I don’t normally post on the weekends, but this seems a perfect time to reply to some of the awards I’ve been given and the game of eleven.

Troy, at http://lifeaisle.wordpress.com/ awarded me the  “Very Inspiring Blogger Award”.  It  doesn’t include any rules. Only that you thank the blogger that presented you with the award, and pass it on to others if you so desire.

Thank you Troy for considering me in this category.  I love your blog. It’s honest, real and meaningful.   I’d like to pass it on to August McLaughlin and Ingrid Schaffenburg who regularly post from the depths of their soul and enlighten us along the way.

I’d like to thank Jen at Step On A Crack…Or Break Your Mother’s Back who  gave me the “Tell Me About Yourself Award.

This award comes with a couple of rules:

1.  Thank the person who nominated you and link the blog of that person before you start.

2. Tell the world 7 things we might find interesting about you.

I have a boring life, but here’s some things you might not know.

1. I met my future husband at 16, got engaged 3 weeks later and we were married 16 months after that.

2.  To all the people who said it wouldn’t last, they were right.  After 30 years I left.  No violence, no abuse, just overwhelming boredom

3. I am estranged from my youngest daughter.  Not sure why – she would never tell me why she stopped talking to me. This was a valuable lesson:  all things pass, if I simply let go.

4. Although I’ve been in recovery for 30 years from food addiction, I gained weight on some medication and I’ve had no success losing it.  Acceptance is a good thing.

5. I am a sugar addict, so I don’t eat any products with sugar added.  I am religious about checking labels and being careful. Sugar affects my thinking, my sleep patterns and even a tiny bit creates the phenomenon of craving. As with many addicts if one bite is good, then the whole cake has to be better.

6. I founded my local romance writing chapter, the Calgary Association of the Romance Writers of America.  We are an active, supportive chapter whose members are having good success.  Our email loop is worth the price of admission.

7. If you’d asked me 3 years ago, or earlier, I’d have said that family relationships are best conducted with some distance and it’s not good to live on each others’ doorsteps. Boy was I wrong.  I bought my home about 5 minutes from my daughter and her family and I love it. (My son lives in another province so my decision did not impact him.)  I can slip over and get the girls for an errand run to Walmart. And after an evening of babysitting (like last night) the drive home is short and sweet.

And then SJ Driscoll tagged me in the Eleven Questions game.  Thanks, Sally!

I have to answer her 11 questions, then think up 11 new questions and invite 11 other people to answer them.

1) Which season, and why?  Spring…have you ever seen a Calgary winter? We can go from -30F to +40F overnight.  It can be bitterly cold or completely dry and warm.  And it’s totally unpredictible.

2) What’s your earliest memory? Playing with the chickens at our home in Calgary.  I was about 3.  Why is that momentous?  The darned hen bit me and left me scared of chickens for a long time.

3) Cats or dogs? (Birds? Fish?)  Dogs, dogs and more dogs.  I’d have a dozen if I could but alas, my time and home restrict me to two.

4) Tea or coffee?  Both but I’m a coffee drinker.

5) Hogwarts or Rivendell? Huh??? Off to the internet for that one…oh, I see.  All right I admit I’m not a big fan of sci fi or fantasy.  I’d have to say Hogwarts, since I read Book 1 of Harry Potter and have never read Lord of the Rings. Hangs head in shame.

6) What’s the top item on your life list? Hmmm, good question.  If I think about life list as explained on Jenny Hansen’s blog as goals for this year, I’d have to say numero uno is be healthy.  But if I think of it as my bucket list, I want to visit Egypt

7) Who would you be if you weren’t yourself? A motivational speaker and author of self help books.

8) How would your life change if you won the lottery?  That depends on the amount, but if it was enough to matter, I’d pay off my mortgage, help my kids out, buy new wheels and quit my job, in that order.

9) If you could travel anywhere, where would you go, and why? Two places call to me:  the Scottish Highlands (read Julie Garwood’s medievals to know why) and the pyramids in Egypt just because.

10) Which personal adornment (jewelry, tattoo, hair color, favorite clothing) means the most to you, and why?  Hair color, absolutely.  My only rule is I can’t be old lady blue green or purple.  Other than that, anything goes.

11) Would you rather travel into space or stay on Earth? I’d love to see our planet from above.

And those were my 11 Questions. I’m going to break the rules now though, and not tag anyone else as most everyone I know has already answered their own set of inquiries. However, feel free to  leave your answers to any of the questions above, that way I can get to know you too!