On Christmas last year a fellow blogger, Tom from Tom being Tom, recognized me as a blogger that other bloggers might approve of.  As he frequently does, Tom used his creativity and humor to shake things up a bit, and named his recommendations as Reindeer in the theme of the holiday.

I was granted the name Prancer.  I’m not sure how Tom assigned the Reindeer names, (Einstein and I were talking about it, and if anything I should be Blitzen with the thought of BLITZKREIG), but I will trust Tom’s decision on this because he always says the nicest things about me.

As part of the recognition,  I’m supposed to tell a story about how I began blogging.  If you are interested in reading it I have previously shared my story here in my first blog post.

When receiving recognition, one is supposed to share any advice for new bloggers.  As far as advice……Like most things in life I am a better example of what NOT to do than what to do so it’s up to you if you want to follow. 😉

The first time I was nominated for the the Blogger Recognition Award, I sent the person who nominated me a short message saying, “Thank you for the acknowledgment, but I’m not comfortable with awards, thank you for thinking of me.”

Not long after that, I received another nomination which I also declined.  Again, I sent a quick message thanking  the nominor?  (What do you call a person who nominated you for something?  Google did not have an answer for me.)

When I was nominated the third time, I had found so many amazing bloggers that I ‘kind-of’ accepted the award, just to promote the bloggers that I loved.  (Ok I made my OWN, not your typical blogger award just to be different.)

Included in my award were,  DGGYST, The Incurable Dreamer, Superman, And Bojana.

Damn Girl get your shit together took a break for a bit, but has recently come back and is worth more than a peek. I still caution everyone not to drink anything while reading her blog, since numerous times I have spat or choked on my coffee from laughing so much  while reading.  Yes she is that good!

The Incurable Dreamer is no longer part of the blogosphere, but will be fondly remembered!

The third blogger I named is Superman, who while not TECHNICALLY a superhero, is still a pretty terrific guy.  In his latest blog post, The Lessons of Time,  he summarizes some of the challenges he has faced during the last 10 years. I believe the ‘average’ person may have given up when facing some of his challenges, or at the very least become very cynical.  Not only does Superman continue to face his challenges head on, but he does it while continuing to help others.

The final blogger I named is Bojana, from Coffee and Confessions to go.  I have included this link to her blog, although it may not work since her blog is no longer public.

Several months after I ‘created’ the Not your typical blogger award, I revisited  it and recognized additional bloggers that had captured my attention.  First on my list was Tom.  I posted several links that I enjoyed from his blog. (I had to limit the number that I shared, because at that point, I had gone back to read every post he had ever written) Unfortunately, those links along with many others were eaten by the internet.

The next blogger I recognized is Lisa from All About Life.  I am happy to see that Lisa’s blog writings are still viewable, but she seems to have taken a break from adding to them, as she was busy writing and publishing a book, From his Perspective, during the last year.

The final blogger I recognized is “Lockwood” from the Lockwood Echo.  She seems to have taken an intermission from blogging, to start an online shop for her photography.  Her blog and the archives are still available though.

I myself have not been present  in the blogosphere too often over the last year, mostly because I have spent an overabundance of time at Doctor’s offices or in hospitals not only for myself but for others I care about.  While admittedly, those locations are better than Jails or cemetaries, last year was very overwhelming for me.  The Loss of My Best Friend was my undoing.

If you have poked around my pages at all, you have probably noticed that at times I am very long winded and I take a round a bout way of getting to the point.  Let me get to that point now.

I would like to Thank Tom, from Tom Being Tom for the recognition, it truly means a lot.  Advice I would give to new bloggers is simply to “Just be you”.  While putting your words out there, reach out and get to know other bloggers. The rewards I have received from finding “my tribe” are so much more than anything I have contributed.  Best of luck to you!

I will end by directing you to another blogger that I consider part of my Tribe, Kim, the writer of I tripped over a stone.  Kim, her husband, and their fur babies have recently begun their adventure of RV Living.  I just realized today is Sunday.  On Sundays, Kim posts What about you? , quick questions that she asks to get to know a little about you.  If you have a moment, THIS is a great place to start.

Thank you for stopping by.  Best of luck on your blogging journey!!!!