Top 10 of 2010 pt. 2

6. NewSpring Church. I love my church. Joining NewSpring was easily the best decision I made in 2010. You should check it out.

7. Audrey Assad. Absolutely the most gorgeous voice out there right now, in my opinion. I'd heard her song Winter Snow on Chris Tomlin's Christmas album, but she only recently released her first independent album. She came to First Baptist, touring with Tenth Avenue North, and she was so sweet, down to earth, and fun. Her lyrics are as soulful and genuine as she is as a person. I highly recommend her! (I especially recommend her song "Restless")

8. Needtobreathe. This is a bit of a stretch, since I've really known about them for a while, but with their newest album, they went from a band I like to a band I love! Fabulous voices, very different style, not so "Christian music-y" (you know what I mean). I actually play their album in my classroom while the kids are working. They sing along to The Outsiders every time :) And for those of you who love them already- you should know there's a new live EP available for download on iTunes called Live Horses!

9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 1. Even if you aren't a huge fan of the first movies, I urge you to see this one. One of the things I like about J.K. Rowling is that as the Harry Potter series progressed, her writing grew with her readers. As Harry grew up, the books matured and became more focused, serious, and grave. I have gotten flack from time to time that these books support or encourage witchcraft- which is, in some ways, true. One of the things I love about the books is that Rowling makes it very clear that one must choose between good and evil- choosing not to choose is the same as siding with evil. All of this translates beautifully in the movie. One of my friends said, after watching it, that it was "like watching a grown-up movie." Meaning, you didn't feel like you were watching a movie based on children's literature. Which is very true. It is action-packed, filled with good, evil, and sorrow. There are very few light moments in this movie- much like the book it is based off of. You will get to the end of this movie about to jump out of your skin to see part two (due out next July)!

10. Greenville, SC. I love this city! My friend Ashley and I are obsessed with it! We went to the 10 year anniversary celebration of NewSpring Church and we stayed in downtown Greenville. Best. Weekend. Ever. Such a fantastic downtown! It has a really artsy vibe, a gorgeous park smack in the middle of downtown, lots of fun shopping, and fantastic restaurants. My favorite little coffee place is Coffee Underground- best latte I've ever had. Also, if you're a yogurt fan, check out the Blueberry Frog. Downtown Greenville also has great festivals, so you may want to check & see when one will be going on before you plan a trip. The other nice thing about Greenville is that it's so close to so many other things- there's really something for everyone. Amazing hiking at Jones Gap State Park and Ravencliff Falls, a fabulous outlet mall in Gaffney, and fun little small towns like Laurens and Anderson just a short drive away from the main city.

So that's it! My top ten of 2010!!