Thrift Store Pen Pals!

It's been awhile since my blog was lighthearted and funny. Once upon a time, I used to be funny on my blog,  you know, before life got so serious. It's not that life isn't serious anymore and you better believe I will still be blogging about Anna, but for now, I thought we could use a change of pace around here. That is why I knew I had to sign up for Thrift Store Pen Pals. This is the perfect opportunity to do something completely different on my blog!


What is thrift store pen pals you ask? Well, Woody at Woodn't Ya Know It started posting about random, crazy items he would find while thrift store shopping. These posts were always hilarious and intriguing to say the least and it was the kind of post I wished I could write. Luckily, he came up with the brilliant idea of sharing this ingenious idea with us, his blog readers. So, he sends you an item in the mail and you blog about it. Easy enough, right?


So.. lets talk about what I got! After reading the other Thrift Store Pen Pal posts, I was really excited to see what I got. I was surprised when I got a box and not an envelope or something smaller. I looked at the return address and knew that my pen pal item had arrived! I tried to use context clues to guess what it was; I shook the box a little to see what it sounded like. It was a little heavy, but not too heavy. What could it be?
I opened up to find....

This.
That, my friends, is what they call a Doll Baby (or as it says on the box DOLL BABY... although I think the capital letters make it a lot more creepy). Personally, I think I would have named it something a little different like... creepy doll missing her body or creepy doll head, I don't know but Doll Baby just sounds so affectionate and cute... everything this thing is not. Let's take a closer look, shall we? Here is Doll Baby removed from her home box.

Immediately, I looked for some sort of warning on the box... I thought maybe it would say "caution! Do not let your children play with this for they will be seriously creeped out for the rest of eternity," or maybe "Beware! This is not a toy! It is simply meant to f**k with peoples minds." Strangely, Turns out I didn't find any kind of warning. What I did find, though, is some interesting information about the origin of "Doll Baby".

In case you can't read it, this is basically Doll Baby's origins. It says she was created by someone named Martha Nelson Thomas. Remind me to be on the look out for people with that name because, seriously, who comes up with something like this? Anyway, the history basically says that Martha thinks you should "cuddle, love and play with" dolls. Novel concept, Martha! Except wait... who wants to cuddle with a body-less doll!? Not me. Anyway, after reading the history I came to the conclusion that Doll Baby does in fact have a body... you just have to buy it separately and sew it together... I think. Now there are a few problems with this philosophy: First of all, you have to know how to sew. If you don't.. well I guess you don't get a body to go with your doll head. And second of all, how many parents do you think forget to buy the body? They are in a hurry and they grab the Doll Baby box not thinking anything of it and then they get home and have to face the question of "But, mom, why doesn't my doll have a body?" How do you explain that!?
Next, I discovered a check list on one side of the box. It is because of this checklist that I discovered this box contains much more than a creepy doll head Doll Baby! Check it out:

Not only does this box contain the doll baby doll head but also a birth announcement (really, for a head?), but also a certificate of authenticity, a name tag, care instructions, the Doll Baby story, and an instruction book with patterns and shoes (shoes... for a body-less doll?) The main thing that stuck out to me out of all this stuff was the Care instructions. Why? I don't know, but my instincts told me that this would be interesting, and I was right. Read carefully the care instructions for your doll baby:

The last 2 sentences are my favorite... "When you are ready to dress your baby again, you might want to sprinkle a little baby powder on its bottom... that's what makes them smell right!" Wait... I realize that you just washed a cloth doll and maybe that's why it wouldn't "smell right" but really? Baby powder? I hope they are kidding. The final sentence of these care instructions is by far the best: "By the way, Doll Babies are allergic to dog bites and sauerkraut." Hold up... what!!!? I don't even know what to say about this statement. I don't know if this is Martha's attempt at humor or what. Dog bites I guess I can understand... dolls that are neglected can likely be subject to a sad life of being a dog toy. But sauerkraut? First of all, who even eats sauerkraut? I'm guessing no one who plays with baby dolls (or baby doll heads, whatever) eats sauerkraut. Maybe I'm wrong, and Martha knows something I don't. Stranger things have happened...
Oh and just in case you were wondering, this is not the only version of Doll Baby. So, if you decide you want a Doll Baby for yourself (they're available on Ebay, I googled it), there are lots of options for you to chose from. See for yourself: 

Lets just say I appreciate the Doll Baby I got a little more after seeing the other more creepy variations. 
Now the question remains... what should I do with my Doll Baby now that she has been blogged about? I'm thinking I may have to take her to class with me one day and blog about people's reactions. Or, you know, she might make a really great prank to pull in the sorority house... Thoughts!? What would you do with your Doll Baby?!
Once again, I'd like to thank Woody for allowing me to participate in this fantastic blog series. Make sure you check out all the other Thrift Store Pen Pals too! 


*Disclaimer: All pictures were taken on my iPhone, so I apologize for the crappy photo quality. I probably didn't do Doll Baby photography justice... 

Catching Up

It's been forever and a day since I posted, I know. I have really missed posting. I just haven't had time to post and when I do have time, I have nothing to say.

I still don't really have much to say, but I felt like I needed to let you guys know you can call off the missing persons search; I'm ok, I've just been majorly neglecting my blog. So here's what's been going on:

• I went home for the first time this semester last weekend (the 8th and 9th, not this past weekend). It was a short but sweet visit. I had lunch Friday with some women I work with over the summer. It was so good catching up with them!

• 

  Team Anna! How amazing is it all these people came out to support the team!?

• Saturday was the Red Balloon Event for Children's Hospital where my sister was treated. My mom decided to start a "Team Anna" and we raised over $8000! It was so much fun and so amazing to see how many people came out to support Anna. It continually blows me away how much love and support we have received over the last year. I was so glad to be there to support team Anna!
  
  
• 
• That night, I went out to dinner with my parents for sushi, yum! It was so nice to just sit and catch up with them! Then we went to the Carrie Underwood/Billy Currington concert. Oh my gosh I can't say enough about how awesome that concert was. Carrie Underwood is so talented and I love Billy Currington, too! I was so happy I got to go! Unfortunately, the only pictures I have are kind of crappy because it is a picture of the projector screen, because although we have box seats which are amaizng they are not all that close and I didn't have my camera so this was the best I could do.
  
  
• It was really hard to leave home and I literally cried off and on the entire day Sunday after I left. Eventually I was glad to get back and even though I still miss my family, I still love my home away from home.
  
