My Woo-Hoo Badges of Honor

When spectacular things don’t happen to you on a daily basis, you look for tiny little good moments to wrap your brain around, so as to avoid your blood pressure from rising. You reach and grasp for whatever you can so that you go to bed thankful for something. Something!

Things like finding a five-dollar bill in your freshly laundered Gain-smelling jeans.

Things like finding a spare key when you’re locked out of the house.

Things like the last Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Square waiting for you at the bottom of the bag.

Things like being able to take the carpool lane when traffic is jammed and passing the jackass that cut you off in the process.

Things like the makers of Framboise who help you out on Friday nights.

Things like BenGay and ice packs to help your weary muscles and bones.

Things like FX and AMC that rock your world because you no longer have HBO.

Things like the bloggers who surprise you with awards and make you feel like a badass writer.

Now usually I’m on top of awards and I post my gold stars right away, but with all the training for the race it escaped me. But it’s never too late to acknowledge the people who think I’m “Guatacular.”

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Cayman Thorn, Clay Watkins, and Jim. Cayman Thorn over at Drinks Well with Others nominated me for the Very Inspiring Award, which goes to show you that someone out there — a comic, sensitive genius himself — finds my sense of humor inspiring out there. Clay at Making The Days Count and Jim a Fit Recovery both nominated me for the Liebster Award. They both write about life and their own journeys to make the most out of it.

I totally accept these woo-hoo badges of honor and wanted to let them know that …

 

Image via QuotableCards.com

 

I know there are specific rules for these types of awards, like tell us a couple interesting facts about yourself, post the award on your site, and nominate 10 people … give or take. But I’m gonna break a few of these rules in order to pass both honors to blogs I think are definitely worthy of appreciation and gold stars. I appreciate the blogging love given to me and I send out double the love to the following bloggers who inspire me with their travels, their photographs, and their ability to make me laugh.

 

TBM at the 50 Year Project

Baz The Landy Out and About Having Fun

Stephen Kelly Creative

Patrick Latter at Hiking Photography

Justin Gawel at Ramblings From An Apathetic Baby

1PointPerspective

The Time is Write

Lame Adventures

They keep the blogosphere awesome and entertaining with adventure, dreams, pictures that are priceless, and comedy. Don’t forget comedy, it keeps the gray hair away and the blood pressure down. Feel free to stop by and get a dose of inspiration in a variety of ways.

 

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A Gold Star That Helped During Flu Season

I never really thought my perception of reality would be honored in any fashion. Sometimes it’s too real, which is why comedy must happen. I need to laugh or find the funny, otherwise I’d just jump off a cliff. So when my good friend Cayman Thorn over at Drinks Well With Others nominated me for the “Reality Blog Award,” I thought … Holy Crap. My real must definitely resonate.

I thought they were just crappy moments I spun to amuse myself, you know silver lining and all, but little did I know I had a couple of fans who appreciated The Guat reality even when I was a little out of if for about two weeks because of the flu. But regardless of my NyQuil moments I still put it all out there.

🙂

I purge. As writers this tends to happen, which might be the very reason why my buddy gave me some props. But in truth the props should be for him. Cayman is badass. He’s one of the funniest writers I know and he doesn’t even have to try that hard. It’s organic, no pesticides or hormones. Just genuine comedy and that is hard find out here in the blogosphere. And even though he writes under a pseudonym he’s more real than any reality show out there. He’d probably get better ratings too. He put the “uuuuuuuuuuu” in “Duuuuuuuuuuuuuude.” He talks of sports, life, current events and much more. And he does an awesome job.  He defined this award as “tapping into the world you’re moving through and extracting the flavor through your keyboard …” I mean who comes up with such a great combination of words, the kind of fusion that makes you pause in mid-sentence and say Holy Crap! A badass. That’s who. An awesome badass over at Drinks Well With Others.

