I Have Been Awarded

As you all know, I have been a bit AWOL from my blog(s) lately. As a result, a few wonderful women have bestowed upon me the Stylish Blogger award. I try not to disappoint, so I will first give thanks to Tammy, Jessica, Melissa, and Meara. You ladies are very sweet and kind, especially because I know you were all trying to cheer me up when you awarded me (just go with it). Thank you.

Here are the rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you.
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Award 15 other bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award

So, 7 things huh?

1. I never in a million years thought I would grow up to work in the profession I do. I think if my 10-year-old self knew what I would be doing for a living in 15 years, I would have cried myself to sleep every night for many years. Luckily, I have a good head for what I do, and I love it. I just wouldn't have realized it then.
   
2. My battle with infertility cost me a 20-year-friendship. Sometimes the price of our journey's goes well beyond the cost of our hope, faith, and dignity. I wish that the rest of the world knew just what a struggle infertility can be, and the hefty price tag that can come with it.
3. I have trained 8 dogs in my lifetime. They all belonged either to me or my dad. I'm no Caesar Mil.lan, but I have a pretty good idea of how to work with dogs.
4. I laugh uncontrollably when anyone steps on anything crunchy. When I would go to the movies with my friends, they would throw popcorn on the floor because they knew how hard I would laugh when people stepped on it. I'm laughing as I write this, just thinking about people stepping on popcorn. I also used to work at a food joint where my coworkers would throw chips on the floor and step on them just to make me laugh.
5. Today I laughed out loud when I thought about the fact that my dogs LOVE to play soccer and what that could mean for my gerbil-in-a-ball. I laughed harder at the mental picture of a gerbil screaming inside a gerbil ball as he got kicked across the room by a playful dog. (Don't worry, I won't let that happen.)
6. My daughter is definitely my proxy -- I do and buy things for her I wish I had had when I was child. I never wanted to grow up, and I find that being a mother allows the child in me to come back out and play. To me, being an adult means having the freedom of doing all of the things I always dreamed of doing when I was a kid. I am constantly pleasing my child within, and intend to do so for the rest of my life.
7. I bought myself a Kin.dle for my birthday. I buy presents for myself a lot. Because I can.

I am supposed to tag 15 people, but it is getting late and I am tired, so I am just going to list out a few people I know who would really love to receive this award. Without further ado, I present this award to:

1. Heather's Daily Life
2. Cherish This Baby
3. Dreaming of Where I Want To Be
4. Alex's Adventures
5. The Chronicles of Marla
6. Bio Girl
7. Let It Be
8. You Found What In There?
9. The Desire of My Heart
10. Life of the Bees
11. Matt and Crystal
    
12. Anyone else who wants this award

If you've already had it, or you don't do awards, then feel free to bow out. Otherwise, get to posting and passing!

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

Over the weekend I was blessed with the "Making Lemonade Out of Lemons" award by my very sweet and dear bloggy friend, Tammy at Tammy's Journey. Tammy has become very dear to my heart over the past year. She and her husband have struggled to become parents. They are about to embark on their first IVF cycle with donor embryos. I hope that the doctor at the May.o Clinic can help me if for no other reason than that she lives near there and I would get to meet her in person. Her blog is so sweet and sincere. If you don't already know her, which I know most of you do, I recommend getting to know her.


The rules of this award are:

1. Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.
3. Link the nominees within your post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

I don't think I will be able to nominate 10 people, and it isn't because I can't find 10, so much as it is already past my bed time and I will be going on an installation tomorrow, so I need to be bright eyed and bushy tailed.

The bloggers who stick out the most to me when it comes to this topic are:

1. Journey Girl, from Donor Eggs Journey - If anyone deserves this award, its her. She has been through so much to achieve her dream of parenthood and she never gave up. She went to Thailand for donor eggs and an IVF cycle that were successful. She is currently in her second trimester and just found out they are having a boy! She is amazing and strong beyond words.
2. Leah, from Life According to Leah - Again, a woman very deserving of this award. After two failed IVF cycles she and her husband moved onto international adoption. Shortly after being approved, they got pregnant on their own. They are still moving forward with the adoption and are looking forward to having two very wanted children in their home.
3. Marla, From Marla'z Austin Journey - This girl always has a positive and upbeat attitude. Her posts always make me laugh. Even when life upsets her or throws her a curve ball, she is back on her feet before the beginning of the next sentence.
4. Single Infertile Female - This gal lays all of her cards out on the table and makes the best of what life has handed her. After getting less than awesome news, she was told to have babies soon or not at all. So even though she is single, she is embarking on motherhood so that she will not have to give up the dream of being a mother. She is tough as nails and hilarious to boot.
5. Justine, from Adventures in Dukeville - If there is anyone who has seen their life shattered into a million pieces and picked them all back up to make a better life for herself, its this woman. She is incredibly brave and strong, and she doesn't accept what people tell her she can and can't do. She is simply amazing.

Sorry to not spread more love, but as I said, it is now WAY past my bedtime. I hope that those of you have been awarded are the type to pass on the love, if not, no biggie. Just know that I love you enough to let you know.

Night folks!

Isn't she Lovely

My new bloggy friend Chirleen at Confessions of a TTC-A-Holic graciously nominated me for the Beautiful Blogger award. Thanks Chirleen! I have to say, I love her blog because she is so spunky, and we have a mutual love for musical instruments.




The rules of this award are:

• Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
• Copy the award and place it in your blog.
• Link the person who nominated you for this award.
• Tell us 7 interesting things about you.
• Nominate 7 bloggers.
• Post the links to the 7 bloggers you nominate.

Seven interesting things huh? That will take some thought, but here goes nothing:

1. If you had told me when I was in elementary school that I would grow up to write manuals, I would have told you you were a huge liar and kicked your shins. I never in a million years thought I would end up in the profession I did, and it was all by chance.
2. I took piano lessons for 6 years and never learned to play... until I quit taking lessons... and then I taught myself. Sorry for the waste of money mom and dad! :p
3. I laugh my ass off any time anyone steps on anything crunchy like popcorn or chips. My friends and I used to go to the movies every Friday, and they would always "spill" their popcorn in the aisles because it would send me into fits of laughter when people stepped on it.
4. Dog farts make me laugh. They make me laugh so hard I can't breathe, which sucks because Sadie is the fartiest dog I have ever owned. She puts grown men to shame.
5. My little brother is coming into town for my 31st birthday this weekend, and I can't wait. We are 4 years apart, but act more like we are twins. We were inseparable growing up.
6. I had Baby Bean 9 days before my 30th birthday. I was so deep in baby blues on my birthday, I let it slide by in silence. I didn't tell a soul it was my birthday. My mom was here helping me out with the baby and told Hubs and I to at least go to dinner, so we did.
7. I grew up in the Rocky Mountains and miss them horribly. Texas doesn't have mountains. They think they do, but that is because they don't know what mountains are. I miss going hiking with my dogs. I miss getting caught in the rain a few miles from the car and laughing all the way back down the mountain.

So there are my 7 things. I now tag:

1. Journey Girl
2. Carrie
3. Leah
4. Al
5. Justine
6. Cherish This Baby
7. Megs

Valuable Two

So the last few days I was feeling kind of bad about not awarding more of my blog friends with the Valued Blogger award. I realized I am the architect of this award, and so can freely give it to more than just five people. I want the new recipients to know that they are not second best by any stretch of the imagination. There was a method behind the first five, which I choose not to divulge. Just know that I hold all of my blog friends as valuable as the other.



This award is not like all of the other blog awards because we all want to not only know about you, but your opinion of your fellow bloggers. So, without further ado, I present you with the rules.

1. Tell your readers how your journey into blogging began. Be as verbose or shy as you like.
   
2. Pick 3-5 fellow bloggers whom you adore and write what exactly it is you value about that person or their blog. The more you write about them the better. This is a chance to really appreciate your blog friends who have been there with and for you through thick and thin.
   
3. Let the blessed winners know they have been awarded.

That's it. Those are the rules. Now, before you think you can give the old line, "I don't want to pick anyone to pass this award onto because I don't want my readers to feel hurt if I don't pick them, so consider yourselves all tagged" I want you to realize that excuse tells all of your blog friends that you are wimping out, amongst other things. ;) Don't feel bad that you can't award everyone, the award will make its rounds and eventually everyone will get it. If you feel bad enough, you can always award more than 5 bloggers.