  
• Speaking of my home away from home at the Alpha Chi house, I have a little Sis now!!! (For those of you that don't speak Greek, when you're a new member of a sorority, you pick a "big sis", someone who will be your role model, helper, mentor, etc. for the next few years). It has been something I've always wanted since joining. She is so awesome and I am so happy to have her as my little!
  
  
• To update about my sister, she is feeling great, looking great, and doing really well! She is scheduled for her next scans after 3 months of no chemo in about a week. Prayers are much appreciated as obviously we need good news! If her scans are clear, they will remove her port and she can go back to being even more normal!
  
  
• Also, exciting event coming up: In 11 days, I will be 21!!! I am so excited! I can't wait to celebrate with my friends and have my first legal drink!

There's really not much else to report. I feel like this post was kind of a dud, but I felt like I should update. I promise to come up with something better really soon! Thanks for sticking around in my absence, I hope some of you are still out there!

(p.s. sorry the formatting/pictures are all over the place. Blogger did not want to cooperate. Blogger... we're fighting. Thanks for making my post look crappy.)

Excuse Me While I Fall Off the Planet...

If I'm not here for awhile, don't mind me. Don't worry,  I am going to fall off the face of the planet for awhile but I'll be back!

Tomorrow I leave to go back to school & all the madness starts Sunday! I have 8 hours to get moved in, set up, decorated and everything then Sorority recruitment starts. This means hours and hours of practicing conversations, talking to girls, lots and lots of work. And very little sleep. Which also means very little free time (a.k.a blogging time). So, yeah, I won't be here much.

I knew this was coming, which was why I had planned to post a lot this week, and write posts to schedule to post next week so my blog would not be neglected at all. Except then life got in the way. And all the sudden my to do list multiplied by like 1000. I was trying to finish up at work before I left for the summer, trying to complete all my shopping, say all my goodbyes. Needless to say, this did not leave a whole lot of extra time. So, I didn't get around to blogging.

Not only am I behind on my blogging, but I am behind on my 31DBBB stuff. Like probably at least 10 days behind. Clearly I will not be finishing the challenge in 31 days, nor will I be done in 5 days like everyone else. Maybe by the end of next month, if I'm lucky! What can I say, I just haven't had time! Seems to be the common theme of this post, huh!?

Anyway, this is all good stuff. Going back to school for my 3rd year (how did that happen!!?!) will be great, and sorority rush is such a great time to bond with sisters and get new ones!!! My blog can wait, I know that.

Since I failed to plan ahead and write posts for next week (I know, shame on me!), I was wondering if anyone would be interested in sharing your sorority story! Since I'll be out for sorority stuff, I want to dedicate the week to all things sorority (especially if you were an AXO, wink wink!). If you are interested, let me know! It would be so fun to hear y'alls experiences! (ETA: I don't think I was clear. I am looking for anyone interested in guest posting next week about your sorority experience!)

So, I apologize for my absence.  I sure hope you'll still be here when I get back!! I'll definitely be checking in as much as possible at your blogs! See you on the flip side...

31DBBB: 2 Weeks Down!

So, I made it through the first two weeks of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge (see here for more explanation, I am trying not to be redundant.) without too many problems. When I decided to sign up for this thing, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, to be honest. All I knew is that A) It would help improve my blog and B) It would connect me to a lot of other bloggers, which is something I love to do. So I signed up and I followed along with the tasks and I posted in the forums and here I am, still just me and my blog, trying to make it through. A few of the things I have learned throughout this journey:

• I have major Wordpress envy. Every time I see something cool on others blogs and ask "how did you do that?" The answer is always a Wordpress plug in. When I read The Pink Crab's Blogger vs. Wordpress post last week, all the comments voted Wordpress was better. I get it. Wordpress is the bomb. Now who wants to tell me how to afford it? I am just a poor college student after all!
  
  
• Blogging is so much more than just writing down your random thoughts and publishing them for all to read, which is what I thought it was when I decided to start one. It is like a business. You have to market it, improve it, change it, and so on and so on. It's insane. I never realized how much effort blogging takes to be "successful" and how much behind the scenes stuff there is to it.
  
  
• Apparently I'm supposed to know what my blog is about. According to the ProBlogger dude who started this 31 Days challenge "if you don't know what your blog is about, no one else will either." Great. So because I don't limit myself to blogging about one thing no one will know what my blog is about, and therefore not want to read it? Also, I am supposed to have a "niche" and there are supposed to be other bloggers out there who fit into my "niche".  I googled college bloggers, college student bloggers to see what I could find. And the answer was pretty much nothing. Still searching for my "niche". Thoughts are appreciated.
  
  
• Blogging is kind of high school. You either have to be really smart or really funny or something to be recognized by the "cool kids".  If you want your blog post featured on the SITS weekly wrap ups, or Nirvana Mamma's blog or even just tweeted about by one of the leaders of this challenge.. well you better post something brilliant that people absolutely need to know or something so hysterical that people peed their pants. Yeah, I'm not gonna hold my breath for that one. The difference is, the homework for this challenge is way more fun than high school! The other day our assignment was to go to the mall... if that's not the best homework ever, I don't know what is!
  
  
• Sometimes you have to go outside your comfort zone, but it's all for a good cause! A couple of these challenges have made me nervous, like early on when we were supposed to promote one our posts. This is when all my insecurities come out & I am afraid to ask people to read my stuff. But, once I stepped outside my comfort zone I got great feedback and it really paid off in the end!
  
  
• It is pretty much impossible to keep up with all the blogs you read before the challenge, all the blogs you find through the challenge, and keep up with writing stuff on your own blog. Not to mention the daily challenges, and the forum posts. And forget about commenting. Also, if you have 15 minutes or whatever to read blogs, and you chose to peruse twitter for 31DBBB posts, be prepared for bloggy friend guilt. I always feel guilty because I am neglecting my current blog friends in hopes of making some new ones. That's the trade off I guess.
  
  
• When you start dreaming about 31DBBB and all that you still need to accomplish because you are a few days behind, you know you have probably put a little too much pressure on yourself. It is supposed to be fun, after all. Although, it would be nice if you could accomplish things for real in your dreams. Like I had a dream that I got this post done, and voila it's done! If only...!
  
  
• When you explain 31DBBB to one of your IRL friends that follows you on Twitter, their immediate response is "oh, is that what you've been going on and on about on Twitter?" Yes. Yes it is. Because tweeting about it is half the fun! To "outsiders" it seems that's all you tweet about, to 31DBBB people, you're normal.
  
  
• The blogosphere is a small, small world. It is so fun to realize how many of 31DBBB friends know my other blog friends! We travel similar circles, and that is cool! Who can blame them? I know a lot of really awesome people here in the blogosphere!
  