And seeing how this great writer thought I was worthy enough of an award, well I guess it means I’m not that bad either.  Some people shy away from awards, no mention of them in posts or comments. But me? I always enjoy getting gold stars, ever since Mrs. Torres’s kindergarten class. They make me feel like I’m on the right track.

So in honor of being on the right track I accept the award and continue this post with the rules: Five questions and my nominees. Sometimes awards have questions to get to the root of you, so here’s my attempt at answering them.

1- If you could change something what would you change?- Living at my parents. I’m a grown-ass woman with two kids. I should have my own place, something with a walk-in closet. But life has been tough this year … for everyone, and I know there are others out in my same predicament. But I’m sure they’d want to change that too.

2) If you could relive one day, when would that be? Going to the baseball game with my dad and son. If I knew it was the last game we’d ever see together, I would’ve brought the camera.

3) What one thing really scares you?  If something terrible were to happen to my kids. (Cayman had this answer and I couldn’t agree with it more. I think I would end up on an episode of Oxygen’s Snapped! if something were to ever happen to my kids and the person responsible would probably be six-feet under).

4) What one dream have you not completed yet and do you think you will be able to complete it?-  Publishing one of my books. And I don’t mean self-publish either, although that’s still considered published, but I’d like the real publish. The kind that gets me a good letter in the mail and not the “it’s-not-you-it’s-me” rejection letter. But I still got time. I’m not dead yet.

5) If you could be someone else for the day, who would you be?-   Probably a writer who’s been published.

And here are my nominees …

I know Cayman gave me the award and I normally don’t give it back to the person who gave it to me, but he’s that good. So if you get a chance definitely check him out over at Drinks Well With Others. His fiction is awesome.

Me 2.0 She hasn’t written in a really long time, but I discovered her late in the game. And she found a way to bring humor into a very real situation. I still read her blog entries from the past and I hope she gets back on the writing wagon, because she is definitely an inspiration at finding the humor when you don’t think there’s any.

Stephen Kelly Creative has opened my eyes to photography and travel. His recent insights on his trip to Australia definitely took me back and helped me find perspective. He puts the personal in his shots and I always appreciate how he showcases that with good writing.

This Man’s Journey encompassing everything this award is supposed to be. His stories are through pictures and all of them are real, energizing, amazing, lovely and inspiring. They do make you say Yipeee! Well they make you want to be a better photographer, family person and human spirit.

Andrea Kelly over at The Hand-Written Life definitely gets real. She talks about everything from books, television and music, to relationships and life moments. I really appreciate her honesty in her relationship posts and enjoy the inspiration she lays out whenever she comes across it in her life. She shares the wisdom she finds and I like being enlightened. The fact that she enjoys chocolate is a definite plus.

Lame Adventures is my go-to for humor. If I’m ever feeling down I know I can get a smile and a laugh from reading her posts. And there is no BS there, just real life and real funny. And anytime anybody can make me laugh that is definitely amazing, energizing and lovely.

Hope you guys get a chance to visit any or all of them.

The Last Holy-Crap Moment of the Year

With glittery party hats on, noisemakers on hand, champagne glasses filled, beer cans being popped open, and chocolate being munched away, every part of the world counts down to the end of 2012. Sometimes New Year’s Eve is surprisingly great, fireworks spectacular and hugs galore. Sometimes it’s quiet, cozy, and nice. Other times it just sucks. Sucks. However it is that you celebrated, you’re there to say good-bye to your 365 day journey and begin another. Day one of possibilities.

But before my day one of possibilities begins I must share my last holy-crap moment of the year 2012. An unexpected moment … a little gold star.

Thanks you  The Hand Written Life

Can you believe it?

No … no I can’t.

I know most people who get surprised for one reason or another and say they were utterly shocked are really full it. Utterly … that’s the key word. So not true because in the back of their mind they were hoping something spectacular would happen, so they kind of expected it. But I can honestly say I didn’t expect this blogging award. I’d seen it at a couple of other worthy sites and thought … yeah these blogs are awesome and worthy of this 2012 Blog of the Year Award. They take awesome pictures with fancy cameras, they travel and inspire others to do the same, they produce writing that’s worthy of a Freshly Pressed sighting.

