Beautiful Blogger Award

I was nominated today for the Beautiful Blogger award by TracyZ. It was a great Valentine’s day present and I am very thankful that she thought of me. I love reading Tracy’s blog. I also love that we have the same name (something I rarely see), that she spells it correctly ; ) and that we are both in the technology field.


I am not sure who started this award, but below are a list of rules. The hardest part was to pick just 7 blogs to nominate. There are so many great blogs out there!!

Here are the rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you for this award
• Copy the award and post it in your blog
• Link to the blog of the person who nominated you
• Tell seven interesting things about yourself
• Nominate seven bloggers
• Post links to the blogs of your nominees

Seven Interesting things about me:

1. I am a true introvert and all that entails. (Definition: Introverts are more concerned with the inner world of the mind. They enjoy thinking, exploring their thoughts and feelings. They often avoid social situations because being around people drains their energy. This is true even if they have good social skills. After being with people for any length of time, such as at a party, they need time alone to "recharge.") I let it hold me back from doing things. As I have gotten heavier it was a good excuse for avoiding certain activities.

2. I have worked for same company since my junior year of college (9 years in April). I was an intern for about half that time as I finished my undergrad and graduate degrees. Since most of my current team is based out of state I work from home and have for almost 2 years. I have to say that there are benefits and drawbacks from working from home. It isn’t a bed of roses, but I do like it.

3. I have lived in Michigan all my life. Except for those brief moments that I wish I lived in a place with an outdoor pool I could use year round, I love it. I had an opportunity to move to Arizona and get my PhD, but besides the crappy climate in Arizonia ;) I love living within driving distance to my family.

4. I am an only child, but have a large extended family. My maternal grandmother had 7 kids (my mom’s the youngest), 24 grankids (I am the youngest), 40+ great grandkids, and somewhere around 6 great great grandkids and most of them live in Michigan.

5. My grandmother moved across the street from my parents when I was 5. She will be 90 in March and she still lives there today. My worst fear is that she will leave us even though I know the day is coming. She has survived so much and almost left us several times in the last year. However, she can still speed pass the younger crowd in the grocery store using her walker. She is my inspiration.

6. I was sick my freshman year of high school and missed 80 out of a 180 days of school. I still graduated first in my class. I am very proud of this, since it allowed me afford to go to college, but I wish people would have saw me as more than studious.

7. I have a fear of heights (or more accurately falling). I flew for the first time when I was 26 (5 year ago). It was a hop, skip, and a jump flight from Detroit to Chicago. Since then I have Los Vegas, Orlando, and Los Angeles. However, when my boss suggests a trip to India I have feelings of panic.

My Beautiful Blogger Award Nominees:

1. Sally: Sally is one of our bloggers in Australia and was banded two months ago. All the kg and cm makes my mind hurt, but I love hearing stories from the other side of the world :) She is getting so close to the half way point and I can’t wait to celebrate with her!!

2. Sandy Lee: Sandy is a recent bandster and was banded only a few days ago. Like me she experienced a last minute EKG issue that almost delayed her surgery. Luckily everything went ahead as planned and she is finding great ways to make liquids sound great. I am hoping she will post the recipe for Curried Squash soup that she was planning for dinner tonight ;)

3. Linda O:  Linda is a fellow Michigander and like Sally was banded two months ago. She had her first fill a couple weeks ago and is that stage of learning how much restriction she really has. I look forward to her comments and miss her when her busy life pulls her away from blog land for a while.

4. Cara: Cara is another of our Australian sisters. She was banded 8 ½ months ago and is really close to her goal!! She recently joined a intensive training program for her Aged Care certification. I have a cousin who is a CNA at a nursing home so I have some idea of what she is taking on and I am very impressed!

5. Kristin: Kristin is another new bandster and was banded at the beginning of Jan. She recently had her first fill and I am hoping she felt some restriction today! I am amazed at all Kristin is able to do even with three young children - she makes me feel lazy ;0

6. Debi: Debi was one of my first followers and was banded the day before I was. She lives in California and has a beautiful pool (I am jealous). Debi leaves great comments and I love how she welcomes every new follower to her blog.

7. Linda: Linda is 8 months post and has lost almost 70 pounds!! Soo amazing! She had a band slip scare (thankfully it didn’t) late last year and had an unfill which is one of my fears. Her progress in spite of this inspiring!