Thanks so much to Spaghetti Sam (on arewestillhavingspaghetti.wordpress.com) for nominating me for the “One Lovely Blog” award. You’ve made me blush!

The usual rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for the award. (done, see above)

2. Share seven things about yourself. (as if you don’t know enough about me already)

3. Nominate 7 other bloggers and inform them (can’t wait to share this)

I’ve already completed the first rule, and I am a rule follower for the most part, so on to the next two requirements.

Seven things about myself…that I haven’t already shared on a public forum that can reach anyone anywhere in the world, similar to crossing the street naked in a busy city. Gee, that could be a challenge.

1. I am the oldest child in my family, including grandchildren on both sides. This seems to make me a tribal leader of sorts, responsible and wise, the counselor to not only my family but also my friends. The number of times I’ve heard “you’re the oldest, you should know better” are too many to count. This is probably why I have always attracted boys/men younger than myself for most of my life, I suppose.
2. My first real job was at McDonald’s, when I was 15. To this day, I am still grateful for the experience and customer service training I gained over more than three years – through two separate stints with McD’s – because it gave me a great foundation for customer service practices that I still utilize (and expect, but am often disappointed by) today.
3. I love to travel, anywhere and any way. Flying is great, but road trips are better. Give me a car, an open road and unlimited time (and bank account) and I probably would not return home for over a year at best. I love the idea of stopping along the way at quirky little shops, off the beaten path diners and other undeclared sites along the way. I am all about the journey, not just the destination. Pretty much the same way I look at life, it’s not where you start or where you end up, it’s what you did along the way that will make a life well lived.
4. I love old cars. And old furniture, and old photographs, and old stuff. Part of my road trip journey usually includes antique shops, or flea markets (I love those too!) My home was built in 1927 and it feels and fits perfectly for my soul.
5. I am a mom to three growing boys, who are too quickly becoming men. Being a mom of boys has given me so many opportunities and insights that I doubt I would have ever had with girls, I cannot express how incredible that feels. Knowing that I have some influence, if only over a few future men, gives me the best feeling in the world. I have always said “I’m changing the world one boy at a time”, and I really believe that to be true.
6. I love to cook and bake and try new recipes and new kitchen tools. I have a tendency to discover a new way to cook, or a new cuisine to eat, and cook that way for months before moving on to the next thing. Currently my new obsession is with the InstantPot – if you haven’t heard of it, google it and read up they are incredible machines! My brother-in-law referred to my kitchen tool wishlist as “power tools for women”, can’t say that I disagree. Who doesn’t appreciate a new Ninja blender or KitchenAid for Christmas??
7. While I have only been blogging about my divorce and the events around it for the last year and a half, I had originally started blogging about four or five years ago with the idea of just writing creatively to express the ongoing narration that played in my brain daily. At the time, life was very busy with kids and house and family so I didn’t get much accomplished. But then life presented a topic that I couldn’t ignore or refuse to make time for, so here I am.

Now for the nominees. This is a tough one on one hand and so easy on the other. I really enjoy reading so many different blogs and discovering the many formats and subjects that are still out there, but there are a few that I keep returning to continually.

I nominate: K E Garland, Tikeetha T – A Thomas Point of View, SDC – Don’t Make it Weird, stilllearning2b – Lessons from the end of a marriage, Love, Laughter and Truth – Matthew Williams, Jenny Maloney – Place for the Stolen, and Maria@NoMoreNarchole.