My Awards Ceremony Continues…

Well, obviously I had to break them down into two posts, but I am proud to have been able to accept four awards in one day (well, two if you count my homework…writing questions, picking new nominees).  I just wish I had gotten to get all dressed up or something 😉 …I am having a good day today. I guess that’s what counts.  Besides, when I feel great and decide to get all dressed up for one reason or another, these posts can always be updated with pictures.  🙂

Speaking of pictures, I was terrified to put a photo to my blog at the beginning because it was supposed to be an anonymous blog. Of course we have been through that subject and I am slowly starting to share my illness with the world. I had a couple of friends on Facebook that just said ‘oh, so that’s why you’ve been hiding away from us’…and it was. Who wants to ‘shop talk’ bodily functions? I mean really?   But, that is exactly what I have found here on WordPress. I have found people who COMPLETELY understand what I’m going through when NO ONE in my real life understands (except maybe doctors, but they don’t count). I have met a new group of people who are not only willing to listen to me but who understand what I am going through and don’t judge me. That is why this first award means so much to me.  I was nominated for this award by Tammy @ Walk with me on my journey of illness to the road of happiness and a life of fulfillment.   She has truly become one of my family.  We talk every day by email (health permitting) and usually during the weekend or if something really important has happened during the week, we speak by phone.  She has become my best friend.  And as much of a wildcat as she is, surprisingly I am not too far behind.  She is my “adhesion sister”, and I love her. We can somehow gently glide from “shop talk” to family issues to what we had for dinner…she is so easy to talk to and, like I said, my best friend.

She is not the only one that I have found myself talking “touchy subjects” with.  These illnesses have brought us all together on this site and made us a family.  A family of “misunderstood”  and often (emotionally) hurting people who benefit from having others who truly “get” what they’re saying.

More information about this award can be found on this page here.  The rules are simple:

1. Display the award logo on your blog.
2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your wordpress experience and family
4. Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them
5. That is it. Just please pick 10 people that have taken you as a friend, and spread the love.

In honor of receiving the ‘I Am Part of the WordPress Family Award’, I am finally going to link my Facebook page to my blog.  You will all be able to know more about who I am (although I’m warning you I’m not on Facebook that much) but since you have become my family, I will share those things with you same as I do my own family.

(Update: Facebook won’t let me share my ‘regular’ page..it has to be a fan page or something.  So, you should be able to find me at http://facebook.com/joy.streetman.  please mention your WordPress “name” so that I will know who you are. If you find that this link doesn’t work, please let me know so that I can figure out why!)

So, without further ado, ten other people who have made me feel completely at home here from day one would be the following people:

1.  I Am Awake Now Thank You VERY MUCH

2.  Spicyt’s Blog

3.   MySexyEndo

4.  Ememelle

5.  Living Bendy

6. The Never Ending Headache

7.  The Nocternal Laundress

8.  Midnightdemons7

9.  Painful Hilarity

10.  PEACE. PURPOSE. PONDERING.

 

Next…

I hate to put this in the same post, but guys, it has been a VERY long day.  The last award that I have been nominated for is The Versatile Blogger Award.  This was also given to me  by Ms. Tammy @Walk with me on my journey of illness to the road of happiness and a life of fulfillment.

The rules for this one are as follows:

1. Display the Award on your Blog.
2. Announce your win with a post and thank the Blogger who nominated you.
3. Present 15 deserving Bloggers with the Award.
4. Link your nominees in the post and let them know of their nomination with a comment.
5. Post 7 interesting things about yourself

So, I suppose I will start with the 7 interesting things about myself.

1)  I love the color pink.  October is one of my favorite months because the weather is just starting to cool down in Alabama and I have the best excuse EVER (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) to wear as much pink as I want to and not look childish.  Oh, and they light up the courthouse with pink lightbulbs also.  Pretty cool.

2)  I love the Rocky (Smoky) Mountains.  As a child, we used to take all of our vacations there with the end point being Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  We always drove through the mountains just to look at their beauty.

3)  I love Dolly Parton.  Ok, I know that sounded a little strange, but she has a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee called Dollywood.  Besides learning about “the good old days”, listening to some of the best gospel music you’ll ever hear, and riding the rides, I met Dolly Parton on a couple of occasions.  She was always quick to give a hug and get her picture made with you.  I also love the sound of her voice.  A lot of people aren’t as fond of her voice as I am, but I love it. I remember having a friend in school, and one of the first things we found we had in common was being Dolly Parton fans (which was just not ‘cool’ at the time. Oh yeah, instant friends.

4)  I am a total foodie.  I love to cook and if I had unlimited means, would probably have a professional kitchen put in my house.  Cooking relaxes me and the food at the end isn’t too bad either 🙂  It’s one of the things that I miss the most right now and one that is high on my list of priorities as far as getting better goes.  I want to be able to cook a full meal again.  I am hoping that by Thanksgiving or Christmas I will be able to cook the meal without having to lie down to rest afterwards or being in so much pain that I’m nauseated and can’t  enjoy the food with everyone else.

