Kreativ Blog Award

We were chosen last week as the winners of the "Kreativ Blog Award"!!!! How cool is that!  I don't really know what the criteria are, but it always fun to win something.  I gratefully thank my blogging buddy Debbie for choosing me as one of the winners. 

Here are the rules for the Kreativ Blog Award:

• Thank the person who chose you for the Kreativ Blog Award--thanks again, Debbie--check
• Tell my readers 7 interesting things about myself that you might not already know
• Choose 7 more bloggers to be awarded the Kreativ Blog Award and send them a comment so they know they have won.

So here goes--7 Interesting Things About Me--no guarentees that they will actually be interesting to you.  Quite frankly, aside from my children, I would say that I am not a terribly interesting person.  But I'll do my best to entertain and amuse my readers!

1. I used to be a singer, but I rarely sing anymore.  Now, I didn't have some bizarre vocal cord accident or anything like that, I just don't have much occassion to sing.  I was in a school choir from the time I was in 2nd grade up through college.  In high school I wrote music and performed an original piece on a local cable access show.  And I started college as a vocal music major with the intent of becoming a choir director (or a rock star in my own band named "Blue Aura"--but that's another story).  But I soon discovered that I could NOT play the piano to save my life and that seemed like it was going to be a real stumbling block for my future career plan.  So after my first semester of college I changed my major to "undeclared".
2. My first acting role was in 1st grade as "Martha" a cave woman and wife to "Rock" in a musical about the invention of the wheel.  My first role in high school was "Mammy Yokem" in the musical Lil Abner.  My first role in college was a monologue called "Clear Glass Marbles" from the collection Talking With.  And my first paid gig as a professional actress was as "Selsa Gutierrez" the town prostitute in a historical musical called Billy the Kid.  I wore this hilarious long, black Loretta Lynn looking wig that made me look like a had a shrunken head.  And then I became a director.  Have done very little acting since.  Learning lines makes my head hurt!
3. I really want to be artisitic, but I really am not terribly skilled.  I have done some bad quilting, bad crocheting, really really bad drawing over the years.  I've made some so so jewelry.  I do think I have a good eye for design, and I have designed some decent sets for plays.  I also have a really cool and colorful house (at least I think so).  I have good ideas in my head, but can't find my medium! 
4. I am pretty good at sewing costumes, which only have to look good from about 30 feet away.  I have designed and built some cool fantasy and historical costumes.  Maybe sometime I will do a post with some pictures of my best pieces.  Of course, you guys just want to see pictures of my kids, so maybe not.
5. Brian and I met at a fraternity party in college.  I don't know why he paid any attention to me.  I had gone out that night wearing my "male repelent" look--no makeup, banana clip in my hair, and a pair of cut off sweat pants.  He must have seen my inner beauty!  Or maybe he was wearing beer googles?
6. I don't like pizza.  As a high school teacher I have to eat it way too often.  It has been ruined for me.
7. Good Lord, I don't know if I can think of 7 interesting things.  Obviously, I am running short with the pizza thing!!!  Ok, here goes--if I didn't have my current job my dream theatre job would be working at the Seatle Children's Theatre.  I love kiddie lit and they always have amazing costumes for their shows.  If I wasn't working in theatre I would love to commit all my time to adoption and orphan issues.  But it doesn't pay the bills, so I better stick with my current gig!

Whooo!  I'm exhausted, and if any of you are still reading my blather, you must be, too.  Ok, on to my choices for Kreativ Blog Awards.

1. Megan--she is a fellow Congolese mom to be.  She is waiting for a little boy to come home early in the new year.  Megan is a great writer, funny and poignant.  So often I tune into her blog and find myself thinking "yeah, that's exactly what I would have written".  I have so enjoyed following her adoption journey and getting to know her family.
2. Lauree--we spent 3 amazing weeks together in China bringing home our daughters Grace and Jenna, and I will forever count her as one of the dearest people in my world.  She recently brought home daughter #2, a beautiful little angel from DRC.  Can't tell you how happy it makes me knowing that I might have had one itty bitty bit of influence on that decision. 
3. Stefanie--she has a fabulous blog that features her 3 bio kids and 4 China kids, with a 5th little girl on the way.  She is one of the founders of Wild Olive T's, and she is a great photographer.  I really admire her work and her blog.
4. Stori--isn't that a cool name.  She is a brand new Congo mama to two of the most adorable boys ever!  And she's another great writer.  Really writes from the heart. 
5. Laurie--she writes some of the funniest posts around.  She has two sons from Viet Nam and a bio daughter and she and hubby are both doctors.   
6. Cami--this woman is a real live activist and I so admire all the amazing work that she does.  She adopted 2 beautiful kids from DRC at the same time that we brought Haven home.  In fact, she sent me my very first picture of Brian holding Haven in his arms.  What a treasure that picture is to our family.
7. Alicia--last, but not least my dear friend Alicia.  Now she will be the first to admit that she is not a very industrious blogger.  So I am giving her this award sort of in the same way that President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  She may not deserve it yet, but I hope that it will motivate her to greatness!!!:)

Unfortunately, I can't recognize all the great blogs I read (and yes I probably read too many), but I hope you will all take a peak at these.  Tune in tomorrow for more Mugshot Monday (I promise)!