Booyah!

If I had a webcam hooked up to my PC right now you could watch me doing a Snoopy Dance. I received two more blog awards! And I don’t treat being the recipient of these awards lightly (although I do break their rules sometimes). It’s such a rush when you receive just one, so learning of two on the same day was phenomenal. I consider it affirmation, an act by one of my fellow bloggers that lets me know I’m doing something right. I guess now I should figure out how to display them in my sidebar.

The first one is the Honest Scrap award, bestowed to me by Tiana at Spilled Ink. For this award the recipient (that’s me) is urged to reveal ten truths about themselves. I secretly believe this is payback for my seeding so much BS around the blogosphere. Anyway, read’em…and I’ll weep.

1. Both of my brothers have broken one of their bones on my head.
2. I have no sense of smell. Never have.
3. I was raised a military brat. The day after my high school graduation, we moved away and I have never been back (regrettably).
4. My wife asked me out on our first date. If she hadn’t, we might not have ended up married for the last 27 years (I was that shy).
5. My first car was a 1966 Green Chevy Van. My dad let me put a mattress in the back so I could take naps between football two-a-days.
6. My English teacher in high school accused me of plagiarism for a play I wrote. She didn’t believe I could have written something so imaginative.
7. I ABSOLUTELY cannot stand to watch someone play with his or her belly button.
8. My iPod has 10,399 songs on it.
9. My children are the greatest compliment I could ever give to my parents. The three of them are true gifts, and all I did was follow the example my parents provided.
10. Although I realize she knew, I failed to tell my mother “I Love You” enough while she was still with us.

Phew…I’m glad that’s over with. I’m going to pass the award onto three awesome bloggers whom I’d be curious to hear they’re 10 truths. They are: Sharon at Random Thoughts, Michele at Southern City Mysteries, and Eva at Screaming Whispers.

Onto the next award. This one is from Chasing Empty Pavements and it’s the Silver Lining Award. It reminds us all to constantly search for the positive, in any situation, something that a writer couldn’t survive without. I’m going to pass this one along to Jamie-Kate at Jamie-Kate Writes. She is a relatively new blogger, but her optimism is catchy.

Although the Silver Lining award doesn’t come with a to do clause, I’m being bold and attaching one to it. Below I’ve listed 20 rules to live by that I’ve accumulated over the years. Future award winners will be obliged to list any number of their own rules. Let the fun begin.

DL’s Rules to Live By

1. Even though I’m not very religious, this still applies. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
2. Work before play, but a good break every now and then never hurts.
3. When you receive criticism, always consider the source. The same is true for praise.
4. Sometimes it’s easier to just agree to disagree.
5. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
6. Respect your elders, until they give you a reason to do otherwise.
7. If you’re paid a day’s wages, then work an honest day’s work. Sick time is for when you’re SICK.
8. Guys don’t hit girls. Period.
9. Too good to be true, usually is.
10. People who believe in Santa Clause receive more presents than people who don’t.
11. In for a penny, in for a pound. There are no part-time friends.
12. SELFISH is not a four letter word. It’s ok to think of yourself first sometimes.
13. If you’re going to do something, do it right the first time.
14. Never say never.
15. Relationships are HARD work! For better or worse isn’t just a catch phrase.
16. Pick your battles, then fight to the death.
17. If you can’t look at yourself in the mirror, then how do you think other people see you?
18. Making love and having sex is not the same thing.
19. Shit happens. Why spend so much time looking for someone to blame?
20. Your beliefs are your beliefs. Don’t try to make them somebody else’s.