It’s that time of year again…time for lists! Of things! What? You mean you didn’t listen to Dr. Dog this year?? You should be ashamed!! You didn’t see Burn After Reading? You sorry fool! JK. But in the spirit of the thousands of lists floating around, we thought we’d give you our favorite things. Or we’re giving them to ourselves to remember what we liked. And perhaps turn this into a book and make millions and travel forever. Yay!

Jaime’s fave albums to listen to in the manor
5) New Mates of State and +/-. Eff you, Pitchfork. These are good records and you need a diaper change.
4) Dr. Dog, Fate and Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours. They remind me of packing up the house for this little trip. And they remind me of this little trip.
3) Haley Bonar, Big Star. Local girl who never really stuck with me, till now.
2) Beach House. And Ratatat.
1) Chet Baker.

Jaime’s most favoritist to listen to in the car: Still Flyin. Do you like haunted houses? Do you love hangovers? DO YOU LIVE FOR THE HAMMJAMM? Then this is for u.

Jacob’s favorite newly discovered artists on this trip
5) Vampire Hands. Yes, another vampire band. But this one’s from MPLS and it’s GOOD.
4) Death Vessel. Describe themselves as “soft rot.” I think that sums it up.
3) Still Flyin’. See Jaime’s review above.
2) Jumbling Towers (THIS SHIZ IS AMAZING, PEOPLE!)
1) Emitt Rhodes
(honorable mention: White Denim, Mitch Hedberg, The War on Drugs)

Jacob’s favorite albums on the road
5) Chet Baker, Career: 1952-1988
4) Calexico, Carried to Dust
3) Dr. Dog, Fate
2) +/-, Xs On Your Eyes
1) Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours

Jacob’s favorite songs from mix CDs given to him
5) “(Marie’s the Name of) His Latest Flame,” Elvis, Mike’s Mix
4) “Vapour Trail,” Ride, Susie’s Mix
3) “Tora, Tora, Tora,” Pretty + Nice, Troy’s mix Listen
2) “Granny Takes a Trip,” The Purple Gang, Travis Mix
1) “Dismal Day,” Bread, Mike’s Mix. You can listen and watch an awesome video here. It’s totally sweet. Think of us driving and singing and striving to hit those high notes.

Jaime’s fave bloggy sites she visits every time she’s on the web
- painted fish studio: my sister’s design/art/local/craft blog that teaches you how to make awesome things and go awesome places.
- heck’s kitchen: the original blog, this gem first came online in 6BD (before dog). i hate it when she doesn’t post.
- doodledee: my old coworker dave’s blog. he doesn’t keep it updated much, but he tweets a lot and they’re funny. also, by old i meant an old man. let’s see if i get a comment from that. but really, jk. he worked at my last job at a super awesome place that i hope someday i can go back to.
- hamburger(hotdog): read about jimi foster. he decided one day to move to cairo. he’s my definition of nuttyballs.
- The Write Ingredients: where I read about local (mpls) foods and yummy things like that. thanks jenn!
- My friend Erin’s blog about her twins. I’m not going to post the link because that might just be weird, but Erin is totally awesome and decided to be a single mom and now has the cutest family ever.
(honorable mention: only because it just started, kindness of ravens, from our friends katie and troy of raven + crow studio. i’m so happy that they’re web logging!!)

Fave theaters
5) The Uptown, Washingtonc, DC. Just cuz we love it and spent many a night there early on in our relationship (with the mice).
4) Proctors, Schenectady, NY. We got a tour of it, thanks to cousin Rick. Amazing!
3) Pot Belly, St. Augustine, FL. Old, smelly, full of crap, and totally awesome.
2) Arcadia, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Where we saw Burn After Reading.
1) Traverse City, Michigan. We will see you again. And we will become BFFs with Michael Moore. Mark my words.

