my freakin awesome blog has won a couple of awards!

I'm going to do a combination post to address both of them. The first was from Kayla at Something to Crow About. She gave me the Happy 101 award. The idea is to stop and take a minute to list 10 things that make you happy and then give the award to 10 other bloggers.

Happy. My eternal optimism makes me pretty good at that. So here goes :-)

1. babyCam. Makes me happier than anything else in the entire universe.
2. J. He really is an amazing husband, and for every time he makes me scream he makes me laugh twice as much.
3. Our puppies. The joy I get from them is ridiculous and a little embarrassing. I could watch them run around in circles together all day and call it a day well spent.
4. My friends. The real life ones and the internet crazies alike.
5. Reading. I don't really talk about it much here so you might not guess it, but I love to read. I love getting so sucked into a book that I have no idea what is going on in the world around me.
6. Summer. If you have been following my blog since last summer, you already know this. Because summer equals my birthday. And now, it will mean babyCam's birthday as well! It means J's birthday too, but he hates making a big deal out of it.
7. Shopping. I can be in the most foul mood ever, but get me in a store, and I am a happy girl!
8. Our family. The parts of it that I love, I really love. The parts I don't? Well, this is a Happy 101 list, so I'll just stop right there.
9. Skiing. It's been hard not to be able to ski this winter (though well worth it!). But at least it has saved us money!
10. The bird who keeps flying into my window. As I have been typing this out, I have lost count of how many times this bird has tried to fly into my office. The window is very much shut. And it isn't even clean. In fact, the spot it keeps trying to fly through is pretty dirty. Come to think of it, that could be from the bird banging into it every 5 seconds. But seriously, how can that kind of blind determination not make me smile?

The second award is the Beautiful Blogger award, from Mrs. Rotty at Sometimes and Always. (I find it worth noting that I first typed Beautiful Blooger award.) For this award I must thank the person who gave it to me (thank you again, Rotty!), link their blog (check!), c&p the picture above (check!), list 7 interesting things about yourself, and give the award to 7 bloggers.

So. 7 interesting things, besides the 10 things that make me happy...

1. I cannot burp. This is my 'go to' interesting fact because it typically fascinates people that my body cannot function in a seemingly normal way. Fear not, I am able to rid myself of that extra 'air' - I make up for it on the other end.
2. I can touch my tongue to my nose. Like stick out my tongue, and touch it to the tip of my nose. You do what you want with that information, internets.
3. I love Jeeps. Since I have known what an automobile is, I have loved Jeeps. My brother and I got a Jeep power wheels for Christmas one year a looooong time ago, and man was that thing awesome.
4. I am an interior designer. Not a decorator. A designer. I have a BS in it from a 4 year school. And I hate when people think I am just a decorator who took an online course. There is a huuuuuge difference.
5. I have been to Europe 5 times. I have family in Germany who I have visited 3 times, and I have been to Italy twice. No offense to the fam in Deutschland, I like Italy better. I would vacation there yearly if I could.
6. I have a serious obsession with Sharpies. I have pretty much every color. Fine and extra fine. I love using them, and I LOVE the way they smell. I swear to you I don't get high off of them. In fact...
7. I have never been high. Well, other than on adrenaline and looooove. I have never smoked a single cigarette, nor done a single drug, ever in my life. If it weren't for my love of rum you could call me straight edged.

Okay so now to give out the awards. I am going to combine them and give them both to 7 bloggers I love, in no particular order. It was hard to find people on my blog list who haven't already gotten one of these awards, so a couple are getting them again. Without further ado...

Jess at Taking it One Step at a Time.
Valentine at West by Midwest.
Jenny at What the blog?
Mrs. Jenna at Blogged Bliss.
Jessica at The Southern Belle Baby.
Susan at Once a Mom, Always a Mom.
Tri at Rocky Mountain Mama.

Thanks again to both Kayla and Mrs. Rotty!