  
• When you get together a group of women (and one man as far as I know!) who are all talented, smart, creative and willing to help one another, great ideas are born!
  

Those are just a few of the things I have learned so far. I am sure I am forgetting things, and I am sure there are even more things yet to be learned in the next 15 days of the challenge!

Now, if inquiring minds want to know, I will show you my stats from the last 2 weeks. (A big thank you to Hannah at Bubbleboo who has answered all of my questions about how to make my stats look perfect!) The first week, I saw a steady incline in my numbers, but this week they were a lot lower. I'm not too worried about it, though. I was on vacation on not posting much, so why would people be coming over here?! The numbers might be down, but numbers aren't everything. I know my blog is improving and I am learning a lot! Here's my spreadsheet, color coded and everything!

So, there you have it... 14 days down, 15 to go! 31dbbb peers, what do you have to add to the list of what we've learned? Let me know!

Blogiversary Take 2

Welcome back to my blogiversary party!

 (Image found via Google Images, made by Jen Gets Fancy).
I couldn't cram everything from the last two years into two posts so I made into two- one for each year my blog has existed! I got a little more sappy in the last post, so I'm trying to make this one a little lighter. I thought I would play a little numbers game with some fun facts about my blog over the last couple years:

• 181: Posts I have published in the last two years. 
• 38: Posts that were published since my 1st blogiversary last year (side note, I know this number is really low. After my sister was diagnosed, it took me awhile to come to terms with the fact that it was okay to go on with my life as normal, and that meant blogging about stuff non-cancer related. That is why that number is so low).
• 1646: Comments I have received (thank you to my blog friends and loyal commenters! I love hearing hearing from you, it very often makes my day!)
• 244: The most visitors I have ever had in one day. It was Thanksgiving Day 2008. Like I said last year, I have no idea why people were reading my blog on Thanksgiving, but I'll take it! 
• 201: The second most visitors in one day. It was December 26 of this year.
• 23,043: Total visitors that have stopped by this blog since the beginning!
• 2,790: Visitors that have came to my blog directly (according to Google Analytics). 
• 127: Google Followers my blog has! That is amazing! Thank you all!! 
• 78: Facebook fans! Thank you! :)

Some other non-number fun facts:

• The number one term people search to get to my blog is "dangers of beer pong" (same as last year). One of my favorite posts, a humorous outlook on injuring yourself during a game of beer pong!
• The weirdest thing people have searched to get to my blog? "Women flashing on roller coasters" I have no idea what this has to with my blog... I swear I've never done that! Other weird ones include "fat girl kissing skinny girl", "mckmama moocher" "but you don't understand, osgood. uh, i'm a man. well, nobody's perfect!"
• My most viewed post ever is this Top 5 Tuesday post about shopping. It has 764 views... crazy!
• My top viewed post in the past year since my 1st blogiversary is Dangers of Beer Pong of course! Even though that post was up before my blogiversary last year, it was still the most popular since then!
• This was a year of firsts, as well: I participated in 1st blog swap with the fabulous Caroline! And I wrote my 1st guest post at Winey Mommy's blog! 

Well, that about it wraps it up! This year my blog has changed a lot and it will continue to change (hopefully for the better) as the years go on. Thank you to everyone who has seen me through this journey!

My one request (I know, I'm always demanding things)- I have so many followers I don't know, but I really want to "meet"! Please introduce yourself! That is all... I hope you all have enjoyed my blogiversary party!

2 Year Blogiversary!

June 22, 2008. That is the day of my very first blog post, the day Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman (the blog) was born. Two years later, here it is, still alive and kicking. I thought a lot about how to celebrate this blogiverasry. I mean, two years, that's kind of a big deal, right?! So I wanted to give a proper celebration.

Some people, I know, do giveaways for their blogiversary, but in two years this blog has never had a single giveaway so I'm not about to start now! I didn't want to re-cap the year(s) because, well, if you've been reading, you already know it all.

I thought a lot about what "good" bloggers would do. A "good" blogger would have some big celebration planned maybe link to a few blogs. Definitely make you laugh. They would definitely not wait until 9:00 the day of their blogiversary to publish their post. But then I came to my senses got over it and realized, (warning, I'm getting deep here) I am me. Just me. I'm not a queen blogger, I'm not a blog celebrity  (or any kind of celebrity) or anything, and that's ok. Because all I can be is my version of greatness, and if I'm not a "good" blogger by some standards, well oh well.

Ok, off my soapbox now. This blog sure has changed since the early days. I like to think that my blog grows as I grow. As I mature, my blog matures. This past year, my blog changed in a way I never anticipated that it would. When my sister was diagnosed with cancer in the fall, this became my outlet to process what I was feeling. I am so thankful I had this forum to express myself and on top of that, I had all of you, people who I wouldn't have "known" otherwise, praying for her! And that makes it all worth it! :)

So without being cliche, I just wanna say two years ago I had no idea what blogging could be! I just wanted to journal the transition from high school to college, and I did that but also so mcuh more! Thank you to those of you who read this blog, my bloggy friends, because you all inspire me with your creativity, and your kindness overwhelms me. (sorry, I didn't mean to get so sappy!)

Since it is a two year anniversary, I'm gonna spread this out over a couple days. This is installment one, installment two will be a little lighter since this was so sappy!!

Now, I am throwing myself a party here on my blog in honor of my blogiversary. And any good party has a guest book right?! So in honor of my blogiversary, I would like my followers and readers to comment, therefore signing the "guestbook". I am toying with some ideas for the 2nd installment of this blogiversary to get my blog friends to get to know each other, so make sure you come back and check that out!

Thank you for following me through my blog journey! I sure have come a long way since day 1...

(Year 1 blogiversary)

Identity Crisis

I am having a bit of an identity crisis lately, and I need help! No, no one stole my identity (as far as I know), and yes, I still know my name, etc (Patrice, age 20, etc.). No, this identity crisis involves Facebook.
This morning when I got to work, I had this posting on my Facebook Wall: "Facebook just told me I should be friends with you because you were a mutual friend of yourself. Confused yet? Hahaha." Ugh. Now normally most people would be like WTF. Except, in this case, it's true. Yes, I am friends with myself on Facebook. How is this possible? Let me explain. 