Me … I have a banged up Canon PowerShot. I travel to the supermarket. And I try to transform my life’s lows into Saturday Night Live skits in Guat Style just so I can get through the day. I try to laugh. That’s what I do.

So I don’t know how I was honored  with this award, but I am extremely appreciative and humbled that Andrea over at The Hand Written Life thought that my little blog was worthy enough to be acknowledged for something like this. Have you met Andrea? She’s quite awesome herself. Other than making me laugh with her “Why I  Don’t Have a Boyfriend” series, she explores the creative world of television, books, and movies. I had no idea that you could have an arts and entertainment soul mate. But there she was posting good stories about music, television shows, and movies … she had me at hello. So thank you Andrea, I appreciate the honor and will be sure to pass it on to some other fantabulous bloggers whose work consistantly makes me laugh, think, and smile. Bloggers that inspire me. Bloggers that make me forget about the crappy day. You know … bloggers who are my chocolate … like you.

So who are my 2012 Bloggers of the Year?

This Man’s Journey  writes heartfelt pieces about family and life, and shares stories through the great Kodak moments captured on film. I always look forward to his Weekly Image of Life Challenges because they make me focus on the positives in my life. And not only does he inspire me to be better at whatever it is I’m doing whether it be with family, photography or writing, but he always inspires me to look out for the silver lining and sometimes when you’re down in the dumps that’s very helpful.

Drinks Well With Others cracks me up. There’s just no other way to say it. He’s awesome, he’s refreshing … like swimming in a river of 7-Up. Making people laugh is not an easy task, but he does it with such ease. And he’s not a one-dimensional, one-liner ha-ha blog either. He’s a genuine HA-HA-HA laughing on the inside and outside blog. He’s the all-knowing life guru that provides deep thoughts and a comic spin on life and whatever it may bring you. He shares his life and makes you feel glad you stopped by. He’s like a visit to Cheers. And when he visits you … Dude … you end up feeling like you’re a size 4, when really you’re just a Chapstick kind of girl whose size varies according to jean maker.

The Landy – Out and About brings adventure to my life. He’s the Down Under Adventurer who makes me feel like I can climb mountains, go water skiing, and kayaking all in one day. He brings the Aussie magic my way and reminds me of how awesome that country is and why I fell in love with it the first time I went out for a visit. He inspires me to go back, but he also inspires me to find adventure in my own neck of the woods.

Lame Adventures always makes me laughs. She’s one of the sharpest tools in the shed when it comes to satire and life. Maybe it’s because she’s from New York … could be. She’s one of the best writers I’ve encountered in the blogosphere and I am so glad to have found her at a virtual blog party hosted by Wild Rider Susie Lindau. Lame Adventure stories explore the daily grind, weekends at home, visits to the post office, air travel, theatre, family, friends and more. And with every topic she finds a way to put humor in the works. And when she visits you … forget about it. Those comments are not only awesome, but they crack me up. She’s funny even in her comments. I’m waiting for her book to come out so that I can meet her in person at a signing.

Patrick Latter Photography Patrick needs no words … his photos are that good. I never miss an opportunity to drop by and check out his work. He makes me want to buy a better camera and travel the world. But seeing how I’m a starving writer, I just have to make do with my Canon PowerShot, yearly vacations and constant visits to his website.

Those were my Usual Suspects. And I know what you’re thinking … I’ve heard some of these before. Yeah … I know. But sometimes you just can’t get enough awesome in your life. So start off your new year right, click the links and visit.

And for my blogger nominees … here are the rules/guidelines. I’m sure there were more rules, but they got lost in translation. I hope the CliffNotes version is acceptable.

1. Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award

2. Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.

3. Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them

4. You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience.

5. As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars… As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…

Unlike other awards which you can only add to your blog once – this award is different.

When you begin you will receive the ‘1 star’ award – and every time you are given the award by another blog – you can add another star.

There are a total of 6 stars to collect.

Which means that you can check out your favourite blogs – and even if they have already been given the award by someone else – you can still bestow it on them again and help them to reach the maximum 6 stars.

Sometimes Addiction is a Good Thing

Nicotine. Alcohol. Crack. Cocaine. Meth. Gambling. Sex. Food. Shopping. And The Wish Factor.  Apparently all of these things can cause addictive behaviors. Stuff that requires you to lie to yourself and others until you hit rock bottom and eventually find Jesus, and then you stand in a room full of other anonymous people reciting the Serenity Prayer. All of these addictions create this downward spiral except  … me … The Guat and my blog. I’m more of a roller coaster ride. Although, some people may not like roller coasters.

But some people do … apparently about 200 of you, more or less. But who really enjoys me? Who would consider me DVR worthy if I was a show on cable? Who considers reading my blog a habit-forming, dire-need, compulsion in a non-stalker kind of way?

🙂

Andrea … Andrea Kelly from The Hand-Written Life. She’s a writer, reader, and life blogger who muses over books, television, music, and life’s moments. She thought I was so DVR worthy that she nominated me for The Addictive Blog Award. I had no idea that the blogging world had honors such as these. But I gladly accept and thank Andrea for this badass badge of honor.

Incidentally I also wanted to thank the hilarious Cayman Thorn from Drinks Well With Others who constantly cracks me up, and painter, designer, and writer True Design Living for nominating me for the Lovely Blog Award a while back. Also wanted to thank All Access Pass, a badass educator worthy of a Mr. Holland Opus-Stand and Deliver nod for sending the Liebster Blog Award my way.

I was originally given these honors months ago by other bloggers who were featured in a post. But just because you get something twice or even three times, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be grateful, right? Back-to-back champions don’t just wear one ring. So I thought I would give them a quick shout-out for appreciating my blog and spreading the back-to-back awards.

So aside from thanking Andrea Kelly from The Hand-Written Life, nominating 10 other blogs, and posting the badge on my site, the Addictive Blog Award rules suggest that I am to share a little bit about why I blog and how I started the journey.

I know it’s corny, but it’s the truth. My blogging journey started as a New Year’s Resolution for 2012.It wasn’t about losing weight, being a better person, or drinking less. My resolution centered on starting a blog and being able to write everyday … 365 days. Write something. Write with passion. Write with truth. And most importantly write with humor. It was a goal.

However, the idea was planted by two of my dearest friends Victor and Veronica. Let’s hear it for the Vs. No they’re not married. They don’t even live in the same state, and they probably just met once … at my wedding … probably waiting in line to dance with me during the Dollar Dance.

They read a couple of my short stories, and listened to plenty of my Guat life experiences throughout the years and couldn’t believe I wasn’t out there in the blogging community. They suggested that aside from my sports and Great Outdoors stories that were roaming around newspapers and journalistic websites I should put my regular stories out there.  Who knows, right?

Who knows what will come of people reading how I maced myself  in the middle of the street at midnight, how I embarrassed myself in front of hundreds at a U2 concert, how I danced like a champion to La Chona at a college bar, how I nearly died after The Pinkberry Experience but only ended up peeing on myself in public,  how I attempt to be a successful mother of two kids without completely losing it on a daily basis, or how I try to write most of my life’s moments, embarrassing or not, as if they were Saturday Night Live skits. Who knows, right?

It started off with a resolution and a who knows, but my blogging continues because it gives me purpose as a writer. It gives me a daily goal to be creative, to share my stories, to build up chapters in a  future book, to practice humor when all I want to do is crawl under a rock or drown in chocolate, and to feel less like loser when I get rejection letters from agents or publishers because at least I’m writing something. This is why The Wish Factor continues. So I hope you enjoy the ride.

