The Versatile Blogger Award!

My first award! Can you believe it? Letters from Home has chosen me for The Versatile Blogger award. Thank you! And, she said some really nice things about me in her post. Thanks again!

The rules for accepting this award is that I must tell you 7 things about me, then pay the award forward to other bloggers. So, here are seven things about me:

1. I was born in Woodstock, IL. No, this is NOT the famous Woodstock where the famous rock concert took place in the 1960s. I get asked that every time I tell someone my hometown. THAT Woodstock was in New York. My Woodstock is a little town just south of the Wisconsin border.

2. I moved away from Woodstock when I was 11 years old, but I have some fantastic memories of the town square. We had Halloween costume parades in the square, and we went to see Santa there a few times, I think. There may have even been Easter egg hunts, but I'm not sure. The bank my parents used was on the square, and there was a bakery nearby that we all enjoyed. Yum! One thing I really miss about living in a bigger city is the sense of community that a town square offers. By the way, you may have even seen that town square. The movie "Groundhog's Day" was filmed in Woodstock.

3. I moved to Arizona seven days before I started seventh grade. I promised my parents for years that I would be moving back to IL on my 18th birthday. Shortly after said date, I went to visit and make my plans to move. When the snow was piled so high in the driveway, and the ice was caked onto my windshield so much that it took 30 minutes just to be ready to drive away in the morning, I quickly changed my mind. I like hopping in my car and taking off seconds, not hours, later!

4. I graduated high school and started college at age 17. My original major was elementary education. I changed it so many times because I just couldn't get focused. My dad finally said I needed to pick something and stay with it so I could finish. It took me five years from the time I started college, but I finally got an Associate's degree in Administration of Justice. I simply wasn't ready to face "real life."

5. I FINALLY finished my elementary education degree in November 2010. This time I AM ready and I am going to be a great teacher. I can say that because I have learned to have confidence in myself, something I was lacking at age 17. You can read about my recent graduation ceremony here: Graduation.

6. I have been married twice. I married my first husband on my mom's 40th birthday. We were only married a short time, and both of us realized we wanted to go in VERY different directions in life. I married my second husband on June 24, 2000 at the Grand Canyon Deer Farm. We were among the deer with them literally eating my bouquet as we were saying our vows. It was exactly our style and is a good example of how we live our lives.

7. I have two beautiful children. Andrea is 10-years-old, and Amber is 8. They definitely keep my life busy, and they were the inspiration for living a healthy lifestyle. I want my girls to grow up knowing how to give themselves the best of what life has to offer. That means enjoying food while also knowing what will help their bodies to work the best. Exercise should be an enjoyable activity. I hope my girls become women who are proud of who they are on the inside and the outside.

And now.... the second part of the award is to pass it along to other bloggers. I have chosen three, USS Parenting, ArtMuseDog, and Diaries of a Grumpy Grateful Mom. Each of these stand out to me as bloggers who have great ideas and really enjoy sharing with people. They are all great at responding to comments on their own blogs and leaving comments for others. That, to me, is what blogging is all about- building a community so we can all learn from each other. I hope you enjoy the award, USS Parenting, ArtMuseDog, and Diaries of a Grumpy Grateful Mom!