Go Shorty, Its Your Birthday

What seems like eons ago, Amanda passed along her Kreativ Blogger award to me.  Slacker that I am, I'm just now getting around to it.  But what better day to celebrate an award than my 30th birthday!  At 7:06 this morning I officially left my 20s and became an old fart!

In acceptance of the award, I'm tasked with telling you 7 things I love. 

1. My Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.  It never ceases to amaze me how he's constantly working in my life.  I go away from him, get caught up in this world, yet he cares enough to bring me back.  His grace really is amazing.
2. My friends and family - I had a wonderful birthday party this weekend thanks to them.  I was amazed by how 4 different friend groups could come together and mesh so well!  I'm having dinner with Jay, my parents, and grandparents this evening, then meeting up with April on Wednesday for a first time meeting and lunch!
3. Reading - I went out on my front porch swing yesterday afternoon and started Prince Caspian in the Chronicles of Narnia series. 
4. Coffee - with cream and brown sugar.  I've read that it can inhibit the absorption of Iron, so I'm trying to only drink it mid morning - well after breakfast has had time to digest.  Now that summer is here I'll probably go back to making my homemade iced coffees (coffee, sugar free coffee syrup, heavy cream, & ice).
5. Finding old TV shows on DVD on sale!  Jay and I found an Everybody loves Raymond combo pack on sale at Target for $16.99.  For under $20 we got seasons 1 & 2.  We also picked up the first two seasons of Sanford & Son for the same price.
6. My house - it really is amazing.  The more I'm there the more I grow to love it.  Even if its not the perfect house.  Jay's even said that with his next sale we'd start looking into redoing the bathroom (one of only 2 problems I have with our home).
7. Blogging - who knew that I would become addicted to pouring my heart out 5 times a week for the world to read?  I've met some incredible women through the bloggy world, and for that I'm thankful.

I'm supposed to pass this along to 7 other bloggers.  Since its my birthday I'm going to be lazy and ignore that part of the bloggy award.  :P  Of course I love all of your blogs or I wouldn't visit them daily!!  Feel free to claim it as your own and repost. 

What kind of blogger am I?

This week I'm both versatile and honest. 

C-Foxes gave me the versatile blogger award last week and RR Mama gave me the honest blogger award. 

The rules of each award say I have to tell you some random stuff about myself, so I decided to combine the two into one big fun award post!

1. I won the 5 year old division big wheel race when I was only 4 years old.  It was held in the Pizza Hut parking lot.
2. I learned to speed read because of the Book-it program.  For every book you read (or maybe 4 or 5) you got a free personal pan pizza growing up.  Too bad they don't have something like that for adults!
3. I was embarrassed just a few weeks ago to be shopping in the children's section of the used book store, but I want to read the Chronicles of Narnia series and our local library never has the first book on the shelves.
4. Jay wants to have build in shelving installed in the upstairs landing of the house.  While it would be beautiful, I'm hesitant because I just see it as another surface to clean.  Also currently all of our books are properly housed in bookcases, so I would have to go shopping for something to put on the shelves.
5. He also had someone to the house 2 nights ago to get a price quote on building a garage and revamping the master bath.  The revamp, turned into building a first floor master and landed us with a $30,000 quote.
6. This was moments after I left the grocery store feeling guilty for spending $60 on out of season veggies to make a salad and fresh strawberries.  Okay so since I'm supposed to be an honest blogger I also got a 12 pack of orange soda, loaded up on $0.84 2 liter drinks, and got some whole wheat bread products for myself.  But I seriously felt guilty for "splurging" at the store.
7. On one hand, I sit back and judge the people I see chugging cokes, eating greasy hamburgers, on the other I'm jealous.  Not that I never eat those things, just to be able to eat and not think about it.  That sort of freedom sounds wonderful right now!

Okay so there you  have it.  I'm also supposed to pick people to pass the award along to, but I'm feeling particularly lazy today.  Feel free to snag the awards and post some random things yourself.

On a more serious note - I had an eye opening moment last night.  One that makes me want to cry just thinking about it.  Don't worry, no one is hurt, my world is not crashing around me, but out of sensitivity to the other parties involved I don't want to share in an open forum like this the details.  Please just pray for me about this situation.  It breaks my heart.

Now that I've killed the fun/random vibe this post had going for it - I shall release you to the comments section!

Mixin' it up - Oh My blog!

aka Freestyle Friday.  I did a Shrinking Jeans Monday project a few weeks late, and never got around to posting the pictures.  Then Pubsgal nominated me for an award and the two meshed together beautifully.

