Wow! A Blogging Award!

Tracy has graciously awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award!  I'm so excited!  Thank you so very much.

The rules are pretty simple:

◦Snatch the image. (done)
◦Link back the person who gave you the award. (done)
◦Share 7 things about myself. (see below)
◦Award 10 other bloggers and contact them so they know they’ve won. (will do)

1 - I went to 13 different schools during my 12 year school career.  I was a chameleon for the most part, able to blend in without too much work and without being noticed, most of the time.  It was much harder in High School but it's not like I had a choice.  Some switches were in the middle of the school year and those were tough.  I think it has made me pretty resilient.
 
2 - I'm technically an only child but I have 2 half brothers and 1 half sister from my mom and 2 half brothers from my dad and stepmom.  I haven't shared much about my family and siblings on here as a lot of it is pretty painful, but I will one day.
 
3 - I have a beta fish as a pet at work.  One of our employees was leaving at the end of 2008 and he couldn't take his fish with him so I volunteered to keep her.  She's red and very mean.  I named her Lucy after Lucille Ball.  I say she's mean because if I hold my hand over the top of the bowl she tries to jump up and bite me.  I know she's probably really a "he" but she's been Lucy to me since I laid eyes on her so that was that.
 
4 - I love beagles.  They are the cutest dogs and they have the best ears and the greatest bark/howl ever.  I wish I wanted a dog for a pet because I would totally have 2 beagles...no matter what my husband said.  My heart melts every time I see one of those calendars with little beagle puppies.  Two of our neighbors have beagles and I love them.
 
5 - I'm a huge hockey fan.  Many of you already know this about me.  I love my Capitals and I so hope they can get their shit together this year and make a serious run for (if not WIN) Lord Stanley's Cup.  It would fill my heart with such joy.  That must sound pathetic to some of you, but I've been a Caps fan for 16 years and they have never won the Cup and they hardly ever make it out of the first round of the playoffs...we are DUE!
 
6 - I love yellow roses.  I'm not much on flowery things as I'm not much of a girly girl, but BJ gave me yellow roses early on in our relationship and I have loved them ever since.  I had a bouquet of yellow roses at our wedding and the pew bows had yellow rose buds...it was lovely.
 
7 - I'm a chocoholic.  I love chocolate...really good, creamy chocolate.  I don't eat much of it so that when I do I take my time and enjoy every morsel.  My favorite is Godiva but I also love Dove.  Hershey is my favorite "cheap" chocolate.  I will hold a piece in my mouth until it slowly melts.  By that point, my entire mouth is coated in chocolaty goodness.  That also means that the flavor lasts longer and I eat less of it.  I actually have 2 dark chocolate Hershey miniatures on my desk right now waiting for me to eat this afternoon.  I can't wait.
 
I'd like to take this opportunity to bestow this award upon the following bloggers.  I love to read each of them for their very different writing styles and their very different takes on life.  Some of them have babies or are pregnant so consider yourself warned.  Without further ado, I give you:
 
A.
Egg
Someday Soon
Sarah
Sarah - a different Sarah
Jenn
Gracie
Elphaba
Kelly
Alex

An Award? For Me? Awww Shucks....

I have received the Happy 101 Award from AnxiousMummy...thank you so much! The rules are pretty simple:


When you receive the Happy 101 Award, you have to list 10 things that make your day and then list 10 blogs worthy of this award as well. Post a link to the blogs you nominate, and make sure you let them know that they have been nominated!


Here are 10 things that make my day:


1 - I love it when the sun shines. I love the warmth it brings to the day and to my insides.

2 - I love an ice cold fountain cola in the morning.

3 - I love it when my cat comes running to meet me at the door in the evening.

4 - I love laying in the bed with my husband for a minute or two before I have to rush to catch my bus in the morning.

5 - I love it when my husband suggests spaghetti for dinner. I'm a pasta freak.

6 - I love it when the Little Guy gives me a big hug for no real reason.

7 - I love a hot bubble bath in my soaking tub.

8 - I love my little cat naps on the bus in the afternoon. They may only last for 20 minutes, but it feels really good to just escape for that little bit of time.

9 - I love it when my husband sends me an unsolicited "I love you" text.

10 - I love snuggling with my husband in bed after setting the timer on the TV for 30 minutes and then the cat jumps up and lays next to me for the night...sweet dreams.


And here are 10 blogs (in no particular order) that I love reading for many different reasons, but mainly because I have come to care about what happens to these women in their journey of life.


