The Versatile Blogger Award-Thanks!

In April, Berryduchess nominated me for the Versatile Blogger award. I accepted but I failed to follow through with my part when my schedule went crazy with work demands, a family emergency and a vacation. Now, I am at a place where I can sit down to do this (now that I remembered I it).

So first of all, thank you Berryduchess. I am honored that you have noticed my blog and nominated me. I have always enjoyed your posts as they are filled with some great writing and humor. I have laughed to tears and nearly cried at some of your posts. If you have not seen her blog, go check it out and follow. You won’t be disappointed.

If you are not familiar with the Versatile Blogger Award, don’t feel alone. I wasn’t either. I searched the reader and looked at a few people’s blog posts on this. One blogger, Predestined30, had a good summary of it. “The Versatile Blogger Award is for the blogs that bring special talents to life. In choosing nominees, the quality of the writing is considered, the uniqueness of the topics presented, and the level of love displayed in the words on the virtual page. An added quality of authenticity to the photographs is evident through the field of vision.” (Now that I quoted them, I better check out their page!)

I am not sure if I meet all those elegant descriptions, but hey, who am I to judge if people think I am better than I believe myself to be, lol.

With accepting the award, comes some action on my part. So here are the rules:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. List the rules and display the award.
3. Share 7 facts about yourself.
4. Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their blogs to let them know you nominated them.

Facts about me:

1. I own a horse. I was obsessed with horses as young girl. And finally, as an adult, I just went and got one. I didn’t know a lot about them really, other than I liked them, but I am figuring it out as I go. Fortunately, my quarter horse mare, Daisy, has great patience with me.
2. I am an Army Reserve Soldier who has deployed to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. This “part time” job is a life commitment and it NOT one weekend a month if you have any level of responsibility. It requires a great amount of dedication and personal time to stay “ready” but I wouldn’t change my past for anything.
3. I adore purple. My horse has a purple winter coat, saddle blanket, halter and lead rope. I have many purple items myself: clothes, phone cover, purse, calendar, jewelry and some home decor trinkets. I do draw the line at purple cars and homes though. That is a bit too much. However, I LOVE the smell of lavender. Not sure that’s a coincidence or that even my nose loves purples.
4. I am addicted to butter-cream frosting and avocados. (Not together of course. That would just be weird.) And addicted is not too strong of a word. If those things are in front of me, it is hard for me to not eat them, even when I am full.
5. I am a hopeless romantic. I believe in a true love/soul mate even though I have not met him yet. I tend to be a passionate person. I dance in the rain. I sing obnoxiously in my car (and not well mind you). I love small and big gestures of love (little notes left in the car and surprise, no-reason trips). I am happy hiking and then going to a symphony. My soul mate would like these things too and have just as much zest for life as I do. And, he will be my best and most faithful friend.
6. I don’t make friends quickly, but when I do, they tend to stay my friends for life. I just recently made a trip with my best friend from high school (we met in 5^th grade). And she got meet some of my Army friends who I deployed to Iraq with in 2006. Having those two groups of friends meet was pretty darn cool I have to say.
7. I enjoy a wide array of music. From country to rap to classical, I like it all and will dance in my kitchen when it’s on. Some of my favorite artists are: Pink, Eminem, Kenny Chesney, Hoodie Allen, Lindsey Stirling, Bach, Taylor Swift, Christina Aguilera, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Hoobastank, Mike Comfort, Flo Rida, Florida Georgia Line, Carrie Underwood, Mozat….That’s normal, isn’t it?

Other bloggers I enjoy reading:

From Balderdash to Epiphany

He always makes me laugh with his humorous poems!

Coolquilting  

Wonderful pictures and many have an abstract-artsy wonder to them.

The World is a Book…

So many great photos that have made me stop in awe.

Serins Sphere

She has everything from blogging tips to poems to stories. A must read blog:)

Aperture64 

Ben is like the Obi Wan of cameras. He gives step by step instructions on how to do very specific things. I always learn something from him.

Meanings and Musings

Florence speaks from the heart and I like it. She writes poems, commentary and deep-thought pieces.

Cee’s Photography  

Cee hosts a number of challenges that cover photography as well as writing. I am not even sure how she manages them all but I just adore her page.

Serendipity

Marilyn Armstrong’s page is quite witty. I love her humor and upfront posts. She also takes some great photos. She is definitely versatile!  (And her blog name happens to be the title of one of my favorite movies.)

Ronovan Writes

Ronovan got me addicted to writing haikus. Funny because I don’t even remember haikus from the poetry class in high school. But here he has got me hooked and writing a haiku a week. Ronovan does more than poetry though. He writes a variety things that are very thought provoking. He even does interviews with other bloggers, book reviews and more that I haven’t even seen yet I am sure.

Julie Powell – Photographer & Graphic Artist

Julie never ceases to amazing me with her photos and Photoshop skills! Wow is one of my standard comments when I see her work.

Captivate Me    

Robyn is the host of the One Four Challenge, which I adore and am addicted to. Her photography is quite magical and her blog should be on a must have list for follows.

Cardinal Guzman

What a great photographer! He has endless amazing shots, some humorous stories and I just noticed…some recipes on his blog. He is also the host of the Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons.   This challenge has made me go out each month to find new shots and be a little less antisocial.

Lens and Pens by Sally  

Sally is one of the first few blogs I found when I started on WordPress. She writes some wonderful posts that are inspiring and make me think. She is also the host of the Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge. I am always taking pictures but not always with my “real” camera. Sally’s Challenge lets me share my countless life-on-the-go phone pics and challenges me to add some writing to them as well.

Nancy Merrill Photography

Nancy posts some terrific photos that are classic and elegant in every way. She is a true artist with a camera. She also hosts A Photo a Week Challenge, which has a different theme each week.

Photos by Emilio  

Emilio takes some great photos and always seems to add a funny story about what was going on when taking them. As a fellow photographer, I like this.

Visual Venturing

Stacy is the host of the After Before Friday Forum, which is how I found Stacy’s fun page. She posts some wonderful shots and shows steps on how to do some editing. Her challenge is about showing the before and after shots of editing your own photo. But once a month, all the photographers in the forum will edit the same photo (from one of the forum members). It’s great to see the variety of editing from all the contributors. Stacy and her group have been so nice and welcoming. I am glad to have found them. 🙂

Phew! That took a bit of time to put together.

So now the ball in your court followers. Go check out my favorite bloggers. If you happen to be one of my favorite bloggers, feel free to accept your nomination. If you don’t do them, no worries. I completely understand and will not stop following because of it. 🙂 You are stuck with me.