2016 Jams

10. Postmodern Jukebox, Squad Goals
If you haven't been exposed to Postmodern Jukebox yet, it's about time to are. They are brilliant. They take current hits (or in some cases, old hits) and make them into jazz/swing masterpieces. I love a lot of things about PMJ, but one of the best things about them is that they showcase different vocalists and musicians. Several former American Idol contestants (Haley Reinhart, Casey Abrams, Rayvon Owen, and Melinda Doolittle, to name a few) have taken the lead on some of their most popular covers. Take a listen for yourself and prepare to get hooked.

9. Jimmy Eat World, Integrity Blues
I haven't listened to Jimmy Eat World in years. But earlier this year, my brother shared one of their songs with me. I loved it, and then learned that they had recently released a new album. The album flows together beautifully, it is truly crafted in a heartfelt, emotional tone that I can't get enough of. The songwriting and lyrics are what stand out the most to me.

8. Kris Allen, Letting You In

Kris Allen is a singer-songwriter, who found his fame on American Idol. His album Letting You In is full of sweet lovesongs. What I love about this album is that is very authentically Kris. He is not trying to be anyone else, he's kept the same sound and style. And while sometimes it can be good to mix things up, for Kris, this is what works. The songs are great, he has a passionate, sweet voice to match.

7. Haley Reinhart, Better
You may recognize Haley from her videos with Post Modern Jukebox, or her voice from the Extra Gum commercial. I know Haley from American Idol. I actually wasn't a fan of her for most of her season, but the night she was eliminated she sang "Bennie and the Jets" and I listened to it so many times I thought I was going to break my computer speakers. It was that good. I was a fan of her first album, released in 2012, and have followed along with her as she took the spotlight several times with PostModern Jukebox. Her second album, Better, was released in 2016. I knew I was going to like the album the minute I heard the first single. Haley's sultry, raspy, soulful vocals are near perfect on this album.

6.Castro, Diamond Dreams

I was absolutely ecstatic when I learned that the Castro siblings were finally putting their talents together for form a band. Jason Castro is one of my favorite American Idol contestants of all time, and I've actively followed his brother Michael on Youtube for a few years now. I knew that their sister, Jackie, had pipes of her own. Combined, they make a beautiful, soulful trio. Their harmonies are pure goodness, dipping into Americana/folk sounds. I immediately added "Automatic" to my list of potential Wedding songs.

5. Halo Circus, Bunny
I've been following Allison Iraheta's career since her American Idol days and I was so glad when I found out she had started an alternative band called Halo Circus. Their debut album dropped this year, and shortly after the band went on tour, which was funded by fans. (And yes, I happily donated to help bring them to Detroit). The album reminds me a lot of pop music from the late 90's/early 2000's. (I'd use No Doubt as a comparison).  Allison's raspy, yet beautiful, vocals carry throughout each track. I fell even more in love with the album when I was able to see the band perform it live.

4. Sia, This Is Acting
This album was one of the biggest blessings to come my way in 2016. When I was going through a really dark, sad period, I stumbled on the song "Alive" by Sia and felt so overcome with hope and determination. The song soon became my anthem, and I checked out the rest of the album, drawn to Sia's incredible vocals and lyrics. I'm so glad that I did, because soon the album was on repeat. Many of the songs have a similar message to "Alive", and suddenly the album became an aide in my healing.

3. JohnnySwim, Georgica Pond
One of my very favorite singer/songwriter duo's, and they happened to be married! I love these two, their harmonies, lyrics, and their soulful voices. Hoping to see them live for the first time this spring. Georgica Pond is simply another beautiful album from Johnnyswim. It is probably best described as soul mixed with blues and country...so if that's your thing, check this album out.

2. Bruno Mars, 24k
Bruno's last album was released in 2012. I have been anxiously waiting for new music for him since then. Besides Uptown Funk, Bruno has remained pretty quiet. Until earlier this year, when he announced his album would be out in late 2016. It's just the album I was hoping for: pop, with heavy Motown/funk influence. It was well worth the wait!

1. Beyonce, Lemonade
Full Disclosure: I was not a big Beyonce fan before Lemonade dropped. I mean, I've always liked Beyonce. I have passionately sung my heart out to many of her songs. But I've never owned a full Beyonce album. And then Lemonade happened. I watched my twitter feed explode when the Lemonade full video dropped, and I was instantly fascinated. So I gave it a listen, and I fell so in love with the album that I downloaded it immediately and listened to it at every chance that I had. It is so incredible. It tells a story, and it tells that story across several different genres of music. I recommend listening in order.

