As promised, here’s a list of the 46 reasons (read: excuses)* I haven’t blogged about our experience at the Heartland Film Festival…

46. Sworn to secrecy.

45. Had to wash my hair.

44. I did write an entry, but my dog ate it.

43. I was abducted by aliens.

42. My computer caught fire.

41. The blog entry was saved on a disk that I gave to Princess Leia for safe-keeping. She told me she put it in an Artoo unit for safe-keeping.

40. Too busy watching the Hoosiers beat Kentucky and Ohio State, only to then lose mind-numblingly painful games to teams like Minnesota and Nebraska.

39. Spent all my free time unpacking boxes in the garage.

38. Laundry never stops. Did you know that? It’s never-ending!

37. When I haven’t been doing laundry, I’ve been doing dishes (even though we have a dishwasher).

36. Spent time getting the word out in central Indiana that I’m available for guest preaching on Sundays.

34. Christmas. Need I say more?

33. We moved. I left the entry at the old house. Painted it all over the wall. Kind of like a “Matt Was Here” sign.

32. Too much time dedicated to interviewing for the Colts General Manager position.

31. Also spent way too much time trying to become Head Coach for the Colts.

30. Used up all my extra mental energy by trying to read the hidden messages contained in Jim Irsay’s tweets.

29. November was NaNoWriMo time. Any extra seconds were spent trying to breathe life into this beauty. Still hoping to finish it by her birthday.

28. I would fall asleep every time I began to type it out. Guess that’s what happens when you wait until midnight to start writing.

27. I wrote it in disappearing-reappearing ink. Still waiting for the ink to reappear. Should be any day now.

26. Have I mentioned that I’ve been a stay at home Dad since the Day the Music Died? That kinda takes up my mornings until naptime. If she’s lucky, I let Mihret take a nap, too.

25. I accidentally typed “Mickey” and “Mouse” right next to each other in the same sentence. This resulted in legions of lawyers who looked remarkably like walking brooms sweeping in and preemptively striking against my flagrant  attack on their copyrighted property under the auspices of PIPA and SOPA. It broke the whole Internet.

24. I’ve been secretly donning a mask, cape, and tights at night (I know – that’s a wonderful mental image for you), stalking the streets, combating crime at every turn and keeping the neighborhood safe for your late-night Taco Bell runs.

23. Twitter. Sucks me in every time.

22. I’ve been reading. A lot.

21. I etched it onto a ring. Some

20. I’ve been working really hard at convincing molehills that they really aren’t mountains.

19. Tried to do it on a day there wasn’t a debate among the GOP Presidential candidates. Still waiting.

18. Too busy training to become a Jedi Knight.

17. Had to redesign my blog first.

16. I forgot. I tend to forget if I’ve written something yet or not.

15. Aiden bought Epic Mickey with some of his Christmas money. I haven’t been sucked into a game like this in a long, long time. I think TIE Fighter was the last one to grab me like this.

14.  I forgot. I tend to forget if I’ve written something yet or not.

13.  Had a papercut on my fingertip. Couldn’t type. You never know how much you use your fingertips on the computer until it hurts every time you do it.

12. It was such an amazing, fun, and memorable experience that I’m still at a loss for words some three months later.

11. Too busy coming up with lists with 46 things on them. It’s tougher than it looks.

10. Wasted too much time trying to get a Boy Scout Troop to call/write/telegraph/smoke signal me back so I can get Aiden back involved in Scouting, which he desperately wants to do. Even tried the District Office. No dice.

9. Had too much fun watching team after team get Tebowed.

8. Discovered the meaning of life. Will have to share it. After I write about my experience at the Heartland Film Festival.

7. Wanted to wait until Daniel got his Favorite Tweets series caught up.

6. Wasted entirely too much time and energy worrying about things that were beyond my control. Just being real.

5. After Herman Cain’s ringing, yet unconventional, endorsement, I formed an exploratory committee to…well…explore (imagine that) the idea of whether I should throw my hat into the ring and announce my candidacy for the Presidency. A press conference will be scheduled shortly. Maybe after I write my Heartland Film Festival post.