5) My mother was my best friend growing up (yes, I had other best friends too, geez).  What I mean is that we were very close.  This December 27 will be the 10th anniversary of her death.  I expect it will be pretty hard on me.  I would like to be able to do something special to celebrate.  I just haven’t decided what. (Any suggestions? Remember I’m on a limited budget.)

6)  I was always an overweight child.  Obesity runs in my family, so at 18 1/2 years old I had gastric bypass surgery.  I did really, really well with it (maybe because I was so young).  I weighed 299 the day of surgery and my normal weight now is 150.  At the moment I am a little over at 160, but I am still happy.  The reason it worked for me was because I was mentally prepared for it.  I knew it wasn’t an easy fix and that it would change my life forever.  I think that is why so many GB surgeries fail.  The patient isn’t prepared for the physical or emotional changes that come with gastric bypass surgery.  They think it is a quick fix and then they will be thin and life will be perfect…it’s nothing like that.

7) Last but not least…I know this sort of hits on number 3, but I am a diehard country music fan.  I grew up listening to the greats like Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, and the Oak Ridge Boys.  I still love country music.  Boy has it changed, but no other music can tell a story, or touch your soul, the way country music can.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t like other music.  My other favorite is Latino Pop.  i bet you weren’t expecting that one, huh?

Ok, my 15 deserving bloggers are as follows:

1.  I Am Awake Now Thank You VERY MUCH

2.  Spicyt’s Blog

3.   MySexyEndo

4.  Ememelle

5.  Living Bendy

6. The Never Ending Headache

7.  The Nocternal Laundress

8.  Midnightdemons7

9.  Painful Hilarity

10.  PEACE. PURPOSE. PONDERING.

11.  StoryShucker

12. BoredSick

13. Just Another F-bomb

14. EDS Info (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome)

15. RachelMankowitz

My Leibster Awards Ceremony

AWARD NUMBER ONE:

I have surprisingly just been (quite a few days ago, but I’ve been busy, guys) nominated for my first award, the Liebster Award. I was nominated by Tammy  one of the sweetest people I know, , a wonderful woman who also suffers with adhesions and a whole host of other illnesses. She, her battle and her spunk 😉 inspire me every day.

As far as receiving this award goes, it was definitely a surprise. Who knew that my ramblings would one day warrant an award? I am grateful and somewhat humbled. Maybe people are paying attention and if nothing else, they know more about adhesions than they did before.

I copied (SHAME ON ME!) this information about the Leibster Award from one of the best I’ve seen:
Info About the “Liebster Award”

 

The Liebster Award, or “the favorite blog award”, is an internet-based award that is given to bloggers by other bloggers. In Germany, the word “liebster” has the same meaning as “favorite, beloved, or dearest.” This award is primarily given to blogs that have less than 200 followers. That way, it helps the blogger with being more known to the world as well as giving the blogger the opportunity to learn about more amazing bloggers.

As part of this award, I have been asked to answer ten questions, so here goes:

1. If you had $1,000,000, what would you do?
If I had a million dollars, I would probably cry about it first (I know me). After that, I would do the basic, buy a small house (who wants a big one they’re too hard to clean…maybe a condo, then), buy a car, and probably do the same for my sister. I would try to start a non-profit to raise awareness for adhesions (all though I have no idea how one would go about doing that, I guess I would figure it out because it is desperately needed), and the rest would go in the bank to pay my bills for the rest of my life :).

2. Are you more of a tea or coffee person?
You know it’s funny, I used to be more of a coffee person, but I have gotten to where I drink a lot of tea. Black teas are my favorite (I guess they remind me of coffee) but I have also began to drink green tea (I like the kind with flavors like dragon fruit and pomegranate. YUM!

3. What is your favorite Disney movie?
It’s a tie between The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. I loved them both. And I loved singing along.

4. What was your favorite childhood game?
I was always an “indoors” kind of girl. I liked to play school. If I had to pick an actual team sport, I really liked volleyball. I even tried out for the team as a freshman, but then quit when none of the uniforms fit me (I always had weight issues).

5. Who do you look up to and why?
I look(ed) up to my mother. I think that if I could be more like her, I would be a better person. I know that I am a lot like her, but I still strive for more. Never in my life have I known a love like hers…and I probably never will again. When she loved, she loved unconditionally.

