Make a killer playlist.

One of my main thrills in life is something so simple, yet so exhilarating. Compiling random, yet similar songs into a great playlist can honestly make my day. Lame? Maybe. Therapeutic? Absolutely. I've always loved discovering new artists, whether through Pandora, friends, or other means. Expanding my iTunes library and sharing my newfound tunes with friends has become a hobby. Sidenote: this blog entry is a shameless plug to share some of my favorite lesser known artists and unearth songs you don't know from familiar artists. Hope I can inspire you to check some of them out!

I woke up early this morning, which always happens on a day off. Isn't it ironic that the day you get to sleep in, you simply can't? Anyways, while poking around on my computer this morning, I decided to open up my trusty friend, good ol iTunes. Last night, I had a fabulous and lengthy chat with Kelly, my best friend since Kindergarten. She's taking a road trip and asked for some suggestions on songs. As noted earlier, I love suggesting new songs and artists, so I jumped at the opportunity to share some expertise (if you can call it that). I started scrolling and scrolling, finding songs that popped out to me. One by one I compiled some songs I thought she could use on the trip, songs that said to me "cruisin down the West Coast, with the windows down and music up." After compiling one for Kell Bell, I was inspired to make my own. No particular reason, just wanted a new one. So here it is, the random mod podge of songs I put together early this morning. Enjoy!

1. Earth-Mouth: Alex Dupree

2. Sweet Southern Moon: Benjy Davis Project

3. I Want You: Bob Dylan

4. On Any Given Day: Carbon Leaf

5. Black and Gold (cover): Adele

6. Letters From the Sky: Civil Twilight

7. Punches: Collin Herring

8. Rhody Girl: Dan Mills

9. Drifter: DecembeRadio

10. Too Much Water: Donavan Frankenreiter

11. Guinevere: Eli Young Band

12. Letting Go: Emory Quinn

13. Heartless: The Fray

14. I'd Be Lying: Greg Laswell

15. Fighter Girl: Mason Jennings

16. My Only Offer: Mates of State

17. Marianne: Matt Wertz

18. The Cave: Mumford & Sons *New personal favorite, whole cd is AMAZING. Buy it.

19. More Time: Needtobreathe

20. Loving You: Paolo Nutini

21. Paint the Silence: South

22. Big Sur: The Thrills

There it is. No particular order or genre, just songs that jumped out from the library and made me add them to the playlist. Do your own song exploration. If you don't know where to start, one word: Pandora. So find some songs, listen to new artists, and add some new tunes to your life.

Love the Bond.

Times like this weekend in Lincoln always overwhelm me. The array of emotion on Saturday was both exhausting and uplifting. From attending a funeral in the morning to jetting to KD Pi Chapter's 90th Anniversary in the afternoon to a BBQ with amazing friends at Phil's house to a night on O Street with some of my favorite people, the day couldn't have contained more emotion. But that's the beauty of it.

It's so cliche to say, but times like losing someone always make you stop and think. You think about countless memories, the opportunities you've missed, and the overwhelming bond of friendship. While I didn't know Andy all that well, it was the last of that listing above that really hit me: the overwhelming bond of friendship. Upon walking into the church, that bond was all around. The members of Pike came together during this tragedy and used their support system to keep from collapsing. All of the people at that funeral also had that bond. They had all known Andy in some way and were brought together to celebrate his life. It was truly amazing to see how his life had bonded so many people together.

After the funeral, we rushed back to Lincoln to catch the end of KD Pi Chapter's 90th Anniversary. The room was filled with KDs, from current members to alums of over 60 years. Bonnie Purvis Warren, a former National President, spoke to us about the connections of KD. The bond of friendship that was so evident earlier in my day, was again renewed. Here we sat, in a room full of women we'd never met, yet connected by two simple words: Kappa Delta. I sat around the table with members of the Shewolf pack, thinking back over my time in KD and was again overwhelmed. The events leading up to my joining KD hadn't been ideal. I wasn't enjoying college, my boyfriend at the time had just transferred to another time zone, and I hadn't found that group of girl friends I was looking for. On a whim, I went through recruitment and I found exactly what I was looking for. Now I'm forever bonded to anyone that proudly wears the KD letters. Pretty amazing.

That KD bond also led me to friendships with the men of Pike. When I first joined, it was never a question on who we were going to hang out with. We'd get ready for the night and ask, "So which Pike house is it tonight? Vine? Ugh, ok." Now don't get me wrong, Vine was quite the establishment. From a stripper pole in the basement to walls lettered with permanent markers, that place had character (and probably some other things we didn't want to know about.) Oh 30V, may you live in infamy. That KD/Pike bond has continued ever since, and led me to another event on Saturday: a BBQ at Phil's house. Despite the long day of emotions, we all had a sudden burst of energy upon arrival. Life, graduation, and moving had gotten in the way for many of us, so it had been awhile since a reunion. We played some Polish Horseshoes, and yes, Chris and I dominated against Mark and Phil. The girls played some Ladder Golf, and the others got a chance to catch up inside the house. Our bond brought us together in grief in the morning and in celebration of life in the evening. What an amazing spectrum we all could go through together.

For the final event of the day, we all loaded up from Phil's and headed down to Lambert's going away party. With all of the KDs and Pikes in town, it was sure to be a good time (understatement of the century). From the Fat Toad to The Rail to The Bar, the night was one for the books. (Sidenote: for those of you unfamiliar with The Rail, I plan to do an entire blog entry devoted to it. Keep posted). I got to spend time with almost every KD and Pike that I'd been friends with in college. That bond we'd created years ago had carried through and it made for a night that we consider "one of the best nights EVER in Lincoln."

By now, you're probably sick of reading and especially sick of the word "bond." But it really was all of those bonds that threaded my whole day together. If I hadn't decided to go through recruitment, I never would've joined KD. If I never joined KD, I wouldn't be part of an unwaivering sisterhood or met my best friends, the Shewolf pack. If I hadn't met the Shewolf pack, I never would have gotten to know my Pike friends. If I never met my Pike friends, I never would've gotten the pleasure to know Andy. It's crazy how life brings people together that normally could've been strangers. Appreciate the randomness and love the bond.