It's a Major Award! F-R-A-G-I-L-E

I have now been a member of this dynamic blogging world for just about two months…and so far not a single regret. What was intended to simply be a venue for airing my laughs, frustrations, snarky commentary…has swiftly developed into a new little virtual community, circle of friends, never-ending source of laughter and tears. Who knew???

I entered this sphere with the understanding that I may never have a single reader that isn’t a blood relative, merely perusing my ramblings out of sheer obligation. I was and still am fine with that reality. I didn’t necessarily start down this exhilarating path to entertain anyone, rather to spout off the overflow that my husband (“the gentleman”) couldn’t manage to absorb on his own.

In the two months since introducing my family, thoughts, laughs and hurts through my writing to the blogosphere I’ve met some amazing people in return…writers, mommies, comedians, runners, cooks…some of which are all of the above. The warmth and friendship in my life has flourished exponentially because of all of you. To discover that two different women thought enough of what I’ve shared with the world to mention me for blogging awards is more than flattering…it’s certainly unexpected and humbling.

A couple of weeks ago, Roe from Ramblings From an Upside Down Life listed me along with many wonderful bloggers as a recipient of the Kreativ Blogger award. And just this week, the lovely You Know It Happens At Your House Too granted me the Sunshine Award. I adore both of their blogs as well…so PLEASE do check them out if you aren’t already devoted readers (while simultaneously forgiving me for SUCKING at appropriately placing blog links in my text).


Although there is no red carpet, golden statues or Joan Rivers commentary involved…I have to say I’m very thankful for this. I know how I feel about what exists in my world…but to know that others can identify or at the very least, glean a few laughs from my blab then it is all well worthwhile. The true reward for ME is to read what YOU have to share…I love laughing, crying and learning with you all. I don’t know that I can list every single blog that I read regularly within this post along with why I think they’re all so spectacular…it would be a never-ending read. Instead please keep your eyes open for my blog list to the right. I keep it updated and swap in some new links from time to time so please do check these talented people out…you may just find someone you connect with, who may make your day that much brighter.


In addition to giving some bloggy love and shout-outs the requirement upon receiving the award is to share 10 things about myself…some of which you may have already gotten from my posts. BUT…I’ll try to dig up a few unknowns:

1 – GLITTER: If you get nothing else from this list, know that I abso-freakin-lutely detest any and all things glitter. ALL. Birthday cards, apparel, decorations. All glitter. It never comes off. It’s a mess. No matter how long I scrub I will forever have that one speck of glitter on my nose, tormenting my eyeballs and making me crazy. Needless to say, my children’s exposure to and experience with glitter has existed only in school. I’m good with that.

2 – CROCS: I hate Crocs with all that I have and am. They have no place on the feet of anyone but a gardener or MAYbe a preschool girl. That’s all. They most certainly do NOT belong on a grown man who particularly enjoys wearing them two sizes too big and of course with SOCKs. Know that it is not a good look and could very well get you tea-bagged by yours truly.

3 – WATER: I know you’re sensing a trend…and no I’m not just going to tell you about all of the things that make my skin crawl. I do actually enjoy quite a bit out of life. Water is one of them. Although I’m a landlocked, Midwest born and raised, girl…I am a water child at heart. When I’m near the ocean I am tranquilized. The tide rolls with the beat of my heart and I feel complete with my toes in the sand. I’ve taken my family on vacation once (with a second coming this summer) where we spent a week at the Outer Banks, NC…and I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to find that my kids, too, were happy spending morning to evening at the water’s edge. We woke to eat breakfast, pack lunch and snacks, donned our beachwear and hit the sand until it was time for dinner. Every. Day. Now that’s MY idea of vacation.

4 – GEEK: I was a band geek in school and frankly, I still am. And I wasn’t just well-versed in one instrument. Oh no. No…I completely immersed myself in the world of school band. I played flute, piccolo, tenor saxophone, I twirled a flag, a rifle AND was the drum major for two years. Yep…head band geek right here. So…feel free to give a virtual wedgie or shove me in my locker. The only thing I had going for me (thwarting potential bullies) was my freakish height…wait, no…that WASN’T working for me was it. Not a single athletic bone in my body. Damn wasted height.