1. Peanut Noodle
2. Babies everywhere...but none that call me mama
3. Conceive this
4. Cats with passports
5. Wait, what?
6. Slice of pie
7. Life and love in the petri dish
8. Gracie in Brooklyn
9. Remember all the way
10. I've got news for you


I do need to warn you, some of these bloggers have found themselves, shall we say...in the "family way". Just wanted to let everyone know in case you clicked on one of them for the first time and they are discussing their pregnancy. Just wanted to let it be known that I do, actually, keep reading blogs after the BFP. :-)

Lemons and Lemonade

Thank you to all of you for your kind comments on my post with my pictures. I was very nervous about posting them because faces are much more recognizable than names. But the cat is out of the bag now, so there's no going back. :-) And you all are very sweet, by the way. And to address some of the comments:

I have very dark blond hair that I highlight. It's not brown, it's just a very mousy-dishwater color that I hate because it's not dark enough to be brown but yet it always looks dirty. Blech. Thank goodness for highlights! My hair used to be this color naturally until my early 20's when it started darkening up.

I also have a strange wave/kink to my hair. It used to be straight as a bone but the older I get, the wavier it gets...and it's not a good wave either. It's usually out of whack if I let it dry naturally. So I blow dry it straight and then add my own softer curls to it. Such a hassle, this hair!

I received the Making Lemonade from Lemons award from A over at Remember All The Way. She is very strong in her faith and reminds me all the time that I don't know God's plan but that He does have one and I should be more open to letting Him show it to me. Here are the rules for the award:

- Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.

- Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude. - I'm breaking the rule on this one, sorry. :-)

- Link the nominees within your post.

- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

I would like to nominate the following blogs in no particular order:

Babies everywhere but none that call me mama - She has such a sweet heart and a gentle nature that no matter how bad things might seem at the time, she really deals well with it.

999 reasons to laugh at infertility - I think the name says it all. When we are at our lowest, she makes us laugh.

We got hitched...- She has been through so much and has always just forged ahead that she truly did make lemonade out of her (possible 3!!) lemons.

Sprogblogger - Another example of someone unwilling and unable to give up on the dream of motherhood.

Peanut Noodle - I must admit...one of my most favorite blogs. Another one down in the trenches doing whatever it takes to make it to the finish line and enjoy a big gulp of lemonade!

Spreading the Love

I have been granted another award! Thank you so much to Wait, what? for nominating me. I love her blog because she can make me smile and make me think. She is optimistic but also realistic...and did I mention she makes me smile?

The rules for this award are simple. I LOVE YOU equals 8 letters which gives you 8 rules:

1-Thank the person who nominated you for this award and write a little bit about why you love them.

2-Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3-Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

4-Nominate no more than 17 people (why 17?) who you love or you think could use some love.

5-Write one word (you can only use a word once) about what you love about their blog.

6-You cannot nominate someone who has already been nominated-the love has to spread to all.

7-Post links to the 17 blogs you nominate.

8-Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they’ve been nominated.

Here are the blogs that I would like to share the love with:

Conceive This! - Hilarious

Peanut Noodle - Soothing- like coming home and putting your soft, comfy robe on

Babies everywhere...but none that call me mamma - Honest

We got hitched. We bought the 4-bedroom house. Now what??? - Strong

Remember all the way - Inspiring

Gracie in Brooklyn - Heart-wrenching - at least right now...poor thing.

I'd like to thank the Academy...

Thank you so much to Peanut Noodle for my award! It's always nice to get an award and I always smile when one happens to come my way. Here are the rules for this award:

Here are the rules that accompany this esteemed honor:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they’ve been nominated.

1) My middle name is Jean. This is the same middle name as my Aunt. We both have the initials T.J (hence my blogging name) and she is known as Senior and I am known as Junior. I also share this middle name with my older brother. His is spelled Gene and my mother insists that she didn't realize we both had the same middle name until she yelled at him for doing something. She also says she was strong armed by my grandmother to give me that middle name. Not sure I believe her on that one but I'll go with it. Otherwise, I would have Lynn as my middle name.

2) I was quite the Tomboy growing up and sometimes I still revert back to those ways. I once saw my older brother getting beaten up across the street by our neighbor named Joey. I was about 8 or 9. I was wearing a dress (very unlike me) and had my hair in pig-tails (one of my mother's favorite 'do's) and I ran down the steps of the split foyer, out the front door, across the street and clotheslined Joey right off my brother. I don't remember much else about that other than my brother was a little embarrassed. I think I would still protect him in that way today.