As you can see from my list, I've included a handful of American Idol alums. Before you roll your eyes, I'd encourage you to give it a listen. I think you'll find that they each have a very different sound. I've included my three favorite songs from each album listed (with the exception of Lemonade, since that's not on Spotify). Go ahead- listen- and then report back. I would LOVE to hear your thoughts.

2013: A reflection

A few things you will never forget in 2013

• Christine and Paul's wedding journey: From the engagement to the shower to the bachelorette party to the big day itself, it was an honor to be part of it.
• Ryan's baptism
• Living with Sam and Lauren
• The Boston Marathon Bombing
• Taylor Swift Concert
• Beginning my weight loss journey
• Kelly Clarkson concert in the monsoon
• Ellie Goulding and Bruno Mars concert
• Becoming friends with Tom again, and then realizing we were so much more than that.
• Up north weekend with my friends
• Fall Out Boy concert in a suite
• My dad being diagnosed with cancer
• Prayer service for my dad
• Ryan's 1st Birthday Party
• Family Photo Shoot
• Pink concert
• Friendsgiving

Relationship (s)

• In the beginning of 2013, I was in a relationship with someone who is not Tom. In my eyes, at the time, that relationship was perfect. In reality, it was toxic. I meant nothing to him, but I thought I did. He ended up shattering my heart. It didn't take long for me to start talking to Tom. We became friends first and I loved hanging out with him. We did a lot of stuff together- Tigers game, dinners, walks. We pretty much knew where it was going, but we both wanted to take things slowly. One day, Tom did yard work for my dad and then took me to see The Wizard of Oz in 3d. That was the day I knew I wanted our relationship to be more. That was the day everything changed. Since then, it's only gotten better. We pick on each other sometimes, but I adore that kid. I always have fun with him, even if we're just sitting there, barely talking because we're tired from a long work day. With him, it just keeps getting better. He is the sweetest, and I can tell him anything. He knows more about me than anyone has ever known. I am truly lucky to have him as my guy and I know we're only going to get stronger and have more adventures. I think it's also important to note that Tom and I literally became "official" two days before my dad was diagnosed. Two days. We had pretty much been dating for several weeks before that, but September 22nd is the day we made it official. He stuck by me through that crazy, intense two weeks where I was barely sleeping and functioning like a normal human being. If he can handle me like that, I think he can handle me any time.

The Best Day

• Our girls weekend up north were some of the best days I had all year. I laughed so hard. I smiled so much it hurt. Lauren and I built a fire. We had this amazing bike ride around Mackinac Island where I just felt so carefree, so happy. It was honesty perfect. 
• A close second is the day my family did our photoshoot. I can't tell you how nervous I was for that day. I don't do well with attention or pictures. But it was such a fun, light hearted kind of day. I won't forget it.

 The worst day

• September 24th. I will never forget this day. I was in the locker room drying my hair. It was 7 am. My phone rang, it was dad. I answered, and he said "My doctor called. It's not good. There are four lesions in my brain. I am going to Beaumont now.".

I began shaking. I felt sick. I ran out of the gym with wet hair, stopped at my office to give my coworkers my matierals for an event, and drove to Beaumont. Hours later, we found out my dad had lung cancer, with mets to the brain. It was the worst day I can ever remember having. I was so scared. I hated seeing him so scared, and my mom so upset. I hated seeing my sister cry. I hated everything about it.

The most memorable moment.

• Well obviously I will never forget the day my dad was diagnosed. I will always have September 24th on my mind. I have more, but that's for sure the most memorable. 
• Christine's wedding is also pretty memorable. It was an honor to be in the wedding and to be part of her special day. She was a beautiful bride and the wedding was so perfect.

Your best friend(s).

 Sam, Lauren, Tom are the ones I spend most of my time with. Christine will forever be one of my besties and I am still so glad that I got to be a part of her special day. 

My family are also my best friends. I cannot ever express how much I love them. They are such beautiful people and I love being with them. 

My coworkers are my best friends. I got really close with Amy this year and I honestly don't know what id do without her every day. Then there's my sweet Maggie who keeps me sane. And carol, Lynn, sue, Christina, Marcy, and judy. And of course, Peggy. Peggy is one of the greatest people I've ever met. I will never have another supervisor like her ever again.

And of course there's the people who I do not see as often, but they are still some of my best friends and will always have a special place in my heart. Alex, Alicia, Jena, Gem, Dean, Shari, Elizabeth, desi.

Your birthday.

• My actual birthday was simple but great. I had dinner with friends and was surrounded by some of the people I love most in the world. I also got the greatest Birthday present I've ever gotten: a record player, from Tom. I'm obsessed with it and so grateful for it! 

 The best getaway.

• The only real getaway I had was my trip up north which I already talked about. But id also say my silent retreat in November. It brought me a lot of clarity.