4. Do you have any idea how much time it takes to fill out some of these job applications online? It borders on ridiculous sometimes.

3. Doing my best to become the best Dad I can be for Aiden, Alyson, and Mihret. Sorry, blog. That means you gotta take the back burner sometimes.

2. Working on becoming a better husband for Christy. That puts you even further back on the burner, blog. Or maybe even off the burner altogether.

1. I’ve been really trying to take my personal Bible study/devotional time much more seriously. I’ve been blogging some of that journey, if you’re interested.

*In no way should this be considered an exhaustive list. I’m sure I have many more excuses. I mean, “reasons.” I’m always looking for more. If you have some good ones, please share them!

I’ve decided to come up with a few lists with 46 things on each list. If I was smart, I would’ve started the lists about a month ago so it could be 46 lists for the…well…whatever it is that everyone else is commemorating in Indianapolis that has to do with the number 46.

I could definitely use your help in coming up with some lists. What would make some compelling lists? Don’t give me the “46 things to do before I die” list. I kinda have a list like that already. Can’t do a sandwich list, either. They’re already doing that.

Sidenote: Anyone notice that a sandwich from West Lafayette is in the Hoosier Sandwich Conference? Oh, the irony. I’ll bet someone somewhere isn’t happy about that.

Maybe I should come up with a list of 46 reasons why I haven’t blogged about our experience at the Heartland Film Festival yet. I mean, it did happen a few months ago.

But what else? What other lists should there be? Let me know! Be creative. Let’s have fun with this number 46.

Then the list took a hiatus.

A long hiatus.

But it’s back. And better than ever.

(drumroll, please)

10. We lost some dear family members in 2011. Kevin and I were able to attend Aunt Betty’s funeral in Evansville. And although I desperately wanted to be there, I could not make it to Texas to say goodbye to Uncle Jeff.

9. Aly got to go to Horse Camp (at Rainbow Christian Camp) for the first time ever.

8. I got to take Aiden to his first-ever Colts game. Yes, it was pre-season. And no, Peyton Manning didn’t play. But it was definitely a memory-maker.

7. Aly was a Flower Girl for Jason and Kara. She did a fabulous job.

6. We visited the Browns in Charlotte, North Carolina. The most memorable day had to be going to Carowinds with them. Aiden and Alyson rode their first real roller coaster. It was life-changing. I even preached about it the following Sunday.

5. Christy won tickets to the Opening Night Event at the Heartland Film Festival. I really owe that event a blog post. It was a great date night. One of the most unique we’ve had in a long time, even though it was “just” dinner and a movie.

4. Mihret had a scary trip to the Emergency Room and then a stay of several days in the Pediatric ICU. It was probably the scariest night of my life.

3. We loaded the truck and moved to Greenwood, ready to see the next chapter that God is going to write with the Todd Family.

2. On Sunday morning of September 25, I was brought into a meeting after the worship service and informed that I had just preached my final sermon at Cowan Christian Church.

While that was certainly a life-changing event and has altered the course of our entire family, it doesn’t have as far-reaching implications as #1…

1. On February 13, 2011, I had the honor of baptizing my daughter in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I still get chills when I watch the video.

2011 was definitely one for the record books. It was full of some amazing highs and some pretty devastating lows. I’m excited to see what 2012 has to offer and can’t wait to see what the Todd Top Ten looks like this time next year!

What about you? What are some highlights (and maybe some low-lights) of your 2011?

She drew this freehand without anything to look at. I’m especially impressed with the detail on the unicorn’s horn. This girl desperately needs some art lessons because she has already surpassed the collective artistic ability of her parents. Gotta do whatever we can to encourage her to keep developing her God-given ability!

Everyone knows the BS “Championship” Series is broken. It has been for years. Well….everyone except SEC fans and the commissioners of the automatically qualifying conferences know it’s broken. College football needs a playoff. The teams deserve it. The fans deserve it. It would be the most-watched series of games in the history of sports on television. The postseason games would actually count and there would be real drama.

