STAR BLOG AWARDS! IT WAS NOT HARD TO CHOOSE!

What an honor! Again I have been awarded with a blog award, named BLOGGING STAR AWARD! My good friend Daria Black passed this award on to me, which was awarded to her from Rolando & his Wonderful Playground Blog!

First things first, with the two mentioned blogs above, thank you so much for such an excellent reading experience, information, etc. etc., that I have gotten from both your blogs. Great job, and both are exceptionally written and brings a great deal to the blogsphere in blog land!

With that said, I am excited to point out and award others of excellent writing, time, consideration and thoughts of other bloggers that I keep up with, and if one takes the time to read their blogs, one will see that it is evident that these bloggers spend a great deal of thought and consideration of what they place in their blogs, making them deserving of this award also, not to mention exception and needed reads, and why I choose to pass these awards on to them. I hope readers will take time to view the bloggers and the links provided, and you will understand why I speak so glowing of them!

When Daria gave me the award of Star Blogger, the first person I realized I wanted to pass such an award to was Terry, a good friend that I meet on Rotatrix Friends Networking site. I personally never thought I would join a social net working site, but glad I did, as Terry has been instrumental in helping me with many things, and sharing her knowledge with me and so many others in many areas. I so appreciate that, and that has made my joining of RFN even more enjoyable.

Her screen name of lifeiseasy alone is an eye catcher. She sports 3 blogs, and I want to mention them all as I have found a great deal of information with all her blogs that has helped me in numerous ways. But, I think I will give her "ABOUT ME PAGE" first. I feel the "About me" pages on bloggers always give readers a great deal of information, not to mention a great tool in wanting to know more and read more about the blogger. Terry has a excellent blog called NOT MAKING MILLIONS YET?? I think this is a very interesting and eye catching title. She is not making millions yet, but if you read the blog, you can see where her directions are aimed and headed, and how she is so consistent in sharing what she has learned so far, and how she wants to share and help people within their own personal quest! Her above mentioned blog gave me excellent ideas on how to do things concerning PAGE RANK! I did not even know that I had a Page Rank until she told me so. (Have since changed to Firefox, and have learned a great deal more and understand page rank a little more now!) Her next blog is titled Shopping and Blogging Tips which is full of excellent ideas and wonderful blogging tips. For true bloggers, this is an excellent blog, especially for new bloggers! In this blog, she has awesome and explainable ideas within her blog which gives readers much to explore on help and ideas to implement with their personal blogs. Her other blog is Lifeiseasy ADSENSE 101 and deals again with helping others with blog ideas. Again, she was instrumental of my own placing of adsense in RFN, and now actually making new money there. (Just a few scents of right now, but HEY, thanks again Terry for the few pennies I have now earned. They all add up in time!) I loved her last blog concerning Tags and Keywords placed in blogs! Very informative! Terry, you have some wonderful blogs here, and it is an honor to nominate you as a STAR BLOGGER! You have really helped me out in so many ways, and I am sure many others as that is just the type of person you are. Thank you! YOU ARE A STAR BLOGGER!

Next in my list is for KELI who writes the most humorous blog on Counterfeit Humans - How to Maintain Sanity over Everyday Stupidity. If you ever deal with stupidity in your everyday life, and need to find some humor in it, THIS IS A MUST READ BLOG! Keli's writing style puts you right into the story as if painting a picture. We all need a laugh in our personal daily lives concerning our own stupidity and the stupidity of others, and she has a way to place it right before our eyes. She is a must read of mine, as well as my husbands, and we always make sure when we read her blog that some kind of plastic piece of material is available to protect the keyboard and monitor(this mainly has to do with spitting in what ever is in our mouth, or for that matter, just the spit as if in a contest. Laughing causes spits, please remember!). Other reasons why? If we do not have the named protection, we have to sit way back to protect both (And this makes it difficult to read!). Keli's blog would not surprise me to find it under the true definition of ROTFLOL. By the way Keli, why I am thinking about this, I would love to see a blog about where your own stupidity might have come into play at some point! I think we all have our stupid moments, and I would be more than happy to give you some material on this concerning me. BUT NO FAIR in mentioning my name. LOL YOU ARE A STAR BLOGGER!

Again with blog awards, I would like to mention Michele over atThe Rocky Mountain Retreat. Her blog is always an inspiration to me. She actually has 3 blogs. Her other two are on Fishing and Weather and Space. Make sure if you visit her blog that you visit her ABOUT ME PAGE for other links concerning her. Anyway, back to her blog at the Rocky Mountain Retreat. Her blog always is about everything and anything concerning life and so much more that we endeavor in our life. In other words, something for everyone, and never a dull moment! An exception blog where any reader can find something special that interest the reader. Thanks Michele for always such an enjoyable read with your blogs! YOU ARE A STAR BLOGGER!

