February 15, 2012

Yay! My Very First Kreativ Blogger Award!

A very big thank you to Crazy California Claire for awarding me my very first Kreative Blogger Award! I never get tired of it. Really, I don't! My blog awards have their very own page and everything! Sheesh, look at all the exclamation marks!! I should be showing, not telling.

*great big cyber hug to Claire*

So now I have to tell you ten things about myself, and pass on the award to six of my blogging buddies. Here goes:

1) I've lived in California, Florida, California, Oregon, California, Arizona, Colorado, Virginia, California and Colorado. Pretty sure I'm not done yet. Tiger Gypsy blood!

2) I currently live at 9200 ft. elevation on 10 acres of woods in the mountains. We can't see our neighbors, but I have seen deer, elk, rabbit, squirrel, fox, bear, coyote and porcupine. We also have mountain lions, but thank goodness I haven't seen one!

3) I miss the beach. Ever see a dolphin or whale swimming in the ocean? It's awesome.

4) My 24th wedding anniversay is this month! How can that be? I'm not that old!

5) Daughter of a vet, wife of a vet, mother-in-law of a vet (sorry if I'm repeating myself - some of you already know this).

6) I love everything British: The pubs, the theatre and Andrew Lloyd Webber, the black cabs, the underground, double-decker buses, the accents, the architecture, the Cotswolds, cozy mysteries, A Christmas Carol and Charles Dickens, Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost, Midsommer Murders, Gavin & Stacey, The Vicar of Dibley, Harry Potter, Fish 'n' Chips, Toad-in-the-Whole, Bubble & Squeak, Bangers and Mash, the weather, walking along the Thames, ginnels and snickets, cobblestoned streets, The Beatles, the Royal Family. And of course my friend Claire Hennessy from Crazy California Claire who gave me this award!

7) I am a freak of nature: I don't like beer. (anything else, though, lol).

8) I love to travel. I've been to: England, Ireland, Scotland, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Innsbruck and all points in between. Briefly into Canada and of course Mexico - I grew up on the Mexican border in San Diego. I'm pretty sure I got cussed out by a Catholic priest at Notre Dame in Paris. I watched a student riot with barricades, tire fires and riot police from my hotel balcony in Paris. I had cappuccino on the Spanish Steps in Rome without knowing it. I boarded a train without a reservation in Stuttgart Germany. Sleeper trains are awesome! When I become a world famous author, I want to travel a lot!

9) I am a book whore hoarder:)

10) Living in the moutains, we have to make our own fun. So - we have Japanese Night (Udon, chopsticks, Japanese music on Pandora), Mexican Night (burritos or enchiladas, mexican beer and mexican music on Pandora - especially on Cinco de Mayo and Dia De Los Muertos), German Night (bratwurst and German potato salad, German beer and German music on Pandora), Irish Night (especially on St. Patricks Day, corn beef and cabbage, Guinness, Jameson and Irish Music on Pandora) and Italian Night (bruschetta, pasta, wine, candle stuffed in a chianti bottle and Italian music on the DVR).

AND, HERE ARE THE SIX BLOGGERS I'M PASSING THIS ON TO:

1) Loralie at Apathy's Hero. She's currently hosting the Critique Partner's Blogfest for us. Thank you, Loralie! What a "Kreativ" idea you had.
2) Sarah Pearson at Empty White Pages who writes and posts musical stories that I love. And because she's always so supportive.
3) My new friend and follower Maria Zannini for her kind words and versatile blog.
4) Deborah Walker who actually has two blogs, HERE and as Kelda Crich HERE.
5) Sharon Bayliss at The Blue Word who blogs about writing AND updates us on important contests and opportunities.
6) Joshua at Vive Le Nerd for his "Kreativ" rescue when I deleted all my comments!

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh hey...that's me. Congrats on your award. Deserved.

Sharon Bayliss said...

Thanks for passing along the award! It was cool to learn more about you. Happy anniversary!

Joanna said...

What fun facts, Gwen. I kind of envy your mountain location. :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Congratulations! I don't feel about that old either. I was a military brat so I understand the moving around.

Gwen Gardner said...

Joshua, you crack me up:) Thank you!

Sharon, thank you - can't wait to learn about you, too.

Joanna, it's beautiful in the mountains, but it's a trade-off. Sometimes I want civilization, lol!

Alex, I was a navy brat, and then I married a gypsy, lol!

Maria Zannini said...

You live big, Gwen! I envy you living in the mountains, but above 8000 feet, I get lightheaded.

I hope you'll post more pictures of where you live.

Happy early anniversary!

And thank you for passing the award on to me. :)

Marieke said...

I love the sound of all your travels! :D

Nice to meet you! Fellow Campaigner and new follower here! ^_^

Small Town Shelly Brown said...

It's fun to get to know you better!

Claire Hennessy said...

Love all your facts - wow, haven't you moved around a lot and been a lot of places. Glad to see you have an excellent sense of humour - Gavin & Stacey, Vicar of Dibley - the best! Don't forget Salad Cream! I can't live without Salad Cream. And the red telephone boxes (one of which I actually own and want to find a way of transporting to the US).

Loralie Hall said...

Thank you kindly for the award, and I am so there with you on #7 ^_^

Gwen Gardner said...

Maria, I get dizzy, too, lol!

Marieke, thanks for stopping by and following - I'll return the visit soon.

Thanks Shelly - I was just over at your blog the other day - I love the set-up.

Claire, I can't believe I forgot the red phone boxes! You have one? That is so cool! What in the world is Salad Cream? I'll have to look that one up:)

Loralie, lol. I do so wish I liked beer:)

Deborah Walker said...

Hey, I'm British, too? Is that why you gave me the awards?

Thanks, Gwen. It's so nice to know somebody is thinking about you.

Margo Kelly said...

Congrats on the award! :)

Dawn Montgomery said...

congrats! a well-deserved reward. :D

MSBjaneB said...

Hi fellow Writers Platform Building Campaigner. I stopped by to tell you that you have been tagged in a game of eleven questions. http://www.awritersmuses.blogspot.com/
I love the award!!

Gwen Gardner said...

Deborah, I knew I liked you, lol!

Margo and Dawn, thanks girls!

MSB - oh man, I don't know if I can do another 11...22...33 questions game - I just did it, lol - check out the post before this one!

Unknown said...

Loved this. I'm stopping over from the Campaign. Cheers.

Unknown said...

BTW, I'm a fellow runner too!!

Rebekah Loper said...

Hi Gwen, I'm making my campaign rounds for the YA group!

hehe, I have yet to meet a serious writer who wasn't a book hoarder . . . love your 10 facts, it's great to see a glimpse of the person behind the blog :)

Sarah Tokeley said...

Not sure if you'll see this as I'm so, so late but just wanted to say thank you again for thinking of me :-)

Gwen Gardner said...

Christopher, thanks for stopping by! I'm finding that a lot of writers also run!

Rebekah, the questions were fun - thanks for stopping by:)

Sarah, you are so welcome. It was my pleasure to pass on the award to you:)

Running-girl said...

Stopping by to say, "hello!" You've been accumulating blog awards- and well deserved! Congratulations. I'm impressed by your dedication in making your blog truly a wonderful site! I wish you well on "Given'Up The Ghost."

Gwen Gardner said...

RG, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I'm going to a writer's conference in April and am trying to finish editing so I can pitch my book. What have you been up to?