Instead, we’re left with yet another year of controversy because the champion won’t be decided on the field. Instead, we get a bunch of gymnastics by the supporters, arguing how every game really does count – unless it’s an SEC team. The argument is lame. The system is lame. It still needs to be fixed.

But the only time people seem to make noise about it is when their team is left out (like Oklahoma State this year and Auburn a few years ago). Maybe that will open their eyes and they’ll keep shouting for a playoff even after this season. I’m not holding my breath. Success and national accolades seems to make it easy to whitewash what’s really wrong with a system (read: Colts with Peyton Manning vs. Colts with an injured Peyton Manning). It’s a house of cards waiting to topple. But it’s easy to just look away when that happens. And the supporters will keep saying, “Hey – at least the right team won the championship,” even though we have no idea if the right team really did win.

But I’ve come to the conclusion that things will not begin to change unless the primary sponsors (Vizio, Tostitos, Allstate, and Discover Card) start feeling the pinch. Things will not begin to change unless the station carrying the games (ESPN for the foreseeable future) starts seeing a ratings decline. That’s the only way things will change. Since “Occupy ______” has become the  new trend, I have decided to throw my support behind the Occupy BCS movement (#OccupyBCS, @DeathToTheBCS). I haven’t watched a BS game since Boise State beat Oklahoma – and I really haven’t missed anything. I invite you to join me. If there’s ever going to be any real change in the broken college football system, it has to begin with the people rising up and saying “No more!” And the only way our voice will be heard is if we stop giving the college football Fat Cats what they want – eyeballs on their games and butts in their seats. The only way our voice will be heard is if we stop watching the games!

Watch anything else. In fact, here’s a schedule of other shows on TV Monday night. Or better yet: turn the TV off. Read a book. Play Ninja Burger with your kids. Write a letter. Go to bed early. I don’t think it matters.

After all, you’re not going to miss anything on Monday night. You already saw that game once.

It’s time for the People to rise up! Join the Occupy BCS Movement!

Sermons By Matt has samples of some of my messages and a page where I can be contacted. It will soon have a copy of my resume, too.

So – if anyone needs a guest preacher anytime in the near (or not-so-near) future, I’m your guy!  

The music industry has the Grammys.

Broadway has the Tonys and the Gospel Music Association has the Doves.

None compare, however, to the honor bestowed every year at MattDanTodd.com. Well…almost every year…

The 2011 Ralphies!!

In case you don’t remember what the Ralphies are, or want to see the past winners, you can refresh your memory here. And you may be wondering why I keep naming the award after a professor that I’ve never met. Well…it’s become tradition. And some traditions are not meant to be broken.

Or something like that.

Anyway, enough of the delay. Let’s end the suspense and see who this year’s winners are. I’m sure you’re about to fall out of your seat in anticipation. So in order to save you from potentially breaking your collar bone when you slip off the edge of your seat and ultimately try to sue me for causing you personal bodily harm (good luck with that…you might be able to get the Dallas Clark jersey from off my back cuz that’s about all I have), I now present to you the winners of the 2011 Ralphies:

(drumroll please…)

Best Movie

The Help

This was one of the most powerful films I’ve seen in a long, long time. I laughed. I cried (well…almost). I found myself getting extremely angry at the ignorance that was accepted as the norm and found myself quite angry at the ignorance that continues to be accepted as the norm. This was not a fun film, but it was definitely thought-provoking and conversation-starting. That’s one of the purposes of art and film, and The Help is certainly a powerful piece of art.

Honorable Mention:

The Way

I have a soft spot in my heart for this movie. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very well done film. But Christy and I saw this at the opening night of the Heartland Film Festival, with Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez in attendance. I still need to write that blog post about it (and update my 100(ish) Things), but The Way certainly needs to be mentioned in this year’s awards list. Any other year, I think it would have won the Ralphie. Yes – The Help is that good.

