eggscellent in someone elses eyes

Well lookie here! Just when you think you've made the decision to go into hibernation and contemplate shutting things down permanently someone (Kevin) goes and gives ya a damned award. (Did the check arrive yet, Kev?)

Seriously, thanks buddy for thinking of me! I wouldn't have thought to give one to myself, so I'll thank you for doing it for me.

Now for the rules of the award:

1. Identify the originator of this award, and link so (s)he can get his well-deserved traffic. Again, that would be my buddy Kevin, blog writer extraordinaire over at kapgar.
2. Pass on at least 10 Excellent Blog Awards.

So now it's time to pay it forward. Ten blogs? Hmm! It's not going to be hard to pick 10, it's just finding 10 that haven't already received the big E. Alrighty... here we go in no particular order cuz I luv them all equally.

• Everybody Else is Doing It
• Cynical Dad
• patron saint of smart mouths
• L.A. Daddy
• It's a Pug's Life
• Make it a Double
• stickyfeathers
• the weirdgirl
• Creative-Type Dad
• Never what you think it should be...

There ya have it. If you're not on my list it doesn't mean I luv you any less, so don't send the hit squad over just yet. And if you haven't checked out these eggscellent bloggers, do. They keep me laughing and smiling and thinking with every post.

wednesday wrap-up (is there even a version anymore?)

It's been ages since I've done a Wednesday Wrap-up and since today I'm off work and I've actually had time to catch up on reading and commenting on all my favorite blogs, I thought I'd do a quick wrap-up before getting my lazy butt in gear for the festivities of the afternoon.

The Birthday Circuit - Bad, I know, but I didn't even post a birthday message to my main squeeze. Happy Birthday Kiddo!! The kiddo brought in his 7th year with a birthday bash at one of the local bowling alleys. And that was just the start to almost a week of birthday celebrating. His actual birthday (the 26th - same as Dan's) was spent dining at his favorite restaurant, The Mayan, and playing with his hot new PlayStation, courtesy of his grandparents. Then last weekend was spent attending two birthday parties for friends. I swear he's got more of a social life than me!

Break-in(g) News! - I am now the proud owner of a new set of front door locks. Thanks to my awesome neighbor who came over on Sunday to help me get the crazy thing installed, I'm resting a little bit easier now. I'll always wonder who was trying to get in, for what reason, and when, but with all my neighbors on alert, the 100+ pound furry protection system I own, and the sparkling new jewels adorning my front door I'm not worrying about it. Not too much at least.

(Not) Flying Under the Radar - My second round at The Winnebago has been educational, frustrating, enjoyable, and as of Monday, rewarding. I know I haven't really talked at all about my new job, so suffice it to say I've embarked upon a new career. The world of procurement. I've done my fair share of purchasing through all my previous careers, but this has been a new game entirely for me. One thing I vowed to myself when starting this job was to maintain a certain amount of restraint. By that I mean not get in there and give more than 100% right from the start. That was a hard decision to make for me because I'm one of those people who feels that if you're not performing the best you can, then you aren't doing what you should be doing. Last time that got me nowhere fast (unless you count heading out the door 3 months before my contract was due to expire). Anyway, I've been holding back. Attempting to fly under the radar. And obviously not doing a very good job of it either. During our biweekly staff meeting on Monday afternoon I was presented with a Customer Recognition Award. Not one but three of my customers sent beaming emails to my manager about me. Ugh! I truly hate being in the spotlight, but what I hate even more is that I can't even get myself to just do what needs to be done and stop trying to fix everything that's broken. Ah well! At least I got a teeny tiny little bonus out of it.

BBQ Fever - We're off to the neighbor's for a BBQ this afternoon. No. The evil spawn won't be there. They're gone on vacation and the neighborhood's been a peaceful haven ever since. This is the party crowd getting together. Last Saturday night we sat around drinking, and talking, and drinking for hours while the kids ran around the neighborhood. All without incident. What fun! And today should be more of the same. It's gonna be damned HOT but with the help of the sprinklers and a new slip-n-slide, not to mention the A/C coursing through the neighbor's house, we shouldn't have to put up with too many sweat beads in our eyes. Now I've got to get off my ass and get my fruit platter put together, dig out my chip bowls, and get this place picked up before the good times begin. I hope all of you are off enjoying some holiday fun today!