3) In 12 years of school (Kindergarten was not required when I was little) I went to 13 different schools. My dad was military and we moved a lot. I haven't lived in a lot of states, but I've lived in several parts of some states. I think this is where I got my adaptability from. I can slink in and find a place in almost any situation. I learned early on to be an observer of my surroundings and try not to make a commotion.

4) My favorite color is purple. This might not seem like a spectacular revelation, but the odd thing is that I don't really own much purple. I have 2 pairs of purple pants and 2 purple shirts. I mainly wear blues and greens and browns. My bedspread has the slightest bit of purple in it, but other than that, you'd have a hard time guessing that purple is indeed my favorite color.

5) I think I should have been born Italian. I LOVE pasta. I have a (according to my husband) bottomless stomach when it comes to eating pasta. I could eat different kinds of pasta every day if I could. My favorite is spaghetti. He jokes with me about my appetite and says that I'm holding a 400 pound woman hostage in my body because he doesn't know where I put my food. Trust me, it all goes to my hips and butt.

6) I hate violence. I can't stand the thought of someone getting physically hurt. I have always had a hard time watching particularly violent movies. Not so much the shoot-em-up type or the slasher flicks from the old days. More along the lines of the types of violence that seem more "real". I don't like watching Cops when people are fighting...I don't like watching MMA events. It really turns my stomach when people are hurting. Even if it's the Bad Guy getting beaten or stabbed...to me they are humans and I sympathize with their pain. The only kind of violence I can seem to tolerate is in hockey. Which leads me to #7...

7) I LOVE HOCKEY! My ex-husband introduced me to the sport in 1995 and I have been hooked ever since. I love my home team but I can also watch other teams play. I find it exhilarating. I find the players so unattractive that they are attractive. I love watching goalies make spectacular saves. I love a good hit into the glass. When they fight, it's not to hurt each other...it's a team boosting, momentum jolting event. They are usually laughing after the fight anyway. Being at a game is thrilling...the music, the lights, the action, the crowd...all of it just gets my blood pumping! When a goal is scored and the siren sounds you have to jump out of seat to celebrate as though you are a member of the team. I can feel the anticipation of a goal about to be scored. I get knots in my stomach during overtime and shoot outs. I can only dream of the day when my team can hoist the Stanley Cup to a roaring crowd...

I could go on and on about hockey...as I'm sure you can see...so I'll stop now and nominate a few of the blogs that I would like to pass this award on to:

Sprogblogger

Conceive This!

999 Reasons to Laugh at Infertility

Bottoms off and on the Table

Slice of Pie

Gracie in Brooklyn

Wait, What?

Testing, Testing...1, 2, 3 - this is from 8/11

So after I started having some sticky/watery CM yesterday I decided to reduce myself to POAS of the OPK kind this morning. I took one at 6:00am and another at 10:00am. And for me to hold my pee for that long after drinking a bottle of water at the gym is a feat in itself. But I did it for the good of the test. I haven't POAS in over 4 years and now I can't seem to stop myself. Good thing there are only 2 more in the box. But of course the test was NEGATIVE both times. I find that so strange because all my other signs of impending ovulation are here....the watery CM, the RAGING hormones. And when I say raging, I'm not kidding. I can't think about my lovely BJ without having to adjust the way I'm sitting because I get a slight tingle. I know I divulge too much, but who am I really hurting? :-)


So I sit and wait some more. Wondering if I should test again tonight when I get home. Thinking it might be best to just let it go and not worry about it anymore and hope that AF shows up on time or at least close to on time. We'll see I guess. I'll let you know tomorrow if I broke down and tested again. I'm so weak.


On a bright note....I received a blog award! That's right, little 'ol me that has been at this for just over a month or so! I'm so grateful to have gotten this award. Below are the instructions and my nominees for the award. I will tell you that most of my nominees have probably already gotten the award recently and I don't read enough blogs to fill the quota, but I'm going to do the best I can. So thank you slice of pie for nominating me!

Instructions:
Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I would like to nominate the below blogs for the One Lovely Blog Award. They get me through the day by lifting me up, making me smile, letting me cry and they remind me that I'm really NOT all alone in my struggles:

Bottoms Off And On The Table...

Conceive This!

I've Got News For You...

I Never Thought It Made Sense Anyway

Living In Hope

Gracie In Brooklyn


We Got Hitched. We Bought the 4-Bedroom House. Now What???