Places we didn’t expect to go but enjoyed and think more peeps should go
5) Ocracoke, NC. Ask for the lady who makes fig jam. And buy lots.
4) Chattanooga, TN. Bring your bike!
3) Balsam Mountain, NC. Ask for Jim & Leslie. Wonderfulnice people.
2) St. Louis, MO. Make sure you have Tory, Carrie, Jerome, Violet, Paul and Betsy as tour guides.
1) Jim Thorpe, PA. Stroll the old winding hilly streets.

Best places to ride a bike
5) Marquette, MI.
4) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Who knew? Pitt is a pretty cool city.
3) Traverse City, MI. I think we’ll start to vacation here.
2) Chincoteague Island, VA. Not touristy. In the fall, at least. We got up at 6:30am one morning to bike to watch the sun rise.
1) Key West, Fl. Just decent on and off road trails, but we’re in paradise, so that bumps up the biking!

Best meals we cooked in Ambrose Manor
5) Salads. We don’t cook them, I guess, but we eat them almost every day. With dried fruit, nuts, goat cheese and a homemade sweetish vinaigrette.
4) Grilled salmon with cheesy potatoes.
3) Mini ‘zas made with flat bread.
2) Cheesy penne pasta with cauliflower. We ate it for 4 meals. It contained heavy cream, creme fraiche, gruyere, lots of butter. And parmesan.
1) Pan-fried breaded black drum and mullet (fish) with tart spinach salad; we caught the fish earlier that day from the Rodanthe Pier.

Best new foods we discovered
5) Half and half (what took us so long? This makes even bad coffee an awesome treat)
4) Pecan butter (made by Brian Lips in a food processor; ingredients: pecans)
3) Pummelos (a grapefruit/orange hybrid that cut into wedges like a pie)
2) Morels (nutty mushrooms with insane texture, found by Paul and Betsy in the Illinois wilderness)
1) Red Navel oranges (Holy shit these are good. Sweet, juicy, with pink/red flesh and utterly addictive. Like candy)

Best meals out
5) Ria’s Bluebird, Atlanta, GA. Breakfast with cousins Warren, Kate and Andie.
4) Coopers, Raleigh. You might not use the bathroom for a week, but 1 million hush puppies, BBQ and amazing veggies sides for under $10 is totally worth it.
3) El Siboney, Key West, FL. Cuban.
2) Vegetate, with Ms. Jenny Miller and Chez, Washington, D.C. Amazing.
1) Bombay Talkie, Indian, with Cheryl, Justin, Deirdre, John, Katie, Troy, for Jacob’s 32nd birthday, New York
(honorable mention: 4 kinds of cake for dinner for Jaime’s birthday from that little cafe near Brian Lips’s house. Yummers.)

Best microbrews
5) Sweetwater, Atlanta. Cuz Warren got us a biiiig bottle and we drank it like water.
4) Big Boss, Raleigh, NC. Angry Angel. Holy Moly. Yummy Yummy.
3) City Brew, Knoxville, TN. Enjoyed yummy brews with Ian and Terumi while talking about being pregnant and raising childrens.
2) Front Street Brewery, Wilmington, NC. We picked up a growler and drank it during our last movie at the Cucalorus Film Fest.
1) Schlafly, St. Louis. Specifically, their No. 15. Jaime believes it to be the best beer on the planet.

Best state parks
5) Hillsborough, near Tampa, FL
4) Blue Spring, Orange Shitty, FL
3) Raccoon, Pittsburgh, PA
2) Kiptopeke, Eastern Shore, VA
1) Anastasia, St. Augustine, FL

Best RV parks
5) Tourist Park, Marquette, MI
4) Pine Lake, Athens, GA
3) Dalrymple, Bayfield, WI
2) Suncoast, Port Richey, FL
1) Ocean Waves, Rodanthe, NC

Best movies seen in on trip
5) Good Dick
4) Explicit Ills
3) London to Brighton
2) Yella
1) Grocer’s Son
(honorable mentions: Klopka (The Trap), Burn After Reading. Dishonorable mention: Australia. Awfulralia? Does that sum it up?)