Thank you ... Thank you very much

I've been tagged, awarded, honoured ... whatever you'd like to call it. It's something fun we bloggers like to do and I, for one, am up to the challenge.

This Girl's Life is a blog of a wonderful person. Although I didn't know her when we went to school together, Sonya and I have become friends pretty much because of our blogs. For that, I am grateful we both got into this "business." I don't remember how I found her blog or if she found me first, but most likely it was linked through mutual friends and that's kinda what these blogs are all about. Random people meeting through reading other people's random thoughts. Pretty cool, if you ask me. Anyway, Sonya has bestowed upon me the honour of the following 2 awards.

The first award is:

Rules:
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award. - Check
2. Answer the following 10 questions. - Check
3. Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy. - Check ... but no pressure
4. Leave your recipients a note telling them about the award. - Oops, gotta go do that now.

1. Why did you create this blog?

Well, for that answer, I could just link you back to my first post, which I will do, but I'll try to give you a short answer as well. I was planning a trip around the world so I thought a blog would be a great way to keep everyone informed. Unfortunately, that trip didn't happen (which I'm alright with - kinda - it's all about timing), but I continued with my blog.

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?

At first it was just blogs of people I knew, but then I'd see some people leave really interesting comments and I wanted to know more about them, so I clicked on their links and started reading a few others. I must admit that I've narrowed it back to only a few that I read and even then, I have to play catch up quite a bit.

3.Favorite make-up brand?

I wear very little make-up, but what I do wear is eyeliner and mascara, both made by May.belline.

4.Favorite clothing brand?

Hmmm, that's kind of a tough one. I really like Super.store's Joe line, G.ap, but really, anything nice I can find on sale is a win for me ... especially when it's from Bana.na Republic. :)

5.Indispensable make-up product?

Mascara ... my eyes disappear without it.

6.Favorite color?

Purple. I don't have a lot of purple clothes or surround myself with purple, but I just think it's a super pretty colour.

7. Favorite perfume?

In high school, it was Obsession. Much too sweet smelling now. Early adulthood, it was Samsara. Not too many people had heard of it and when I would go buy it, the ladies in the store always looked at me funny because apparently only old ladies bought it, but I got many compliments on it. I still really like the smell of it. "Then why," you ask, "don't you still wear it?" Funny story. I was at a restaurant a few years ago and this girl walked by me and she smelled fantastic! I asked her what she was wearing and she looked at her friend and they both giggled. She looked at me all embarrassed like and said, "It's called Fantasy ... by Britn.ey Spea.rs!" I went out and bought it the next day and have had the same scenario happen to me many times but now I'm the one with the embarrassed look on her face. :)

8. Favorite film?
Don't get me started. You'll have to read my Movie Monday reviews to see a few of them.

9.What country would you like to visit and why?

Italy (looks stunningly beautiful), Croatia (also stunningly beautiful and cheap), Kenya (I want to go on safari reeeeeeally bad), and pretty much any other country I haven't visited ... because ... why not? There's a whole world out there to explore.

10. Would you rather forget to put on mascara on one eye or forget blush on one side of your face?

Definitely blush on one side of my face. See #5.

The second award is:










Apparently a stylish blog is not necessarily about fashion but a blog with heart that keeps you coming back for more. Hopefully I provide a bit of that ... when I actually blog.

Rules:
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award. - Check - see beginning of this post.
2.Share seven things about yourself. - Phewf! That was hard! - Check
3.Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers. - Again, no pressure
4.Contact these bloggers and tell them about this award. - On it!

1. I bought my first home this year. A lot of people I know have bought fixer-upers and had to do a lot of renovations. I didn't want to go that route so I bought brand new ... and had to renovate my life! Although I love my place, I grew up in a family that moved ever 5 years so I don't become super attached ... which is most likely why I could housesit for almost 6 years. Those housesitting years, my money was my own to do with as I pleased and I had a lot of fun. Owning your own place definitely ties you down and I've had to make some adjustments. All healthy changes, but some not so welcomed. I've gotten 2 more jobs to help out with some bills so I can have a little more breathing room. Hopefully I'll get a little ahead soon and won't feel "house poor" as the term goes. It's all good.

2. I'm a plant killer. There ... I've said it. I try and try to keep plants alive but I'd say 80% of plants I have, have bit it pretty early on in our relationship. :(

3. Next year I'll be looking to get my 6th tattoo and I'm taking recommendations. Seriously. If I pick yours, you'll get a prize. I don't know what that prize will be, yet, but you'll get a prize.

4. I love brain teaser games: Crosswords, sudoku, word search, card games, etc. Call me a geek. I honestly don't care. Some people read right before going to bed. I do my sudoku game.

5. Because I couldn't think of any other fun facts about myself, I went onto Face.book and played Scarab Solitare and I won ... and it made me happy. See? Proved #4.

6. Since mid-August of 2010, I've been on Jenn.y Cr.aig and so far have lost 30 pounds. It feels great and I've got about 10 pounds to go but you know what "they" say ... the last 10 pounds is always the hardest. Since the weather doesn't want to cooperate with me and warm up like I've asked it to so I can go back to walking the major hill in town, I've resurrected my Bik.ram's yoga classes and have gone to 2 classes in the last couple of days. I'm hoping I can just sweat off the last 10 pounds. :)

7. One more thing ... one more thing ... oh, my new favorite show is Moder.n Fam.ily. This show is absolutely HILARIOUS! Not only is the writing brilliant, but the way each actor executes his/her part is perfect. The only thing wrong with this show is that it's only a half hour long every week.

It's going to be hard to come up with 10 people to tag because they've all been tagged by the blogger who tagged me, sooooo, I'm going to tag them anyway just to ensure they get around to doing it. :)

Here goes (in no particular order):

1. Jennie ~ one of my BFFs. Can't say enough good things about her. She's honest, loving, friendly and everyone I know that meets her, loves her.
2. Rachel ~ I've known Rachel for a long time, actually (Sunday School way back as kids) and have enjoyed getting to know her as a friend, a Mom, a wife, a co-worker, etc.
3. Kori ~ maybe her hubby will take me up on #3 above. :) Have really enjoyed getting to know you at Oasis the past few months, Kori and look forward to what God will show us in the next few months.
4. Keri ~ Also looking forward to seeing what God's got in store for us at Oasis in the next few months. Thanks for sharing and being open. You're awesome!
5. Joy ~ had heard so much about you when I was in Camden and finally got to meet you a couple of years ago. It was fun getting to know you. Hopefully we'll meet again one day.
6. Ali ~ I've also known Ali for many years but again, we didn't hang out until she started dating and eventually married, a good friend of mine. He is SOOO lucky to have her. She's sweet, funny and incredibly kind. Her blog is mostly about family, so I'm not sure if she'll do this type of post, but I thought I'd tag her anyway.
7. Sheryl ~ she's my cousin (by marriage) and I've really enjoyed getting to know her more at Oasis as well. She somehow keeps her sanity with twins and a little boy ... oh, and being married to Josh! haha

Sorry, I can't come up with 10. And of the 7 I've tagged, I don't want anyone to feel any pressure to do this. It's just for fun and if you find the time, great. It took me awhile ... I had to save and come back to it quite a few times, but it was fun in the end. Thanks for the awards, Sonya. :)