Blog Award

i'm always very humbled when someone tells me that they read {and enjoy} my blog. i know i've said it before, but it really just started out as a way for me to document my pregnancy/motherhood journey. and when Juju passed away, i seriously contemplated shutting my blog down, especially after i received some nasty comments. but i decided not to. i decided to keep his memory alive. i decided to document my life without him and my grief journey. after all, it is because of him that my heart was {is} wide open, and i had to share it with whoever was bored enough to listen {or read}.

and i am definitely beside myself whenever anyone recognizes me. so i have to say "thank you" not only mary from Blessed Not Crazy, but to trena from Free to Fly for doing just that and giving me this blog award.

**edited to add: sweetly enough i was given this award by 2 more amazing women, MrsH and Jessica. thank you, ladies, for the award. i appreciate it more than words can say**

Here are the rules that come with receiving this award....

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

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So onto the 7 things about myself:

• i'm an engineer, and a pretty typical engineer at that {introverted, and boring}. though in recent years i have broken out of my shell somewhat, i'm still an engineer to the core.
• one of the ways that i broke myself out of my engineer shell is by signing up to get certified to teach Zumba fitness back in 2007. on a whim {which is very unlike me} i registered for a workshop, and drove out to NC one weekend with D in tow to attend. i have been teaching ever since Nov 2007, and i love it. i taught all throughout my pregnancy with Juju, and took a short break after i had him, and after he passed away, but i have continued to teach through my grief. there is no way that i could stop teaching, i have become so close to the members at the gym, and they have been such a strong support system for me during this incredibly painful time. they say that they need me, but i really need them.
• i have a tattoo that i got in college of a dragon on my back {think of the little dragon, mushu, from mulan}, and i'm thinking of getting another one in honor of Juju. i'm thinking that after i see the painting natasha wescoat is doing for me, i may have someone sketch a smaller version of it so that i can get that as a tattoo, but it all depends on how complicated the painting is.
• i have never seen the entire video of michael jackson's thriller. the video and the song freak me out completely. when i was younger and it would come on tv, i would run into my parent's room and lock the door until it was over. and i would probably do the same if it came on now. D actually hums the song and does some of the dance moves on occasion to scare me. he's mean, i know.
• i had never broken a bone until april of 2009 when i went on vacation with D to visit his family in puerto rico. on day 2 of our vacation {and btw, we were there for his cousin's wedding} i decided it would be a good idea to try and ride a horse. the horse reared up on its hind legs, i got scared and tried to get off of it quickly, stepped down on the cement too quickly {and the wrong way}, and that was that. i broke my ankle and a bone in my leg, and had to have surgery while in puerto rico. got out of the hospital in time to miss his cousin's wedding and fly out the next day. that was a lot of fun. and an injury that i am still recovering from.
• the only pets i have ever owned were guinea pigs. and i was so looking forward to buying Juju his first piggy.
• i was mildly obsessed with pokemon...in college. weird, i know. and i'm not sure why i'm posting this because i'm pretty sure everyone is now sitting behind their computers laughing out loud at me, but there it is. i actually have a bag of pokemon toys that i collected when burger king {or mcdonald's} was giving them away in their kid's meal. and was hoping that Juju would play with them when he got to that age.

now, i know it says to give the award to 15 bloggers, but the thing is, i can't. 15 is just not enough. and if i included all of the bloggers that i follow, i would be here for a few days. so i'm going to award it to everyone on my blog list {on the side}. and if you happen to be on my blog list, consider yourself awarded! :) if you are not on my blog list, and would like to share your blog with me {i truly love read blogs...i draw my "strength" from the women who's blogs i read} please post a comment with your blog, and i will add you to my list.