Counting Virtual Blessings

No one understands exactly how amazing the internet is…until you’ve experienced it firsthand. I’m not talking about how fast it is, or how the information you need is always just on the other side of a Google search. I’m talking about the human element.

Many of us who’ve dared to venture into this flat world have tried to explain the circles of friends that exist within the blogosphere to those “on the outside”. No one really gets it…and, if you’re like me, you find yourself starting to question your own sanity as you try to explain it to others, struggling to make it sound un-freaky – even though you know fully well that it isn’t creepy at all.

The internet has blessed me with a circle of friends that I never would have met otherwise. It has blessed me by strengthening my connection with friends and family in ways that may have taken years – if it would have even happened at all. And, amazingly, the internet has allowed me – no, taught me – how to open myself unabashedly to accept love whole-heartedly.

One of these blessings that have fallen into my lap is Colleen (seated at right).

You may have read my Girl Talk Thursday posts before. Colleen is a part of the crew that organizes Girl Talk. As it so turns out – by the magic of the internet – she also happens to live in my town. So, recently, we had a “tweet up” and spent an afternoon together over delicious food and amazing Riesling. We hugged tightly and sincerely, with giddy smiles, the minute we recognized each other.

Colleen embraces the world with that same tenacity. She does not shy from affection – which makes me love her even more. She never tempers her kindness and support with cynicism. …but at the same time, she can drop an awesome f-bomb (or three) over lunch and you’ll laugh till your head hurts and your sides ache.

In short, I’m so thankful that I know her and I have her as a friend, an ear, and a shoulder. I know she will be there whenever I call.

Thank you, Colleen.

And, thank you for my award. :)

Now, for the nitty- gritty. Here’s how this works…

1. Thank the person who nominated you for the award.

2. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you for the award.

4. Share seven interesting things about yourself.

5. Nominate your own seven Beautiful Bloggers.

Now, I know you’re all itching to hear seven interesting things about me…and, quite honestly, I am too. I mean, seven???? Really people??? Wow…I’m hard-pressed to come up with two.

1. I live with my heart in the driver’s seat and my brain in the backseat, holding onto the “oh shit” bar and gritting its teeth (she’s not that great of a driver). I’ve tried it the other way around though, and it just isn’t for me. If you don’t like it, keep it to yourself. If you do, come on in. You’re welcome to ride with me. It is sure to be worth it in the end.

2. My only clear memories of recess are from my earliest school days, preschool or kindergarten, at Trinity Day School in Texas. I remember standing in our little navy jumpers at the back corner of a faded asphalt basketball court, out behind the bigger building on campus. There was a chain link fence covered in a vine. As a child, I was sure it was honeysuckle, though in retrospect, perhaps it was a variety of jasmine. I remember picking and sucking the blossoms with my friends. I also remember walking in the grass, picking buttercups and touching the pollen inside the petals with my little fingers, singing Mary Had a Little Lamb and playing London Bridge.

3. I can’t stand to have my mouth and nose covered up. I have this crazy fear of suffocating. Thankfully, it’s gotten a lot better over the past dozen or so years, but I still don’t like it.

5. I will turn 33 this summer. That number echoes and reverberates in my head like the calculator screen when you divide 100 by 3. 33.333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333………………

This is not to say that I’m troubled by this age; really, I’m fine with it. I actually rather like it. (Which is an improvement. I didn’t like 29 or 30 too much.) It just always produces that mental image of duplicity…or triplicity…or, so on… I think it must be something about the number three.

6. Ever since I visited my brother in Boston a few years ago, and spent the days and nights walking between Harvard Square and his apartment and all amongst the historic sites in downtown Boston, I’ve wanted to move into an urban-urban area and sell my car. I’m “over” driving half an hour to get anywhere in town (i.e. anywhere in Jacksonville). I think this goes along the lines of simplifying my life – shop at a corner store, walk to neighborhood restaurants, trade my backyard for a park, push a stroller vs. load up in car seats. I’m getting burnt out on suburbia.

