Welcome to...

Next to reading and writing, traveling is probably my favorite thing to do. I love visiting new places, exploring and learning about them.

We didn't hit as many states as I thought we would, but we did manage to drive through parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri in one day. You can't do that where I live. It takes more than six hours just to reach the border of one state from here!

Branson is not like any other place I've ever visited. We had fun miniature golfing and bowling with the kids. (Somehow using a six pound ball was harder than the Wii controller. Go figure.) We filled up on sweet tea, sasparilla, fried okra, frito pie, frozen custard and all the other delicacies we can’t find in California. (Now I'm hungry again...!) Hiking around Table Rock Lake was so much fun one day, we went back and did it another day!

We did not go to a show (unless you count the one at the mall in front of Wal-Mart) and we did not visit any major attractions (just the dam, the fish hatchery and indoor mini golf). We mostly spent time bonding as a family, which made it a great vacation.

A few days before I left, Karen Denise at I'm Always Write (isn't that a great name for a blog?) gave me the Kreativ Blogger award. Thanks, Karen! I didn't have time to fulfill the requirements then, so I'm doing it now.

The rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.


So, Seven Things About Me:

1. My first job out of college was writing for a legal journal. I had to take the proceedings from recently closed cases and condense them to four sentences. Hated. That. Job. I quit after two weeks.

2. I worked for a year in the corporate office of 3 Day Blinds as an advertising assistant. Loved my boss. (She introduced me to gin and tonics -- hello!) But hubby and I decided to move to AZ, so I quit.

3. I was a Writer/Editor for seven years in Arizona. For the Bureau of Land Management. Strange, huh? It was actually a really interesting job, it had GREAT benefits and I loved the people in my office. But it was killing my creativity, so...I quit. (Noticing a pattern here?)

4. I have worked for myself as a freelance writer and graphic designer since 1998. But some days my boss can be a real bitch.

5. I was lead singer of a band (Stone Circle) while I lived in Arizona. Our song "Funky Blue Monkey" got airplay on the radio and an agent from Mercury Records considered signing us. It was pretty heady stuff. But the band imploded and I moved back to CA. Now I sing 80s music to my kids and they roll their eyes.

6. I was scared of the dark until I got married.

7. I don't like chocolate. Before you freak out and send the lynch mob, understand that I like my Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Snicker's bars as much as anybody else. And there's nothing better than a home made chocolate chip cookie fresh and melty from the oven. But plain old by itself chocolate? I don't get it. Not my thing.



My nominees…

1. A Walk in My Shoes (About writing, about shoes & Lazy no more)
2. Life Just Keeps Getting Weirder (Zany, crazy, fun)
3. Carrie Harris Books (Richard Simmons and Zombies. Yes!)
4. Suzanne Casamento (A new question every day)
5. The Things We Carried (Beautiful, beautiful writing)
6. Frolicking Through Cyberspace (I love those "UNREAD" interviews)
7. Holli's Ramblings (Adventures from South Africa and amazing writing)

If you'd like to win a copy of MONSTERS DON'T EAT BROCCOLI, be sure to leave a comment on the Barbara Jean Hicks interview before midnight on Sunday. I'll be randomly generating the winner on Monday. And also on Monday I'll be interviewing a fabulous agent. Don't miss it!

Have a great weekend!