This award was started in December because it is the season of giving and bringing cheer to others. What better way to do that than to let the people in our lives know that we cherish them.

I won't wimp out of telling another reason I entered the blogosphere, since the first rule is to explain my induction into blogging. It actually all started out as a joke. A friend of mine had a sister who was an avid blogger. We thought she was silly and made fun of her. So what did we do? We started our own silly blogs. My first attempt was seriously as a joke. My second attempt was... well, it just was. It was during my second attempt that I realized my blog could be a powerful tool. Then I started my third blog, which is only kind of the one you see here. It started on a different url and was changed to this url earlier this year. I don't know if you would call this Blog #4, or if it is still Blog #3. Either way, I'm here and love it.

I now bestow this award upon (in no particular order):

1. Al, from Mission: Motherhood - I noticed that Al became a follower of my blog during an ICLW, but for some stupid reason, I couldn't link to her blog from my list of followers. It was during the next ICLW that I came across her blog. I was so excited and happy to find her. Al is new to the world of IF, unfortunately. I enjoy her and her blog because she is always so upbeat and positive. Let us not forget the "You know you're infertile when..." post that cracked me up. I look forward to supporting her on her journey to motherhood and hope that her roller coaster ride is short.
2. JourneyGirl, from Donor Eggs Journey - Where to start with JourneyGirl! This woman is amazing. I think I found her blog during an ICLW and was instantly drawn into her story. She is currently 4 days away from going to Thailand for a donor egg cycle. I embarked on her crazy ride when the ticker on her sidebar had well over 60 days left on it. In that time I have come to realize what a strong, wonderful, brave woman she is. I hope and pray that this is her cycle. I look forward to her blog post where she announces the trip was a success. I wish you all the very best JourneyGirl!
3. Tammy, from Tammy's Journey - If you all don't know Tammy, I'm amazed. What really amazes me about this sweetheart is that she has a massive following, yet rarely misses commenting on my blog. She started following me without my realizing it. Then one day I looked her up and once again, embarked on her adventure to motherhood. She is another woman whose strength astounds me. Her posts always make me laugh (except the ones that aren't funny, which are rare). She has the cutest sense of humor. I love it when she takes pictures of her husband and writes that as she took it he said something along the lines of, "You're not taking my picture are you?" And then she posts it on the blog. It cracks me up. Tammy is getting ready to go through embryo adoption. I pray that the current hurdles they are facing can be taken down as quickly as they were put up and they can get on with their cycle soon.
4. Sue, from Walking Towards Where I Want to be - Sue has had a crazy go at motherhood via the adoption process lately. Despite her setbacks, she continues to move forward with life. Her posts are always very genuine and enjoyable to read. I appreciate the pictures of her garden and her posts about how she is fairing with day-to-day life. I appreciate Sue and her strength. I look forward to the day that her dream of motherhood comes true.
5. Megs, from Along Life's Little Journey - I don't know about Megs, but I felt an instant connection with her the second she told me she taught marching band. Laugh all you want folks, band rules! Megs is an infertile survivor, currently pregnant with her first baby, a boy. There is just something so sweet about her blog that draws me in. What I know of her, she is an absolute doll. I am looking forward to the post that announces the arrival of her little man, but not too soon. ;)

Okay, that's 5 more. 10 is a good number, right? I think so. 1 out of 1 Maggie's agree that is a good number and that certain Chelles should take their cold medicine and snuggle into bed with a clean, fluffy Maglette.

So on that note, I'm off!

My Gift

All right dear friends, I have had this little beauty in my back pocket for quite some time now, just waiting for the perfect time to unveil it. During that time, I mulled over how it would all work. So here we have the birth of the Valued Blogger Award.



This award is not like all of the other blog awards because we all want to not only know about you, but your opinion of your fellow bloggers. So, without further ado, I present you with the rules.

1. Tell your readers how your journey into blogging began. Be as verbose or shy as you like.
2. Pick 3-5 fellow bloggers whom you adore and write what exactly it is you value about that person or their blog. The more you write about them the better. This is a chance to really appreciate your blog friends who have been there with and for you through thick and thin.
3. Let the blessed winners know they have been awarded.

