OMG...

Let me start this post off by saying that yes, I know that I'm a dork. I revel in it and fully embrace my dorkiness...

I interrupt regularly scheduled posts to admit that I just clicked onto my Google Analytics account for this little blog this morning. I know, I know, I should look at this stuff more often than once a month...but I’ve been a little preoccupied!

Anywho...so I check my stats out today, and guess what I found? Are you ready? Are you sitting down for this? I was SO excited, that I’m totally being a little cheesy about all of this, but still...I found that there are quite a few sites that are hitting my blog by way of referral. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then I’ll explain (to the best of my knowledge) – there are two kinds of internet traffic: direct traffic that meant to type in your website and visit there and indirect traffic that clicked over to your blog through another link on a different website.

I know that this works because last month, I linked to Mrs. Sea Breeze’s blog in one of my posts on my baby blog and low and behold she commented back on my blog! Yes, I might have jumped up and down at work for just a minute...you would think that a celebrity personally contacted me. But let’s face it, there are a few Bees that I would LOVE to meet in real life who are kind of like celebrities on a wedding scale, and she’s one of mine...and she must have found me through her Google Analytics. I know that she uses it, because she’s posted about it before...so that got me thinking – who might (or might not) be reading my little blog?

Anyway, back to my story. So I click over to my account and pull up A Bride...Again blog stats. I notice that there is quite a bit of referring traffic, so I delve deeper into those Referring sites. And guess what I found? A little website called Best Bridal Blogs has MY blog listed under Texas wedding blogs to follow!!!

Are you jumping up and down for me too? Aww...how sweet! Thanks!

I was SO excited! And what makes it even better to me is that when I look through the other blogs that were chosen for this site, there are some pretty good ones out there...like Broke-Ass Bride (aka Mrs. Meatball)! Do you mean to tell me that my blog is on a list for best bridal blogs AND that also on that list are some of my all-time favorite blogs, including BAB?!?! Not to leave out the others on there that I love...The Encore Bride, just to name another one.

And that’s when the jumping continued...which 6 and a half month pregnant women should probably not be doing! At least, not without planning for a little side trip to the bathroom, people...

Anyway, maybe you care and maybe you don’t. That’s ok with me. I vaguely recall submitting my blog for consideration in the months leading up to my wedding, possibly after getting a rejection from my weddingbee application...and never hearing back from Best Bridal Blogs if anything had been decided. So I guess that I was selected! I’ve put a link to their website there on the right side of my blog if you’re looking for other great bridal blogs to read...check them out.

And yes, you can do a little happy dance for me too, if you click over there and scroll down to Texas and notice that of the two blogs listed...this little blog is one of them! It kind of makes me want to say – “take THAT weddingbee!”

Let me hear an “Amen!”

Awards and Honors

Girls, I am truly flattered. To be honored with blog award just makes my heart burst with pride, and all I can say is Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you! I received two awards while I was out on my honeymoon, and I apologize that it’s taken me a little bit to catch up and pass these along.
First up, Mireya with Pearls and Such honored me with the Sugar Doll Award. Her blog is fabulous...if you don’t already follow her, click on over and check her out!

The rules are as follows: Post this award on my blog, write ten interesting facts about myself and then pass it along to ten other bloggers. I’m going to offer up a BIG apology and cheat here. I did interesting facts about myself for another award or two...so click here to read them. Yeah, I’m being lazy, but I’m trying to catch up and get on to the honeymoon pics!

I also noticed that this award made the rounds right before I left, so I’m not going to pass it along. Everyone that I would have nominated was already nominated by others...keep up the great job girls!

And then I was blessed with this award... Thanks to Katie from Random Reflections of a Perfectionist for awarding me the Over the Top blog award! If you aren’t already familiar with Katie, you need to check her out too!
For this award, I am to answer the following questions with one-word answers, and then pass the award on to six deserving bloggers. I’m not really good with one-word answers…LOL!...so we’ll see how I do!

1. Where is your cell phone? Right beside me!
2. Your hair? Curly
3. Your mother? Friend
4. Your father?
5. Your favorite food? Mexican
6. Your dream last night? Odd
7. Your favorite drink? Pina Colada
8. Your dream/goal? Self-employment
9. What room are you in? Office
10. Your hobby? Sewing
11. Your fear? Needles
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? At home
13. Where were you last night? Bathtub
14. Something you aren’t? Fake
15. Muffins? Chocolate Chip
16. Wish list item? Too many…
17. Where did you grow up? Athens, TX
18. Last thing you did? Read
19. What are you wearing? Clothes
20. Your TV? Re-runs
21. Your pets? Dogs
22. Your friends? THE BEST
23. Your life? Content
24. Your mood? Ehhhh
25. Missing someone? Yes
26. Vehicle? Need a new one!
27. Something you’re not wearing? Dress
28. Your favorite store? Target
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? Within ten minutes
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday
32. Your best friend? Many
33. One place that I go over and over? JoAnn’s!
34. One person who emails me regularly? Crystal
35. Favorite place to eat? Taco Cabana

Once again, I’m going to bow out on passing this along. Seems like both the Sugar Doll award and the Over the Top Award made the rounds on our group!