7. I’m currently in the middle of a love affair with fresh mozzarella. I keep it in my bottom fridge drawer and have a hard time not eating large quantities of it at a time. I treat myself to it alone with a glass of wine, though sometimes I enjoy it beside sliced apples or Wheat Thins, before or after dinner. BigGirl calls it “squishy cheese” and complains when she sees the package because “it’s so juicy”. I think it’s a lot like being in love with a dork. “I know he’s kinda ugly, but he makes me happy…”

Now, for the fun part. I get to pass it on!

1. My sister-in-law, Steph, has really risen to the occasion. She’s been there – tried and true – for me like no other. She and I have laughed, cried, drank, texted, emailed, chatted, talked, you name it. We’ve even sent each other ecards of questionable taste. We have always had so much in common, but recently, she’s become so much more than a sister-in-law to me. And for that, I am so incredibly thankful….even if she is a little SWF sometimes and copies my every move while perched atop a burro. I mean, imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? (hee hee)

2. Nominating Cheryl is sort of like cheating, because Colleen nominated her, too…but she deserves it! Cheryl is a cheerleader like no other. She and I have a real world connection, but it is through the power of the twitterverse and the blogosphere that we have the relationship that we have today. Cher and I dug into the trenches together through NaBloPoMo until we came out alive. Cher and I have cried together over emails and I think both of us nearly crawled through the phone at the sound of each other’s voice recently. I, too, can’t wait to see her again and give her a huge hug – and let my mascara streak down my face with my tears of joy.

3. Another blessing brought to me by the internet is this lady. I really don’t know what to link to exactly, since she’s sort of stepped out of the comfort of this little bloggy world to which we belong…and into the slightly racier world of fanfic….but I love her. Scratch that - I should have written, "AND I love her." No buts. She, too, is a budding writer. And for all you Twilight lovers, look for her red-hot-Mac-wearing lips to grace the flaps of book jackets at stores near you someday in the future…you’ll find her in the vampire/werewolf/supernatural/romance/emo section. Anyhow, Meadow, stick this award wherever you find appropriate (since you’ve abandoned your old blog) and feel the love I’m sending with it.

4. I couldn’t do this without sending some love to my real world #1 bloggy/twitter companion, Melanie. I’ve mentioned her here before…she’s the one that started this snowball for me. She can be very persuasive. Melanie and I have so much in common…I am so thankful to have her as a friend, a confidant, and a colleague. She’s got my back, she’s in my corner, and I love her. She freaking rocks.

5. I have not been fortunate enough to meet this chick in person yet, but she truly inspires me. I mean, wow. Her writing is more honest than I thought humanly possible. Her blog tells all and then some about her journey as a recovering alcoholic, lover, and woman. She has gracefully read some of my more private writings – ones I’ve written in response to her own work – writing she has inspired. She may not agree with me, but I see her as an incredibly courageous and strong person and writer, I can only hope some of that rubs off on me. She is someone I admire.

6. My next honoree is my “cousin”, Sean. He probably doesn’t care about this at all – because he all big and bad like that. He runs with the cool crowd, you know. :) Can you remember how it felt to be a little kid and watch older kids & teenagers and think how cool it would be to be big and grown like them? That’s kind of how I feel about him. He’s madly in love with his wife and daughters, and I think that’s amazing. I’d love to meet him one day. I know we would hug and laugh and have a blast – and I’d love to meet his wife and babies, too. I’d hug them all and give squeezes to his baby girls (because all babies deserve squeezes, not because I’m a freaky stalker chick or anything). So, Sean, do with this what you will, and know it is sent with admiration.

7. And, for my last blogger, I’m going to bend the rules. I’m sending this Beautiful Blogger award to another of my kindred spirits, Jen Z. A colleague of mine, she’s been talking to me about starting her own blog – and I’m TOTALLY going to make that happen…NOW! She will be a favorite of yours, I just know it. She’s witty, intelligent, and a lot like me…what’s not to like? hee hee I can’t wait to start reading all that goes on in her head; I’m positive it will not disappoint. Stay tuned for a linky coming your way soon.

All righty, folks. We've finally reached the end of this uber-long awards post. I think I hear the music playing....