My blog year in review: 2013

I've done a lot more writing this year than in year's past. In fact, I've written more the past two months than I have the past two years with the start of a new blog project on an additional site. I've also done some guest blogging the past few weeks, which is always fun.

I continue to be grateful to the Mountain Home News for providing me with this platform to share my work because otherwise I'd have to post it to Facebook and I'm not sure even my mom would read it there.

This week's edition of the Mountain Home News will feature a look back at the year's top stories. I thought it would be an appropriate time to take a look back at my favorite blogs this year as well, from all the sites my work was published. The title of each blog is hyperlinked, which means you can click on the link to read the original post.

10. Giving tree brings hard realities, spreads joy

I've really enjoyed getting to know Mountain Home again since I moved back full time in May, so I welcomed the chance earlier this month to give back to the community and to do my part in helping ensure one local kid got an extra special Christmas. I wrote about it in hopes it would encourage others to also give back to the community.

I do a lot of writing and most of it is full of shenanigans, such as this post about keeping a rescued moose, so I enjoy it when I have a chance to do something positive with my work. Earlier this year I helped a longtime friend put the finishing touches on a fundraising campaign for a service trip in Uganda.

9. Why Jason Collins' decision to come out is significant

I like to write on social issues and try to present answers to questions people might have on things that happen in hopes readers gain a further understanding of the issue, even if it doesn't change their view points. When a NBA player came out this summer a common question was "So? Who cares?" or "Why is this news?" As I explained in this post, high profile people coming out is significant until it's not anymore, and the more that come out the quicker it reaches that point.

8. 27 things that happened since the Miami Heat last lost a game.

Readers love list posts and I took my first shot at creating my own after the Miami Heat's 27-game win streak came to an end in March. A lot of things happened during the 54 days between the Heat's losses.

Later in the year I responded to eHarmony's own list on eHarmony's own list post on 15 reasons to date a lawyer and offered 26 examples of humanity from the events in Boston.

Speaking of Boston, Dee Villarreal shared what it was like to be near the Boston Marathon finish line as chaos ensured.

7. A&E suspends Phil, internet users become Constitution experts

The Internet exploded with claims of First Amendment violations when A&E decided to suspend Phil Robertson in a publicity stunt for comments he made to GQ. The only problem with their claims was that freedom of speech protects you from the government and not cable TV networks.

6. DGBB: Break, break, breakin' the law!

A friend of mine asked me participate in her December Guest Blog Blitz, when each post during the month is written by a guest blogger. So I decided to have some fun with it and write something I'd never write on my own blog.

5. Utah district court's ruling could be most significant ruling in fight for marriage equality

I totally nerded out prior to writing this blog. As news broke that a court in Utah declared the state's law to be unconstitutional, I started hearing, "If it can happen in Utah, maybe it will happen in Idaho next."

The state of Utah had nothing to do with overturning the voter-approved amendment limiting marriage to one man and one woman. A federal judge made that determination. The decision could be THE case that decides our generation's largest civil rights issue. It's fascinating from a legal stand point, yet so few people understood just how fascinating and sufficient this case could end up being.

4. A closer look at the Hawthorne Police Department, which recently shot a man's dog after arresting him for filming police officers, shows a disturbing history of police misconduct

This post, like the ones that follow, was shared across the Internet multiple times. It was fun getting emails with links to sites that linked back to this post or that lifted entire quotes from the blog. This post taught me that people get more fired up about dogs getting shot by police than they do when people get shot by police and that there are very little repercussions, if any, for officers that shoot animals.

I also learned there is no requirement for police officers to report to any national agency how many times police officers fire their weapons at dogs or people. In Chicago, a police officer was allowed back on the street after being involved in two shootings in a short time because the department does not have a way to track which of their officers are involved in shootings and when. That officer ended up shooting another man. It was the officer's third shooting incident in six months and his second fatality during that span.

3. So long, coach Pete

This post was a huge success and it almost didn't happen. I spent about 27 minutes knocking it out just before I left town when it was announced Chris Petersen would be leaving Boise State for the University of Washington. It ended up being the most read post of the year as it was shared by Vandals all across Facebook. Not only did this single post get about half of my blog's total hits on the year by itself, it got more hits than any other blog on this site did for the entire year. That's a lot of people. I'd move it up further on this list based on that alone but picking on Boise State fans is just too easy.

2. War on Christianity

I wrote this post a few days after knocking out number seven on this list. Equal Rights Washington's Facebook page picked it up and it was shared about 20 times on that site and more than 60 likes. It also sparked a lot of dialog in my own life that has caused me to spend a lot of time thinking about my own thoughts on the topic. I write in hopes I can challenge the way people think or force them to think about something in a different manner, but it's not very often I end up challenging my own beliefs with something I write.

1. Reality check: Park and Rec's Ben Wyatt gives Ron Swanson will advice

This was my favorite blog to write this year. I tried a new concept: use a clip from a popular TV show to explain a rule of law. A good column should educate or entertain the readers. A great column does both and this post is packed full of legal information while still being fun to read. The best part about it was being Tweeted by Ron Swanson's Twitter account after I posted it there. That led to this exchange with a friend:

"You know that he probably doesn't run his own account, right? He probably has NBC staff members that do it for him."

"You realize he's a fictional character, right?"