One Lovely Blog Award

It’s such an honor to be nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award by the talented author, writer, and blogger, Eva Blaskovic.

Eva and I met each other on Facebook in January 2012 and a true friendship blossomed. It’s hard to believe we’ve known each other for four years. She lives in Canada and I live in Texas, but I found such a kindred spirit in her. We’re both writers and connected right away.

We’ve probably ‘broken’ private messenger on Facebook because whenever one of us is having a difficult time in our writing, we reach out to each other. She is my ‘go to’ person when I have doubts about something in my story.

Eva has a wonderful book out called Beyond the Precipice and that’s also the name of her beautiful blog. 

She is an educator and mentors young authors. Among her other writings, she has numerous short stories in many genres and writes articles on many topics.  Music is also a big part of her life, as she has played eight instruments. This multi-talented woman has also done taekwondo and karate. She’s a force of nature, literally! I’m proud to call her friend!

Now for the Rules

When you get this award,

• Thank the person who nominated you and link their blog
• Add the One Lovely Blog Award to your post
• Share 7 things about yourself
• Pass this on to as many people as you like (max 15)
• Include this set of rules
• Inform your nominees

Do you know how hard it is to come up with 7 things about yourself that are not in your bio? Gah!

Here goes!

One: Bowling

It is my sport of choice and has been since I was in my early twenties. In the early days, my average stayed right around 110, but I’m competitive by nature. I worked hard, and learned as much as I could. It’s important to learn where to stand, what arrow to roll over, learn how to pick up spares, how much torque to put on the ball. Eventually, my average improved and I hit the 150-average mark. I’ve had my share of 200 games, accumulated trophies, patches, and other awards on handicap and series. I’ve been bowling for over 45 years and still compete with my peers. Just last week, I bowled a 203. Bowling is a social sport and I love the comradery I have with my teammates. 

Two: I'm short

It’s a pet peeve of mine. Home builders never consider short people. I’m constantly dragging a stool around to reach the higher cabinets. I’m 5’1” and must always shop in the petite areas of the clothing stores. Sometimes I sneak into the children’s department and find things there. Shoes! Again, sometimes I buy them in the children’s section. I wear a 5 ½ shoe. Do you know how hard that is to find? I don’t like buying online because inevitably it won’t fit right. I want to try it on.

My husband must be constantly reminded to slow down when walking because I cannot match his steps. After 24 years, he still forgets. Most of the time, I make sure I have a grip on his arm, that way, I can just pull him back.

Many times, in restaurants or doctor’s offices, and public places, it’s difficult to sit comfortably because my feet won’t reach the ground. I can’t lean back without looking like a little child dangling my feet. And booths? When I sit in a booth, I feel like I’m in a high chair. The table almost reaches my chin.

When I’m rich and famous I’m going to have a house custom built just for me!

Three: High School Star Athlete

Yes, it’s true. I even won a trophy for 1st place. For doubles badminton. I graduated from high school many moons ago, but it’s still one of the highlights of my high school memories. Do they even play badminton anymore? My partner and I worked together so well we smeared the competition. She was average height. Because I was short, I could move quickly, and the extension of the badminton racket put me on an even playing field. Funny, the things you remember.

Four: Back-packed 90 miles around the base of Mt. Ranier

Okay, full disclosure, I only made it halfway. In my high school days, my father loved back packing. Every summer the only place he wanted to go for vacation was the mountains. His dream was to back-pack 90 miles around the base of the mountain. He insisted we all go along. I have 3 siblings. A sister and two brothers. I’m the second oldest.

So off we went. It was a grueling trip. I’m the runt of the pack. My siblings are normal size. We all carried around 25 pound packs. Halfway around, we would meet up with some friends designated to resupply our rag tag troop. When the time came, dad asked if any of us wanted to leave. I didn’t want to, but physically I was done. I think dad knew that. So, I cashed in. Our friends took me to my grandmothers for the remainder of their trip. I’ve always felt bad because I didn’t complete it, but grandmother spoiled me rotten. Lots of good food, new clothes. It was better than hardtack and hiking boots. In reality, it was a good experience and one I wish I could have taken my children on. 