New Year resolutions.

• Worry less about silly things and focus more on making memories. Learned that from my dad. I have more, but that will come later.

Drumroll, please....

Favorite Tweets of The Year :)

 @mojodean If you'd walked by my classroom five minutes ago you would've seen me eating a bell pepper whole and rocking out to @ladygaga.

@Kristen8108  Okay iPhone, please stop autocorrecting toys to tits. This convo with @izJul is going so wrong!

 @Lover_of_Sushi Butter my ass and call me a biscuit

 @Zammie255  I just had a dream of a whole mall being liquidated.Everything was 2.00 but it was 8:50pm and closed at 9:00pm. So it became a nightmare...

 @MCastroMusic What type of coffee does Jesus make?! HOLY GROUNDS. Good morning!

@DatKaren So many dirty jokes you can make when you own a cat!

 @dutchstrong  The only friends that I have in my apartment complex are the ducks. MY ducks.

 @Lover_of_Sushi  Ugh shaving sucks. Like, running a razor blade over my facial skin is just scary when you really think about it. BLADES ON YO FACE

 @gracehelbig What do you call someone who's a complete asshole but also loves Rosie O'Donnell? A kooshbag

.

 @Kristen8108 @Zammie255 /wrokay. Just come the stairs with the car

@lizZmilK tis better to have twerked and lost than to never have twerked at all.

 @mdoolittle Settle something for me, please. Is Psy saying gonorrhea in that song? Do I even want to know what he's saying? LOL!

  
 @mandisaofficial  These bumblebees keep running into my window full force! I feel like I should tell them there’s a better way! Jesus has a plan for them!🐝

 @altgeldshrugged Who uses UNSALTED tortilla chips for nachos? I'm sorry, did we lose a war or something?

 @Kristen8108 So I *might* have just yelled at a goose, "Can't we just co-habitat nicely?" He started it by honking at me first.

 @ElizabethThe  Sometimes when I get too overwhelmed by cute cats, I start meowing
.

 @SaraBareilles I was almost going to meet Betty White. It got cancelled. now i don't feel like doing anything ever again.

  @AnnaKendrick47 "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria" is her wedding march? The nuns are throwing so much shade. #JealousyWillGetYouNowhere #SoundofMusic

 @alayahEFFINkai 

She looks like Tumblr threw up on her.

My Personal 2012 Pop Culture Picks

I love reflecting on the year, both personally and pop culture wise. Listed here are some of my favorite movies, albums, and songs from the year.

Top 10 Movies.

10. Brave
There are those who say fate is something beyond our command. That destiny is not our own, but I know better. Our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it.

9. People Like Us
Most doors in the world are closed, so if you find one that you want to get into, you damn well better have an interesting knock

8. Breaking Dawn 2
You nicknamed my baby after the Loch Ness Monster?

7. The Dark Knight Rises
 A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy's shoulder to let him know that the world hadn't ended.

6. The Vow
The moment of impact. The moment of impact proves potential for change. Has ripples effects far beyond what we can predict. Sending some particles crashing together. Making them closer than before. While sending others spinning off into great ventures. Landing them where you've never thought you've found them. That's the thing about moments like these. You can't, no matter how hard you try, controlling how it's gonna affect you. You just gotta let the colliding part goes where they may. And wait. For the next collision.


5. Sparkle
All I think about is music.


4. Pitch Perfect
Even though some of you are pretty thin, you all have fat hearts, and that's what counts.

3. Hunger Games
May the odds be ever in your favor.

2. Perks of Being A Wallflower
So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how could that be.

1. Silver Linings Playbook
You gotta pay attention to signs. When life reaches out with a moment like this it's a sin if you don't reach back...



Top 15 Albums of 2012...and my three favorite songs from each.

Maroon 5- Overexposed

• Tickets "you're perfect on the outside, but nothing at the core"
• Sad "I'm scared to death that there may not be another one like this. And I confess, that I'm only holding on by a thin thin thread"
• Daylight "Here I am staring at your perfection in my arms; so beautiful"

Zac Brown Band- Uncaged

• Goodbye in Her Eyes "the life she wanted, it was gone. Prince Charming I wasn't"
• Uncaged "every day find a way to face my fears"
• Natural Disaster "and the rebel in her soul brought her to me"

Pitch Perfect Soundtrack.
Won't do the lyrics because they are all covers :)

• Cups
• Bellas Finals
• Riff Off

Fun., Some Nights

• Some Nights "what do I stand for? Most nights I don't know anymore"
• Carry On "may your past be the sound of your feet on the ground. Carry on"
• Why Am I The One "for once for once I feel like I'm right where I belong"

Mumford and Sons, Babel

• Babel "press my nose up to the glass around your heart, I should've known I was weaker from the start"
• I Will Wait  "raise my hands, paint my spirit gold"
• Hopeless Wanderer "Hold me fast 'cause I'm a hopeless wanderer. I will learn, I will learn to love the skies I'm under"

Alex Clare, Too Close

• Too Close "at the end of it all, you're still my best friend"
• Damn Your Eyes "damn your eyes for taking my breath away, for making me want to stay. damn your eyes for getting my hopes up high"
• Tightrope "the only thing I'm sure of is to have no fear at all. Just go, keep on going on."