A few weeks ago, I decided to start a fan page for my blog. (Check out the top left corner and you can "like" it!) I had seen a lot of other bloggers do it and had read that is a great way to get more people to come to your blog and connect with other bloggers. So I did not take this lightly. I did my research. I posted questions on Blog Frog Forums, I tweeted, I even read Scary Mommy's tips for starting your own fan page. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right and it would be awesome. 
So, while doing my research I learned that most people create a separate Facebook account to link their blog fan page to. I guess that way the people who are connected to your personal page don't have to see the posts from the fan page. I'm not sure, but whatever I read convinced me that this was the way to do it. So I set up a new e-mail address, and a new Facebook account. Except, Facebook has all these lame rules about not putting nick names as your name and you can only put your real name. So I couldn't title my new Facebook account "Patrice's blog" or "Not A Girl..." or something. So now there are two Patrice Basso's on Facebook and yes, they are both me. In order to set up Networked Blogs to post to my fan page, I had to friend myself and list myself as an author of my blog. (Confused yet?)


So after I get this wall posting and find out that I have friend requests on my blog "Patrice Basso" account, I go to Facebook's privacy settings. There are 3 million different ways to customize your privacy on Facebook, but there are no settings (at least that I could find) that won't allow friend requests, or "suggesting" people be friends with you. Awesome. Of course not. And, the more I use my fan page, the more I decide that it is useless to be linked up to this other account because I don't use that Facebook account for anything except to go to my fan page. Why can't I do that from my regular account? All my friends know I blog. My Networked Blogs is linked to my personal facebook account, so I have no concerns about anyone "finding out" I blog. It's not a secret Most of my fans are IRL people anyway, and not blog people. 

So, how do I solve this identity crisis?! Do I delete the account and start all over on my fan page? Do I ask all 69 of my fans to re-like me once I launch the new page? Or, do I just leave it and post some kind of PSA on one of my "Patrice Basso" accounts that one account is strictly for my blog fan page, and I never post anything on that account anyway, so you wouldn't really want to be friends with "me" on that account? 

This is one heck of an identity crisis, and one I need to solve quick before everyone wants to be friends with the "other" me! Help!

Drawing Blanks

I know it's been like a million years since I posted here. Recruitment was over almost 2 weeks ago (read about it here!), so I can't really use that excuse anymore. I have been trying to post; I have like 5 drafts over the last couple weeks that I start, and then I can't finish. There in lies the problem.

Every time I start to write something lately, I think this sucks. I shouldn't post it. or I sound stupid. Or what if someone IRL reads it who I don't want to read it and it causes drama? I guess I just can't get out of my own head, and it is causing problems!

I remember feeling frustrated like this before, like I want to post but I can't because of problem A B or C. So I did some digging and found this post I wrote a few months ago. It's really great when you can give yourself a pep talk! Like I said in that post, I blog for me and the rest of it like comments & blog friends is an added bonus, but is not the focus. I can't worry so much about the fact that my writing sucks or I sound like an awful person because so what!? If I was writing a diary on paper that no one but me read, I would probably suck at writing sometimes, and I would probably sound selfish or something at times because that's real life! If I'm just writing for me, I wouldn't be constantly self-editing to the point where I don't even want to post anymore!

So if my writing sucks and I sound like an awful person, I'm sorry, but later when I'm looking back on my blog, remembering this time in my life, I want there to be something to read. It's not the same going through your drafts folder and reading half written posts or even full written posts that never got posted or never finished. I guess its true when people say you are your own harshest critic. I don't know why I'm so hard on myself...

So I just needed this little pep talk to remind me that whatever I post has a purpose, it serves as a memory, and that is a good enough reason to post whatever I want! I guess if I'm being true to my word I should post one of those drafts that's already finished or half finished, but I figured I might as well put this in writing first! I'll get back to the other stuff eventually.. or not. We'll see...

A Bloggy Makeover!

I love a good makeover! Sometimes it just imperative, you know it adds a little pep in your step (I can't believe I just said that! My references are so out of date!), makes you feel a little more confident! Well same goes for blogs! They need & deserve makeovers, too! And mine got one, thanks to Krystyn! I decided it was time for a new look & Krystyn did such a great job with my last blog design, I wouldn't have gone anywhere else! I had no clue what I wanted so I told her just do her thing & I don't think I could be happier! I love it!! So, let me know what you think! And now that my blog is so pretty I'm just gonna be blogging up a storm! And if you're in the market for a new blog design go see Krystyn & she'll take great care of you! Thanks, Krystyn! :)

Happy Blogviersary to Me!!!

It's my Blogiversary! My 1st ever blogiversary!! It is official... as of today, I have been blogging for exactly one year! I thought long and hard about how to celebrate this event. I know some people do giveaways for their blogiversary, or re-cap your favorite posts from the year. However, when I think about when and why I started blogging, and the fact that it's been a whole year, there are a lot of things to reflect on! I have definitely come a long way from my first post! In some ways, everything has changed, but in some ways nothing has changed at all. It really has been one of the most life changing years so far, I think, which is why it was the perfect time to start my blog a year ago! I started this blog in hopes of journaling the transition from high school to college, and all the changes that come with that. While I have been able to do that, it quickly became so much more than that. This is not only my journal, but my creative outlet, a place to just be completely honest, a place where I'm funny (well, at least I am sometimes & I have said it before, but I really don't think I'm funny IRL), and best of all, this is a community of friends! A year ago today, did I ever think I would utter the words "my blog friends" or "my twitter friends" (which in some cases are the same people, but you get the point!)? Never! But I have, and I do! I find myself thinking about all of you, my blog friends, all the time & wondering how you're doing & looking forward to reading what you're up to! So, thank you, thank you, thank you, to those of you that come here & read my ramblings & leave comments & support me! It has been a crazy year... a year ago today, I had no idea what the future held for me, and a year later, while a lot of what was unknown then is known now, there is still so much unknown! But no matter what happens, I will be here, chronicling it! Just for fun... here are some random facts about my blog over the past year: (Via Google Analytics)

• I have posted 149 posts (not including this one) with a total of 1,249 comments and 13,409 visits.
• My first post was (obviously) a year ago today, and Jen E was my very 1st commenter!
• My biggest traffic day was November 25 (which I find very odd because why were people reading my blog on Thanksgiving and not with their families? I didn't even post that day!)
• My "most viewed" post is this Top 5 Tuesday post (again, weird, but ok!)
• 76% of my traffic comes from referring sites, so thank you to my blog friends who link up to me! :)
• The number one keyword people google and get to my blog? Beer pong dangers! One of my favorite posts!
• The majority of people that come to my blog are from the U.S., the second most people are from Canada!