First the award:

Here's what I get to do:

•  Get really excited that you got the coolest award EVER! 
  EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
  Good enough?
• Choose ONE of the following options of accepting the OMB award:

1.  Get really drunk and blog for 15 minutes straight, or for as long as you can focus.
2. Write about your most embarrassing moment.
3. Write a “Soundtrack of your childhood” post.
4. Make your next blog a ‘vlog’/video blog. Basically, you’re talking to the camera about whatever.
5. Take a picture of yourself first thing in the morning, before you do anything else (hair, make up, etc)and post it.

•  Pass the award on to at least three, but preferably more, awesome bloggers as yourself. Don’t forget to tell them.

Here where my shelved Monday project comes in - I'm going to take a few liberties with the instructions.  I mean the point is to make a fool of myself right?  So here you go my pictorial embarrassing Monday Project moment - Super Boo goes Skiing.

May I interject that I love being a super hero?  I use to call my adventures "Fat ass goes to _______".   Mostly because all of our memories are on a camcorder - video taken from my dad walking behind my mom, sister, and I.  Totally not a flattering angle.  Anyhoo, so glad I have a positive adventure name now.



Step one in the skiing process (when you live in an area that never gets substantial snowfall) acquire snow gear.

CHECK!

Step two - find a place to ski

CHECK!

Step 3 - Try not to get discouraged that this little guy picked up skiing quicker than you.

If a ski suit circa 1980 and a small child skiing circles around me isn't embarrassing enough - I'm not sure what more you could want!

Okay fine, I'll admit that I only went down the regular slope twice.  I stayed on the learners hill practically all night.  When I finally got going, I'd freak out that I was going to fast and I'd bail.  I got very good at stopping and at getting up unaided with my ski's on.

Now for part 3, choosing 3 other bloggers to shame themselves for the entire blog-o-sphere to see.

1. Amy (who could just add this to her Miss-series)
2. Amanda (who could use a break from law school stress right now)
3. Jen (who's always up to something fun with her 3 monkeys)

I'm pregnant!!

Or its April Fool's day - your choice  ;)

Seems like the perfect day to let it be known - I won an award!!

1. Thank the person who gave this to you.

Thanks Kristina!  woot! woot!

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

Yes ma'am!

3. Link to the person who nominated you.

Done, cause I can multi task like a champ!

4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth.

1. My middle name is Inez.
2. I won a "name the easter chicken" contest in middle school for my choice of Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight (NKOTB fame).  They thought it was 4 submissions and I won for Marcel.
3. I got kicked out of college with one semester to go for sneaking booze onto a dry campus.  I was later aquitted because I squeeled on my roomie.
4. I was kissed by my first ever celebrity crush - Ricky Morton during a wrestling stunt.  Jay wasn't happy and stormed out of the building.
5. I like to occasionally rock a faux hawk.  Thankfully my CVS stockpile is well equipped, because it takes a lot of gel to accomplish!
6. I have "Don't Hassel the Hoff" tattooed on the typical lower back/tramp stamp location.

Which is the truth out of all those lies?  I'll leave that up to you to figure out!

5. Nominate seven "Creative Writers" who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.

Lora

Christie O.

Lucy

Amanda

Helene

RR Mama

Amy

I love reading what all of these ladies have to say and hope you'll check them out!

 

6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.

Ahem...I just did that up there ^^^^

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

will do!

What's your best ever April fool's joke/prank?

Random 17 and a Giveaway!

Jen sent me some bloggly love, so I thought I'd play along and let you know 17 things about me.

7 random factoids

1. In case you aren't friends with me on facebook or twitter - I totally know the "Singing Cop" from American Idol last night.  More in a say hello in the grocery store kinda way than a bff kinda way. 
2. Ricky Morton was my 2nd ever crush - and he kissed me.  Okay so he was my crush back in the early 80s.  Then I got to meet him/be in the same wrestling ring with him a few years ago.  He kissed me as part of the show.
3. I just joined twitter this week, and now I'm addicted.  Jay just to work at night after dinner.  Now I sit on the couch, blanket in my lap, laptop on the blanket twittering away. 
4. If your breathing is already bothering you, running outside in the 40 degree weather isn't the smartest thing you could do.  Even Especially when you have a race to run just a few days from that.  Breath problems lead to coughing, coughing leads to hacking, hacking leads to spiting up half your lung.  Did you know lungs are useful when running?
5. I wear a size 9 narrow shoe.  Most ladies that wear a 9 don't have skinny feet, shoe shopping is difficult for me.
6. Jay's grandfather was a POW during WWII.  Visiting Pawpaw always includes at least one war story.  He's also the reason we don't give to the Red Cross.  One of the stories he tells is about how just released as a POW, the Red Cross refused to give him a cup of coffee or food because he couldn't pay them for it.  Not sure if that was a fluke or if that's just how they rolled back then.  Not sure if that's how they roll now or not, but out of respect for him we comply.
7. Giveaway time!!!  To win, just go through my old book reviews and leave a comment telling me which book you'd like to win if you won.  I'm doing the old fashioned name in the Darth Vader mug drawing - via vlog.  For an additional entry - guess what you think my race time will be.  Previous 5K times have been in the 33:59 - 35:16 range.  The person who guesses closest to actual time will get their name thrown in the mug an extra time.  You have a shot at 3 entries - and everyone can have 2.