Now it’s time for me to pay it forward … the nominees … they make me laugh, they crack me up, some of them take great pictures which makes me wish I had a better camera, and some of them share life stories. They’re all good and they always get a visit from me. I encourage you to stop by and check them out.

These are my addictions.

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Drinks Well With Others

Lame Adventures

Me 2.0

Blissful Adventurer

Domestic Diva M.D.

The Strugglers Handbook

This Man’s Journey

The Time is Write

Unabashedly Poetic

Patrick Latter Photography

Another Day in Paradise

 

 

My Holy-Crap Moment of the Day

Versatile.

As an athlete it’s one of the best compliments you can receive. You feel like Michael Jordan, Steffi Graf, Derek Jeter, Annika Sorenstam, and Michael Phelps all wrapped up in one.

As a writer, it’s awesome. It means you got skills. Mad skills.  Jerry Seinfeld, Dennis Leary, Tina Fey, Nora Ephron, Chris Rock, J.J. Abrams kind of skills.

Versatility. Nice. Muy nice. And thanks to years of embarrassing moments, athletic achievements, childhood memories, kitchen Food Network recipe letdowns, mom meltdowns, crazy Guat family episodes, and an awesome three year-old and 11-month-old, I apparently have got it. I didn’t think I could win an award for putting all this craziness into words, but I did.

🙂

The fact that I got the award on a really crappy, drown yourself in misery kind of day was even better.  The Versatile Blogger Award became the Rocky Road ice cream moment of the day — wrapped up in fudge, whip cream, marshmallow topping, and nuts. Plenty of them. Getting this award was that good. It was my Holy-Crap! moment of the day.

So I would like to thank Another Day in Paradise for honoring me with this awesomeness. This little lady thoroughly enjoys life and gives you a taste of the journeys she takes traveling the world. Yes! The world. Not just Baja California people. She’s been on three separate continents and lets you enjoy the ride through her family stories, experiences, and awesome photographs. She puts my Canon Powershot to shame. So if you get a chance visit her blog.

Now, as the award requires here are seven little tid bits about The Guat … I strongly believe in the power of Rocky Road ice cream. I’m addicted to television, preferably FX, AMC, USA, and HBO. I’ve seen every episode of Jerry Seinfeld, probably twice. Despite my clumsiness and gravity challenged body I was athlete of the year two years in a row, back in my high school days. I have never successfully completed a Rachel Ray 30-minute meal in thirty minutes. I will dance in public if I hear my favorite jam on the radio, I’ve got moves. And finally … despite my awesomeness I am not a morning person, I’m big on the snooze button. But kids don’t have snooze buttons.

There was my seven.

And now … My peeps!

As with any award you need to pay it forward. You gotta show your peeps some love. So here are my nominees for The Versatile Blogger Award. Here are the peeps that embrace a variety of subjects, fields and skills. Here are peeps that make me laugh, smile, think, and wonder. Here are peeps that have mad skills, I hope you get a chance to visit their blogs.

Susie Lindau’s Wild Ride

Time to Write

Lame Adventures

Jodi Ambrose

Drinks Well With Others

Diary of a Quirky Girl

Bucket List Publications

The Blissful Adventurer

Mirth and Motivation

You’ve Been Hooked

Apparently Someone Thinks The Guat is Lovely … And I Kind of Agree

Lovely.

It seems like a dainty word to describe someone like me, and in truth I’m not very dainty. But when I looked a little closer at the definition, I realized … yeah that’s me.

My awesome award 🙂

I’m delightful. Highly pleasing. Very enjoyable and pleasant. I’m lovely. And they haven’t even seen a picture or met me in person. How awesome is that.

I would like to thank CraftCrazyGran for nominating me for this award. Aside from being a kind and enthusiastic blogger, she creates awesome Martha-Stewart like crafts, she also takes some of the most creative pictures for photo challenges. If you have time, I encourage you to check out her pictures and crafts.

