I'm a Kick Ass Blogger - Yeah Baby!

My friend, Jerry at As The Crackerhead Crumbles, passed on this cool award to me. I'm not really sure how it originated or what it's supposed to say about me so I'll give you my interpretation.

To me, a Kick Ass Blogger is someone who puts her best into her blog and takes the responsibility seriously. Even if their blog is funny or satirical, the blogger cares about her readers and passed on information that is true to the best of her knowledge. A Kick Ass Blogger writes with a purpose and is relentless in pursuit of excellence. A Kick Ass Blogger is an awesome writer and works tirelessly on her craft so that her posts are interesting and informative. A Kick Ass Blogger cares about the blogging community and is active within it.

I hope this is what Jerry meant when he thought of me for this award. I know I think he fits into this category of dedicated bloggers. I do my best with LifePrints and hope that in some small way I am making a contribution to my readers and through them, the world.

I have a few people I'd like to pass this award along to, bloggers who are Kick Ass in my book:

Claudia who owns Museworthy. She's an artist model in New York. Oh how I would have loved to have lived submerged in the art community. She gives me a peek into that world.

Heather runs The Wishful Writer. She's probably getting tired of all the awards I send her way but she deserves them. She's my Hollis Gillespie, my Carol Burnett...I don't know what I'd do without her blog to make me laugh.

And finally, Anok, my favorite anarchist. Her political views and passion never fail to ignite my own. She shares her opinions on Identity Check.

My hat is off to these three bloggers. Keep it coming, ladies. You make me proud to call myself a blogger.

I'm A Flower Smeller

Mike is an awesome writer and my dear blogging friend. He owns Mr. Grudge. When I go there to read his posts I know a couple of things are gauranteed to happen. I will laugh. I will cry. I will say, "Huh, I hadn't thought of it that way." And the one I love the most..."Wow, I wish I'd written that."

Mike is part of the interactive community at Go! Smell the flowers. The founders created a community award for flower smellers. Here is how they describe it:

This badge serves to acknowledge others who are, in their own way, smelling the flowers and will underpin the whole reason for this community -to inspire countless people around the world.

They maybe regular visitors to this blog, comment posters, readers or active at another founders blog or someone that could contribute here who is yet to visit as we become a community.

Maybe they don’t even run a blog but have recovered from an illness, written a book, won the lottery, made a major shift in their life, won promotion, quit the rat race and on it GO!s as more examples from around the world start to surface and group hugs become the norm!

This award makes me feel like maybe I am inspiring others with my work on LifePrints and maybe Mike thinks I'd be a good member of the Go! Smell the flowers community. I am honored.

I'd like to pass this award on to a few special people. Since I can award this to non-bloggers that is what I am going to do.

1) Margaret McGlaun is a wildflower photographer who knows about 'smelling the flowers'. She's taught me so much about taking time to love the life I'm living and loving the people I'm living it with. Her photos are beautiful. I have her calendars and a set of note cards. I'll never forget taking a trip with her to see the spring blooms in Death Valley, CA. I had a blast watching her work her magic on film.

2) Jo Wilkens is the president of Henderson Writers' Group. For the past 4 years she has been my friend and mentor, giving gentle nudges in the right direction in my writing career. As the owner of Mystic Publishers, she doesn't have much free time but she always makes time for other aspiring writers. I am forever in her debt for the free editing she did on my latest manuscript.

3) Gregory Kompes has also been my mentor and friend. He is the best-selling author of 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live. He was the coordinator at the conference where I met my agent. He's recently overcome a personal struggle and is better than ever. He's my hero.

4) Tina Thompson, my dear cousin and friend, has found love after many years of disappointment and heartache. She is finally smelling the flowers with the "answer to her prayers", Jimmy. He's heaven sent and she is smiling again. I can't wait to meet him and welcome him into our family.

5) Candi Mitchell is a writer on the verge of discovery. Every time I read passages from her memoir, I am reminded of the raw courage it takes to peel back the layers of our lives to reveal the truth. She is a true flower smeller on the fast track to self-discovery.

Thanks again, Mike for the opportunity to give a shout out to these incredible people whom I love so much.

The Power of Schmooze Award

I've won a blogging award! I've won a blogging award! Did you see me jumping up and down in a fit of joy? If you were in my living room yesterday you would have and I'm still flying high.

My new friend Charlotte R. Dixon who runs Word Strumpet, http://www.wordstrumpet.typepad.com/, thought that the work I'm doing with LifePrints was worthy of an award. Writers should click right over to Charlotte and check out her advice on writing. She is a copywriter and creative writing teacher of the highest caliber.

The Power of Schmooze is a blogging community involvement award given to bloggers who make an effort to get to know others in the blogosphere. The tough part is now I must pass the award along to five others.

Since I've become involved in Blogcatalog I've met some interesting people who run informative, fun, and entertainingly irreverent blogs. I am in good company at Blogcatalog. The members have set a high standard for excellence.

So drum roll please...here are the winners.

Kali Karagias at Out of Focus, http://adhd.typepad.com/

Kali was one of the first people to reach out to me. She is so funny. She has a dry sense of humor that always makes me laugh out loud when I read her posts. With a sharp wit and keen insight she challenges the way I think about the world. I love people who can do that.

Philip Harris at All Things That Matter, http://philipharris.blogspot.com/

Mr. Harris is the author of Waking God. He has his own talk radio show called All Things That Matter and currently works in special education. Also, he is knowledgeable in the areas of secret societies, occult and religious studies and has been a student of mystical studies for over twenty five years. Phil's post about our true place in the Milky Way Galaxy blew my mind and I've been reading faithfully ever since.

Delirante (Wen) at La Delirante, http://ladelirante.blogspot.com/

Wen is from El Salvador and lives in Malta. She writes about her life there. I've enjoyed talking to her and learning through her eyes about living outside your homeland.

Lisa Wines at OMYWORD! Did I Say That!, http://omywordblog.blogspot.com/

Lisa added me to her feeder! I remember when she sent that message. I was as happy then as I am now to pass on this award to her. She lives in France and has the most interesting take on life. I'll never think of fake boobs in the same way and her recent post on the Bible...well, I won't give away the ending.

Vienne at Eavesdropwriter, http://eavesdropwriter.blogspot.com/

Vienne has created one of the most unique resources for writers that I've ever had the pleasure to stumble upon. I wish I'd thought of it! She is an accomplished eavesdropper and uses the tidbits she overhears to build characters and spark her creativity. Every writer should check it out.

That's my five and it was a difficult task. I wish I could give one back to Charlotte at Word Strumpet but that's probably against the rules. Congratulations everyone. Now it's your turn to pass it on.