Thankful Thursday, on a Friday

I have a LOT to be thankful for this week - three different awards, from three different bloggy friends!

I'm sharing the love of these awards Academy Award style...by choosing just one "winner" in each category. Ok, I'll admit it...when I started choosing from so many wonderful bloggers, I found myself choosing everyone - which is probably the reason that this Thankful Thursday is posting on Friday. I'm not very good at this.

Thank you Christy at A Lil' Welsh Rarebit, for the "Premios Dardo" award.

"Given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing... created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing affection and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web."

Wow. Can I put that on my self evaluation at work, under "unplanned accomplishments"?


As part of this award, I had to search my name in Google images. This is what came up. This is my formal work picture. Don't I look all professional?


Next, I had to do a Google search on "Unfortunately, Kari". Here's what came up, with my comments in italics.

Unfortunately Kari will not be able to attend this weekend's "Rock And Shock Convention". because she is going to a "stop, drop and roll" seminar.

Unfortunately, Kari was worse the next day. which is why she doesn't like to drink the night before a day with toddlers.

Unfortunately, Kari is kind of an incarnation of my randomness. Exactly.

Unfortunately Kari did not know which, if either, of the peaks was Scartaris, and the sun was obscured by clouds anyway. so I've got that going for me, which is nice. (10 points if you can name the movie that line came from)

I would like to pass this honor onto Kirsten at The Norwindians, because she's my inspiration and her blog embodies the description of this award.


Thank you Lucy at Lucy's Life in Suberb World, for this next award.

“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."

Ok, now I am totally blushing. And this award goes to one of my special bloggy friends, Andrea at Sweet Life.

Thank you Hope Floats at Misadventures of that Girl, for the Honest Scrap award.

For this award, I need to list ten honest things about myself.

• I don't like following rules.
• I rarely read directions before attempting to assemble things.
• I could eat an entire box of Thin Mints in one sitting.
• I was a total geek in Jr High.
• I am still a total geek.
• I "un-friended" a relative on Facebook.
• I take naps with my kids on weekends.
• I've convinced my 5 year old that she still needs a nap, because I need a nap.
• I read my own condensed version of long stories to my kids at bedtime.
• I'm only listing 9 honest things (see first honest point).

...and this fun award goes to Issa at Issa's Crazy World for her honesty, mixed with humor.

The price of trip to the snow

Packing up snow clothes, food, toys, sleds, sleeping bags and pillows... well past midnight: Exhausting



Enjoying a long weekend with friends, watching the excitement in the kid's eyes to be playing in the snow and finding an indoor activity zone on the day it rained: Worth it


Hearing my husband say, seeing his daughter on skis for the first time was the best 40th birthday present: Priceless

Confirmation that I am old

A friend of mine works in financial aid at a community college. She forwarded me an email about a new AARP scholarship program called "AARP Women's Scholarship Program Elder Economic Security Initiative", a program designed for women over 40.

Women over 40 are considered elders? I think I'm going to throw up.

On a side note, my friend got the email from her boss, who sent it to her because he thought that she fell under category # 2 below...

The scholarship is open to low-income women 40+. Priority is given to women who are in one of three categories:
1) women raising the children of another family member,
2) those in dead end jobs and
3) those who have been out of the paid workforce for an extended period


Despite this, I'm going to go right on believing that 40 is the new 30!

Broken

I've been drafting this post for weeks. It's been hard to find the words. I can't even decide why I need to post it at all, except "if I get it all out on paper, it's no longer inside of me, threatening the life it belongs to". (name that song for 10 points)

Dear Anger,
Before I even realized that you'd moved in, you had already unpacked and made yourself right at home. Sometimes I don't even notice that you are here, until words come out of my mouth that I don't expect. I actually prefer you to some of the others. Sadness just bums me out and Fear is scary. At least with you, I know that I still have the flame inside that keeps me fighting. Thing is, if I let you stay too long, my heart will get harder as I try to fill it with short lived comforts, like food. And that in itself, is irony, since the more I consume - the further I am from the truth. So, listen Anger. I don't know what this says about his love for me. One day, I will know. Either way, the answer is heartbreaking. I know you just want to help Anger, and I don't want you to go away altogether. You just can't live here anymore. Please move on.


Broken, by Lifehouse

The broken clock is a comfort,
It helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time
I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts
I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain there is healing
In your name I find meaning

So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on
I'm barely holdin' on to you

The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head
I tried my best to be guarded, I'm an open book instead
I still see your reflection inside of my eyes
That are looking for a purpose, they're still looking for life

I'm hangin' on another day
Just to see what you will throw my way
And I'm hanging on to the words you say
You said that I will be ok

The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone
I may have lost my way now, haven't forgotten my way home

Thankful Thursday

Unexpected Friendship

I was bloghopping* recently and happened across a blog of someone who, as I read through her posts, I realized has gone through very similar experiences as I have. We've been writing each other, and I'm so thankful we've found each other through this connection. I love that about the blogsphere.

* "bloghopping" - I just made that up...is that an actual term? Ok, so spell check wants me to use two words, blog hopping. Alternatively, it wants me to be blooping or blacktopping. I don't even want to hazard a definition of those.

Friends or Lovers? I'm taking a poll.

Conversation with my husband, D, while watching "The Bachelor".

Me: Didn't your Grandmother give you some advice on marriage years ago? Something about marrying your best friend?

D: Yup

Me: What was it? You should marry your best friend, or you shouldn't marry your best friend?

D: Yup, it was one of those. Either you should or you shouldn't marry your best friend.


So, what do you think?
Should you, or shouldn't you marry your best friend?

when it is dark enough, you can see the stars

My friend KP invited me to hear Greg Mortenson, the author of "Three Cups of Tea", speak in our town last night. If you haven't read the book, it's about the journey that led Mortenson from a failed 1993 attempt to climb Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain, to successfully establish schools in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Very inspirational.

Two things from the lecture really stuck with me. He asked the audience to raise our hand if we had conversations with our Grandparents about their life experiences. Few people raised their hands. He said that when he asks that question of school aged children in America, around 20% of them raise their hands, while in Afghanistan and Pakistan, at least 90% of school aged children raise their hands. It's actually a part of their curriculum. It made me think about the very rare conversations I had with my Grandparents, when they were still alive. As an adult, I would treasure knowing more about their lives.

This inspired me to come up with some questions (let me know if you have any suggestions!), and interview my Mom and my husband's parents. Then, I'm going to document our conversations on my blog, and save them for my children.

The other thing that stuck with me, was a Persian proverb that seemed so appropriate right now:

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.

It is so true. And the darker the sky becomes, the more stars appear. I'm finding those stars every day, and making a wish on every single one.