Friday, October 23, 2009

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!

19 comments:

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Your kids are so cute (I'm sure they'd hate me putting it that way), and how cool that you sang in a band. Nice to get to know ya.

lisa and laura said...

Your kids are gorgeous!!! Love the pics and congrats on the award!

Susan R. Mills said...

Thanks so much Sherrie. I'm honored. Congrats to you too. I loved seeing the 'Welcome to' signs. I live in Kansas and was born in Oklahoma. We also spent a week in Branson over the summer. It is a unique place.

Lori W. said...

I want to hear "Blue Funky Monkey" at our next critique group. Loved learning these things about you. Congrats on your award and the chance to drive through Oklahoma. :) That's my state (or it was at one time).

Tana said...

Congrats to you and the winners! I love that you were afraid of the dark, I still am!

Anonymous said...

OMGOSH! Sweet you! I happen to drop by, as I just posted and am oing down my blogroll, and there I see my name at your blog! THANK YOU! Truly.

I also love the pictures under state signs. We have had many adventure snapping these on the road to amke sure the kids know wher they have been :).

Congrats on the award, and I laughed about your boss!

Kelly Polark said...

Great idea to take pictures of the kids by the state signs! I wish I'd thought of that when we roadtripped!
Sounds like a wonderful family trip!
And I found out some interesting things about you! Congrats on the award!

Karen Denise said...

I love # 4! And is there a Behind the Music for Funky Blue Monkey or perhaps an E! True Hollywood Story about the implosion? I'm very interested.

And you're welcome...your blog is great that's why I nominated it! Your kids are gorgeous!

Rebecca Gomez said...

That sounds like a blast of a vacation. We did several day trips this summer rather than going anywhere far, and it was one of the best vacations ever!

Congratulations on the blog award. No surprise! :-)

Sherrie Petersen said...

Tricia: My son does not like the word cute, but my daughter doesn't mind :)

LiLa: Thanks! And thanks!

Susan: You are very welcome. I thought of you as we drove thru Kansas, but we weren't there long enough for a visit :)

Lori: I'll bring you a cd :)

T.Anne: Thanks! I'm still "nervous" when hubby is gone!

Meredith: You are very welcome. I'm glad my kids like to travel as much as I do.

Kelly: I thought the pictures would be fun to help them remember they had been there.

Karen: We weren't big enough for E! But I could certainly tell some stories about that time ;)

Rebecca: Sometimes the small vacations are the best!

Dawn Simon said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. I think yours is excellent, and your kids are adorable! :) BTW, I've been to Solvang two or three times, and I loved it!

Katie Anderson said...

Hey Sherri! Those are the cutest pics! You should have come here!

Congrats on the award!!!

PJ Hoover said...

I love the pics! And no plain old chocolate. Wow! People like you do exist.

storyqueen said...

What a neat idea...do you have pictures of you kind in front every state sign that you've visited? That would make a cool poster some day.

I love fried okra, too! (Not a sweet tea fan, though....yuck.)

Glad you had a great time.

Shelley

Stephanie Faris said...

Congrats on your award! I too worked in a creative field for a while, in public relations for the Tennessee Arts Commission and I know exactly what you're talking about. I run a help desk now, fixing computers all day, and it doesn't hurt my creativity at all. In fact, I'm usually DYING to be creative by the end of the day.

Julie Dao said...

Congrats on your award! Your kids are so adorable :) I'm glad you had a great time traveling!

Suzanne Casamento said...

Hi Sherrie! Thank you so much for naming me a creative blogger. I really appreciate you playing questions with me.

Congratulations on the award and the vaca - looks like you guys had a blast!

Anna Lefler said...

Thanks so much, Sherrie! I'll include this fine award in my next post!

Your blog is so great - I love it.

Take care...

:-D Anna

Kelly Polark said...

Any video of your band? I'd love to hear you sing?!

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