I wish it were raining $100 bills. That would be nice. I could pay off our new dishwasher that we had to buy because our old one was a piece of junk and I didn’t want to continue washing dishes by hand, and… Oh, wait. Sorry I was daydreaming for a moment.
It’s actually raining fun blogging awards! Back in May I got my first notification that I was being given a blogging award and I had no idea what to do. So, I didn’t do anything. You see, I was still a baby blogger back then and I was faking it ‘til I made it!
Fast forward 6 months and I’m finally figuring it out. I’m a bit slow on the uptake sometimes. Or maybe just tardy. (I think chronic lateness is a permanent side effect of my pregnancies.) Back in college I perfected the art of procrastination, and I’ve been an expert ever since. And, there may be a little bit of early-onset dementia rearing its ugly head in there somewhere. Whatever.
Three different blogging friends have bestowed three different blogging awards on me. It’s very cool that these gals thought of me and I appreciate it. Now I have to go through and try to answer all of the questions and jump through the little hoops of each award. So, here we go.
First up is the Stylish Blogger Award, given to me back in May. Yup. May. I know. I feel bad for taking so long. Now, first things first. When I hear the word “stylish,” I do NOT think of myself. Not one bit. So, it was a bit surprising to have someone think of me this way! Yay! There’s hope after all. Kathleen at Celiac Baby! gave me this surprising title. Thank you for that!
Next is the Blog on Fire Award, given to me in September by the fabulous Cari of Bubble Gum on My Shoe. I know I’m a procrastinator. (Just like with writing my guest post for her blog, too. Do you still love me, Cari? I have the idea, I promise. I just have to write it!) She has the patience of a saint, people. I don’t know why she even agreed to write the 2 guest posts on my blog that she has. I doubt she’ll ever write for me again unless I get my act together. I digress… So, with this award I am apparently a hot commodity. Hot? That goes right along with stylish in my book. Not gonna happen. But, she thinks I’ve got a good thing going here, so to that I say a sincere thank you to her for even thinking of me. Last is the Liebster Award, very recently given to me by a dear friend of mine, Kate of Compulsively Writing Fiction. She and I met in college and became fast friends. She is now a published author (way to go, Kate!) and you should check her stuff out. Oh, and by the way, the Liebster award is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. Wow. That’s a lot of nice stuff, isn’t it? Thank you, Kate. That means a lot coming from you, my dear.
Each of these awards has different “rules.” First I’m supposed to write something about myself. For the Stylish Blogger Award, I am supposed to write 7 things and for the Blog on Fire Award, it’s 5-7 things. No such requirement for the Liebster Award. All 3 awards indicate that I should name the next recipients – 10 for the Stylish Blogger Award, 1 for the Blog on Fire Award, and 5 for the Liebster Award. All of them are supposed to link back to the person who gave me the award (already checked that one off the list!). When I’m done with this post I am supposed to notify the new winners by visiting their blogs and leaving a comment.
Since it’s my blog, I’ll accept the awards the way I want to (and I don’t want to be up until 3am typing). I am going to combine the part where I’m supposed to tell you about myself and do 7 total. Consolidation is a good thing, people. Besides, I don’t know if I could come up with more than that anyway. Then, instead of naming 16 different blogs all together, I will only name one recipient for each award. Yes, I’m a cheater and I’m okay with that.
Here are 7 things about you me that you might find interesting:
1. I’m a bonafide matchmaker. I introduced my college roommate to her husband, who also happened to be one of my good friends from high school.
2. I have an unhealthy obsession with kitchen gadgets and office supplies. Some women like shoes or makeup or jewelry. Me? Not so much. Give me an hour inside the Kitchen Collection factory outlet store or Staples and I’m in heaven. It’s like crack to me.
Ooooh! This gadget only has 1 use and I would only need it maybe once a year or so, but it’s soooo cool! I want it! I know I’ll use it eventually…
Wow, there are a lot of designer binder clips! Who knew they came in such cool colors and prints? I need them...and these neat organizing bins, too. I don’t have one in that size yet.
3. I am royalty – the many generations removed, mutt variety. I’m distantly related to Mary Queen of Scots. Yes, that’s right. And, yes, she was executed for treason. But royalty is royalty, my friends.