Thanks girls for honoring me…and I promise to respond sooner and pass them along the next time!

Sugar Doll Award!

Oh my goodness! I’ve been blessed with this award FOUR times now! I’m touched beyond measure that these wonderful women think that my blog is worthy of an award! Many, many thanks go out to these ladies: Morgan of Handcrafted Hitching Post, Stacy of You Can’t Take it With You, Ali of Joy is the Best Make-up, and The Encore Bride. Thank you, thank you, and thank you.

So, since it’s taken me SO long to get around to answering this to you all...you are all familiar with the drill by now. I post the award on my blog, list 10 interesting things about myself (I don’t know if I can come up with 10!) and then pass it along.

Here’s my 10 things:
1. I love being creative. This wedding has opened up all sorts of creative outlets for me, and I love it! Take that – directed to my 7th grade art teacher who said I couldn’t draw a straight line! You don’t have to draw to be creative.
2. I sing while I drive. Always. Can’t stop, and don’t really care who sees.
3. I’m a married woman now! Maybe that doesn’t really qualify as being interesting, but it’s interesting to me!
4. So far, I’ve been able to change my name via Social Security, but not the DMV and not yet on my work information. They require not only a copy of the marriage license, but of my new SS card before they’ll change my work email...bummer!
5. My daughter wants a puppy for Xmas, and I think that B has nearly talked me into it...what am I thinking?!?!?
6. When we got married, I became a step-mom. I’m nervous about being a new “mom” to a nearly teenage boy...I don’t know anything about boys...even though we’ve been together 2 and a half years, and T and I get along great, this is still nerve-wracking to me.
7. My favorite liquor is Malibu Rum. I know, it’s SO college...but it tastes SO good!
8. I badly need a PWC (post wedding chop)...I needed the hair cut before the wedding, but wanted the length for my updo...now I’m not sure how much to cut.
9. I think that my feet are shrinking...I used to be able to wear a size 8 in shoes...now a 7.5 fits great. Is that normal?
10. And last but not least...I am scarfing all kinds of sweets now that the wedding is over! I must be catching up after all that deprivation of sweets that I went through the weeks before the wedding! I’ll have to start working out again after we get back from Mexico...

So that’s it. I don’t know if they qualify as interesting, but they’re on my mind today as I write this post. I know that I’m supposed to pass this award on now...but I’m pressed for time before I leave...trying to pack right now...so you’ll forgive me, right? Thanks!

Kreativ Blogger Award!!!

Well, my friend Katie, over at this blog...go on check her out, I’ll wait...You’re back? Didn’t you just LOVE her blog...follow along with her too – she’s great! What was I saying? Oh yeah. Katie gifted me with the Kreativ Blogger Award...it’ll start our month off nice, I think, so I saved this post until today to share with you all. I guess the “rules” are that I must now list 7 facts about myself, and then pass the award on to 7 other blogger friends...Here you go!

1. If candy were a food group, that’s all that I would eat. Seriously. But when the candy comes in all sorts of colors (think Skittles or M&Ms) I have to eat them by color. Like two reds, two browns, two yellows. Yes, I like to eat them in pairs too...does that count as my #2 fact? Anyway, back to Skittles (my all time favorite candy ever!) I like to eat them in this order (least to most favorite flavor): lemon, lime, orange, grape and strawberry. Even if I just grab a handful out of the bag, I eat them in that order. And it TICKS me off when I bite into a red one expecting strawberry and get lemon!
2. I don’t eat sauce on my pizza. If I go eat somewhere and they won’t let me order it without sauce, that’s fine. I’ll still get it, but before I start eating, I will literally take off the toppings and cheese and scrape off the sauce onto my plate and put the toppings and cheese back on and proceed to eat. (*An extra weird fact? I knew that B was the one for me when we started dating and found out that neither of us liked sauce on their pizza! A match made in heaven!)
3. I am left handed...but only for writing and brushing my teeth. Everything else that I do I do with my right hand such as cutting with scissors/knife. But I can write almost legibly with both hands...
4. I sing when I’m in the car. I don’t care who sees me. I don’t care if I’m at a red light. I don’t really care if it sounds good or not. I can’t help it. I even mouth the words sometimes at the gym while using the equipment with my iPod!
5. I lose more hair in a single day than Chewbacca on Star Wars. B makes weird noises at me (think Chewbacca) sometimes when he sees my “shed pile” in the trash can...we both (and my mother) wonder how I’m not bald yet. It’s got to be only a matter of time!
6. I can’t stand to have anyone touch my neck. It started way back in junior high when a friend jokingly acted like she was going to strangle me, except that she pushed too hard and I passed out...ever since then I can’t stand to have anyone touch my neck. This annoys B to no extreme, and he tries to get past my defenses in this area repeatedly...he has NOT been successful thus far. But maybe this is just genetic, as my Mom can’t stand to have anything on her neck either – necklaces that are too tight, turtlenecks, nothing like that.
7. I’m a SUPER big Goofball. Dorky to the extreme. And I’m ok with that fact. You may think I’m weird, but I laugh at myself all the time and have the most fun. I’m the girl dancing her way down the aisle in Michael’s when “Thriller” comes on...and even better? B sings along with me if it’s a duet. Yep, we’re both BIG DORKS!

