my blog, and I’d nearly forgotten it until I was reviewing my videos a few weeks ago. “On Courage” isn’t just about running or daydreaming; it’s about finding the courage to pursue what (or who) moves you. Watching this video compels me to live and leave nothing behind. I hope it inspires you, too!

My pal Betsy introduced me to my favorite blog of 2007. Betsy is in marketing, so she has to think about copy just about every day, but I’ve only been copy writing since March. My professional writing program at Missouri State University didn’t really cover copy writing, and that’s why Copyblogger.com is so handy for me. I learn about copy writing and about blogging. Even if you’re not a professional writer, you will learn so much about writing more effective headlines and posts on your blog.

I sit at a desk all day, so to fill the silence in my little office, I either listen to NPR or podcasts most of the day. Many of you know that I’m a web developer for a church, so when I came across the Geeks & God podcast, it was only logical that I would latch on to it. Matt and Rob discuss all things church, Web, and technology related, and they’ve really helped me stay up-to-date on what’s happening right now in church web development. Even more, since my thesis title was “Church 2.0: A Look at Church Web Development in Light of Web 2.0, this podcast is a natural fit.

‘Tis better to give than to receive, and with that in mind, here are my ten favorite gifts that I gave this Christmas.

1. Lint brush (for Christopher)
2. Pop by U2 (for Christopher)
3. Netflix subscription (for my brother Jacob)
4. The Wood Book by Romeyn Beck Hough (for my father-in-law Don)
5. Framed picture of Jacob and I at my wedding (for my mom)
6. Scratching box (for Ravi, the cat)
7. Homemade mittens, scarf, and hat (for my best friend Jenny)
8. Wedding photo books (for my parents, my in-laws, and my grandparents)
9. Ticket Stub Diary (for Christopher)
10. Cast iron fondue pot (for Christopher)

Who knows if either me or Linden found this site first, but it was a front runner (no pun intended) all year long. LogYourRun.com is an online running log that allows you to track your workouts, plan your routes, research training programs, blog, join groups, and stay in touch with fellow runners. It’s pretty obvious why I like the site so much since I ran my first half marathon this year. I’ll be spending even more time on it next year as I train for my first full marathon!

I only posted this celebrity endorsement last month, but even late contenders have a chance at winning. I’ve yet to decide on a presidential candidate or even a political party, for that matter, but Chuck Norris still has my vote for favorite endorsement of 2007. Heaven only knows what might have happened to me if Chuck had lost!

I honestly can’t tell you how I came across my favorite gadget because I just can’t remember, but regardless, my favorite gadget of 2007 was Pixel Breaker’s PolarClock. This screen saver uses Flash, Flex Builder, and Action Script to update the second, minute, hour, day, week, and month regularly. Sans the tech talk, it’s stinkin’ cool to watch. Enjoy!

It’s the end of the year, and it’s time for me to reveal my favorite online things of 2007. The competition was fierce and the nominations plenty, so I have narrowed my favorite online things to seven categories:

• Favorite Sound Bite
• Favorite Video
• Favorite Blog
• Favorite Web Site
• Favorite Endorsement
• Favorite Web Gadget

Now, some of my readers are fellow runners, some are my friends, and some, well, I have no idea why you read this blog, but the winners all relate in some way to my many interests (and hopefully yours, too): running, web development, politics, blogging. I’ll reveal the winner of each category over the next seven work days. Stay tuned!

I watched Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein last night, and I must say that Helena Bonham Carter is quickly becoming one of my new favorite actresses. She’s been in a whole slough of movies, and I’ve barely watched a fraction of them, but the few I’ve seen I love:

• Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix We all love to hate Bellatrix Lestrange. Has anyone seen a better villianess?
• Fight Club Who didn’t love HCB as Marla Singer in this movie? Alongside Mr. Pitt and Mr. Norton, she can do no wrong.
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (OK, I haven’t seen this one yet, but I will this Sunday. And I already know I’m going to love it. And you don’t want to miss Carter’s interview with MTV if you’re a HBC fan, too.)

I’ll have a full Sweeney Todd/HBC report next week. More later…