OUR LIFE IN 3D

A Beautiful Surprise!

Surprises can be good. And sometimes surprises can be horrible. It has been awhile since I received any sort of good surprise from my writing or blog. However Nadia, at “A Little Bit Of This And That”, changed all that as she included and surprised me in her handing out her “Beautiful Blogger Awards”.

Yes, I was surprised, delighted, kinda amazed, embarrassed, flattered, and ever so grateful to know someone likes what I am trying to do in this blog. Thanks so much Ms. Nadia!

If you have never visited Nadia at “A Little Bit Of This And That” please check her out. She is a fairly new blogger. She is younger (than me) and writing about all the new, fresh observances from her part of the world, the UK. It’s amazing how much we still have in common. ~ After all, she’s a “Beautiful Blogger” herself 🙂 . Check her out!

So now there are some obligations I need to take care of in order to fully embrace this award. These duties, as I’ve been told are that I must:

A) Write ten interesting things about myself, B) Nominate other bloggers who I feel deserve this award, C) Let them know about the nomination!

First, I understand the word “Interesting” is a subjective term, so please bear with me. You really don’t want to know what my favorite movies, songs or artists are, do you? Second, I now need to come up with 7 ‘interesting’ things about me that you don’t already know (I’m such an open book). So let me think about this a second…….hmmm. Let me get started:

10 Things about me:

1)     I love to travel. So it was with great joy when our two daughter’s Passports arrived in the mail this week. My next project might be a travel blog.

World travelers

2)     Yes, I am a beach bum. I love the coast. I love the ocean. I love the beach. I love the sun on my skin and a cool breeze running through my hair. I love the colors of the ocean; and the sea / sand combination. I love the coastal way of life. We have traveled to many scenic places and loved everyone. Ireland was unforgettable! But we always find time to travel to the Caribbean each year.

3)     I am actually an Introvert. I rate INTJ on the Myers / Briggs Personality Test. Conversely, I love to cook and write as some of my creative outlets which some would call extroversive. I love creativity in any size, shape, or form. That’s why I read your blogs! They are really the only thing that I actually read as I hate to read. Reading is like work to me.

4)     I used to make my own beer, which goes hand in hand with loving to cook, as you had to follow detailed instructions. It was closer to a chemistry experiment. Honey Raspberry, Belgium Wheat, and Maple Oatmeal Stout were my favorites. Now, with two young ones, my hobby has turned to making ice cream. Oreo Cookie Mint is my new favorite along with a lemon sorbet in the summer.

Part of the set, carboy and returnable bottles. Everything has to be sanitized

5)     I would love to be a standup comedian but I have the same problem with speaking in front of crowds as most people.

6)     I had 4 high school track records when I graduated high school. I also played football and wrestled in high school.  I think wrestling is the best sport in high school and kept at it until my shoulders started to go bad.

7)     In 1998 the Bone Doctor said I had the shoulders of a 70 year old man. I have no cartilage in them now and my rotator cuff has to navigate through a channel of bone spurs. If it sounds painful it was. He said my shoulders would need replaced but I was too young to do it at the time. He told me “my days in the gym, as I know them, were over”.  I was crushed! I was never to lift anything over my head again. Never being one to listen to authority, I continue to go to the gym but listen to my body. I don’t lift anything over my head but can still do 35lb front dumbbell raises and push 225lbs on a seated bench-press, which I am kinda proud of with these old man shoulders. ~ Glucosamine really, really does work!

8)     As far as a ‘Beautiful Blogger’ goes, my feet have been a well-kept secret! I have a beat up big toe on my left foot from work. I have a monkey-looking small toe on my right foot that was broken last year while I was cleaning up the kid’s toys. And an arthritis knot behind my big toe on my right foot that makes me buy shoes a size bigger than what I need. In a word ‘scarey-looking‘. But these feet ‘of a 70 year old’ are the only thing I have that keep me running!

I thought I might ride my bike for a while

9)     Personally, I found being a parent is the greatest joy you can experience. It changes you. It really does. I cried more the first month of being a father than I ever did. For no reason! I was never like that….about kids. Things that used to matter to you aren’t as important any more.

We’ll keep you safe…

But it isn’t all fun and games! It can be very bi-polar at times.

Eating the lip gloss again!

But our two really are gifts from God. They found us. Literally.

Kids are a gift!

10) I am soooo not hip anymore. I thought they said in the song, “I got the moves like that, I got the moves like that” in that one new song. My wife explained to me they actually sing, “I got the moves like Jagger. I got the moves like Jagger”. I am so not hip anymore!

I have been doing this blog for going on 9 months now. I have ran across many blogs that I enjoy reading and following myself along this time. As I said, they are the only thing I read.

Some of the reasons I follow some blogs are that they parallel my interests or hobbies, mostly around fitness. I follow others because the writers are just very fun, interesting people. A few others are some great people I am cheering for or otherwise trying to support. Also I find there are some very good writers out there that  have a great command and creative use of the English language, where they can offer blogs that always are fun, optimistic and upbeat.

All these (you) bloggers are great at what they (you) do. You are All Award Winners for your great writing skills you have! But I wanted to recognize a few of my favorites (it’s the Award duty) from that last group symbolizes Beautiful Bloggers to me. They are the ones I look forward to reading each day. So here are some of my choices for the Beautiful Blogger Award. I bowel down to their awesomeness :

Life, Underestimated & Overanalysed: written by a talented young lady that loves to travel, jot down her own ideas on writing, and even writes some original material…when she’s not buying shoes. Her blog flows like a professional of paperback novels. This Brown-eyed miracle girl first caught my attention when she was describing some daily activities while in Italy last year. She literally made me feel like I was there…and want to visit sometime soon! This is who I would like to do a travel blog with!

Southern Sea Muse: One click shows why I enjoy this blog. She is another take on coastal living. She’s fun, upbeat, always scenic and helps take me to her little part of the coast. Its just the blog for me when I want to get away.

idrankthecfkoolaid: actually has parts of all the reasons I follow blogs I listed above. It is done by a young lady doing the Cross Fit Challenge. Additionally, she is a wife and mother and still finds time to do the fitness and then write about it. Phew! What I like is it’s not all  peppy and cheery all the time. She has her up days and down days just like the rest of us. And she’ll let you know. What I like most about her blog is that she finds 101 ways to be awesome, reminding us we all have our awesome moments. A more recent gem: Sweat is just liquid awesomeness! Check her out and find YOUR Awesomeness!

Taking The World On With A Smile!: Is a blog I think I honored once before. She does a great blog in her part of New York; her observances, thoughts, pet peeves, and kids. She writes every Sunday. And then, every week, everyone one of her ‘Commenters’ literally wants to give her a hug. Really! I do too! But then people would talk.

Lolabees: One click on her web site and you can see why I like it. But the coastal pic isn’t it. It’s like looking out an open window on a spring afternoon. Lola enjoys traveling, great dining and a tequila connoisseur  (more passions of mine). Plus, she is in search of a new career path, which I can empathize with too. She’s fun and fresh, upbeat and optimistic. She leaves a Dental background and has lots of fun with that topic, i.e. “Ten Reasons Why Your Dentist Hates You”. Or “Ten Reasons Dental School….ahh….was not for her.”

If  / when you check out any of these blogs tell them 3D says Hello! Thanks for dropping by. Thanks again to Ms. Nadia for this honor. I hope everyone has the best weekend yet! Keep up your beautifulness!