Edited to add - the Giveaway closes at 1PM Eastern time Saturday aka the start of my race!!
10 things that make me happy

1. Snuggles and huggles...
2.  in front of the fireplace (my current home doesn't have one - but the new one we just purchase does!)
3. My niece running up to me and jumping into my arms when she hasn't seen me in a while.
4. My nephew saying "Boo".  (Their name for me.)  Doesn't happen often.  Okay so it only happened once but he's working on it.
5. Soup in a breadbowl
6. Sprinting at the end of a race and knowing I gave it my all
7. My new SPI belt - thanks Christie for the suggestion - I ran with it for the first time yesterday.
8. the "101 things I love about Brooke Middle Maiden Last" list my darling love gave me for Christmas - even if he only got to 50.  He promises the 51 to follow next Christmas.
9. Bloggy/FB/Daily mile comments
10. Settling in for bed and getting out my Bible to spend some time with my God who loves me more than I can imagine (why I don't do it more often is something else entirely...)

Inspiration

Christie made an award for little ole me!! Okay so maybe not just for me, but still I was one of the recipients, which is kick a-awesome!

She created the award to pass on to bloggers who "make me want to be a better writer, blogger, and even most times, a better person." I am truly touched that she though of me.

She also gave the recipients the chance to pass it on to those who inspire us. In light of my huge scale victory this week, I want to pass this on to two of my sisters in shrinking that helped me out along the way. Two wonderful ladies who encouraged me and taught me. I really don't think I would have made it this far without them.

So here's to you Christy and April, for taking me from this, this, this, and this.

I restricting and counting my calories, exercising, and still not losing weight. What good is a 1 pound loss when you can eat burgers and fries and not exercise at all and just be a pound heavier?

Christy believed in me all the way. She always had an encourage word to say, pushing me to keep at it.

Then one day she hooked me up with April. Christy saw that whatever I was doing wasn't working, so she introduced me to the calorie counting queen. April gave me (actually is still giving me) great advice to help me get kick started.

13 pounds later I'm here to tell you that the last 10 pounds aren't all that hard if you can just keep up your momentum. Unless of course I haven't reached my last 5-10 pounds...in that case I probably shouldn't be taking a break ;)

So thank you ladies. My husband isn't sure if he thanks you - he says that now that I'm smokin hot I'm starting to get cocky! He obviously doesn't understand the "fake it till ya make it" rule.

Double the Loveliness

Both Audrey and Mendie decided that my blog was lovely and award worthy!!



I met both of these ladies over at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, a wonderful place of support and encouragement!

My instructions were simple. Sorta.

Step 1 - Awknowledge the giver.
Step 2 - Pass the award onto 15 other blogs that I love

Step 2 is where it gets hard.

I have 43 blogs that I'm subscribed too and read on a regular basis! How could I whittle that down to just 15? Okay so Audrey and Mendie are covered as is April, who also received the award from these ladies.

I love everyone! And am afraid of hurting anyone's feelings...but here goes.

Christie O. @ Baby Tea Leaves
She just recently completed her first triathalon and blogged all about it.

Tammi @ Becoming a Woman of Moderation
She gives me food for though when it comes to balancing my weight loss, with deeper spiritual issues.

Lois @ Fearfully, Wonderfully Made
She was one of my first faithful readers - her blog offers a great mix of random silliness with spirituality.

Living Simple
Her blog reminds me to stay focused on my saving goals.

Our Daily Big Top
She makes being a mom sound like fun!

R R Mama
Another wonderful Mom who loves to blog about her boys.

Speaking of moms...Amy @ A to Z Twins
I don't know how she does it!

Debbie @ Suburb Sanity
An amazing blogger with a million followers/commenters, who still takes the time to visit and comment on my blog. Very cool.

Mari @ My Little Corner of the World
Her blog often has funny videos, a word of encouragement, or a delicious recipe!

Rachel @ Musings of a Future Pastor's Wife
She's giving me an excuse to gush on about my hubby. Gotta love that!

Jeannie's Happy World
She's always exploring something new and exciting!

Shannon @ Nonnie Bear
She's in the beginning stages of building a home and is blogging us through it step by step!

Kim @ Nothing but Chatter
Another great gal I met at the SSJ.

Christy @ Real Life Adventures
One of the fearless leaders over at the SSJ, she's always full of encouragement.

Chick @ Fat Chicks Journey
Her blog is a very candid blog about her weight loss journey.

Makes My Heart Smile

RR Mama was given a "Makes My Heart Smile" award and was kind enough to pass it on to me!

