Thanks for the award!

I just wanted to thank my friend, Laura for passing along the "Honest Scrap" Blogging Award to me! It is awarded to bloggers for their honesty, and asks that the award recipient (moi) pass it along to 5 other honest bloggers, link back the the award giver (I JUST figured out how to do this...watch out...), post it in a blog, and to disclose 5 honest things about myself. Whew! I'll try my best...

I must admit that this feels a bit like a chain letter, which leads me to personal fact 1. I don't ever respond to chain letters, and rarely ever forward any email that has been forwarded to me. Sorry to all of the friends who have sent me these....

But I feel incredibly honored that Laura sent this my way. So I'll pass this along to a few folks. Since I am very new to blogging (thanks mostly to Laura), I only know of a handfull of blogs, but I'll try to come up with 5....

I just have to send it to Dan, Laura's husband, who is yes, honest. For my own intentions, though, I'd love to get some "dish" on him (pun intended). His blog, "Wooing with Food" has some mighty fine recipes, and maybe this will motivate him to post some more (hint hint).

I love reading about my "cyber friend", Beth, whom I "met" on an on-line quilting group. I started reading her blog when she was living in South Africa for a month. Her photos are incredible!

She has a link on her blog to another blog site I've been enjoying also: 365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs, by Leah Day. She is a young quilter who is incredibly talented. I can't wait to try some of her design ideas, once I get my sewing machine going again.

And talk about honest... My old high school friend, Robin, whom I discovered recently on Face book (or did she discover me?), has a blog too, "Do You Know What Causes That". It's been fun catching up with her after many many years. She's a Pregnancy Childbirth Educator, author, and mom x 8 (or 9 if you count her husband... I always count mine ;-)).

Laura also has a link on her blog, to this blog, that I really enjoy, "Eat, Think, Drink" It has some incredible recipes, as well as (honest) restaurant critiques, mostly in the Portland, OR area.

Whew! Now the easy part.... 4 more honest things about me:

2. I know how to play the piano. But I have extreme stage fright. Being as the piano is a solo instrument, it isn't exactly the best fit, but at one time I was quite good at it. In fact I was the only non-music major (at the time) to be personally selected by the head of the music department at my college to be a student of hers. She was incredible, and said I had a gift that MUST be shared with others, but all I know is that I literally got physically ill and couldn't keep food down for a week or more before all of my recitals. I LOVE music, but HATE performing, even for members of my own family!

3. I know a lot about Tourette Syndrome, because I have a son with this neurological "disorder". This has consumed my life at times, in fact the additional anxiety "disorder" that sometimes consumes him, has also, consumed our entire family in ways that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. It has taught us much though, not only about TS and other neurological "differences", but how to find help, how to put things into perspective, how to be humble and sympathetic, not judge others, and how to help others with similar neurological differences, such as ADHD or OCD, simply by accepting them.

4. I can't smell. Yep, it's true. You probably won't ever find me blogging about food, because I have never been able to differentiate tarragon from parsley, or pumpkin from acorn squash, or tuna sushi from salmon sushi. Luckily, my taste buds still work, and for me, cooking is still a pleasure because I love to create things that nourish my family and friends. I'm a good cook, but I'm not too adventurous, and textures are a really big thing for me. And those 4 (or is it 5 now?) "tastes" really define what I like. I like things REALLY bitter (IPA, coffee, tea, dark chocolate), sour (I eat whole lemons by themselves), salty (I even put salt on watermelon), and sweet (especially "fatty" sweet... can you say ice cream?). I also like things spicy hot because I can taste it, and feel it (cayenne, wasabi). I must admit though, that at times (like when I worked in a hospital) my lack of smell has been an asset. I also will never judge a person by their BO or bad breath (or, ahem, flatulence). I'm sometimes shocked when I find out by word of mouth about these folks "characteristics", because I have never experienced someone's personal "smell".

5. Many of you know this, but I have a twin brother, and for the record, I have never felt things he feels, had any ESP, or any other "twin" experiences, other than having had the same friends, teachers, experiences (birthdays, learning to drive, going to various school functions, college, etc..)at the same time. And probably my biggest pet peeve is when people ask us if we're identical, AFTER I tell them he's my BROTHER. It is kind of neat being a twin though!

Whew! I never knew getting an award could be so difficult! LOL! Thanks again to Laura.