I'm a winner!

I'm not going to lie.

I've always been a little jealous of those blog awards that people hand out to each other here on the interwebs. Sure, I know I update my blog rarely/never/only when something bad happens, but still. I wanted one.

I've never been much of an award-winner or a trophy-getter. I didn't play any sports as a kid (shocking, I know), so I didn't have any trophies from my extra-curricular activities (funny, they don't hand anything out for being a highly-dramatic theater geek - unless you get a Tony.). Back in ye olden newspaper reporter days, I did win a Society of Professional Journalists award for an article I wrote about raunchy rock lyrics (this was back in the late '90s - a whole MILLENIUM ago). I won first place and everything. (Yes, it is surprising to know that someone used to pay me for this writing stuff. Can you imagine?) But that was a long time ago. Where's my validation now?

WELL. Imagine my delight when I received that shiny happy Proximity Award up there at the top. En Espanol, even!

The lovely and talented Bridget over at Yellaphant betowed this award on me. And since it happens to be en Espanol, let me explain what it is: This award is for blogs which "...invest and believe in Proximity; Nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and to be friends. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to 8 bloggers, who must then chose 8 more and include this text into the body of their award."

So, I mean. DUH. I think any blog that, in ever other entry, talks about sickness and puke and how miserable they are is obviously CHARMING. But it's true, I do aim to find and be friends. The other day, when I was puking (here I go again) and lying half-dead on my couch, I was watching a commercial for something like Diet Coke. And in the commercial, a group of friends were hanging out and having fun. And I had a true, real reaction to that commercial, and that reaction was: jealousy. I miss having fun and hanging out with my friends. When one has children, one is confined to the house after 7 p.m. on most days. So the lesson you can learn from my blog, dear internet friends is: BIRTH CONTROL.

I kid, of course. But now I have to bestow this fine award to eight other people! And since the meaning of the award is a little confusing to me, I am going to give it to a combo of eight people who are actual friends in real life, and people who I feel like are my friends because I read their blogs all the time, and they write in such a friendly way, usually with swears and stuff. However, there are rules. You have to update your blog more than once a month. Even I do that. So, I'm sorry, you and you. Consider this tough love. And the nominees are:

Yellaphant - Obviously. I love Bridget's blog because she is a young person doing what young people do - namely, drinking beer and having fun, and going out, and doing the things I miss doing while I'm catching puke in my hands (not fun hangover puke, either). She reminds me of the me I used to be, and the me I hope to be again when I can rally some babysitters. Also, she's a dog person.

Artsy Fartsy - This is my real-life friend Lisa - but here's the thing. I used to work with Lisa, and she was nice, but kind of quiet, and shy, and we had to force her to go out and do things with us. And now! Look at her! Queen of the snark on her blog, and ridiculously talented in so many ways. I would say she's my most multi-talented friend.

I'm Alan, Eh? - I know Alan changed the title of his blog to something more Canadian, but it's weird and I liked his other name better. Alan is also a real-life friend and my number-one email buddy. He gets to hear what I have for lunch every day, and all of the other minutiae of my life. He also likes birds and outer space and stuff. He's a theater nerd like me.

Days with Dylan - As you have heard many times, when I was pregnant with Jane I had a blood test that indicated she might have Down syndrome. That turned out not to be the case, but in doing my research before I found out for sure, I found many wonderfully-written blogs by parents with children who have Ds. Laurie at Days with Dylan is one of them. I love keeping up to date with the freaking ADORABLE Dylan, who underwent successful heart surgery last fall and is doing great.

Baby on Bored - This blog is written by the insanely funny Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, who wrote the hilarious books Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay and Naptime is the New Happy Hour. She has a gorgeous toddler and one-year-old twins, and somehow manages to write weekly updates on her thoughts on The Bachelor and American Idol. She has commented on my blog a couple of times, and I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty giddy - a celebrity commentator!

The New Girl - Alright, I am relatively new to reading this blog, but I was actually going to write an entry about this post she wrote recently. You know, when I link to something and act like it's a valid entry of my own? Yeah. Anyway, when I read this, it felt like she was in my head. (SCARY FOR HER.)

I'm Laughing Inside - This is a real-life friend, Audrey, who started blogging again last month. I am hoping this fabulous award will encourage her to keep blogging, and posting funny pictures of Shane.

Boho Girl - I got sucked into this blog for an entire day once. Denise writes in such a personal, reflective, CALM way, it made me wish I was her. Her positive, cool, laid-back vibe positively radiates from her blog, and she also lives in Southern California, which automatically makes her cooler and smarter than me. And her newly-adopted son Cedar is delicious.

So there you have it! I'd like to thank all of the daycare germs which keep my blog full of exciting stories about the common cold. The end.