Cheers!!

think think think... ouch!

For some odd reason my L'il Sis Jessica has bestowed the "Thinking Blogger Award" on me. She says, "I love Lisa’s blog for many reasons, but mostly because she’s smart, witty, honest, and not afraid to cuss like a sailor in public." Aw, thanks Sis! Really, I think she just wants to make my head hurt while I try to actually think of something to say instead of just opening my head and letting my brain spill out all over the place.



So, now it's time for me to pass the award on. This is the thinking part, so consider yourselves warned - this will hurt. But what's a little fun without a little pain, right? Okay. Without further ado, and in no particular order, I am happy to pass the "Thinking Blogger Award" on to:

{forking madness over here}: Okay. You all knew this one was coming. No. I'm not giving Stacie this award because she's "my girl" (even though that'd be as good a reason as any). I'm giving her this award because she truly makes me think, each and every day. Sometimes her life gets a bit hectic, and her blog doesn't always reflect her deepest thinking self. But that's the way life goes. I know she's always thinking even if she doesn't show it.

Sizzle Says: One of my new friends, Sizzle, tells it like it is. Whether it's spilling her guts about self awareness or laughing at her klutzy self, every day is a good read and enlightening for me. Besides, we practically share a birthday, so I had to pick her!

Home on the Fringe: I started reading this blog back during the NaBloPoMo craze. Kristin and John are the tag team writers for this blog -- Kristin does more of the writing and John speaks volumes through his photography. It's deep. It's funny. A definite must read.

patron saint of smartmouths: Another NaBloPoMo find, Lesley Girl runs the gammut on her blog. An avid knitter and former clergy student, she spreads happiness, opinions, and foolishness across the blogoverse. I know how much she hates ads on peoples blogs, so let's see what she thinks of awards!

evil, silly n stoopid: Yeah, I know. Another big surprise. Really, even though it's like pulling teeth to get him to blog once in a blue moon, Groove's another deep thinker. So much in fact it keeps him awake at night. Maybe if he blogged more frequently he'd get more sleep!

There are tons of other bloggers I'd give this award to, many who've already received it. But since I had to narrow it down to 5, there ya have it. Now I need to go take something for my throbbing head. Thanks a bunch, L'il Sis!

The rules behind this Thinking Blogger Thing are as follows:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

I rock! and the countdown clock

A few month's ago, I met Elizabeth over at Table for Five. It was her 40th birthday, and feeling a kinship with my 'two 20's' just around the corner (April 19th), I posted a "Happy Birthday" message to her. Since then, we've traded emails and commented on each other's blogs. She also helped me get started with the PPP program. She's an amazing woman. If you don't believe me, check out her site and read her "100 Things About Me".

Earlier in the week, she announced the "Elizabeth thinks I ROCK!" award. And yesterday, she gave one to me! Heehee!! My first blog award. Really I think it's Elizabeth who rocks, but if she wants to think I rock too, I'll proudly display my award. Thanks girl! You made my day!!

While you're looking at the sidebar admiring my new award, check out the countdown clock. Only 3 more days until Stacie gets here!!! Holy crow that time went by fast! I am SO freakin' psyched!! That also means only 4 more days till the "BIG 4-0" for me. Afterall, that's the reason I finally got her to come out here after practically begging for the past 2 years. For those of you who don't already know, Stace and I have been friends for the past four years -- but we've never had the opportunity to meet in person before this. For real. We've been through hell and back, together, with various hurdles in our lives. We've talked for hours on end over IM and on the phone. But this is the first time in four years that we'll be sitting in the same room dishin' it.

We pretty much don't have any plans except for making several Starbuck's runs and going out to lunch with Groove on my birthday. So, in the spirit of Sizzle and Karl's recent visit, I'm gonna jump on their idea of taking pics and open it up to ya'll -- tell me where you'd like to have pics of Stacie while she's hangin' here with me?