Now, according to the “rules” I am to nominate a few other bloggers that I find “lovely” and share seven facts or fun tidbits about myself. So here we go …

I love chocolate … the cacao bean is one of nature’s best gifts, maybe even better than water. It helps make stuff like Hawaiian Chocolate or Claim Jumpers Chocolate Silk Pie.

I used to be a closet country music fan, but now I wear that label loud and proud. It’s number one on my car’s preset stations.

I’m a sports fanatic … the kind that yells at the television set and thinks the players might hear her.

I’m two belts away from becoming a black belt in Hapkido, but I am currently on hiatus from the dojo since having the baby.

I used to play the flute and the violin growing up, but now I’m on a mission to take up the guitar. I haven’t bought it yet, but I’m in research mode.

I love 80s movies. I wish had met Jake Ryan and Lloyd Dobler in high school.I love the way they love. They’re dreamy.

I’m a dance fanatic. I’m not at Beyonce/Shakira status yet, but I could probably hold my own against their back-up dancers … the ones way in the back.

Now that you know a little bit more about me, here are my nominees. I encourage you to visit their blogs. I find their humor, sensitivity, stories, and photographs lovely. They are delightful, highly pleasing, very enjoyable, and pleasant. Hope you get a chance to visit their blogs.

The Blissful Adventurer

This Man’s Journey

Drinks Well With Others

Domestic Diva M.D.

The Better Man Projects

The Foodimentary Guy

Holy Crap! I’ve Been Nominated …

Dude. Finding humor in my everyday drama has its rewards: it’s usually laughter, and sometimes tears from all the laughter.

This “emotional traffic” I’m stuck in definitely has its benefits … other than building character it garnered me with a nomination for the Liebster Award from Michelle at Life is an Exquisite Journey. So … a HUGE MUCHAS GRACIAS to Michelle for nominating me. She’s a cool chick with interests in “Self-Discovery, Fashion … Creative Expression, Travel, and Peace and Balance.”

The Liebster Award!  This award is  given to bloggers who inspire you and have less than 200 followers. The Liebster Award takes its name from the German word meaning ‘Beloved, Dearest or Favorite.’

The Guat is Beloved. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

So in the Liebster Fashion of paying it forward I am to nominate five other bloggers (with less than 200 followers) that I appreciate.

So here are the rules and my nominees 🙂

    Here’s how it works … rules people!

1. Link back to the person who gave it to you and thank them.
2. Post the award to your blog.
3. Give the award to 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you appreciate and value (It’s a great way to get to word out there about other blogs!!)
4. Leave a comment on the 5 blogs to let them know that they have received this award.

 

Adela — New York — Barcelona  …. Ahhhhh Adela she makes me smile with her stories of a New Yorker in Spain. But what cracks me up are the cultural differences between Spanish Speakers from different countries and how her stories weave in culture, life, traveling abroad, and humor.

L.A. Girl Secret Diaries … This is a fun and entertaining read.  She describes herself as a “single do it on her own plus sized girl in her twenties on a journey for weight loss, love and contemplating the next move on the career track…” I think everyone is on that journey… the twenties just makes it fun and funny. 🙂

Debut Dad chronicles the humorous experiences of a first-time dad. Some of the discoveries he goes through are funny, others are touching. You can get on board this web-journal type of blog and see life through the eyes of a new dad.

Christine at Living is a Process had me at hello … with her title … then when I realized she was a football chick like me I thought … oh yeah I’m definitely reading this. But she writes about life, and sports are just a small part of it. She describes herself as a “work of art in process” and I liked that.

The Strugglers Handbook caught my eye by title alone, but hooked me in with his stories of life and being a dad, all with depth and humor. He often cracks me up and although I love to laugh, cracking up is always better. He does that often with his family stories.

So now that you know the nominees, feel free to drop on by and check them out 🙂 Once again thanks so much to Michelle for this honor.