blog awards at the close of the year

this, for me, has been The Year of the Blog. although i created this blog back in 2004, i went all of 2005 and 2006 without writing a single word on it (thank you gods of google, for not closing it down and giving it away to someone else). blogging has, for me, this year, been a salvation. i know, i keep writing about recovering from a bad job--breaking up with a job can be a bit like a divorce, is what i found out--and like the newly divorced, i keep harping on about it.  but the fact remains that this blog has been an absolutely essential part of my recovery from that divorce with my bad job and my process of finding my way back to me.

but even more important to that process have been the real friends i've made here in the virtual world of the blogosphere....both your words here as comments on my blog and even more so on your blogs, which have made me laugh and think and have brought tears to my eyes and have inspired me. i've become more thoughtful, more creative, better read, and on the whole, been enriched by getting to know all of you.

so, a big thank you to tangobaby, who entirely too kindly bestowed upon me not one but two awards:

the superior scribbler

(i am definitely a scribbler, albeit through typing)

and a love your blog award

which is sparkly, which makes it automatically fabulous.

and i hereby pass both of these awards on to the following bloggers, all of whom i go to on a daily basis for the nourishment of intellect and soul:

1. woman on the verge, gwen is well-traveled, smart and funny. and she recently asked her readers to send her books to donate to public school teachers in the chicago area. i sent a whole box of only slightly subversive materials her way, but i think she's awesome and hope she doesn't get in trouble for any of those books i sent.
2. sucker for marketing, amanda invented the hilarious WTF? wednesday posting and she makes me laugh. plus, she recently had a cocktail party for charity, so she is not only hilarious, but generous of heart. amanda started me on the whole balderdash escapade and is one of my fellow contributors to balderdash, which also won these two awards from tangobaby.
3. oh for the love of blog, molly lives in cape town, which is one of my favorite places in the world. she's smart, she's funny and like me, she also loves lists. plus, she's a very clever member of the balderdash team. 
4. eyeblog, tara is a relatively new blog friend, but i go to her blog every day to see her pictures and to read the latest of her escapades with all of those girls in the house!
5. mammy's love, barb has a knack for shedding a positive light on any situation and whenever i need to be lifted up, i go to her blog and read about her latest home improvement projects, her beloved grandbabies or her latest acts of kindness to her family. she makes me want to face the world in a kinder and gentler manner than i have a tendency to do. 
6. tripping towards lucidity, andi is quite possibly one of the busiest people i know (i know this because i follow her on twitter). whenever i've run out of something to read, i go to her to find some inspiration. 
7. tiny happy, melissa's embroidery and her photos and sketches always make me take a deep breath and feel peaceful again in the midst of a hectic everyday. 
8. gotta live a crea8tive life, janni is my only blog friend who lives in the same country as me. she takes great photos and shares all kinds of creativity on her blog. and we are so going to start a creative group in 2009, so be watching out for that!

there are, of course, many, many other blogs i read and love on a daily basis, but i surely have other awards i should have passed on, so i will save those for another day. rules on this one...simple...link to the person who gave them to you, and pass them on to those blogs you love. tangobaby, you'd have been on the list if you hadn't already been the giver. :-)