Last on my list is to give the award back to Daria in regards to her other sites that she spends so much time and effort on. THESE are beyond words of how much it can mean to others to read her blogs if really interested in finding the ins and outs on so many things within blogs, writing tips, and in between it all. A little of everything concerning writing, blogging, life in general, etc. is found within her FIGMENT WRITING STUDIO and COMMUNITY, which is such a wonderful place to visit and explore! It is chock full of so much information, and the posts that really interested me most are her writing prompts, which evidently she has spent so much time on. The other that has meant a great deal to me is her JOB BOARD, where she has done a great deal of research in sharing with the readers, directions of her words leading readers to new possibilities. So much more is there besides the two that I mentioned. And if that is not enough, she has spent a great deal of time, effort and research on her site WEBERNET ARCHITECT DESIGN STUDIO, which by her PAGE RANK of 4 proves how much this site is viewed and considered. I am not surprised at all, as everything Daria does is done with over 100% effort, and a great deal of thinking and planning when doing so. YOU ARE A STAR BLOGGER!

This ends my blog. I am so thankful that I have such good friends that I have found via the Internet to give these awards to. I wanted to give the award also to Ms. Karen, but Daria always beats me to awards considering Ms. Karen Place! Other than Ms. Karen, I cannot imagine right now giving this award to anyone else other than the chosen that deserved the award so much and that I am happy to give it to! Not to mention that all these STAR BLOG AWARDS have helped me in so many ways of information, help, inspiration, laughs, and the list could just go on and on! LITERALLY!

Katie

STUPIDITY! How Far Can It Go?

I was reading Daria Black's blog tonight and comments on her blog, and as usual I view the websites of those who commented. A Keli commented, so off I go to her site Counterfeit Humans - How to Maintain Sanity over Everyday Stupidity. OMG, this is the funniest site dedicated all to STUPIDITY. One of my favorite subjects. My husband and I spent over an hour laughing so hard at this, drying our eyes of tears from sheer laughter, and excited now to read it every chance we can. Remember, laughter is the best medicine! Ms. Karen, if you read this, please visit this blog as it sounds like something you would write with all your wit and humor. You will thank me for sending you to this blog.

This is for sure one blog I will add to my favorite and daily reads. My husband and I wanted to know more about the person writing this blog, and from what I read, Keli is a name picked out just for this blog and in real life Keli is a attorney and has many articles, etc. in many places under her real name. I can believe that.

Keli, you rock! And please let me know when you come out with your book on STUPIDITY as I promise ~ I WILL BUY IT, and even buy more to give to friends as gifts.

Katie

AMERICA STOOD STILL~911

Today is the Anniversary of the 911 disaster that happened 6 years ago. Still thinking about it today breaks my heart. I wanted to take this opportunity of expressing in this blog of what I wrote that very day back in 2001, just a few hours after the twin towers were hit by high jacked airplanes destroying so many lives and making us all as a nation to sit up and realize what had happened, and why we all cried together as a nation.

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America Stood Still Today~911

I had to remind myself to breath several times today, as I got dizzy just watching the news and what took place.. I had to let out breaths of air as if coming up from underwater.

This is reality in the worst way, but as I watched the news, it seemed so unreal as I had never experienced anything like this before, and hopefully never will again. But it did happen. I have to grasp that and remember.

Magnificent towers of Businesses and lives, reaching toward the skies as if trying to touch space itself were hit by American planes filled with innocent people with no control, capturing and distinguishing lives on fire that could not be put out with a blow. But the blow touched everyone and always will. As I watched, the towers tumbled and then fell, with the dust and smoke reaching way beyond the 100 stories. But the dust of what happened will never settle. As they fell with the lives in them, the Nation was hit as if lighting. America, USA our Nation was struck, and forever will be touched.

As the strong construction of the Twin Towers crumbled and smoke expanded higher than the buildings themselves, I broke down and cried personally, as well as many in this great Country did. Millions of lives were touched, and we have no way of knowing how many were changed and destroyed. No one can measure the gallons or inches of tears that have or will fall in time.

Some of these measurements are personal and not to be recorded. One can only imagine! But think big!! Reality of tears will go on for years and will never be measured. While my own personal feelings become evident, I need to remember and think and act on it. Did I tell my child, family, my husband, my friend "I LOVE YOU". I need to do it now. Taking things for granted are no longer accepted.