5 – DRIVING: I’m an aggressive driver, in a very skillful and calculated way. I have little tolerance for shitty drivers…including my husband. That would be why I’m at the wheel 99.9% of the time. I spent my formative driving years in the city of Chicago so really, the aggression was thrust upon me…I had no choice but to acquiesce.

6 – FOOD: Despite little to no direction in the kitchen through childhood, I somehow managed to self-teach (and by self-teach I mean watching copious amounts of Food Network). These days I LOVE to cook, bake, experiment, add twists to traditional recipes, all of it…I love being in my kitchen. Sometimes, standing in front of my chopping board with my psycho-lookin’ Cutco knife and a bottle of red can actually be quite therapeutic…and tends to keep interruptions at bay. Solitude.

7 – BORING: I’m not a risk-taker by nature. Rather, I tend to be a creature of habit who will forever have the voice of change biting in my ear. I typically ignore that voice but I have been known to succumb from time to time in the past. When I was 21 I was drowning in the midst of a grueling daily routine of two jobs and full-time college coursework. My day started at 5:30am working at the gym, moving on to my afternoon job from 2-6pm, then class until 9pm…almost always squeezing in a workout afterward, getting to bed typically around midnight. So you can imagine after a couple of years I was exhausted. My best friend and I decided to just pack it all up…and move. I decided to take a much-needed break from school, arranged to work at a local gym affiliate in our new town, secured an apartment via phone, sold all of our furniture, packed up our cars and moved to Florida. It was an adventure…the experience of a lifetime that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Needless to say, being the homebody and family freak that I am, I was back home within six months…again, wouldn’t trade THAT for the world either.

8 – STORMS: I am fascinated with thunderstorms and tornadoes…downright obsessed. In Indiana, we’ve seen our fair share. I grew up completely terrified at the mere sight of ominous clouds in the west. Heat lightening on a hot, humid July night could spark insomnia at the first hot orange flash. To this day when the news warns of inclement weather I am GLUED to the tube…when I’m not watching from my porch. There is something about the rumbling of the earth with the clap of thunder, the electricity in the air with the blinding flash that energizes my soul. I firmly believe if I could safely experience a juicy storm while sitting on a beach, my spirit would be complete.

9 – PETS: Ugh…I hate admitting this because I know it generally falls on unsympathetic and sometimes slightly judgmental eyes/ears…but I’m just not a pet person. Not one bit. Our children, however, are naturally a whole different story. In the last decade or so (Jesus, has it been that long??) I’ve thankfully been allowed the defense that we simply cannot house an animal due to my husband’s severe allergies and asthma. Fine…works for me. I’m good with that. In recent years, our children’s repeated pleas for a family pet has met unwavering resistance from the both of us. I just can’t do it. I can barely (and by barely I mean not in the slightest) keep up with cleaning this house spoiled by the wreckage of three children. There is no way in hell I can manage cleaning up after a pet who is essentially a child times ten. Or in other words, a 2nd husband. Who needs that?? I don’t expect the children will fall short of begging for their own pet anytime soon…we’ve received threatening letters, pointing out every inconsistency in my defense for no pets and I’ve been asked TWICE now if after Daddy’s demise, can we THEN get a doggy?? I’m sure the quest will continue. I’m prepared.

10 – BLISSFULLY DISCONTENTED: It means just what it says and it is at the very core of who I am. I enjoy wanting more. There is something rewarding about the hunt for something more fulfilling. It has been a point of contention over the years between the hubs and me…but I firmly believe he is starting to see this as my strength…as an important quality that will forever keep our family moving forward. We are a good balance, the gentlemen and me. He loves stability, non-rocking boats, predictability, routine, safety…all of which I appreciate while at the same time detest. My body will forever be on a “semester” calendar…must be the 15 years it took me to get through undergrad and grad school. It’s that cyclical nature of my existence that keeps me itching, pushing, yearning for something new and different, better, exhilarating, unknown. If I were on my own, I firmly believe I would be on a never-ending self-destructive path of one adventure after another. Likewise for the gentleman, without me he would be comfy and cozy in safe little hermit hole of a life, never stepping out or taking a chance. Together we fit…it works for us. I am thankful each and every day that he keeps me grounded…and blissfully discontented.