On Belated Thanks (Or, When will Hallmark start making cards for this?)

Thanks are overdue. So overdue, in fact, that I've already posted in my sidebar the pics of my two most recent awards without giving due credit...and that's a bit shameless, I realize.

First off, thanks to Courtney at Southern Princess for the Stylish Blogger Award. It's a particular honor to receive it from her since her blog is one of the most stylish on my blogroll. Southern Princess has a unique theme that really helps me separate Courtney from the herd, and that is more than helpful as the number of blogs I follow quickly multiplies exponentially.

I pass this award onto these very stylish bloggers:

Karen Hooper at Eternal Moonshine of a Daydreaming Mind (I love her header.)

Julie at A Day in the Wife (She adds music, whether we like it or not.)
Anissa at Anissa Off the Record (Her color scheme is unique.)
Samantha Bennett at Show and Tell (Again, I like her header.)
Kathi at Kathi's Writing Nook (Her header has the most beautiful butterfly ever.)

Second, I give a big blogger hug to both Nicole at One Significant Moment at a Time and MissV at Rambles and Randomness for the Beautiful Blogger Award.

This award asks me to share seven things about myself, so here it goes:

1. I miss Seville, Spain more than words can express - even from a writer. Last week was the April Fair in that glorious city, and I was wishing more than anything I could be there wearing my Flamenco dress, drinking fino (no, that's not "vino"), and dancing my heart out. These two pictures show me in full Flamenco garb at the April Fair of 1991.

2. A couple days ago, as I was reading A Day in the Wife's post about how her husband was mocking her dedication to blogging, my own husband walked up to me and said, "Can you stop blogging for one second to talk to me, or will you stop breathing?"

3. My daughter is going to sleep-away camp this summer for the first time (Thanks, Grandma!), and every time I think about it, I get a knot in my throat to imagine her away from me for so long.

4. I love blogging! I only started in February of this year, and I feel I've found my calling...until I find the inspiration to write my next novel.

5. I wish I could organize a Blogger get-together - perhaps in NYC - where all my followers and all those I follow could unite so I could meet you ALL in person.

6. I love coffee but have to drink decaf because of a sensitivity to caffeine. (And no, it doesn't make me hyper. I can do that all on my own!)
7. I'm using lucky number 7 to brag about my incredible kids. My son is gifted on the drums and electric guitar. He models himself after Joe Satriani, and I'm convinced that some day, Satriani will model himself after my son. My daughter is so inventive that she can convert her nightstand into a car. No kidding - she just convinced my husband to pick up some training wheels from the bike store so her car can cruise. (Don't ask how I came to allow her to do this.) Some day, I tell you, she's gonna change the world.

So there you have it. I now pass this Beautiful Blogger Award onto five bloggers who I've recently started following, mostly because I'd like to learn 7 new things about them:
Jayne at A Novice Novelist
Annika at A Swede Abroad
Jackee at Winded Words
Portia Sisco
B. Miller Fiction

And if anyone else is serious about a Blogger get-together, my brother has a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. I'm sure it could hold 100 of our closest blogging buddies ;-)

P.S. I just responded to someone's blog, and the word verication was "fuclayfe". I swear.