While I watched the buildings of the Twin Towers & Pentagon tumble, rumble with devastation and smoke and then fall before my eyes, I had to remind myself that they are only buildings - Man made!! But, the people inside of them were our stepping stones of our Nation, our future. The victims, casualties and heroes cannot be rebuilt, never saved and with their loss and hurt of burning, hurting, devastation; their families and friends and all who loved them suffer along and always will. Forever.

While I think, mourn and grieve on this, it is not just the victims in these buildings. This is a much bigger picture. The America Airlines crashing into the buildings with no choice ( or so we hope) What were they feeling, thinking, praying while they knew that death was near and intimate? Who were they going to visit, what friend or family, what business meeting were they going to attend. How many knew them and loved them and will never get the stories out of them. What will the "little black boxes" on the plane tell us about them? While I know nothing about them, I mourn and grieve for them and grieve for their families.

While this tragedy goes on and will for ever, I also think of the heroes efforts, and their strong and brave stands must be remembered. My heart felt as never before as I heard that over 200 fire fighters were missing. How many more of police, emergency and just day to day caring people, and other heroes are we going to grieve over as a Nation?

While my heart skips more beats that I had hoped for, I go back to my own life and family. All of a sudden all my aches and pains and psychological problems are no where close to what this Nation has just experienced. Especially the families that are suffering more than I will ever understand or experience on a day to day basics. There are no words or thoughts of how I can put this. The magnitude of these events reach higher than most can comprehend. My own thoughts are "AMERICA HAS BEEN GROUNDED"" and cannot go further than that. My personal grief as an American is devastating, but cannot reach what the family or victims will experience.

As a victim of nightmares myself, I can only understand my own scares, but while I do, I will lay my head down tonight and think of the victims, their families, loved ones and the survivors. I know that many nights of screams and sweats will awaken them. It hurts me that I cannot console them.

This is a wake up call for AMERICA. DID WE MISS A WARNING? AMERICA IS UNDER ATTACH!! How do we deal with this?

My thoughts on this are that I am heartbroken, stunned, and have no power to help. Yet, as I feel this, I still believe that this is the greatest country in the world. I still cry every time I hear the NATIONAL ANTHEM. I still get goose bumps when "GOD BLESS AMERICA" is played or sung. I always get emotional with "I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN"!


This is certainly the most tragic, traumatic, stunning, devastation act that my 47 years have experienced. But, I have to believe that the US, AMERICA will pull together and work through this with love and strength and support. Character, backbone, morals and values make this a great Nation. My hope of all hope is not just that "peace is WON" but "PEACE IS ONE". We will get through this. I know we will.

THE SEVEN P'S MEME

Daria Black has tagged me to answer THE SEVEN P's. I consider this a really good meme as it really makes one think about themselves. My next blog was intended to be about UU Religious Education, but I have not finished that blog yet, and so I share this blog with you for now. Below are my answers to this.


My Passion:

My biggest passion is my writing, as I hope it will reach out and help, encourage, educate, amuse and define to others of who I am. When I speak of writing, I don't mean in just blogs, but in emails, poetry, short stories, letters to my children, and other places as well. This passion lies also in my personal journals, as I have discovered that when I am able to write my personal feelings down, I learn a great deal about myself, both good and bad.

My Purpose:

Is to make a difference or impact in this world, and the lives of others, whether it be large or small. Helping, understanding and having empathy for others, and even just doing small things for others, has always given me a natural high. In other words, if filling my purpose in life helps others find their purpose in some way, then much fulfillment enters my soul.

My Pursuit:

Reason. I want to know the why and wherefore of things, as well as why things happen or do not happen. Even when it comes to myself and what I do with my life, I want to know and understand the reasons behind it. Searching reasons about life as a whole has always sent me on many adventures and through this I have discovered a great deal of knowledge.

My Position:

I am a mother, grandmother,wife, daughter, friend, writer and hopefully an educator.

My Pummeling:

Organization. I find it very difficult organizing all the projects I am working on, not to mention other projects I want to do in the future. Organization with me takes a lot of discipline on my part, and that is something that I am trying to work on daily.

My Progress:

Progress to me is reaching goals, or at least trying to. With that in mind, my past progress has been excellent, especially work related. Now my progress seems to go in cycles at this point in my life, mainly due to the organization mentioned above. I consider writing this blog as progress, as it was something I said I would do.

My Personality:

Is outgoing, fun loving, yet very serious at the same time. I have been in sales that were very productive 95% of my adult life, and I feel my personality traits had a great deal to do with my success in sales.

With all that said, I am going to tag Small Town RN, Michele and Kiril at Sneakeasys Joint.

I don't know if they participate in meme's but hopefully they will as I would love to see how they respond to this as all of them are great writers and thinkers.