Award, and 7 random things about moi

I was recently presented with an award from a fellow blogger (thanks Frank!), for which I am very grateful. There are always rules that go along with such awards. You should link to the blogger who gave you the award and then nominate x-number of other blogs for said award. I'm afraid I'm going to bow out on the nomination portion of it because it's just too difficult to come up with a small group of blogs to pass recognition on to (and hopefully I won't be chastised for being a party pooper!). However, an unusual "rule" for the Kreativ Blogger award from Frank is to "list 7 things about yourself that others might find interesting." Turns out, I'm in a mood for sharing some info about myself. Here goes!

1. I loved school as a kid, and I was fortunate to have many great teachers in my life, many whom I loved dearly. I was valedictorian of my class in high school. College, however, was more difficult. As I progress further in life, I realize that it wasn't necessarily school that I loved, but the learning that came with it. That sticks with me to this day, and will always be a huge part of my life.

2. I have a wicked sense of smell. This is especially handy in the kitchen, where I can tell when the cookies are done before the timer goes off!

3. I started college as a journalism major, but graduated with a degree in French. I studied and worked in France for 5 months during my junior year in college, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Sadly, my fluency in the language has all but vanished due to lack of use. I still feel a deep connection to the country, though, and will someday go back to visit.

4. I am a horrible liar. I wear all my emotion on my face and my heart on my sleeve, two things which make it hard to tell a convincing lie.

5. I met my husband at work. My parents also met at their place of employment. Hmmmmm....!

6. I played trumpet in middle school and high school. I have also dabbled with guitar and piano, but I don't want to commit the time to practicing either right now. Blogging and photography take up most of my spare time!

7. I love puzzles - Jigsaw puzzles, number puzzles (sudoku, anyone?), word puzzles... one of my long-standing traditions is to get a new puzzle book of some sort right before going on vacation.

BONUS FACT: I am quite an introvert, so the fact that I do this blogging thing is still a bit of an mystery to me!!



P.S. I anticipate making layout changes to HOTH within the next few weeks. It's time to try a different template, something that has a "stretch" option so I can have a bit more room for my photos. Just warnin' ya.