That's it. Those are the rules. Now, before you think you can give the old line, "I don't want to pick anyone to pass this award onto because I don't want my readers to feel hurt if I don't pick them, so consider yourselves all tagged" I want you to realize that excuse tells all of your blog friends that you are wimping out, amongst other things. ;) Don't feel bad that you can't award everyone, the award will make its rounds and eventually everyone will get it. If you feel bad enough, you can always award more than 5 bloggers.

I decided to start this award in December because it is the season of giving and bringing cheer to others. What better way to do that than to let the people in our lives know that we cherish them.

So here goes my reason for blogging (for those of you who don't already know). I began my blogging journey the way most of us in this blogosphere do; it was my attempt to sort through my feelings and emotions brought on by infertility. I also saw it as a means to share my experiences in an attempt to help others who were fighting the same battle as me by either educating them or holding them up when they needed it. Little did I know how very much blogging would change my life. So many of you have come into my world and left a lasting impression on my heart. I am so thankful for all of you and hope that I am doing for you what you are doing for me.

I now bestow this award upon:

1. Leah, from Life According to Leah - I remember when Leah first came into my life disguised as Kat. She emailed me one day to ask about endometriosis. From that email stemmed a great friendship. I have been here for her since she underwent her first and second attempts at IVF and then as she bravely embarked on the adoption adventure. I even painted her a vase to raffle off on her blog to help her raise money for her adoption effort. She has shown time and again how very strong and loving she is. I have been proud to call her a friend since the first time she stopped by my blog. I wish Leah and Taher all the best in their quest for adoption.
2. Ifer, from The Mind of Ifer - When Ifer first came into my world, I thought her name related to infertility. For the longest time I had her name all wrong. Her name is actually Jennifer, but was shortened to Ifer by some of her good friends. I felt kind of stupid when I found out her screen name had nothing to do with infertility. Our friendship blossomed over some wonderful photographs she took with a newly acquired camera. We found out we had quite a bit in common from music to the state we live in. Her blog has been so much fun to read as she talks about the concerts she attends and the thoughts that go through her mind. I have thoroughly enjoyed my friendship with her.
3. Marla, from Marla'z Austin Journey - Ahhh Marla. This gal is a hoot! I liked her right off the bat simply because she is also a non-native Texan who moved to Austin and has a great personality to boot. I have enjoyed her explorations of crazy, zany Austin, as well as supporting her on her quest to motherhood through the exploration of Eastern medicine. Let us not forget project OCD in which Marla tries to turn the tables on a crazy coworker, provinding barrels of laughs for all of her readers. She also gave out some great recipes for Thanksgiving that I can't wait to try.
4. Heather, at Heather's Daily Life - Heather is as sweet and loving as her name. Her blog is so wonderful in that it chronicles her day-to-day life, right down to what she cooked for dinner. Often times the latter makes me salivate. If ever there was a giving individual, she is it. She sends post cards to people all over the world that she has never met, and is friends with all of her favorite bloggers on Faceb.book, myself included. I have personally received a lovely letter in the post from her. It made mine and Baby Bean's day. I enjoy following along on her daily journies to gym class, on hot air balloon rides, to dance class, and trips to the Big City. I also love reading about her niece, nephew, and adorable dog. Never a dull moment with her.
5. Cherish This Baby - This darling girl is one of my newest followers, but I feel like our blog friendship is cemented. We are both on the war path to TTC#2. She is a bit ahead of me, as she is actually currently in the saddle. Her entrance into my life was warm and friendly, not to mention welcomed with open arms. She is always sweet and leaves the warmest comments on my blog. She even took my advice on which types of OPKs she ought to try and I am happy to say, they have worked for her! I loved celebrating her latest positive OPK with her and look forward to celebrating her BFP in the near future.

There you have it friends, my five awardees. Please do not feel bad if I didn't tag you. I want to tag everyone, and perhaps I will over the next week just so that you all know that I find you valuable in the blogosphere. I just can't award everyone tonight because it is late, I'm on heavy cold meds, and it would take a looooong time to get to all of you. Know that every one of you is appreciated by me and I hold you all very dear.

*BIG hugs!*

Hooray for Blog Awards!

Thanks to the wonderful Marla for my beautiful new bloggy award!



Rules
1. You Can Only Use One Word!
2. Pass this along to 6 of your favorite bloggers
3. Alert them that you have given them this award!
4. Have Fun!

