I am beautiful! And so are YOU!

Award rules:

1) Thank the person(s) who nominated you for this award
2) Copy the award and place it in your blog
3) Link to the person(s) who nominated you for this award
4) Tell us 7 interesting things about you
5) Nominate 7 bloggers and link to their blogs

Oh Susan, dear Sprogblogger...thank you so much for thinking of me! Your blog inspires me and makes me laugh, and cry, and makes me run around and sometimes sit and ponder. You ARE one of the beautiful bloggers, and I am so glad we are friends in this strange way.

7 Things about me? Oh gosh,

• I think February is a good month. There are lots of twos in February, and since TWO is one of my favorite numbers, it always feels like there is a possibility for good things to happen in February--2/2, 2/8, 2/12, 2/18, 2/22 (OH MY), 2/28 (double OH MY)--couple 2 with 8 and those feel like very lucky days indeed!



• We have five cats, all rescues and now grown and between 7 & 9 years old. These two were mine before we were together, Shadow & Scout:

These two belonged to BigTex--Tink & Bella:

And this one--Kirby--we got after we were living together:

Let's just say that when you already have four awesome cats, you're bound to get a dud if you roll the dice one more time. BigTex has been trying to locate a "This Cat's a Clunker" trade-in program for years...no such luck.

• I can't wait for summer. Yes, because of the snow we've been dealing with, but more because by August, Baby Tulip or Baby Turtle will be six months old and will be able to go in the swimming pool! I can't wait to teach Baby to swim and to be comfortable in the water. I taught swimming lessons to infants and young toddlers all through high school and college and I always imagined that my child would know how to swim before they could walk. So, Yay for summer!
  


• As much as I love my job--its flexibility, its subject, my boss--I CANNOT wait to take time off. Of course mostly because of the reason I will be off, but also because I just want to enjoy some time NOT working (or being expected to work). Don't get me wrong...I am so very lucky to have the job I have. I work from home, set my own hours, set my own travel schedule. But ooohhh I cannot wait to just NOT have something work-related to do! I just don't even want to think about work! CANNOT WAIT to have the best reason ever to not think about my job!
  


• There is no better snack in the world than kettle-cooked potato chips, preferably the jalapeno ones. It's making my mouth water just thinking about them. I would eat some every single day if I could.
  


• Recipes are only suggestions to me. I am far from being an accomplished chef, but I hate following recipes to the letter (which is why I don't bake, ever) and merely use them as ingredient suggestions. Good news is I'm pretty good at making something tasty that way, and BigTex has never complained. In fact, he often licks his plate clean, literally. We just can't cook together--it drives him nuts that I don't follow the recipe if I say I'm making something from one. I'm looking forward to feeding Baby Tulip or Baby Turtle from the table and doing mostly all our own baby food (purees and such). Maybe I qualify for a tiny chef's hat?
  


• My plans for grad school are back on hold. In January, I shared how I was going to take the GRE and apply to the local university for fall admission to their part-time master's program. Well--now I can't even focus for one second to study basic algebra and anagrams. So, my dream of an MA and a PhD will just have to wait a bit longer. I guess it won't be too bad if I'm like, 50 and applying to grad school. I'll just have a lot of life experience to share, right? Anyways, some dreams are bigger than others, and the one I'm in right now is the biggest. So this one will just have to wait.

Just a few of all the amazing, other beautiful bloggers out there:

Hilary at September 29
The Mom at Seriously...You can't make this stuff up!
Danielle at Where I Intended to Be
Jo at MoJo Working
Jen at Trying to Get Knocked Up by Another Man
Katie at Gates Place
Emily at Two Bigs Waiting for their Little (password protected)

You ladies ROCK and I hope you know how very beautiful you are to me, as women, as fellow ALI members, as 21st-century friends (ie, via blogland). Hugs hugs and more hugs!