Honest Scrap Award!

I have lots of pics to download and share about the last few days (Sound Man's 5k, the CD concert, etc, etc.), but I wanted to do a quick post because Missy from Southern Queen Bee awarded me the "Honest Scrap" award! As with other awards, here are the rules:

1.) Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award. ~ Thanks, Missy!
2.) Share "10 Honest Things" about myself.
3.) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.
4.) Tell those 7 people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving.

Okay, ten things...let's see...

1. I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was a little girl. Then I realized I'd have to see blood and stuff. Changed my mind really quick.
2. My husband and I had been dating six weeks when he asked me to marry him the first time. I turned him down.
3. My dream vacation is actually a combination of vacations. Driving to the mountains, enjoying them for a few days, then heading down to Disney to have some fun, then over to the beach to relax for a looooong time.
4. I eat weird things. Not gross things, just weird things.
   
5. When I was little, all of my stuffed animals were named Mary. Even the stuffed clown. Which, surprisingly, didn't creep me out.
6. I dream about what my dream house would look like to help me go to sleep at night.
7. I wish Sound Man and I could spend more time together. We don't go on enough dates to suit either of us.
8. It sometimes disappoints me that I never had a little sister for Kiddo. And I'm thinking that by now, if it ain't happened, it ain't gonna happen.
   
9. Making tassels is one of the joys of my life!
   
10. And since I'm being honest, let me say lastly that I wish my home was as pretty as some of yours. I have parts of my home that I'm very proud of, but there are others that make me cringe when I look at them. Like my kitchen. And my front porch. And my master half bath. But, instead of becoming jealous, I want your blogs to inspire me to do more for my home, to make it the haven God would have it to be. Keep inspiring, ladies, keep inspiring!
    

Here are the seven lovely ladies I would like to award:

1. My BFF, Kat at Reflections. How could I not award her with an award about encouragement?
2. Darlene at Darlene's Days. She always has the sweetest posts about her family, and she always leaves me the sweetest comments.
3. Katy Lin at The Great Adventure. She and her husband, Austin, are starting a ministry that just blesses my heart!
4. Richella at Imparting Grace. She has already written a heart felt honest post that I hope you'll read.
   
5. Kari & Kijsa at, well, Kari & Kijsa! Not only do they have a beautiful blog, they can also write beautifully, too!
6. Katie at Intentionally Katie. She is about as honest and transparent a blogger as I've ever read. Not to mention she's a cute preggo.
7. And finally, Teri Lynne at Pleasing To You. This girl is chock full of encouragement. She never ceases to put a smile on my face. And I bet if you go to her 100th Post, she'll give you something sweet. I laughed. I cried. It moved me. No, seriously.

So, there you have it. My Honest Scrap. I giggle every time I read that. Say it fast and see if you don't, too! Thanks again, Missy!

An Award!

It never ceases to amaze me that I get to "hang out" with so many cool, cool people here in Blogland. I never knew that I could have friendships with people I had never even talked to before. Now, I realize that these relationships are different than my "real" friendships, but I treasure these "cyber" friendships as well. Even my husband understands. When he read Brandi's blog a couple of weeks ago and saw that she was going to have to slow down blogging for a while, he wanted me to email her and make sure she was okay. I thought it was so sweet. The fact that her husband and my husband have emailed each other back and forth a bit had a lot to do with that, I'm sure. But still, he cares.

This post is to celebrate those friendships and to thank one of those cyber-buddies for an award she gave me Friday. Thank you Sarah Mae! She gave me this sweet award...she said she liked it because it had coffee cups filled with Creme Brulee creamed coffee...my mug would be full of Vanilla Caramel creamed coffee...MMMMmmmmMMMM! Oh, and I see a little tea bag, perfect for when I'm reminiscing about my time in Australia.

Okay, with the award, I have to answer some questions. So here you go:

1. Do you have the same friends since childhood? I have not kept up with many of my friends from childhood, but the ones from high school still keep in touch. In fact, I just got an email yesterday from a friend I hadn't heard from in YEARS. Hey, Cassie!

My best friends since I was a young teenager were my cousins Ruth and Scotty. Ruth and I still email quite often, but I am a horrible cousin/friend when it comes to keeping up with Scott. Ugh. And his birthday was last Sunday!

2. What do you value most about your friends? Definitely a sense of humor. There's not much I like more than laughing with my friends. (It's why Kat is my best girlfriend...she laughs at my jokes. That's not the real reason, but I like saying that.) And every Sunday morning I get to be in a room with some of my closest friends, usually starting our rehearsal time laughing about just the stupidest stuff. Good times.

I also value those friends who speak truth in my life. They are not afraid of hurting my feelings (although they are very kind and careful with my fragile self), yet they tell me like it is when I need it most.

I also value those friends who challenge me to stretch my limits. I have one who is doing that right now. Scary, but what I hope to gain from it will mean so much I don't even think I can grasp it yet.

3. Are your friends your sounding boards? I have to agree with Sarah, my husband (my best friend as well) listens to me when I'm happy, sad, mad, crabby, hysterical, (enter any other emotion here__________). He is definitely my constant sounding board, but I don't know what I'd do without being able to vent to my girlfriends every once in while!

4. What is your favorite activity to share with your friends? Road trips! I think I laugh the hardest on road trips. Two come to mind immediately. I mean, when one of your friends ends up in the floorboard after sitting backwards watching the cranky woman behind us in traffic, or when another of your friends has an infection on his uvula and has to put medicine on it without using a mirror, you laugh reeeeeally hard. I'm laughing hysterically as I'm typing this just remembering...

Okay, now I get to pass this sweet award on to four of my bloggy friends! Even if you've received this award before, I still wanted to pass it on to you girls! Here you go!

Brandi at Shack on the Rocks

Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Suzy at Wild Rose Cottage

Susie Harris at Bienveune...

I hope you visit each of these amazing women. The things they share on their blogs are such an inspiration to me. Thanks again, Sarah!