The Fun Part
1. Where is your cell phone? Desk
2. Your hair? Gorgeous
3. Your mother? Giving
4. Your father? Compassionate
5. Your favorite food? Tex Mex
6. Your dream last night? Blur
7. Your favorite drink? Sangria
8. Your dream/goal? Happiness
9. What room are you in? Cubicle
10. Your hobby? Spending
11. Your fear? Money
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here
13. Where were you last night? Petstore
14. Something that you aren’t? Judgemental
15. Muffins? Any
16. Wish list item? Newcar
17. Where did you grow up? US
18. Last thing you did? Read
19. What are you wearing? Businesscasual
20. Your TV? Home
21. Your pets? Dogs
22. Friends? Thebest
23. Your life? Crazy
24. Your mood? Swings
25. Missing someone? Parents
26. Vehicle? Blue
27. Something you’re not wearing? Watch
28. Your favorite store? Targ.et
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? Yesterday
31. Last time you cried? Friday
32. Your best friend? Hubs
33. One place that I go to over and over? Home
34. One person who emails me regularly? Spamers
35. Favorite place to eat? Pappadeuxs

Recipients:
Sarah Lou
Heather
Clarkie
Barb
IF'er
PJ

My First Award!

Once again, the ever fabulous Leah at Life According to Leah has given me a reason to do a blog post. (Leah, I think we should just be blog best friends already. lol) She very kindly bestowed the following award upon me:

Thank you so very much!

Here are the rules that come with the award:

1. Choose 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content and design.
2. Show the 7 winners' names and links on your blog.
Sarah at The Potters
Journey girl at Donor Eggs
Mrs. La La at Empty Uterus Syndrome
Marla at Marla'z Austin Journey
Melissa at Melissa's Thoughts and Realizations
Seussgirl at One Day Two Day
~Ifer at The Mind of IFer
AKA at Just Another Day in Paradise

3. List 10 honest things about yourself.

1. I love dogs and have ever since I can remember. Actually, I love all animals, but especially dogs. My dad gave me my first dog when I was 6 years old. He was the runt of the litter and had a genetic defect, so he couldn't be sold. He became "my diddle goochums." He died on Thanksgiving when I was 8. The next dog I had lived for 14 years and died the day after Thanksgiving the year I graduated from college. I watch my dogs closely around the Thanksgiving holiday now.
2. I have been a better, kinder, happier person since moving to Texas last year. I have never had as many good girl friends as I have now. I never used to like girls and rarely had girl friends. I have 3 girl friends that I hang out with on a regular basis. I love it!
3. I am a spendaholic. If I have $5 my first thought is, "What can I buy with $5?!" Savings? What is that? Luckily I married a penny pincher, and we keep our money separate so I don't spend all of my money AND his. Very wise!
4. I have a problem with people who feel a sense of entitlement because they are them. I further have a problem with people who think rules were made for everyone but them to keep them safe from the rest of us. A 4-way stop means EVERYONE stops, not everyone but you. Rude behavior is inexcusable, especially when it is unprovoked.
5. I find a sick sense of pleasure in knowing the people who blare their stereos down the street in their cars so everyone can feel their bass will one day be hard of hearing. Bellt.one loves those people! "Eh?"
6. I love the TV show One T.ree H.ill. Laugh all you want, we'll make more. I am seriously angry they kicked the two lead characters off the show last season. I don't plan on watching the new season next year. Without Lucas and Peyton, there is no OTH. (I currently own seasons 1-4 on DVD. I'm waiting for the price of seasons 5 and 6 to go down.)
7. I am a writer by profession, but can't diagram a sentence to save my life. I got a B in grammar in college and that was only because I went for after-class tutoring with the teacher. I hate grammar!
8. I have had mono 3 times. The last time I had it I had to take 5 weeks off work. I had been married for all of 5 months. I loved the fact that I got to stay home for over a full month because my sweetie worked from home and we had just gotten a new puppy (Mags).
9. I am a germophobe. I have to sanitize my hands when I get back to the car after touching a gorcery cart. When we go out to dinner and I open the door, I have to do it with my non-dominant hand so that I don't use it to bring food up to my face.
10. I have a secret blog that only one person knows about AND knows where it is located. I've had it for a while now and enjoy the annonymity it provides.