One Lovely Blog Award

I want to say thank you to Life in Slow Motion for nominating me for the “One Lovely Blog Award.” I feel honored!  I can’t remember the last time I won something, so this was a “lovely” surprise!  🙂

When I started this blog, I had no idea what I was doing. Three months later, I still don’t have the foggiest idea … but at least I have a place to unbottle all these thoughts in my head, and I finally know what a widget is!

Can I just tell you? I can’t describe the terror I felt when I wrote my first post and pressed that “publish” button and sent it out to internet oblivion.  Nail-biting TERROR.  Eek, what have I done?  Do I really want the world to read this, to know I struggle with all these strange symptoms on a daily basis as I fumble through motherhood and life?  And then … the awkward quietness came, and it seemed like that post fell into a black hole somewhere, making me wonder … what if no one reads this?  All of my inner insecurities came out of the woodworks, and I actually wanted to quit blogging after that first post!  I am by nature, a very private person … and blogging about my life and struggles through chronic illness is not easy for someone like me.

But the freedom came when I began to hear from some of you and began to read the honest, encouraging words of some of your blogs   … and I began to realize that it’s a gift to tell your story — sometimes it’s all we can do to make sense of what we’re going through.

So all that to say, I’m honored to be part of this blogging community!

Part of accepting this award is sharing 7 random facts about myself … so here we go:

1.  I am former gummy bear and Red Vines addict.  If it’s chewy and sweet, I crave it.  These days, I “splurge” by eating unsulphured, unsweetened dried mangos.  I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually get excited to eat prunes.  Yes, I am quite the thrill seeker.

2.  I play the piano.  It’s therapy to me.  But I was hardly formerly trained so this makes me self-conscious.  One of my most favorite things to do in the world is to play worship songs on the keyboard with my husband on his guitar, and the kids on their ukuleles.

3. I have been journaling since the age of 10.  I have always been obsessed with words and stories and expressing emotions through them.  I probably have had over 50 journals – some are long gone, some are right near my bedside, and some probably need to be burned. 

4. I cannot eat apple skins.  This is ironic because I eat all kinds of “funky” things these days purely for their health benefits.  I ate a chicken heart the other day and didn’t flinch.  But apple skins are impossible.   Do you know that awful feeling you get when someone scrapes their fingernails against a chalkboard?  Yes, the heebie jeebies.  That’s it!

5. I like ethnic food.  I think Asian food is THE best.  I think shrimp tempura over a steaming bowl of thick udon noodles in a piping broth garnished with shitake mushrooms and a soft boiled egg is the perfect meal.  I could eat dumplings drizzled with soy sauce and chili oil sauce all day long.  Spicy Korean noodle soups are my utter weakness.  Japanese mochi (rice cakes) in all shapes and sizes and flavors – sweet, savory, pan fried, frozen and stuffed with green tea ice cream, red bean filled –  makes me so happy.  Of course now, I can’t eat any of this, not on a Paleo diet, but I’ve found some yummy grain free/Paleo Asian-inspired dishes that are just as satisfying.

 

Ok, now that I’m really hungry … on to the next fact …

6.  I am petite, a tad under five feet.  I am soft spoken, but according to my husband, I have a lot to say.

7.  I have dreams that one day I’ll write a children’s book, take the summer to drive cross country with my husband and kids, volunteer at a Special Needs camp, go on a short term missions trip, visit Rome, see the Alps, swim under a waterfall (although that might freak me out), see Jesus at the end of my life and hear Him say … “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Before I end, I want to thank the following bloggers for their brave, creative and “lovely” voices by nominating them for the One Lovely Blog Award as well:

emma vs gravity

my time with lyme

spoonie sophia

no one gets flowers for chronic pain

spoonie following god

the lyme maze

michelle tsai photography

The rules of the “One Lovely Blog” Award are:

• Thank the person who nominated you for the award (and link back to the person who nominated you) in your post.
• Add the One Lovely Blog Award logo to your post, your blog or both.
• Share 7 random facts about yourself.
• Nominate 5-15 bloggers who you admire and consider “lovely.”  Let the nominees know they have been nominated by commenting on their blogs.