Awards All-Around

It’s a major award. And no…that joke never gets old…especially with Christmas just around the corner.

Never.gets.old.

Here’s a clip in case you are confused:

So…I know you’ve been waiting hours, dare I say DAYS, to find out our winner of the poetry writing contest. But I am not telling you quite yet.

Sorry. (But not too sorry.)

Yes I shall get to it in this post, but not at the beginning.

Christine…no skipping ahead; I know how you are.

First I must toot my own horn…I’m like that, you know. Poets aren’t the only ones receiving major awards around here.

Miss Bloggypants has nominated me for the highly-acclaimed Liebster Award (I don't really think it is highly-acclaimed; if you've never heard of it, do not fret.). And if I am not mistaken, I believe that perhaps Lizzi nominated me for the same thing weeks (maybe even months) ago and I totally spaced it until now. (Sorry about that, Lizzi!)

Regardless, I never do such things according to the rules, but I instead make up my own. I am unaware of any bloggy-police out there who will arrest me or give me a ticket for failure to comply so I’m going to risk it.

(And if there ARE bloggy-police, please advise and I will cease to be so flippant; I'll only be a little bit flippant.)

So here’s how it works: I have to name 11 Random Things about Myself (this was not a challenge for me in any way, shape or form, lest you be concerned).

1. I haven’t been able to share clothes with my mother since I was in fifth grade (she’s tiny…it’s not that I am an Amazon; topping out at a massive 5’ 2.5” does not make one Amazonian).
2. Much as I love sugar, I would much prefer a breakfast of eggs and sausage instead of pancakes or waffles.
3. I never understood why people would put clothing on their dogs…until I had a dog. Don't judge.
4. I actually enjoying working out.
5. While I say that I would like to live elsewhere, if push came to shove, I’m not sure I would leave Indiana.
6. If I had to choose no coffee for a week or no chocolate for a week, it would be a very difficult decision.
7. Even though I L.O.V.E. the Broadway production of Les Mis, I really have no desire to see the movie, and I have come to a grinding halt on the book…this in spite of the fact that I skipped the 200+ pages about Waterloo; I just can’t.get.through.it.
8. I often wish I was British and try to goad Mr. Always Random into speaking with a British accent, merely for my entertainment. He can’t hold the accent for very long and usually ends up sounding somewhat Australian.
9. I’ve never broken a bone (knock on wood…)
10. I love to wear dresses (sorry, Kari…I know how you hate them)
11. I married Mr. Always Random for his dashing good looks, as well as the fact that he’s almost a foot taller than me and can reach things on high shelves without need of a step-stool (*swoon*)

Next I have to answer 11 Questions which Miss Bloggypants is asking me:

1. What is your favorite cartoon character? Why? Charlie Brown (ok, the whole Peanuts Gang, because I can’t really choose one…don’t want anyone’s feelings to be hurt! If I had to say to which one do I relate…probably Lucy, because I have been known to be a little bit bossy…so I’ve been told.)
2. If your house were burning down, what three objects would you try to save? Mr. Always Random and the PBA (since there are 2 of them, that makes up my three things)…notice I did NOT include Indy in my short list.
3. Name a gift you will never forget.  OK, I can’t possibly answer that one…there are too many. And for someone who’s love language is “Gifts”…both giving and receiving…that’s too difficult of a task. I’ll take a pass on that one (again, notice my devil-may-care attitude toward the rules…)
4. Name one thing you really like about yourself. My friends and family. (Sorry...that's two things...)
5. Does your name have a special meaning and/or were you named after someone special? It means “Follower of Christ” but I don’t know that it’s the reason it was given to me; I think my parents just liked it.
6. What is your favorite season (winter, spring, summer, fall) and why? Yes…which is why I live in Indiana. I don’t have a favorite season because I love them all when they arrive, and am usually glad for them to move along after a few weeks.
7. What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten? Umm…we’ve had a few weird fruits and veggies via the Fruit (or Veggie) of the Week with the PBA…but I have to say the Buddha’s Hand.
8. Do you have siblings?  If so, how many? (brothers? sisters?) Nope.
9. If you had this week to do over, what would you do differently? I would begin at Friday instead of Monday…and not look back.
10. What was the best vacation you ever had? Um…well, the trips to Hilton Head have always been lovely. Twice we went with my parents, both of MY grandmas and one of MY grandpas, and my aunt & uncle. So memorable for sure. We’ve been to Disney with the boys twice. And we went to London for our Honeymoon. And when I was in college my parents took me to the Bahamas (where I was about 10 feet away from Nelson Mandela...jealous, right?). And of course we had our two-week tour of the Western States just this past summer. How can I choose?!? Sorry…maybe I’m passing on this one too.
11. Have you ever been told you look like someone famous? If so, who? Yes, but I didn’t recognize the name. But before you presume that it wasn’t a terribly famous person, please know that I am not real hip when it comes to things like celebrities so that doesn’t mean a thing. I can tell you that it wasn’t Oprah...I do know that for sure.

Then I have to nominate 11 bloggers with followings of 200 or less. Fuddy-Duddy alert: I’m skipping that part. If you want to participate, please post your answers in the comments below. I know that I’d love to hear from some of you who don’t even write a blog (Cathy, Mary Ruth, Nancy, Casey, Krissie, Cindy, Penny…ok, there are MANY more of you but that smattering of names just came to mind; don’t disappoint me, ladies!)

And here are the questions I would like answered (and yes, I blatently stole some of these from the list of questions Miss Bloggpants had to answer...don't judge):

1. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
2. What is your all-time favorite TV show?
3. Whom do you most admire?
4. What is one thing on your bucket list?
5. What is your favorite snack food?
6. Paper or plastic (or bring your own)?
7. What was the worst vacation you ever had?
8. Beer or wine (or something else or nothing else)?
9. What is your favorite animal?
10. What is your earliest memory?
11. Do you collect anything? What?

___________________

OK, now for the moment you've all been waiting for...the unveiling of the poetry contest winner. It is none other than: Jen at http://overholt8.wordpress.com/.

For those of you who may have missed it, here it is again:

Math is stupid

scalene is not square

and I don't care

baleen keeps me from getting eaten

when at the beach i am seaten

saline comes from my eyes

especially when i cries

homeschoolers are cooler

especially when they choose my poem

as they do work from home

And yes, the PBA were TOTALLY swayed by the title...as Jen predicted they might be; in fact, her exact words were "I needed a title and figured it might get a vote from the judges IF they also do not like math!"...and we all know that math isn't really their favorite subject.

Well played, Jen, well played. And congratulations for your big win! You can have all the bragging rights you'd like (if I knew how to make a button I would...maybe someone can help us out? Hint, hint to anyone who is capable of this...)

Thanks to everyone who participated...it was big fun and the PBA didn't even roll their eyes too much when I told them they had to/got to judge the contest.

Have a fabulous day!

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