6. What kind of color would you describe yourself as today?
Today I am pink.

7. If you could go to any country in the world, which country would it be?
I can’t pick just one. I want at least two. Spain and Ireland. I have always wanted to go to go to Europe, I figure the best countries to start in would be the ones where you can communicate

8. Think of one descriptive word about yourself that begins with the first letter in your name.
Jaded

9. What is your favorite food?
Right now, I am stuck on white rice, butter, salt, pepper, and a little chipotle sauce. I have always been one to get on food “kicks” and that is mine for now. Ask me again in another month and it’ll be something different. Actually, a BBQ sandwich sounds really good…

10. What type of exercise is your favorite?
Well, since I don’t really like to exercise (never have) and it has only become more difficult over the years, I am going to have to say yoga (or the stretches my PT gives me…which is pretty close to the same thing).

AWARD NUMBER TWO:
And wouldn’t you know that during this hiatus of mine (where honestly I’ve been procrastinating about receiving these awards) I received another Liebster Award.

This Liebster Award is from Leslie @ Just Another F-Bomb. I can’t say I know Leslie as personally as Tammy, but honestly when you read these blogs you truly feel like you come to know the other person. You feel their pains because you’ve felt them before, and they feel yours for the same reason.

Now, the ten questions that I must answer for Leslie are:

1. If you could live anywhere you wanted, where would it be?
I honestly have no idea. Wherever the weather is a constant 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit would probably be my answer.

2. What is your favorite vacation spot and why?
As an adult I haven’t had the luxury to vacation much. Just once in Mexico. And as much as I loved it there…now that I think about it, that is probably where I would want to live…my mind keeps going back to the vacation spot of my childhood. Every year (sometimes a couple of times a year) we would go to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I know that may seem boring to some of you, but I have never been anywhere more beautiful than there during these autumn months when the leaves turn almost every color in the rainbow. Plus, the memories I have from going there with my mother, uncle, and grandmother are priceless.

3. If you could do any job in the world, what would it be?
When I was a kid, I wanted to work for the CDC. You know, in the laboratory in those funny-looking suits saving the world from diseases unknown. However, after careful consideration (and one hell of a long hospital stay) I decided the medical field just wasn’t for me. I enjoy languages and linguistics much more. I was studying Spanish linguistics when the adhesions finally grabbed hold too tight. I intended to translate (written documents) instead of teaching or interpreting.

4. Do you have a favorite teacher who inspired you?
Absolutely. One of my college professors, Belita Faki. She spoke five different languages fluently (as did her 11 yr. old daughter!). She pushed me much farther than I thought I could go. I still feel like I let her down in some way. I hope she doesn’t feel the same.

5. Why do you blog?
I decided to start blogging in order to meet other people with adhesions, but realized along the way that I was meant to meet so many more people than that. Now, I hope to bring attention to adhesions, “the medical community’s best kept secret” and help people to avoid them, or at least be able to have them diagnosed before they are too bad to be repaired like mine are.

6. If you had a magic wand, what would you use it to change?
I try not to have regrets…they cause more harm than they’re worth. With that said, I would have to change something from the future not the past…and since I’m not there yet, I don’t know what I would change.

7. Do you dress up for Halloween?
Absolutely not…but I do dress up my dogs!

8. What was your most memorable day and why?
Man, these are hard questions! I have so many…

9. Kids or pets, which do you prefer?
My pets are my kids, so I don’t have much choice in the matter. I was dealt this health card at a pretty young age. At that time, I wasn’t ready for kids. Now that I would give anything to be able to have a child, I probably wouldn’t be able to even have one much less take care of it. My dogs suit me just fine.

10. How long did it take you to complete the Liebster “task”?
Too long! 🙂

Ok, as part of my accepting these awards, I must choose 10 nominees of my own and give them 10 questions to answer…here goes.

My nominees are:
1.) http://forwomenseyesonly.com
2.) http://boredsick.wordpress.com
3.) http://briannakateiam.wordpress.com
4.) http://chronicerrata.com
5.) http://edsinfo.wordpress.com
6.) http://theinvisiblef.com
7.) http://karennorrod.wordpress.com
8.) http://fighterzblog.wordpress.com
9.) http://disabilitysexy.wordpress.com
10.) http://livingbendy.com

 

Fear not, my friends! If you are nominated for the Liebster Award, these are the following steps you need to take in order to graciously accept your award…

1. Link back and recognize the blogger who nominated you.
2. Answer ten questions given to you, by the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate ten other bloggers for the award.
4. Create ten questions for your nominees to answer.
5. Notify your nominees.

My ten questions for you  guys are:

1.  Are you a “foodie”

2.  Why did you decide to publish a blog instead of just journaling privately?

3.  What is your favorite pet i.e. cats, dogs, goldfish, and why?

4.  Do you feel less lonely since beginning to blog than you did before?

5.  Have you made many new friends in “Blogland”?

6.  If you could be any Disney character, which one would you be and why?

7.  If you were able, what would you volunteer your time doing?

8.  Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Pie?

9.  What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

10.  I love to cook…what about you?  Are you able to cook or are you one of those that burns boiling water? 🙂