Thanks to Elastigirl...

for nominating me for this award. She is truly one of my closest friends, and I miss her a little bit most days and a whole lot on others. Our time together IRL is precious, but the blog she writes allows me to be with her off and on throughout the week. Thank goodness for the internet.

Here's the explanation and the silly rules that go with it:"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

As for the bloggers that are important friends to me, many have already gotten the award, but I will still list them here:

• Curly Girl: More than just a friend, she is my wonderful sister and inspires me to be more like her every day.
• Jennie: More family, and one of the funniest writers I have ever known.
• Mrs. Swizzle: One of the best all time blog tag lines: Do you ever feel like someone has put a swizzle stick into the top of your head and just stirred things around a little? I do, and I am glad to know there are other people like that in the world.
• Mary Beth: My first blog friend that I met after I read her blog. It was quite exhilarating. Thank goodness she is the least anonymous blogger in the whole world :)
• Princess Mindy: So interesting, and so creative. I look forward to meeting her IRL someday.
• Perplexity Project: More family, and really smart and insightful. Makes me think, which is always good.

So, looking here, I realize I need to make more blog friends. But I love the ones I have. Thanks to you all for brightening my life.

Looking Back at 2008

Reflecting on the last year, I was trying to decide what I had learned from 2008. There are so many things, but here are just a few, in no particular order:

• I am happier today than I was 5 years ago. I am focused on a goal, and working toward doing something I love instead of just existing. It really does matter.
• "You set your own price in this world" - this is a quote from my friend J, an economist. He told me that it was something his mama always told him. I repeat that to myself a lot these days.
• Things don’t get easier when you put them off. Procrastinating is never the right answer.
• Once it gets above 110 degrees outside, it really doesn’t matter if it is a dry heat or not. Really. It doesn’t.
• facebook. Enough said.
• I can be a skinny person. I can lose the weight that I want to lose, and keep it off. I just don’t know exactly how I will accomplish it.
• You don’t have to see your friends everyday for them to be really good friends.
• I have a lot to learn, even now.
  

What did you learn?