one lovely blog

My new friend Sally at Deliberately Delicious nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Award.  Sally writes beautiful descriptions of life in Canada.  Her series of posts on sailing this summer made me feel like I was sitting next to her, sipping a glass of wine.

Thanks for the nomination, Sally!  This is my first award for writing since fifth grade. Oh happy day!  I got Sally’s notice a while ago but saved it for my birthday, so it’s a double celebration today.

According to the rules, I am supposed to thank the person who nominated me, share seven things about myself, and nominate fifteen blogs I find to be lovely.

Here are seven things about me, which you may or may not already know.

1.         Growing up, I was painfully shy and more than once managed to attend school an entire semester without speaking to any of my classmates.  I was so quiet in high school, when I went back for my 20 year reunion, one of my classmates asked my best friend if I attended school all four years, or just the last year.  The question was doubly funny because we had classes together all four years.

2.         I have loved everything about reading and writing since I first learned to string letters together to make words.  I remember the awe I felt on my first trip to the library.  Books provided a safe haven for a painfully shy introvert and opened me up to the wonders of the universe while safely tucked away in my bedroom or backyard.

3.         Humor can get you through almost anything in life, makes every situation more bearable, and helps lessons learned.

4.         My greatest blessings and accomplishments are my two children, Sweetness and the Genius.  They are my heart walking around outside my body.

5.         I married my first boyfriend when I was twenty and stayed married over twenty years.  I’ve learned more about myself in the time I’ve spent dating since my separation than I did in twenty-plus years of marriage.

6.         Crème brulee is my favorite dessert.  If it’s on a menu, it will always be my first choice.

7.         I am completely open to sharing the contents of my head and my heart on my blog, in the perhaps misguided hope that my experiences will help or at least entertain one other soul.

Since I started blogging, I’ve taken up following other bloggers.  Some of them make me weep with the beauty and simplicity of their writing.  My life is richer for their insights and musings.  Here are my nominations for the One Lovely Blog award.

Bonnie at My Dating Blog and I seem to live parallel lives on opposite sides of the pond.  I love her honest, funny take on dating that confirms men are the same, whatever continent you live on.

Never Contrary is filled with humorous musings and insight into life in a small, Southern town.  I found her the first time she was Freshly Pressed.

I look forward to catching up with Day Today Dating.  Her current musings about her relationship with N give me hope of finding my own special someone someday. And remind me to keep the windows shut!

Single White Female Dating chronicles one woman’s journey with on-line dating.  And confirms that on-line dating, like getting older, is not for sissies!

Patrick Latter posts incredibly vibrant pictures of hiking in Canada.  I live vicariously through his pictures, which are the closest I will ever get to mountain climbing.

One Thousand Single Days is quite the opposite of all the dating blogs I follow.  She’s taken a vow to remain single (completely single) for one thousand days.  Her youthful enthusiasm is contagious.

35 and Online Dating is a fun read because it is a man’s perspective on dating.  It’s like sneaking into the enemy camp for intel.

I look forward to reading 1000 Awesome Things every morning!  It reminds me to enjoy the simple things in life.

The bloggess at Ring Finger Tan Line shares the pain of being betrayed, a pain I know well.  Watching her progress as she recovers gives me hope for all of us who’ve been hurt.

I love reading Carrie Starr’s Cheap Love, a blog about creating beautiful marriages and living economically so you can afford great adventures.  Following along on her family’s month-long adventure in Australia this summer made me feel like I was right there with them.

Jenn at The Serenity Space is a fellow energy healer and I love reading her ramblings.

Jeremy Statton is an orthopedic surgeon and gifted writer who finds secretly incredible people and then shares them with the rest of the word.

Mike Nichols writes about family, marriage and leadership in ways that make me nod my head.  His post on relationships is a must-read for anyone in any relationship.

Faith Rises posts a beautiful picture and verse each day which encourages me and uplifts my soul.

It Starts With A Quote is one of my new favorites.  I love the quotes which start each post and the insight which follows.