Since my biological clock hasn't started ticking yet, the stories of the fun she has with her kids typically remind my of my childhood instead of making me long for children of my own to play with...hopefully that doesn't get me into trouble!

I'm suppose to pass this along to bloggers who make my heart smile.

Tammi - Becoming a Woman of Moderation
One of my Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans friends who helps me keep my weight loss journey in the perspective of how it positively benefits my Christian walk.

Lois Lane - Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
You know that friend who's a lot of fun, but also has her serious and deep moments? Yeah that's Lois.

Hellolost & Saz - Geocashing Adventure
I know both of these ladies beyond the bloggy world. These ladies need a reality sitcom.

April - My Life at Thirty
She's a shrinking jeans guru, who makes my heart smile because she believes in me! And is more than willing to help me tweak my game plan if its not working - quitting isn't an option.

Mari - My Little Corner of the World
Today's her bloggiversary! Head over and congratulate her if you get a chance. She's the sweet, carrying, thoughtful lady that you want to be, if only you were sweet enough to care...

Kim - Nothing but Chatter
Another of my Shrinking Jeans Sisters, who keeps it real and is always there with an encouraging comment.

Jen - Our Daily Big Top
We've got to see her gorgeous smile through her weekly participation in a "Where's Mom" carnival that encourage mothers to get in the shot for a change. You want to be represented in your daughter's wedding slide show don't you???

Laureen - Selectively Frugal
Laureen and I actually know each other beyond the bloggy world. She is a super cool lady and I'm lucky to call her a friend.

Lora - Take Me the Way I Am
She has a good variety on her blog: tempting recipes, adventures, and spiritual thoughts.

Amy - A to Z Twins
Mystery spice chef and mom extraordinaire. Her twins are gorgeous and their pictures are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Gratitude

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! An award!

Lora has so generously passed along a gratitude/great attitude award! Not sure she would have passed it along if she were a friend in real life – but I’ll still take it. (I just noticed Jeannie passed it along as well!)

You see, sometimes I feel pretty crappy. Mr. Right has done something stupid or else the Pill just makes me wonky. I have everything planned out in my mind just like I was a lawyer. Ready to blog and present the evidence on how person X is a jerk.

Only I don’t.

Mostly because I present the me I want to be in this blog. Sort of cheating – but I hope it has the “fake it till you make it” result.

It seems to be working. When I started this blog I didn’t consider myself strong or sexy, and I certainly didn’t push myself when it came to being smart.

Emotionally I still may not be the strongest person in the world, but I’m getting physically stronger. I’ve moved up to using 10 lb dumbbells for bicep work during my toning classes. We do very high rep, so I’m quite proud. (As a point of reference, the She-Ra in our classes uses 12-15 lb weights.)

Not to mention the “strengthening” my lungs are doing right now. Asthma girl can run for 30 minutes without stopping. Without an inhaler. My ex-smoker friend still has a greater lung capacity than me, but she did when she was smoking too.

Setting goals and achieving them has given me confidence – I fulfilled my childhood dream of being a pro-wrestling valet. I accomplished everything on my bucket list – before I turned 30! Not to mention the 5K.

Is there anything sexier than a woman who’s confident?

I’m supposed to pass this along to 10 deserving bloggers. So I nominate you. Yes, you. Enjoy!

Honestly?

Lois over at Fearfully, Wonderfully Made has given me my first every bloggy award!


As proud recipient of the award, I must now share 10 things about myself that I ordinarily wouldn’t tell people.

1. I have a horrible temper. Sorta like the incredible hulk. It’s quite embarrassing, especially since people don’t have clotheslines anymore and it’s hard to find a new shirt after ripping yours off.

2. I’m married to an unbeliever. He’s learning about God, seeking. But I pledged my life to him knowing that there was a real possibility I would never share the God I love with the man that I love.

3. I never wanted children. Still don’t have that great longing in my heart for them. Mr. Right does though, and I know when I have one I’ll love him/her.

4. My wedding ring set has 33 diamonds on it – because Mr. Right’s favorite basketball player is Larry Bird. Seriously.

5. I’m very insecure. I’ve wondered if I’m the “pity friend” before.

6. I hate playing secret santa and am glad we didn’t do it at work this year.

7. Mercy is NOT my spiritual gift. In fact sometimes my thoughts about others can be quite cruel.

8. I like the TV Show Family Guy. I’m glad that God saved me by grace because otherwise that show alone could send me straight to hell. “And the fireworks go BANG!”

9. I’m very smug that I had an eco-friendly high gas-mileage car before it was trendy. In fact, I got my 38 MPG car because I couldn’t afford the nicer SUV.

10. I’ve always idolized my sister. She’s seriously that amazing.

I’ll pass this award along to my first friend in the bloggy world, Katie.