WordPress Family Award

Real quick – Lee was transferred to St. Paul over the weekend and he is listed as “seriously ill”.  I still don’t know if I fully comprehend this.  I do know that they are going to re-attempt the right heart cath that couldn’t be done last week because of his INR numbers (they were afraid that his blood wouldn’t clot.)  His labs have still been all over the place; however, for the first time, they are really talking heart transplant.  Unfortunately, they are also talking kidney transplant.  He is not well enough to handle this, so the goal is still to get him well enough to make this a serious discussion.  He has been approved for an LVAD:  Left Ventricle Assistant Device.  This device helps his heart pump and is used frequently for people waiting for a heart transplant. As with everything, there are pros and cons, but from what I’m gathering, the pros outweigh the cons.  The current goal is to get him well enough for this surgery.  We are praying! (Update as I got a text from my mom before I could finish this blog post, his blood is too thin to do the right heart cath today, so maybe tomorrow.  They are more concerned about the LVAD now, because the right side of his heart might not be able to handle it.  And, the heart transplant stuff is in the works, but it will take weeks to months or more for that to be finalized.)

Now, onto the “I am part of the WordPress family award”.  I teared up when I read what Jess wrote about me when she nominated me.  It could be lack of sleep and emotional stress, but all the same, she wrote the sweetest blurb and it touched my heart.  You should go read it, and more of what Jess writes about here.  She’s even been featured on Freshly Pressed!  I’m amazed and awed by her writing, and love that she takes on all topics from autism to how we really need Lego to invent a Lego vacuum, which I think is genius!

This is an award for everyone who is part of the “WordPress Family.”  A blogger named Shaun started this award on the basis that the WordPress family has taken him in, and showed him love and a caring side only WordPress can.  The way people take a second to be nice, to answer a question and not make things a competition amazes him.  He has been given many awards, but he wanted to leave his own legacy on here by creating his own award, as many have done before.  This represents “Family” we never meet, but are there for us as family.

I love this award, as we all can win and be a part of it.  This award resonates with me as I have made some great friends on WP, and have seen more love and support from you guys than I ever expected.  I really thought that I would be just another random person on the blogosphere, but instead, I’ve made real connections.  I look forward to seeing what is happening in your lives and I am just narcissistic enough to really enjoying sharing my life with you!

Now, I’ll give you the rules, but be warned, I’m not going to follow them! The Rules:  (1) Display the 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.

I’m not going to come up with 10 people, I’m going to just go with my heart on this one and mention the people that have become my WP Family and shown me the love and support that I feel embodies this award.

1. Who or What was That is a blog by Karaboo.  She’s also a friend in my real life, so I have the pleasure of having lived through some of her blogs!  Her writings are funny, witty and insightful – and excellent cause I’m mentioned in them occasionally! Recently she wrote about the fact that she was about to leave town for a business trip and how her family was planning for the end of the world.  It’s pretty funny, and spot-on accurate! 
2. Me, Myself and Kids technically doesn’t qualify anymore.  Larry has grown so big he has his own website now that hosts his blog; however, he started on WP and he has been one of my biggest supporters.  And, actually, I hear this about Larry all of the time, that he’s been there to give us a push when we need it and a pat on the back when we deserve it.  To me, Larry is the embodiment of the family on WP, plus, he’s a brilliant writer!  He and his wife and two kids live on the East coast side of things, and I’m learning a lot about public transportation through him!
3. Surviving The Madhouse is a blog by one of my new favorite people, Holly.  Not only do we share a very similar taste in movies, she is awesome and supportive and really helps me indulge in my obsessions.  Her Random Ramblings are some of my favorite reading times because I know that she is going to be honest and real and make me laugh and make me cry – sometimes all in the same post!
4. Graced by Emilie is written by my good friend and co-worker.  Erica takes us through her daily life and time spent with her daughter Em doing arts and crafts all the way through her pregnancy and the recent arrival of Landon! She’s out on maternity leave right now, at home in sleep deprived chaos (or at least, that’s how she put it on the meeting notice she sent out for her leave!)
5.  You Caught Me Sitting Still is a new blog by Kari, and friend of mine from a long time ago.  We spent hours and hours together everyday volunteering at the hospital when we were both in high school and a great friendship developed.  She lives in Alaska with her husband and dogs and goes to school and has recently starting working out. Her journey has cracked me up and I love that she is documenting it – it makes me feel great that I’m not the only one that struggles!

Now, there are many more of you out there that have inspired me, such as Motherhood is an Art and My Journey to Live an Authentic Life , but I am stopping at five official ones because this is insanely hard to do and my boss is eventually going to notice that I’m not working!