Well, that’s it. Seven things about me that maybe you knew and maybe you didn’t know. Now for the hard part...passing this along! Here are my picks (and I’m trying not to repeat!):

1. Live. Laugh. Love
2. Miss Pug’s Pawfect Wedding
3. More Lovin’ Than I’ve Ever Had
4. Mz Pink-Adventures in Wifedom
5. The Backyard Bride
6. The Meltons
7. Lil Bits and Pieces of Me

If you aren’t already reading the blogs mentioned above, I would definitely recommend them! Great reads! Have with it gals!

Honest Scrap Award

Chelsea from The Perfect Catch passed along the Honest Scrap Award to me so here goes! Thanks!

The rules are:
1. List 10 honest things about yourself that your blogging friends do not know about you.
2. Give the award away to 7 bloggers.
3. Let them know they've received the award.

Enjoy!

1. I love my naturally curly hair, but don’t normally take the time to dry it. Most of the time, I hop out of the shower and pull it into a low ponytail/bun thing and go – SO lazy!

2. I am left-handed. But only for brushing my teeth and writing. Everything else I do with my right hand – like use my mouse, cut with scissors, bat…


3. I drive a 2-door Honda Accord that I love, but it’s on its last leg and I don’t know WHAT I’ll get next. I like the Nissan Murano the best, but I’m not sure that it’s big enough for our soon-to-be family.


4. I cry VERY easily. Even at those infamous Kleenex commercials. I cry when I’m happy, and I cry when I’m sad. And I HATE the ugly cry face…crossing fingers and toes that I don’t have ugly cry face on my wedding day. But I’m trying to come to terms with the fact of life that I probably will…


5. I believe in angels/demons and ghosts. I believe in God and the Devil. And I do think that a battle exists between Good and Evil.


6. My child fears me…just a little bit. And I’m really ok with that. (There’s still a kid inside of me that is still scared of my Mom too!) It’s part of being a parent. Most of the time we have fun, but there’s a tone and a look that I have that can stop most things that she’s doing in an instant. B responds well to it also…


7. I love Vanilla Coke…from Sonic – it’s the best and my biggest weakness on my “getting ready to wed” body.


8. I laugh HARD at least once a day. What’s the point of life if there is no joy or laughter? None for me. So I make sure to either laugh at myself, or with someone else, once a day…which sometimes makes me cry since I get SO tickled…see #4 above.


9. I respect myself and my own opinions. Having been in a relationship where I was told what to think, what to say, what to feel, and what to wear…I have vowed to never go back to that again. I want to teach my child that it’s ok to be different, as long as you like who you are and what you do, and you’re not causing harm to anyone (including yourself). I want her to be strong and independent and willing/able to stand on her own. That’s how my Mom raised me and there’s not a thing wrong with it.


10. I want the storybook ending…I never really thought that I would have it at the end of my last marriage…didn’t even believe that it existed, to be truthful…but God proved me wrong and brought B into my life. I am blessed to have my sweet little girl (who is getting bigger everyday) and a man in my life who loves me for me. I could not ask for more…but secretly hope for the baby one day too! I want to grow old with this man, I want to hold his hand through thick and thin, and I want to sit on our front porch in rocking chairs one day with our hair grey and our hands all wrinkly, but still holding on to one another…

So that’s it for me! Now, to whom should I pass this award on to? I honestly don’t know that I know seven bloggers…I’ll do some research and see what I can come up with.

Thanks Chelsea for including me in this fun game!