Very Inspiring Blogger Award? Moi?

The wonderful Sara has nominated me for the “Very Inspiring Blogger Award!” How exciting! I was pretty shocked to get this, mostly because I’ve been a bit absent from the blogosphere the last few weeks, but I’m honored to be nominated.

 

If you haven’t checked out Sara’s blog, you need to. And I mean NEED. It’s pretty faboo, so go on over and say hello!

The guidelines of the award are:

1.Thank and link to the amazing person who nominated you.

2.List the rules and display the award.

3.Share seven facts about yourself.

4.Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know they have been nominated

5.Proudly display the award logo on your blog and follow the blogger who nominated you.

These are some pretty sweet (and easy!) guidelines, but I’ve also seen other versions of this award that ask you to describe three things that have inspired you recently. So I’m adding that guideline to mine, as well, because I think it’s a great idea.

6. Describe three things that have inspired you recently.

 

The following facts shed a little more light on who I am:

1. I’ve been in choirs since I was seven years old, and sang in Carnegie Hall with my collegiate choir. Amazing!

2. I am not a caffeine junkie. Not. I hate coffee, can barely stomach tea, get heartburn from soda, and can’t stand energy drinks. I’m usually pretty zippy without them. 

3. I don’t nap. Or I rarely do. If I’m sick or have had less than 4 hours of sleep per night for a few nights in a row, then I’ll nap. Otherwise, I sleep like a rock at night. (Another reason not to drink caffeine).

4. My mom used to call me G.G. when I was younger, short for Gentle Giant (because I’m so tall), but I was ruthless playing sports. I guess that’s where all my violence and aggression ended up. It’s still like that today. I’m a gentle, sweet person until you get me playing a sport. Then I’ll try my best to wipe the floor with you. 

5. I’m what most people call an “old soul.” I do NOT understand my generation at all. (Yes, that’s a generalization, and yes, I realize not everyone is like that. Certainly not my blogging friends, but definitely the people I’m surrounded by). Growing up, I was amazed at how rude people were, and how little work they did while getting things I could only dream of. I’m very grateful to my parents (Love you, Mom and Dad!) for having instilled in me respect for others and a hard-working attitude. I got along better with my classmates’ parents than I did with my classmates. True story. Obviously, I was quite unpopular, but I’m very grateful for that. It’s a huge part of what’s made me creative and able to empathize with others.

6. I cannot wear the color red. I’m pale as a ghost 99% of the year. Even when I get “color” in the summer, it just fades back to marshmallow white. With red undertones in my skin, I can’t wear the lovely color. And it makes me sad. 😦 All you women who can wear red, wear some for me, okay? Same goes for hats. My head is too big for them. Literally. So slap on a fedora, or a beret, or a nightcap or something and tell me all about it!

7. The camp my MC attends in my MG fantasy book is HEAVILY influenced by the camp I went to as a child, as well as the camp I worked at for kids with special needs during the summers of college. If I hadn’t worked there, I’d have taken more classes and graduated early, but this was an experience that was unbeatable. The best and hardest weeks of my life each summer. 

There are my facts! Random and fun, right?

As for three things that have inspired me recently…

1. Watching a good (and young) friend of mine battle breast cancer with an attitude that can’t be beat. I’ve never seen anyone deal so well with such a hard diagnosis. She’s upbeat and determined to whip this thing. She inspires me every day.

2. The lengths to which a friend of mine is planning my stay with her in Florida in October. I don’t get to see her that much, but knowing how much effort she’s putting into the trip and my time there makes me realize how lucky I am to have her as a friend, and it makes me want to reach out to all those friends of mine I haven’t seen or talked to in a while.

3. The beauty of an afternoon thunderstorm. I love thunderstorms in the summer. It’s such a display of power and beauty. They’re always inspiring to me. 

I know there are many more interesting and thought-provoking things happening in the world that are inspirational, and the list could go on for pages, but I’ll leave you with those three.

My nominees for this cool award are:

1. Herminia Chow at aspiringwriter22. I think I comment on pretty much every one of her posts. We get along famously!

2. Kate over at Kate’s Bookshelf. She and I have a lot in common, and it’s cool to see the similarities.

3. Emily at BumblesBooks. She’s said it to me, I think I’ve said it to her: we’re kindred spirits in this bloggy universe. Emily, have we ever disagreed about something? I can’t think of one single time! 🙂

4. Sarah J. Carlson over at sjoycarlson. Another blogging buddy whose posts always hit me right where I need to hear it. 

5. Caroline Sibley at her lovely blog. She and I agree and chat about so many cool books and ideas. I’m never disappointed when I visit her blog. Love it!

 

There. I’m only nominating five bloggers. There are so many others I’d nominate, but these ladies hit the top at this time. I would have included John, but I know he’s nominated for a gazillion awards, so… you’ve escaped my clutches this time, John.

I look forward to reading their random facts and continuing to be amazed by my blogging buddies.

Happy writing!