Four: Always take the elevator at the Eiffel Tower

Really old pic. It was very cloudy that day.
My oldest son was in the Army about 25 years ago, and stationed in Germany. He offered to pay my way for a trip over there. How could I refuse? I arrived for my first visit overseas and loved every minute of it. But, I was a single mom and money was tight. He arranged a bus tour to Paris, France. I was so excited. One of our stops was the Eiffel Tower. What an opportunity! We decided to be brave and take the stairs up instead of the elevator. The stairs were free, the elevator cost money. Off we went. Going up was no big deal. Easy, peasy. We walked around the whole thing to see all the wonderful views from every angle. Breathtaking.

And then, it was time to go down.

Our legs screamed and shook every step of the way. We looked at each other wondering if we’d make it down. What would happen if we just couldn’t take another step? Would someone come to rescue us? We’d stop to rest, then painfully descend another few steps. Eventually, we made it down just as our bus was ready to pull away. The lesson here? Spend the money! It’s much easier going up than it is going down.

Five: I love cats!

I’ve always had more of an affinity with cats, than dogs, although, we can’t have cats because of my husband’s allergies. We have a dog, though. An outside dog. A crème’ lab named Cutter. He’s 6 ½ years old and spoiled rotten.

In previous years, I’ve had many cats. One I named Angel. Solid white, one blue eye, one green. She ruled the roost. One day, I dared bring home another little gray cat who was about to be drowned. I couldn’t let that happen, so I took it. Angel wasn’t pleased. She used to sit along the edge of the bathtub while I bathed and ‘talk’ to me and splash at the water. It was our little ritual. When the other cat arrived, that was all over. Angel ignored me and made her displeasure known. I found a home for the little gray cat and peace was restored.

The last cat I had I named Honey, but I called her ‘little girl’. It was what she answered to. She was Siamese. I had her for many years until she went missing. We never did find her and it was hard to get over. She would come and go in and out of the house on demand. Meow when she wanted in, meow when she wanted out. It’s hard to lose a pet, but our dog Cutter gives us joy every day.

Six: I like zip-lining

One of the things on my bucket list was to experience zip-lining. A few years ago, I got to do just that. A friend of mine and I decided to take a chance and do it. I’m a grandmother and more recently a great-grandmother, so this was quite an undertaking. I must say, the climb up the towers reminded me of the Eiffel Tower incident. The only difference was we wouldn’t have to go down by stairs. We would zip-line our way down. That first step off is quite an adrenaline rush. We actually flew right over an alligator pond. Our guides were super nice, joking and carrying on with two old grandma’s. They were wonderful. It was a highlight of my life and a reminder that I’ve still got it!!

Seven: I recently taught a college writing class

As a writer, I love encouraging people to follow their passion. One of my favorite things to do is share with new writers my experience and the learning process as it applied to me. I belong to Texas Association of Authors and through them I’ve won two awards. I got an email from a librarian in Tarrant County College in Arlington, Texas https://www.tccd.edu/ recently who saw my author page on Texas Association of Authors and asked me if I would speak to a combination of writing classes about my experience. Of course, I jumped at the chance. I prepared diligently. As the time approached I let self-doubt creep in. These were college age people. What did I have in common with them and would they even want to listen to an old fossil like me?

My husband drove me so I wouldn’t add driving stress to my many insecurities. I was warmly greeted by the librarian. She showed me the classroom and as I set up, the kids began to trickle in. The tech guy put my website up on the screen and I watched the students look at it with interest. My class was interactive and they jumped right in and participated which made me extremely happy. After class, the librarian introduced me to two professors who had joined the class to hear what I had to say. If I’d known beforehand other professors would attend, I might have choked. They had great things to say about my presentation and I sighed with relief that I pulled it off. I’ve always been one to jump in and try new things. Nerves? Of course, but if you never try, you will never know what you can do! 

Nominees:

Author Dana Wayne (awesome romance author)

Author Phyllis A. Still (writes historical novels for Young Adults)

Author Gay Ingram (blogger & historical writer)