So, for my blogiversary present (What?! I can't get presents for my blogiversary!? Well, let's pretend!), all I ask is this if you read my blog... I want to know why, and I know there are some of you out there that I don't know... I try to keep up with my "followers" but I haven't been doing a great job lately, so if you follow me or are just a lurker & haven't said hello, for my blogiversary will you say hi!? I want to be friends! :) So here's to a year of big changes, most of which are chronicled here, and to at least another year of friend making, blogging & more changes!

From the Brain to the Blog... Is it Really That Hard?

For some reason this process has been especially difficult for me lately. In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been blogging a lot lately. It's been like 2 weeks since my last post, and it was like 2 weeks since the post before that. It's not from a lack of inspiration; I keep a list on my phone of all the topics I come up with to blog about, and currently that list has 15 ideas on it (counting this one). They are all good ideas, too, if I do say so myself! I would like to blame it on time, but really, I'm on the computer all the time so it really wouldn't be that hard to write a single post. The problem, for some reason, is getting the thoughts in my head into a coherent post. Often times, I get inspired to write blog posts at like 3 AM or some other crazy time where I should be sleeping. (Clearly this includes tonight since it's now 3 AM & I am blogging). Instead of getting up at 3 AM (usually I'm trying to fall asleep, I'm not asleep or anything when I get inspired), I write down the idea, and go back to bed. Well, clearly that is not good enough for me, because the post never happens. I read my list of topics almost daily, believe it or not, and am constantly adding new ideas. However, if it's not at that moment that I am inspired to write the post, I just don't feel like writing it anymore. I love writing, and I love blogging, there's no doubt about that. In my last writer's block post, I talked about this a little; I have been second guessing myself lately when it comes to my blog. Am I making sense? Am I just blabbing randomly? Will anyone care about this? Do I sound like I'm feeling sorry for myself? These are just a few of the questions that go through my head when writing a post, and usually I usually determine, that no, I am not making sense, and no, no one cares! So then I just save the post as a draft and think I'll get back to that later... then never do. Part of it, I think, is that I am afraid to write about certain topics because of who might read it. After I got a really nice anonymous comment on my dear ass hole post from someone who thinks they know who I am writing about & they know this person, I became aware of just how public my blog is. I do, after all, link to it on my facebook, so it wouldn't be hard for someone from school to find the link & read it, & possibly know who I am talking about. I know that I am in control of what links are posted, and I am in control of how I let the fact that anyone could read what I'm writing effect me & my writing, but it is one of the reasons I am sometimes apprehensive to publish posts. I don't really have a point... I don't think. It is 3 AM & I'm really tired & I'm losing my train of thought. However, I'm not going to second guess myself. I'm going to publish this post, and hopefully another one tomorrow, and get back on the blogging program instead of going two weeks without posting!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

A weekly link-up post about random thoughts!?!? This is my kinda post! The Un Mom is a girl after my own heart! So here's my randomness for the day!

Friday was Relay for Life. I have been meaning to blog about my experience since I got back at 6 AM the next morning, but just haven't gotten around to it yet! I will post about my experience because it's such an amazing cause & I feel it is definitely worth mentioning! On that note, I am still planning on posting about my spring break. I know my posts are gonna be a little out of order, but like I said in my last post, it's my blog & I'll do what I want so deal with it! My next post, however, I'm pretty sure, will be an open letter to a boy I have affectionately named Ass hole! :) You'll definitely want to read it! I have some serious venting to do! I am going home Friday for Easter weekend & I'm so excited! It's the 1st time I've been home all semester (meaning since Christmas!!!)! I can't wait to see my family! My mom came up & visited a few weeks ago, but I haven't seen my dad or my sister since Christmas. I'm really excited to just relax at home & do some real shopping in D-town, baby! Trust me when you're used to shopping in a city like Dallas, it's hard to adjust to mediocre shopping. There is 1 mall here & it's 30 mins away, so I can't just go whenever! Plus I am so excited for STARBUCKS! We don't have one in town, again the nearest one is 30 mins away, so I can't just go whenever I feel like it! I miss it every day! Ok maybe not every day, but I do miss it! I am so behind on my blog reading. I have been at 1000+ since who knows when! I can't remember the last time it wasn't at 1000+! I tried to create a system: start at the top of the list, read the latest couple posts, comment, then mark all as read. This way I am letting you guys know I've stopped by but I'm not reading your posts from a month ago or longer! Well, my system is taking forever! I keep thinking ooo maybe after this person it will at least say 900 something, but no! That stupid 1000+ won't go away! So I'm slowly working my way over there... if I'm missing something super important, leave it in the comments & I will check it out right away! :) I can't believe my freshman year of college is almost over! I have very mixed feelings about this. I am not looking forward to the summer. I'm going to miss everyone so much, but I can't wait to get away from the school work part & the classes part! If you're not keeping up with MckMama & baby Stellan, you should start. He is a very sick baby in need of a lot of prayers, and there is nothing like the bloggy community to bring people together in a time of need, and to spread the word about someone in need of prayers!

Well I think that sums up my randomness for Tuesday! It's not too late to join in, just head over to The Un Mom & link up!

It Is After All All About Me!

So I haven't been blogging much lately. Have you noticed? Maybe, maybe not. I haven't even talked about Spring Break or anything yet! I've been doing a lot of thinking about blogging, just not so much actual blogging. I'm always thinking about it, writing posts in my head and stuff, but lately I'm just either stumped or the post in my head doesn't come out right in real life. I thought a lot about why I haven't really been posting, and I decided that I lost sight of what blogging is all about. I started this blog almost a year ago, and since then it has changed a lot. In the beginning, no one really read my blog. Which was fine, because I wrote for me. Then, when I realized that if you are interesting, people will follow you and comment you... and that can be very addicting! So I think I lost sight a little bit of the purpose of this blog... it's still all about me! I LOVE comments & i LOVE my bloggy friends, and I'm not saying I'm trading that in. I'm just saying if I write a post that gets 30 comments... awesome! But if I write a personal post that maybe no one knows wtf I'm talking about & I get like 2 comments... that's okay too! I want to be able to lok back on this blog a year from now and remember what was going on in my life right now! So I am going to get back to posting because I'm not going to worry about whether or not this interests anyone... if I feel like writing about it, I will. End of story!

