"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place."
-- Unknown
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Friday, July 31, 2009

Thank ya... thank ya very much

Big shout out to RileyScott and Judge Fudge who both gave me terrific awards last week (or the week before…or the week before the week before? I’m a little slow sometimes.)

First, is the Kreativ Blogger award from the very funny Judge. To accept the honor, I must tell you seven things I love. And here they are:

Meeting new people. This has been a big deal for me lately, as I’m trying to make my little town feel more like home. I’ve been pretty successful and am feeling pretty good about my expanding list of friends. I’ve even discovered that not ALL of my neighbors are retired with great grandkids. Some of them are actually pretty close to my age. Score.

Sweet tea, which was sorely missed on my trip out west. Why is it that NO ONE else in the United States knows how to make sweet tea like us Southerners? It’s not a tough concept people! Add sugar while the tea is hot, then pour over ice. The end.

Thunderstorms. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sunshine and blue sky kind of girl most days… but I love sitting on a covered porch and watching a thunderstorm. I love the sounds and the smell of rain. And I love watching the sky illuminate with each bolt of lightning.

Good ol’ fashioned belly-laughs. The kind that you almost can’t recover from. When you laugh so hard you find yourself short of breath but still can’t stop laughing. Those are the best.

Unexpected good news. For instance, I just found out today that instead of decreasing (as predicted), my dad’s kidney function is actually INCREASING. Hallelujah!

Coffee. And more coffee. And maybe a little bit more – just to be sure I’ve had enough.

YOU. All of you. Anyone who takes a minute or two out of their day to check in on me and read about my boring little life. And those of you who leave sweet, funny, thoughtful comments? Yeah… I definitely love you.

Now, moving right along… RileyScott kindly passed the Honest Scrap award my way. To accept this one, I have to tell you ten random (yet honest?) things about me.

I hate scary movies. I do. So much. I watched one Wednesday night with some friends and literally could NOT sleep all night long. I kept the light on in my room like a baby. With every creak of my old house, I prepared myself for the worst – convinced that Jason was going to come slice me open if I fell asleep. I’m such a wuss.

I talk to my dog like he’s a person.

I thrive on change. To say the very least, I’m definitely not set in my ways. Sometimes I daydream about moving somewhere new and starting from scratch. It seems pretty exciting.

When I was little (like four years old), I wanted to be Johnny Appleseed. I had a book about him and thought that it would be so much fun to roam around planting trees all day. I thought he was the coolest. (Shut up. I was four!)

Don’t tell anyone, but I secretly watch Hannah Montana. Hmm, I guess it’s not such a secret anymore. Oh well, it’s not like I said that I secretly thought Billy Ray Cyrus was cute (even when he had a mullet.) Nooo… I didn’t say that.

I think I could survive off of mashed potatoes.

I’m determined. Others might say relentless. Or stubborn. Or hard-headed. Or nagging. Or that I tend to beat a dead horse. Whatever. I just like to get my point across.

I tend to invent words. It started early. Apparently, my word of choice when I was about seven was “cinchy.” As in “That’s a cinch.” or “That’s easy.” Only it’d come out, “Oh, that’s cinchy.” My mom and stepdad say they hated it because it made me sound like a know-it-all.

I hate shoes that have to be tied. I especially hate shoes you have to wear socks with. I hate it when one shoe is tied tighter than the other, or when your sock gets a wrinkle in it or bunches up near your toes, or around your heel. I don’t know how many times I adjust my socks or retie my tennis shoes when I wear them. It’s my very own little obsessive-compulsive tick.

I’ve been practicing my cursive. Some girls have the prettiest flowing handwriting. Me? I was told that my cursive looks like a five year grabbed a pen and started scribbling. So I’ve been working on it. And personally, I think it’s getting much better. If you squint and tilt your head sideways, it’s almost legible now.

Well, that’s it. Nothing left to do now but share these with a couple of deserving bloggers.

For the Kreativ Blogger award, I choose Trudy at Third Time’s a Charm.

And for the Honest Scrap… scarlethue at A Beautiful Truth.

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Aww...thanks so much Heather! I really appreciate that.

I can't remember the last time I wrote in cursive. I print everything because my handwriting is horrible! And I love coffee and belly laughs too!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Dan Felstead said...

Heather...I can identify with everything...honestly...oh...except for one thing....HANNA MONTANA! Oh well if everyone was the same, this would be a boring world!

Have a great weekend and oh yeah...I used to live in Louisville and have not had a good sweet tea since!

Dan

septembermom said...

Congrats Heather! You wrote such a fun post:) I love mashed potatoes too. Just put a huge mountain on my plate and I'm happy. That's great news about your Dad!! I love a belly laugh too.

Kitten said...

Thunderstorms are fun! I like to sit by my living room window and watch the rain fall and the lightning strike.

Sweet tea...as a Yankee, I just don't get it.

Yay for your dad! That's wonderful news.

And don't tell anyone, but...I've got Hannah Montana on my iPod. Don't worry, it'll be our little secret...shhh...;)

A. Jayme said...

Sweet tea . . . how I miss thee . . . can't replicate it here, must be the water!

scarlethue said...

Aw yay! I'll have to think of some good ones.

Although I almost could just copy and paste your ten things, especially the talking to your dog (um, Bub IS a human, in dog form) and the eating mashed potatoes things. I have a feeling we're very similar people!

I'm glad to hear that news about your father too.

Chris said...

Interesting stuff, and congratulations on your awards! Well-deserved.

p-huong said...

I hate tying shoes too. I tuck the laces in. I have a friend that used to wear his sneakers with no laces. Boys are weird.

Judge Fudge said...

You're more than welcome, and you're right about sweet tea. How can people screw that up so easily?

Unknown said...

What a brilliant list : ) You deserve every award in the book!

Andy - Instafather said...

Congrats on the award...

My girlfriend's family introduced me to sweet tea, which I have come to realize is God's gift to beverages.

And you might want to re-secret that Hannah Montana thing.

Lacey said...

We have so so so much in common, miss Heather. If we lived closer, I'd totally invite you over to watch thunderstorms, have meaningful conversations with Toby and Evie, and mow down on some sweet tea and mashed potatoes. TOTALLY.

Polished Sense said...

Cute blog lady! Glad I stumbled upon it :P

xo,
Jessica

Anonymous said...

Speaking of inventing words...you came up with a few intresting pet names too...remember Beemer the dog and O'Malley the parakeet?

Kim said...

I'm so glad to hear about your dad!!! Very good news. Great post and well deserved awards. I'm so glad to hear that your list of friends is growing. Sometimes it takes time in a new place but you were destined not to have any problems in that department!