Friday, July 20, 2007

Feeling smart

The very talented Roz Fulcher awarded me the THINKING BLOGGER AWARD. (what? You don't believe me?) LO0oOK!

I am going to print this lovely award out and pin it to my shirt and wear it every single day for a month!

Thank you Ms Rozzieland!!!

As soon as I was notified I was a winner, I instantly remembered waaaay back when I was in my teens on a weekend retreat at Westminster Woods.

I was sitting in the second row of a very small church/meeting place, nervous as all-get-out because I am about to be called upon to accept an award. When my name was called to come up to the podium to accept my lovely certificate, I leaned down quickly to pick up my thank you notes and bonked my head on the wooden pew in front of me. The sound was enormous!

I could have died.

Nooo, not really died.

It actually didn't hurt me at all, but I was mortified. Could I get any more embarrassed? (well. yeah. I have, but that's for another time; another post).

Amidst the gasps in the audience, I walked up there as if nothing happened. Only to collapse into a horrible fit of laughter ... similar to what the spa experience could have been if I didn't have the life experience I do now, learning how to refrain.

But that was then and this is now. so without any further ado... I want to extend my gratitude for giving out awards for those five blogs I would like to honor in the thinking world.

The winners are:

CRUNCHYBITS Rayne is amazing. It's an appropriate name, really. Because she rains onto so many people with honor and kindness. She's an artist. A photographer. A writer. A crafty sewer. A mother and a wife. And she has a chronic illness that she talks openly about on her blog. OH! And she has other blogs, too... that honors other's writings.

PAULA BECKER You must go to her site at once. You will recognize her work I'm sure. Isn't she great? I can hang out over there for a long, long time and often times I do. I'm quite sure if she noticed I was there, she'd offer me something cool to drink and sit down with me for awhile and we'd chat about Texas....

VALGAL I had the honor of spending dinner with Val in Malibu this past spring. Sitting with her for an hour or two is just too short. Her artwork is amazing. So colorful and her client list is long and tall and filled with colorful people like herself. When she writes stories on her blog (which isn't enough)... you can sit there and feel enthralled. She is so talented and her work is going to be shown on an HGTV episode sometime in the future. Can you not wait for it?!?!

JIM PEARSON
He is a wonderful friend and an incredible artist. We used to work at a software company creating computer games. I was hired there as a temp and I was succumed to bashfullness and didn't leave my cube for about six weeks. One day I stepped out and he announced it to the entire art room. "Lo00Ook! Shawn is stepping out!!" I quickly moved my foot back in (once I saw my shadow) and we had rain all season long! Jim is a kind, thoughtful, sensitive, funny, entertaining guy who will keep you laughing til all hours of the night. He was the art director for nearly all of Toy Story 2. I don't see him nearly enough and I miss him terribly. We live less than an hour away but happy I can see him through his blog amidst our busy lives. (Jimpy? I lost your email address. can you send it to me again?)

KELLY RIDGWAY She's my sister. An ultra runner (running 100 miles in a single day.. not everyday!). She deserves this award because she's a huge inspiration. She has Lupus and she doesn't let it defeat her. While on her runs, she focuses on positive thoughts and uplifting those around her. She is a nurse that goes beyond her call-of-duty. I remember on many occasions at Christmas, Kelly would call her patients up and ask how they are feeling and wish them a Merry Christmas. Most important is that she is my sister. And I've known her all of my life ... so I should know, right?

Thank you Roz. you are wonderful. For those who aren't familiar with her, she is an illustrator for kid's books using felt, fabric etc. Please go look at her blog. She is incredible!

15 comments:

Doodlestreet said...

Congrats on your award, Shawnie! And I really enjoyed looking at all the blogs you talked about. I 'second' everything you say about Crunchy Bits! Excellent writing.
It's just amazing to me how many talented people there are out there--thank goodness for this computer/blogging thing. Kind of makes you feel 'not so different' from everyone else in a unifying way, but at the same time, appreciate how so beautifully uniqe we all are.

Rayne said...

Shawn! This is so cool. Thank you! Now I have to come up with something thoughtful to say when I post my Thinking award to prove that I deserve it.

doodlegirl said...

hi rayne! Ohhhh, you SO deserve this award!!!! More than you can even imagine!

And, thank you ms doodlestreet for the congratulations. (I sorta feel like I won an oscar but without the fun party afterwards)

Rayne said...

Shawn! Pam just told me! It's your b'day today!!! Happy Birthday! I wish I had known earlier.
Still trying to come up with something thoughtful. I might give you all a lesson on physics as I understand it.

Doodlestreet said...

Rayne SOOOO deserves that writing award...I'm tellin' ya...that humor! Hahahahaha...cracks me up.

doodlegirl said...

Thank you sooo much for the birthday wishes! I am having a swell one. Just wish I didn't hafta exchange one age for another in order to have a happy birthday!

Janet said...

Shawn, you really deserve the Thinking Blogger Award, and I always enjoy reading your stories and seeing the way you think!HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

doodlegirl said...

Thank so much, Janet for your kind words!! Annnd for the Happy Birthday greetings!!

Michele said...

Shawn,

I wish I would have taken the time to stop by sooner. This is huge!! An award for thinking? I love that. And you deserve it. You are quite the thoughtful blogger... plus, you make me laugh.

Congratulations!!
Michele

Michele said...

The above messg. is from me, Michele Miles, over at my Aprilbaby site. For some reason none of that info comes up. But just so you know who sent you that messg.

Take Care!

paula said...

Congratulations, Shawn, on being awarded the TB award! Your stories are always a hoot to read. The bonking your head one for this posting is just what makes your blog so fun! And thanks for awarding me with one! Your words about my work in your posting are so kind! I'm so happy when I hear people like my work. : D Merci again!

Dave's blog said...

Shawn! Congrats on the award! And happy belated B-day!
I think you are wonderful, and deserve every bit of recognition you get! I miss you, have your people call my people.
Love,
Dave

ValGalArt said...

Congratulations on your award you are very deserving and I love your art and blog! Thank You for your sweet words about me and I am so remiss in reading this post. I have been working on long overdue home projects ie housepainting and the like and my internet had been on the fritz quite a bit and I'm still not sure why? But I digress! Thank You Shawn i couldn't come fromm a nicer pal!!!

roz said...

Hi DoodleGirl.
YOU ROCK and so does your blog. =O)

Hey- I just got back from California. We stayed a week. Spent a few days at Disney then went down to Santa Maria/Santa Barbara area. I lived in the area for 7 years growing up and it was so nice to go spend some time back there. I miss it!!

doodlegirl said...

Michelle, Paula, Dave, Val and Roz:

Thank you so much for your comments and for visiting! It really touches my heart completely. Even in the hard-to-reach places. Like, way down there at the bottom where it comes to a point and doesn't leave a lot of space.