Writer's Block or Something Like That

I am back from Spring Break. I am alive (which I think you know because I've been on twitter & commenting on your blogs some). However, if you just follow my blog & don't follow me on twitter or anything, you might wonder if I am, in fact, alive. Why? Because I never freakin post anymore! I did write this post... like 2 weeks ago! Last week I was on Spring Break so I have an excuse. And in my defense, even when I was on Spring Break I still tried to blog (only once, but it counts). I was going to do Photo Story Friday, but the awful internet connection at our hotel wouldn't let me upload pictures to blogger. Then, when I got back I wasn't sure if I should just post that late, or post it as something other than a photo story friday post, or just wait until this Friday. I decided to wait, so at least I have that coming up... On my 16 hour car ride to my Spring Break destination, I started writing a post, with the intent of sending it to College Candy as an audition, but it's still in progress. Also, when some drama arose over the break (not with friends I was with, but other bitchy people), I wrote a post about that, and it was pretty good I think. But the next day, I decided it wasn't even worth posting about, so I didn't post it. And now, since I've been back, every night I sit here staring at my computer wondering what on earth to blog about! I usually do my funny quotes post Monday's, and I thought about doing that, but Spring Break edition because we had ton's of funny quotes over the break. Then I thought about just doing a spring break re-cap, but it's not all that interesting if you weren't there and my friends would kill me if I put our pictures up on (even though they are on facebook). So.... those are my excuses. I am posting this for now, and please feel free to provide feedback. What do you want me to blog about!? I'll work on being more interesting, I promise!

A Giveaway That's All About ME!!?

Who doesn't like talking about themselves? After all, that's like half of what we do on our blogs, right!? And even more than that who doesn't like winning things!? Especially a $250 Target gift card? If you don't want to win that, you're crazy (or just super generous & want me to win since you know I am a poor, broke college student!). Well, Auds at Barking Mad has combined all these things into 1! It's a giveaway where you mention your top 10 favorite blog posts so far, and then you could win a $250 Target gift card! Easy enough right? So in no particular order (Because I don't want to play favorites with my favorite posts) these are my top 10 favorite posts:

1. The Dangers of Beer Pong- Who knew Beer Pong could be such a dangerous event!?
2. Comfort Zones- the hard part about breaks from college and going home.
3. My 100th post- How could I leave this out!?
4. My dinner party- The last Mr. Linky thing I did w/ Auds, and I worked hard on it!
5. Things that don't help when going through a break up- some not-so helpful advice!
6. Why I Love Spam E-mail- hilarious spammers!
7. Fake Conversation With A Real Person ( 1 & 2)- I text random numbers back!
8. How Much is too much- the balance between being a nice person & doing too much
9. Letter to Blogger- I take this back, but at 1st I hated the "followers" application
10. My Weekly funny comments (technically this is 3 posts, but it's not cheating right!?)

So, there you have it! I hope you'll check out some of my older posts, I'm really proud of them! Can't wait to read your favorite posts! :) Just go link up with Auds, and you could win, but just remember me... poor, moneyless college student!

Straight from my brain to the blog!

So I have a lot of random thoughts I feel I should share on here, but are not worth making a whole post out of each one, so it's time for my favorite bulleted list of random thoughts... I should really make this like a weekly thing, I do it a lot. (Wow was that a run on sentence or what?! )

• 1st of all... thank you so much for all your sweet compliments on my post yesterday! You guys are too kind, really! I swear I didn't post that just to fish for compliments ;)
• Also I really need to write my post about my beer pong injuries! Beer pong is a very dangerous game let me tell you! I tried to write it the other day but I was having serious writers block... ironic I know, but I can't figure out how to explain it!
• I also have quite a few other posts in the works, I'm pretty excited about them, I just need to write/finish them.. that's the hard part!
• This week started my 2nd semester as a college student! So far I like all my classes and I really like my schedule because I don't have class until 1 on Friday's (and Monday's & Wednesday's) which means PARRTAAYY on Thursday! lol It's a huge party night here & last semester I had class at 9, so I had to miss out a lot :( That is when I'm not studying, of course!
• I am completely in love with Real Housewives of Orange County! I'm so glad McMommy started a whole blog about it! As soon as I watch the show I immediately head over there to read her hilarious re-caps & theories!
• Since it seems to be the trend to start a 2nd blog, I might just have to about all my TV addictions, because when I am watching all these shows I just feel the need to speak my mind! haha I don't know if I'll do it... I'll see if I still want to in a couple weeks!
• I am so behind in my blog reading! My reader is currently almost at 700!! Can you believe it?!? I don't know how I got so behind! I am tempted to press that Mark all as read button... but I don't want to miss something! Maybe I can catch up this weekend...

I think that's about it! Hopefully I'll put up a real post tomorrow! Thanks for bearing with me & my randomness :)

My 100th post Bloggaversary!

It's HERE! It's my 100th post or as I like to call it my blogiversary (you know like blogging anniversary)! So I thought long and hard about what to do for this... do I give something away? Well that would require me to buy something & I'm broke! Should I do that 100 things about me thing that so many people do? Well, that could get real boring real fast and the last thing I want to do is bore you guys! So what did I decide you ask? Well I came up with a 2 part 100 post! So for part 1 I wish I could take credit for this brilliant idea, but Rebecca Kelsey at Miss Random Bliss suggested this and it was love at first sight read! She said "maybe you should post a list of your favorite top 10 entries, then top 10 readers, top 10 commenters, etc etc until you reach 100. Because one big 100 list could get boring. Split it up into 10 lists of 10 favorites!" What a great idea! Thanks, Rebecca! So let's start with my top 10 favorite posts:

1. Fake Conversation With a Real Person
2. WWWAT- Beginnings & Endings
3. Words of Wisdom
4. I Have Officially Crossed Over
5. Happy Endings or Not So Much?
6. Shopping Experiences
7. Moral Window
8. How Do You Really Feel?
9. Extreme Makeover: Sorority House Edition
10. New Plan (My Scholarship Essay)

Now for my Top 10 Commenters: (there's a thingy on the sidebar that tells you this but I wanted to give them a special shout out anyway) These are some of my best bloggy friends & I so appreciate their comments :) *Edit: I don't know what I was smoking thinking when I wrote these, but if you look at the sidebar they are completely different! The numbers are messed up, and there a couple new people added! So ignore the order & the number of comments... and shout out to Cammie and Heidi who have made the list since then!*

1. Krystyn (31 Comments!)
2. Jen E (27 comments)
3. Megan (21 comments)
4. The Broken Man (19 comments)
5. Chelle (19 comments)
6. Dawn (19 comments)
7. Tasha Via (16 comments)
8. Dee (14 comments)
9. The Nice One (10 comments)
10. Tenakim (10 comments)

Top 10 things I love about blogging:

1. I have a lot of feelings, and this is a way to express those feelings, and put them into words. It's very therapeutic.
2. I love "meeting" new people. That's one of the best parts about this bloggy world- you meet new people, and you bond over your likes, dislikes, etc!
3. Comments, duh! Comments are so fun, and people can be so nice. I love love it when new people come over, and leave comments like "I love your blog" or "You're so funny" <--- I never hear that in real life!
4. The community aspect of it! I love that we are like our own bloggy community! We can rally when someone needs our support, like Heather, or Amy and we have our own bloggy parties, like Aud's Dinner parties, and the amazing SITS community! It's like being in an exclusive club!
5. It's the easiest way to keep my family updated about school and stuff so I don't have to send out like 100 e-mails a day being like "this is what happened today... blah blah blah" lol
6. I love to write! I hate writing papers ironically because I hate when people tell me to write something specific... here I can just write whatever I feel like & whenever I want!
7. It's a total ego booster... like I said on #3, people say some of the nicest things! It makes me feel so good even when one new person comes to my blog and says they enjoy it!
8. Awards! I love getting awards! It makes my day, seriously! And I love being able to give them out and making someone else's day :)
9. It's like free entertainment! You guys are hilarious and it makes it so much fun to read your blogs! It's all free, and I can do it anywhere, anytime!
10. All of the above :) ok, so I cheated get over it !

Top 10 blogs I want to give a shout-out to (ok I wish I could shout out to all of you, but that would be way too hard, so forgive me if I don't mention you!)

1. Cammie- Even though we keep finding reasons to "break up" you're awesome & I'm glad you haven't given up on us yet! hehe
2. Susan- Not only is she my twitter buddy, but her blog is freaking funny!
3. Elaine A.- Because again she is another awesome twitter buddy, and she is hosting the food swap which is totally cool!
4. Laural a.k.a. Mamasphere- She is too funny & too sweet & her blog is awesome!
5. Melanie- My food swap partner has a really great blog & I'm so excited to swap food with her :)
6. Mandy- she is a new bloggy friend, but her blog is really funny & she's awesome!
7. Beth- Another new bloggy friend I found thru SITS. She is so funny & totally cool!
8. Rachel- She wants to live vicariously through me which makes me feel like I have such a cool life! lol Plus her blog totally cracks me up!
9. Janah- She has an awesome blog & she has the funniest story of how she got her blog name!
10. Heidi- She's just awesome I feel like I'm saying the same things about everyone but really she's super cool & super funny!!

Moving on... Hope you're not bored yet! 10 Random Facts About Me:

1. I am extremely sensitive to smell- I hate the smell of bubble gum, I don't like the smell of cleaning products, I am just super sensitive to all smells & it drives me crazy sometimes!
2. I am a facebook addict. I am on like seriously all the time. It is sad. I wouldn't be so addicted if it weren't for facebook chat, but I have a constant need to know who is online & if I'm missing out on some potentially amazing conversation.
3. I watch way too much TV. I could probably name like 50 shows I watch religiously. Ok maybe not that many but you know what I mean!
4. I'm not a morning person at all. I hate mornings, but I am such a "night owl" (I hate that term). I am usually up 'till at least 1 AM most nights, and usually much later. Even if I'm not doing anything, it's just a habit to stay up late.
5. I say "lol" way too much! Especially if I don't know what to say I just say lol & I usually say it before every sentence even if nothing is funny! Sometimes I substitute lol for haha
6. I use exclamation points way too much too. Especially in comments I always feel like I put way too many exclamation points. I just don't know how else to show my enthusiasm when typing!
7. I hate when you're having a conversation with someone texting or IM or something, and you say something & they respond with only "lol" or "ok". Ugh it is such a pet peeve! How are you supposed to carry on a conversation after that!?
8. You know how guys say they often find girls more attractive in sweats & a t-shirt? Well I think the same is true for guys, I am really attracted to guys when they are just wearing athletic sweats or something. Then again, it is really hot when they get all spiffed up in suits & a tie & everything! So I guess its a toss up!
9. I have the worst sweet tooth... I love sweets! Anything sweet... you name, and I'm sure I love it!
10. Joining my sorority is the greatest decision I ever made! My college experience would never be the same without it. I am so thankful for it.

10 blog stories that touched me: (There are so many amazing stories out there, I just wanted to take the time to point them out. They really put things in perspective.)

1. MckMama & Stellan's Miracle
2. Amy & Phillip
3. Matt, Liz & Madeline
4. Heather
5. Bring the Rain
6. Carolee's story
7. 4 Little Men & Twins
8. Hannah Garman
9. String of Pearls
10. Briggshill

Top 10 Funniest Keywords That Lead to my Blog: (I can't figure out why this looks weird.. sorry!)

1. "(but you don't understand, osgood. uh, i'm a man.) well, nobody's perfect!"- yeah I have no idea what they were searching for!

2. "take a breather, lebron"- lol! I love this quote it's from my HSM3 Review!'

3. "bigoldie women.com"- This seems to be a reoccurring theme, people looking for old women & getting to my blog... I'm not sure what to think of that... I'm also not sure I want to know what this website would look like if it existed!

4. "girl not texting back"- sounds like a personal problem, maybe she doesn't want to talk to you! My blog has nothing to do with this though... unless you count the fact that this girl won't text me back anymore!

5. "i had a party last night sorry you couldn't come your boyfriend did twice icon"- LOL!!! I know this is bad... but it cracks me up!

6. "i`a not a girl wets a woman"- wow talk about a typo...

7. "lil wayne running for 2012 election"- lol this is coming from my election facebook status' post I'm sure, but I love that people think Lil' Wayne should run for president! He does have lyrics "Fuck em, fuck em, fuck em Lil Wayne for President!"- maybe that's his intent to run announcement? lol

8. "pretty girl blog?"- Thank you, google for sending them to my site! I am flattered :)

9. "usc dental fraternity halloween party 2008 photos"- Well, I don't go to USC, so I was definitely not at that party... so I am not sure my blog was much help.

10. "worlds record for bestess singing"- hmm I can't say that I know that... also I think you should work on your grammar because "bestess" is not a word!

10 of my Favorite TV Shows: (in no particular order)

1. Private Practice
2. One Tree Hill
3. Gossip Girl
4. Grey's Anatomy
5. Lipstick Jungle
6. Desperate Housewives
7. Brothers & Sisters
8. Privileged
9. Starter Wife
10. Friends (I love the re-runs!)

