An Honor to be Nominated

Everybody says that when they're giving their acceptance speech, like it's a requirement.  But when I found out that Pitlandia nominated us for The Beautiful Blogger and One Lovely Blog awards, honestly?  I thought she was kidding.  We read blogs that get awards, we don't write them.  Seriously, I have been blogging here and there since 2004, people.  Admittedly, I'm a lurker and haven't made much of an attempt to lure readers and I do have some posts that I am especially proud of, but really I am completely floored and beyond honored to be nominated.

So the rules are there ain't no rules...ok that was a little Grease channeling, I couldn't help myself.  Ok so the requirements are:

Copy the awards logos and place it in your post. 

Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them in your post.  (Thank you, thank you, thank you Pitlandia)  We are new fans/readers of theirs and I think Ray has a bit of a crush on Athena.  Go check them out right now.

Nominate other bloggers you admire.

Contact your chosen bloggers and let them know.

One extra requirement for the One Lovely Blog award is to share seven things about yourself.

So, here are six things about me and one about Ray.

1.  I love to shop.  I am happy shopping for nearly anything.  I can occupy myself in a hardware store, at the mall, at a kiosk if you sell it, I want to shop it.  I love to shop and I'm pretty darn good at it.  I can find a deal blindfolded.

2.  I like busting stereotypes.  I drive a four door, four wheel drive pickup truck (named Fernando, pronounced Fer-nahn-do) ...usually I'm wearing 4" heels and a dress and I'm the only female in the office who plays fantasy football.  Yeah, I can wield a mean sledgehammer in heels, too.

3.  I know everything there is to know about the shrimping business.  Ok, that's a lie, but I do like a good movie quote or reference sprinkled in the conversation.

4.  I will give you the shirt off my back or the last dollar in my wallet if I thought you needed it, but I hate asking for help myself and I have little patience for people who seem to not be able to do simple things for themselves.

5.  I once won the Poise and Appearance award in a pageant.

6.  I used to say that even though I love cats, I probably wouldn't want to live with one.  I now have three.  After our chow chow passed away, I said I didn't want another dog.  Then I wanted to foster a black elderbull.  I ended up adopting a mostly white puppy.

7.  Ray still squats like a girl when he pees. 

Ok, enough about me, on to those bloggers whom I truly admire.  Here is the hard part:  Most of the bloggers I follow are quite well established and a nomination from me might feel a tad presumptuous, but here goes nothin'.  I would like to add that everyone that Pitlandia nominated would be on my list as well but that would just be too copy catty.

First and foremost would be The One in Heels.  I have followed this chick from blog to blog since her kid was well, a kid.  He is now an adult and I am still an avid follower.  I can't gush enough about her.  She is real but not raw and incredibly up on the latest...everything.  She would be at the top of my list of bloggers I'd  like to meet because she, like me, seems to be nice but not that nice.  After all, not everyone can be Claree.

Honestly, I don't know exactly why, but I'm slightly obsessed with Pittieful Love.  I actually started reading them after Knox passed and those posts nearly did me in.  But the whole "ready to take a chance on love again" with Chocko who is just too stinkin' cute as well as ...just a great read and from what I can tell, a great person.  I also am in love with Baltimore, so its just bonus points that they live there.

Which brings me to Peace, Love and Fostering.  This girl woman is basically the same age as my daughter.  She writes with a maturity that comes from an understanding of just where she is in her life and already she has fostered some amazing dogs, including Baxter whom I have LOVED since I first laid eyes on him.

Birdy Flies Home doesn't update very often, but if you have an afternoon to yourself, start at the beginning...with a box of tissues.  Birdy, if you don't know was to be a fospice care dog through BAD RAP, but was adopted.  This blog is the story of Birdy.

Finally, there is another blogger whom I follow that I would nominate but not link to out of respect to his privacy.  You know who you are.