Ed Sheeran, +

• Wake Me Up  "and you will never know just how beautiful you are to me." 
• Sunburn "She was mine, I was hers...And all that's in between. If she would cry, I would shelter her, And keep her from the darkness"
• Lego House "I'm gonna pick up the pieces, and build a lego house, when things go wrong we can knock it down"

P!nk, The Truth About Love

• Try "funny how the heart can be deceiving  more than just a couple times. Why do we fall in love so easy?  Even when it's not right."
• Chaos and Piss "I also feel things more than I should. I don't relax very often, as often as I could. I worry how the whole thing looks, it doesn't look good."
• The Great Escape "Terrified of the dark, but not if you go with me. And I don't need a pill to make me numb. And I wrote the book already, but that chapter of my life will soon be done. I'm the king of the great escape. You're not gonna watch me checking out of this place. You're not gonna lose me, cuz the passion and the pain are gonna keep us alive someday".

Haley Reinhart, Listen Up!

• Undone "I don't want you back, I just want to have what you took from me".
• Hit The Ground Running "You better watch your mouth boy, cuz I don't miss a beat"
• Keep Coming Back "don't you have a home to go to? don't you have another soul to hold you? am I the only one who really knows you?"

JillandKate, Heart of Stone

• Burn It Down "caught that liar right in his tracks, and I said some things I can never take back. Wouldn't if I could".
• I Come Alive "I come alive when you look at me that way"
• Breakdown "If we don't get this figured out, it's sure to break us down and we won't ever find a way back home"

Bruno Mars- Unorthodox Jukebox

• If I Knew "I know it breaks your heart to picture the only one you want to love in someone else's arms, but I wouldn't have done all the things that I had done if I knew one day you'd come" 
• Natalie "you'll be begging me please please please, while I sit there and laugh laugh laugh, and you'll be cryin for me cryin for me cryin for me"
• Gorilla "oh look what you've done, but in this jungle you can't run"

Casey Abrams, Casey Abrams

• Wore Out My Soul "As time keeps moving on, your shine is clearly gone"
• Ghosts "Found out that love is too precious to waste, but I'll waste it all on you"
• Midnight Girl "And I wanna tell your right now, you're the kind of girl Ray was singing about"

Jason Mraz, Love Is A Four Letter Word

• I Won't Give Up "We got a lot to learn, but God knows we're worth it. I won't give up."
• 93 Million Miles "sometimes it may seem dark, but the absence of light is a necessary part. just know you're not alone, you can always come back home"
• Hidden Track "I hope you notice that I am still in love with you. Yes I, I'm coming over tonight. I hope you notice I was never over you."

The Spill Canvas, From San Francisco

• Whiskey Dream Kathleen "To my babygirl in the picture, could you pass along that I miss her? I know you're still in there somewhere".
• The Meds "don't get me wrong I think about you all the time, that doesn't mean I enjoy you spoiling my mind"
• To Chicago "At one point I thought maybe I should warn her. But such information is reserved for our dark corners".

Taylor Swift, Red

• I Knew You Were Trouble "And the saddest fear comes creeping in...that you never loved me, or her, or anyone, or anything."
• I Almost Do "I bet it never, ever occurred to you that I can't say hello to you and risk another goodbye"
• All Too Well "And you call me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being honest. I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here, cuz I remember it all too well"

15 Songs Not Previously Listed That I Really Freaking Liked This Year. No judging allowed.
15. Nicki Minaj- Pound The Alarm
14. Ellie Goulding- Lights
13. Justin Bieber- Boyfriend
12. Carly Rae Jepsen- Call Me Maybe
11. Taylor Swift- Eyes Open
10. Phillip Philips- Home
9. Adele- Skyfall
8. Kelly Clarkson-Dark Side
7. Kelly Clarkson- Stronger
6. The Lumineers- Ho Hey
5. Carrie Underwood- Blown Away
4. David Guetta feat Sia- Titanium
3. Of Monsters and Men- Little Talks
2. Gotye- Somebody That I Used To Know
1. Kelly Clarkson- Catch My Breath