Fabulous Blogs

Day 2 of NaBloPoMo and I am already posting somewhat last-minute...this is a rough start. Oy!

Part of this month will be playing catch-up with things that have been in my drafts folder for months (or in some cases, years). Back in July, the lovely Zoanna of A Penchant for Pens honored me with a "Fabulous Blog Award." I thanked her then, but am just now getting around to participating in the accompanying meme.

Zoanna is one of the delightful women I have come to know and enjoy through blogging, but have yet to have the pleasure of meeting in real life. Someday, I hope! I appreciate her sense of humor (especially her knack for puns), her love of good grammar, her honesty. I'm also glad for what she brings to the blog-world in terms of wisdom and life experience. It's so easy to surround ourselves with women who are in the same season of life as we are, and while that can be valuable and encouraging, we miss so much if we are not seeking out and listening to the voices of women who have "been there, done that." So stop over and check out her blog!

Next I'm supposed to give you a few lists:

Five fabulous moments in my life...

1. hearing Steve recite wedding vows to me
2. seeing Jude pink up after his beautiful birth and several moments of a gray, motionless baby
3. my first stuff-block in junior high volleyball
4. giving my testimony as a college ministry team member at the youth camp where I got saved
5. listening to a high school girl I'd informally mentored over the years read a tribute to me as an influential person in her life

Five things I love...

1. my kids' belly laughs
2. the anticipation of beginning a new journal/the satisfaction of filling one up
3. long talks with kindred spirits
4. photo Christmas cards all over my refrigerator
5. having my hair played with

Five things I hate...

1. typos and other errors in official, published works
2. misrepresentations or distortions of my theological beliefs
3. seeing my kids sick and feeling helpless
4. doing things I suck at
5. olives

And then, as is usually the case with unofficial "blog awards," I am supposed to pass it on. Like Zoanna, I too feel a little goofy passing the award along because, as she said, "Some folks don't feel so much honored as pressured to reciprocate." So I'm going to link you to five blogs I enjoy. If you see yourself below and you want to participate, have fun playing along--and if you don't feel like it, just know that I think your blog is fabulous, and enjoy the tiny bit of extra traffic I may drive your way!

All This Every Day
I met Robin at the aforementioned youth camp, when I was a senior in high school and she was a freshman (I think...right?). We were then at college together for a year before I graduated. The more I read her blog, the more I wish our time at college had overlapped more--or rather, the more I think I'd enjoy spending time with the lovely and interesting woman she has become! At her blog, you'll find foodie posts, beauty reviews, travelogues and poignant reflections. I loved the letter she recently wrote to her 14-year-old self--in fact I may end up riffing off of it later this month.

A Passing Glimpse
Jenny and I were acquaintances in college; one of her best friends was my senior-year roommate. I have so enjoyed hearing her heart and getting to know her better in the years since via her blog. She writes with piercing beauty and grace--first about her painful journey through infertility and pursuing adoption, and now about her precious new son Tedy, who I think is the cutest baby I have ever seen other than my own. Jenny hasn't been a mom for very long, but she definitely convicts and inspires me! The perspective she has gained through the long wait and the hard road to motherhood have, I am quite sure, made her a uniquely wonderful mother--Tedy is a blessed little guy.

Glory Itches
Ali is married to one of my husband's many wonderful cousins. Steve has such an awesome extended family! Unfortunately we rarely get to see or spend time with Josh and Ali, since they live so far away, but I am glad for the glimpses of Ali's heart through her blog. I definitely think that if we lived closer, I would be wanting to spend a lot of time hanging out with and learning from her!

Ten Thousand Things
I just stumbled across Megan's brand-new blog a couple of weeks ago, and I immediately subscribed. Her title comes from a fabulous John Piper quote: "God does ten thousand things in every deed. Perhaps we know a dozen. Maybe two. But not enough to judge before He's through." I don't know Megan at all, but she's been through a whole lot of heartbreaking trials in the last few years--and she writes about them with vulnerability and grace.

Dancing By the Light
Danielle is another blog-friend whom I hope to meet someday. I don't remember exactly how we got connected, but we've followed each other through the last five years or so--her twin boys are just a couple of months older than Elijah, and her baby girl is Jude's age. She doesn't blog all that often, but I love her "slice of life" style--slowing down to notice the simple things; looking for Christ in the everyday moments. You can also count on finding gorgeous photography (she has a side business) at her place. I think of her and wonder, WHY has God scattered all my kindred spirits all over the country?

Ladies, your blogs are fabulous :) Everyone else: Happy weekend reading!