10 of my Favorite Quotes:

1. "No boy is worth crying over. And the one who is, won't make you cry."
2. "Love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it'd be easy, they just promised it'd be worth it."
3. "People can take everything away from you... but they can never take your truth. The question is: can you handle mine?"- Britney Spears, My Prerogative
4. "true friends & true hearts that's all that counts in life" -uptown girls
5. "all girls really want is someone to want them back"- one tree hill
6. "The elephants get drunk all the time. It is becoming really dangerous. We need to stop making alcohol available to them," Paris Hilton about Indian elephants.
7. "Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed" - Legally Blonde<33
8. You have three choices in life - give up, give in, or give it your all.
9. "Life isn't the number of breaths you take, it's the moments that take your breath away."
10. "Some of the best things in life are unseen. That's why we close our eyes when we kiss, cry, pray, and dream."

And finally for my last list, I'm giving those of you who tweet! So I have compiled the (in my opinion) funniest tweets from the past week maybe a little less! Top 10 funniest recent tweets:

1. @HappyHourSue Borders dude said they were out of the free Twilight posters. So I threw my shoes at him
2. @ShredderFeeder My wife said she was ordering an etiquette book for my eldest... I told her to make sure it was big enough to hit him with or it won't work.
3. @TheDailyBlonde Hiding from the kids. They r dancing to the Jonas Bros. Oh NO! :)
4. @themomjen According to my 7 year old....being Clausterphobic is being afraid of Santa!
5. @TheBookMamma I'm braving the unholy holiday hell that is Bridgestreet today. I've officially smoked way too much crack. Wish me luck
6. @SteveOuch The malls are empty in Portland today, guess I get Santa all to myself. Find out what other operations he has going on in the "North Pole"
7. @TheDailyBlonde Scored a great parking spot. Think I will try to sell it.
8. @Ruensontherun Lots of people coming to my blog and not leaving comments...maybe they are looking for crack...guess it's disappointing
9. @McMommyblog Someone helllllllllp meeeeeeee! My techy hubs decided to "re-do" our server yesterday. I have had no internet or email since then!!!!!
10. @ElaineA It's not even 10 a.m. yet and the kids are driving me up the wall! Margarita anyone?? {just kidding...sorta...}

Well that concludes my series of top 10 lists... but I mentioned there would be 2 parts right? Here's where you come in! For my 100th post, my goal is to get 100 comments! That would be a record, and I need your help breaking it, bloggy friends! And while I appreciate Broken Man's efforts on my birthday post, 1 comment per person please! I want to get 100 separate comments :) I realize it's a big goal, but with your help we'll see if we can make it happen! I would love you forever :)

The Big 1-0-0!!

It's that time, people!! It's almost here! Are you excited? GET EXCITED!!! It is almost my 100th post!! I can't believe i've written almost 100 posts... that's crazy! Anyway, I want to do something BIG & exciting!! So I need your ideas... I could do a giveaway, but I don't even know how to go about that... I don't really want to do that 100 things about me thing that some people do, I want it to be more exciting! So, what did you do? Did you see someone else do something you liked? Help! Let me know what you think :) Thanks in advance, friends!

And the Oscar Goes to.... (part 1)

I love getting awards, who doesn't?! It really brightens my day to know that people not only read my blog, but like it. That's crazy to me! I mean I think I'm a decent writer, and some of the stuff I have to say is interesting, but still, maybe it's not so interesting to everyone else. Anyway, thank you to Dee, Laural Out Loud, Island Girl. They have each awarded me with a shiny (sometimes even sparkly!) new award! I'm so excited! Anyway, as much as I love awards, I am a very bad award receiver! It always takes me forever to re-award them! So, I'm sorry for being a bad award receiver, but thank you for my awards, I love them! Ok so, 1st off Laural Out Loud gave me this award: That is so sweet, isn't it cute??! Thank you, again! The rules for this award is to give it to 10 blogs I love!! That should be easy! I'm going to try and give this to people who don't have this award, but no promises! These are the people who have and will type paragraphs of advice when I most need it, just because they care! Who else would be more deserving of such an award!?!

• Mrs. Newlywed @ Misadventures of A Newlywed
• Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious
• Jen E @ Mommablogsalot
• Chelle @ Creative Momma
• Leslie @ Got Kids, Need Valium
• Tyne @ The White House
• Dana @ Supernanny Where Are You
• Megan @ Wandering DC
• Joy @ When Does Daddy Come Home
• Dawn @ Dawn's Daily Life

Next, I have this lovely award from Dee! Isn't it pretty?!?The rules to this award are Post the badge on your site and link back to Maternal Spark. Tag 5 of your bloggy friends who have sparked creativity, conversation, controversy and friendships! That's it, it's easy to spread the sparky love so go on...do it! These 5 blog friends are amazing and deserve some bloggy love so go check them out!

• Heidi @ Mommy Doesn't Live Here Anymore
• The Mom @ Cheaper Than Therapy
• Mojito Maven @ Make Mine a Mojito
• Cheryl @ The Daily Blonde
• McMommy @ The McMommy Chronicles

So, that's that now go check them out and tell them I sent you! lol Moving on... Island Girl @ Not Perfect But Worth It passed on this lovely book award to me!Here are the rules: Pass it on to five other bloggers, and tell them to open the nearest book to page 56. Write out the fifth sentence on that page, and also the next two to five sentences...The CLOSEST BOOK, NOT YOUR FAVORITE, OR MOST INTELLECTUAL! Ok, I'm warning you this is gonna be boring.. the only books I have near me are Text books so here is a short excerpt from my Mass Communications text book. "In three months, Common Sense sold 125,000 copies- some historians say it was closer to 250,000- 1 for every 10 colonists. Paine was no mere armchair commentator. In 1776 he joined George Washington's army." I'm gonna spare you from boredom and stop there.. for the record they were talking about Thomas Paine and the subject was Books in National Development. Yeah... bored yet? So, hopefully these people will have something more interesting to say, sorry for boring you!

• Jen @ Daily Mish Mash
• Danielle @ Life With the Hewitt Family
• Jen E @ Momma Blogs A lot (I know 2 awards in 1 post, but I know how you are about books!)
• Tabbie @ Love's Story

I know that's only 4 but I give up! Ok... so are you sick of all these award posts, yet? Well because I'm a procrastinator so popular, I still have 3 more to give out!! I'm so humbled by all this love, when I started this blog I never imagined that anyone would actually read it, much less send me awards telling me they love my blog!! Thank you everyone! Because I love you all so much.. I'm going to spare you! I'm going to do the 2nd half of these awards later in the week, so this doesn't turn into a novel or anything! Please go check out the award recipients, if you haven't already! They all have amazing blogs, and we all know how much we love bloggy love, so show them some please :) Part 2 coming soon...