4. I do not like boats. I live in the land of camping, fishing, hiking and boating, but I don’t like boats. Not one bit. My husband has romanticized about getting one when we “have money” and I think he’s figured it out by now that we will NEVER own one. Almost all the times I have been on a boat something has gone really wrong. Very seriously wrong. It’s like I step in and it’s jinxed. The propeller breaks in the middle of a huge lake, the oar mount comes loose as we are being swept out to sea with the tide… You name it. The only kind of boat I feel somewhat less anxious about are the big boats, like cruise ships and ferry boats.
5. I can physically pick my husband up off the ground. He’s 13 inches taller and 100 pounds heavier than me. I am that strong. It started out as a dare when we were engaged and hanging out with some friends. I shocked everyone there, and I did it more than once. Yes, indeed. Better not mess with this chick. Maybe I should train to be an Olympic power lifter?
6. I’ve always been a bit frumpy – and nothing has changed in that department. I have never fit with the “in” crown. Have I got a story for you! Here is proof: I was on a business trip about a year after I got married. I was staying in a swanky hotel in downtown San Francisco when a group of us gals who knew each other from across our respective region in the company decided to grab a cab and head out to a club. Mind you, I am not a clubbing type of gal. Never have been. I went along for the ride just to hang out with the girls. I thought, “Eh, no big deal.”
We ended up in front of this place that had, I kid you not, Hells Angels posted outside as bouncers. With the leather vests, motorcycles and everything. I know! And, this was in the days before I had a cell phone. I wasn’t about to chicken out and be left by myself to catch a cab in downtown Frisco while standing next to some scary looking biker dudes. There was no turning back as we headed inside the club. All I remember is that the music made my ears feel like they could start bleeding at any moment, and there were a lot of goth type folks inside. Me? Are you kidding? I dressed up to go out! I was wearing my business casual slacks, a business-y blouse and a black cardigan, wearing a strand of freshwater pearls, some sensible shoes, and carrying a doctor-bag purse. Yep. So NOT cool. I stuck out like a sore thumb. I was feeling very self-conscious and was wildly trying to keep eyes on my friends so I didn’t lose them in the pressing crowd. They were dancing and having a good time. Then something strange occurred. A guy asked me to dance. This was the first time since high school! I decided I would accept the guy’s offer to dance because he looked fairly normal and he was respectful toward me. And, I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. I was a happily married woman proudly wearing my ring (and it’s no slouch, so it was easily noticeable). I figured it would only be 3 minutes of my life. Which leads me to my next point:
7. I cannot dance. At all. Well, maybe in my car. But, if I try to dance in a “regular” way I look like a complete dweeb. I can kind of move around a bit, but there is no flair whatsoever. It’s less like Elaine from Seinfeld and more like a wallflower attempting to quietly groove to the music. So, to end the story (I wouldn’t want to leave you hanging), our group left the club shortly thereafter with deaf ears and no incidences requiring the Hells Angels involvement. Oh, and the best part? My husband’s reaction when I called him the next day to tell him about how I danced with a guy in a club with Hells Angels out front. That. was. priceless.
My picks for the new recipients of the awards are:
Stylish Blogger Award: Haydn’s World – A good daddy blog is rare and this one is a gem. I am awarding Ryan the Stylish Blogger Award because he has such a unique perspective and a thorough yet well-spoken style of writing. He offers a great glimpse into the process of raising a son with Asperger Syndrome. Blog on Fire Award: Raising Complicated Kids – The Accidental Expert offers an easy flair to her writing about life with kids who have multiple special needs, like Asperger’s, bipolar and ADHD. Her posts are just plain fun to read. I’m awarding her the Blog on Fire Award because she’s doing such a great job! Liebster Award: OK. I know I said I was only going to list one winner per award, but I really couldn’t pick between 2 great blogs. So, it’s a double whammy! I guess that makes me less of a cheater now for skimping on the winners… J In no particular order the winners are:
Running to Be Still – Krismac is a mom to a son with autism. There is a true genuine nature to her writing. I like that she isn’t afraid to share some of her more tender moments with her son. Four Sea Stars – Lizbeth has 3 young kids, 1 with Asperger’s. Her approach is open and humorous. I can laugh and relate because I have so been there. All of these blogs are well worth the time to go visit! Read them, leave comments, and let them know I sent you!
One last time I’d like to say a sincere thank you to the bloggers who gave me these awards. I am so happy to pass them on to the next group of folks. My job here is done.