Best Album

With the arrival of Spotify into my life, I have been able to rediscover all kinds of music that had fallen by the wayside in my life. I don’t think I’ve purchased a single album this year, but I did listen to a lot of new-to-me music thanks to Spotify! In thinking about what I’d name the Best Album of 2011, I had to consider what I found myself listening to whenever I had the opportunity. So, it really should come as no surprise that I’ve rediscovered my love for John Williams by listening to a soundtrack that I never owned. And I have listened to it over and over and over again. After all, John Williams is a genius (and the MAN).

Revenge of the Sith Soundtrack

Best Song

Hold Me by Jamie Grace

I’ll have to find the video of Mihret singing this song, then you’ll understand why this just might be the best song ever.

Best Book (Fiction)

The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson

It’s no secret that I love the Wingfeather Saga. It’s no secret that Aiden does, too. We love talking about the story with each other. Of course, we still have to talk in code when we’re around other family members because they haven’t read the books yet. I’m not sure what they’re waiting for!

Monster in the Hollows is a definite page-turner. I could not put the book down or read it fast enough – especially the last 150 pages or so. Of course, you can’t read the third book without reading the other two. I highly recommend you go out and read them right now before the final installment is published.

Unfortunately, that won’t be until 2013.

Yes. I said 2013. I’m not sure what Aiden and I are going to do with ourselves while we wait to find out what happens to the Wingfeathers! I guess we’ll have to find out, huh?

Best Book (Nonfiction)

No Biking in the House Without a Helmet by Melissa Fay Greene

There isn’t much to say about this book that hasn’t already been said in reviews about this book. It’s a great book and should be read by anyone who is considering adoption and by families already touched by adoption.

Best TV Show

Breaking In on Fox

It seems that TV execs still don’t understand me, as this is the 2nd year in a row that they’ve canceled the show that has won a Ralphie from me.

Maybe I’m the kiss of death.

If that’s the case, then I’m putting the cast of The Big Bang Theory on notice: You’d better watch out and start dusting off your resumes because that show is a close second for a Ralphie. It’s already in the running for the 2012 Ralphies.

You’ve been warned.

Best Sports Moment

I’ve added a new category this year. I thought long and hard about this one. I considered Shelvin Mack and the ending to the Butler vs. Pitt game in the tournament.  I also thought about Dan Orlovsky’s first win as a starter in the NFL.

But they don’t measure up to this…

Really…are you surprised? I didn’t think so. And if you were, then you need to visit MattDanTodd a little bit more often.

So, that wraps up another round of Ralphies. I’d love to hear your choices for Best of 2011!

Tagged: andrew peterson, awards, Best of 2011, Best of..., Breaking In, Heartland Film Festival, international adoption, Jamie Grace, Melissa Fay Greene, Ralphies, The Help, Wingfeather Saga ]]> http://mattdantodd.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/2011-ralphies-are-here/feed/ 0 mattdantodd 2011 Ralphies!! Monster in the Hollows No Biking in the House... http://mattdantodd.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/2011-in-review/ http://mattdantodd.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/2011-in-review/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:18:23 +0000 mattdantodd http://mattdantodd.wordpress.com/?p=3630 ]]> The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 6,300 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Did you know Santa has an sister who was adopted from Kenya? Well…this Santa did, anyway. You could see the sparkle in his eye when he talked to us about our beautifully conspicuous family.

Tagged: Christmas 2011, international adoption, santa, Santa Claus, the kids, Yes Virgina there is a Santa Claus ]]> http://mattdantodd.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/santa-and-the-kids-2011-edition/feed/ 0 mattdantodd Santa and Kids 2011 http://mattdantodd.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/still-gives-me-chills/ http://mattdantodd.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/still-gives-me-chills/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:26:00 +0000 mattdantodd http://mattdantodd.wordpress.com/?p=3618 ]]> I know. It’s been 11 days.

I cannot, however, continue with this blog without sharing these three amazing videos. The first one still gives me chills. It makes me want to rush the court in our Living Room, like Aiden and I may or may not have done when we first watched the shot go in.

The other two videos? Just hilarious.

To my friends and family who are big fans of KY, I’m sorry. To everyone else…

You’re welcome.