Someone thinks I’m beautiful

I have been feeling distinctly unbeautiful as of late,  beginning with another bout of gluten poisoning this weekend (they’re getting more severe when they happen), continuing with a personal training session this morning with the trainer I’ve been using in a group class setting and therefore had to tell someone out loud that I weigh one-hundred-and-I-ate-both-my-sons and how much that bothers me and on a scale of 1-10 how committed am I to change yadayadayada, and culminating in janking up my knee running between buildings in the rain this afternoon, so getting this award from Subadra from Library of Links, Books, and More, was a delight. Hello run-on sentence, how’ya doin’?

As a recipient of the Beautiful Blogger award, one must:

1) Add a link and note of thanks to the person giving the award.
Subadra, thank you for brightening my day. And many, many thanks for your learning links and lists. I will try to write more funny posts like the one about Buddy’s surgery.

2) Pass the award on to the bloggers whose blogs you love (15 tops)
Lemme see what I got in my bag o’ blogroll…

Nancy at Away We Go. Nancy’s parents live in my town, and she and I met for coffee when she was visiting in May. That was awesome. The morning we met (May, remember) we were socked with a couple inches of snow and now Nancy doesn’t want to move out here. That was bad. She never fails to make me laugh, ever. Her writing is delightful, and I love reading about someone else surviving raising two sons.
Denise at Eat Play Love. Denise was one of my first blog friends turned real life friend. She lives not far from me and we try to get together when we can. We (and I use “we” extremely loosely, as she has done 99.99% of the work) write a bento blog together: Colorado Bento (and stunner, I actually have a post up there today! Gasp!).
Christina at ends with 8741. Another blog friend who is now a real life friend. Yes, I recognize an inadvertent theme here. She and I met for dinner last month when I was in Chicago, and it was wonderful. She started the Hopeful Parents network (and I have to use network, because it’s so much more than a blog now) and despite raising a child with severe mental illness, is building that network into a force to be reckoned with for parents of special needs kids. I’m proud of her.
Melissa at Forty is Just Another Number. Mel is my BFF-if-we-lived-in-the-same-town. She’s in Austin, I’m in Denver-ish, and eventually we’ll meet. I keep hoping she’ll move here, but that is, sadly, unlikely to happen. She, too, is raising two gifted sons, and we have a grand ol’ time comparing notes. And cocktail recipes.
Tiffani at freeplaylife. Tiffani was a blog friend who became a real life friend when we realized we lived in the same town and then she moved away and broke my heart and now I live vicariously through her. She is the bravado I wish I had. Last year she and her family sold off everything they owned, moved into an RV on the California beach, then into a small home in Hollywood. She unschools her kids and they are wicked smart kids. She is raising her kids to grow into themselves, and not a preconceived notion of what a <insert age of kid here> should be. She’s my inspiration in many ways.
Missy at Loving Your Gifted Child and Much, Much More. Ah, the “raising gifted kids” blogger I wish I was. She balances her writing between stories of her kids and information on general giftedness. It’s a delicate balance and she is walking that fencepost well.
Kelley at Magneto Bold Too! Yes, please don’t read this sassy Aussie if you’re easily offended, the woman has a mouth like a drunken sailor on shore leave with a pocket full of cash. And I totally think she rocks. I’d love to sit back and toast margaritas to each other with her, but the best I can do is enjoy her from afar. But when the day comes that I finally make it to the opposite hemisphere, we’re going hittin’ the town.
Dawn at Weldable Cookies. She and I couldn’t be any more different unless I was a platypus and she was a…anything else. And yet, we’re friends. When a cranky middle-aged butch lesbian and a work at home stressed out wife and mom can find common ground for friendship, true friendship, you know that…well, it’s pretty cool.

3) Share 7 things about yourself

• Did I mention that I totally janked up my knee this afternoon? Yeah, wasn’t sure if I had whined about that enough yet. I’m lying (laying?) here on the couch with an icepack and I just can’t get it comfortable. As A has been saying so often that we’re all going batshit crazy from it, “Seriously?”
• I stunned Tom with this little tidbit last week. I cannot stand to have anything on my thumbnails. Peanut butter, meatloaf, anything. Nail polish I’m ok, but anything with heft to it, and I’m reduced to a quietly hysterical mess. Gagging/gurgling in the back of my throat, shallow breathing, panicked rushing to the sink/towel. He couldn’t believe we’d been together for 17 years and he never knew that. Well buddy, it’s not something I advertise, m’kay?
• I love Rainier cherries. Not only are they about the most delicious thing I get to put in my mouth this time of year, but they are full of memories. My beloved flute teacher  loved Rainier cherries, and we ate them by the pound at a masterclass he taught in Victoria, B.C. I had a whole bunch this afternoon and smiled the whole time.
• I am convinced…wait, past convinced…that A is conspiring to drive me batshit crazy. I have suspected for a few months now that his beloved GT teacher had left his school and had no idea how to break it to him. Little shit offhandedly mentioned at dinner tonight that Ms. S left wouldn’t be returning to school this year because she left to become a writer. Ok, A) totally jealous that she left to become a writer and, B) he has known this since the beginning of MAY and just now mentioned it! Truly I think my darling son stays up nights thinking up ways to keep my hair colorist in business for life.
• I have never been skiing in my life. Thirteen years in a state with some of the best skiing in the world, and I’ve never thrown myself down a mountain on a pair of toothpicks. If I can throw out a knee running 100 yards in the rain, do you really thing it’s a good idea for me to attempt that?
• Though I grew up in Chicago, I was born in Tennessee and lived there until I was around two. As a result, I can slide into a Southern drawl without a lot of effort. Yes, spooks me too.
• My cousin had the twins about 10 days ago. They are healthy and happy and I get new pictures and videos every day. They have that wonderful “how the hell did I get here?” look to them and don’t look at all like preemies who went through the pregnancy from hell. I can’t wait to snuggle them. Hopefully Christmas.

Alrighty then. I feel a bit more beautiful, with a bit more hope for the week. Go visit the beautiful bloggers I mentioned and make their day.