I got nothin' but love for ya

Jehara, a lovely book-reading lady gave me this blog award right before I left town last week. This made me very happy and also very nervous because, as those of you who are foolish to have me on your reader know, I can't even get through a week without accidentally publishing something when I didn't mean to.* ** Although I've been posting less frequently lately I've been thinking about this little blog a lot. I've been making plans to write more and make it better, so it meant a lot to me to know that someone likes it. It also terrified me, but I digress.

And of course I will share the love. You see, this blog award has rules. They go like this:

1) Put this on your blog

2) Choose 15 other newly discovered bloggers that you love and award them with this

3) Send them a message/comment to let them know.

Well, because I am bad at rule-following and because this is the Internet and you can't stop me I am going to modify these rules a little. Mostly because I have been waaay to busy to discover anything new lately, so some of these blogs will to be old hat to both me and the rest of you.

1) A Practical Wedding

I mean, duh. I realize this is like a stoner saying they like the Grateful Dead.*** But it makes sense to start with the biggies, no? I wouldn't have made it through the wedding planning process without this blog. And I don't think I would have started my own blog, either. APW was not only an incredible wellspring of wedding sanity, it taught me that blogs can be an incredible source of community and support. I still read this every damn day, and it isn't even on my reader.

2) Peonies and Polaroids

Sigh. The woman behind Peonies and Polaroids is so goddamn talented and lovely that I almost want to hate her (I mean this in the nicest way possible). But then she calls someone the dogs bollocks and I realize, "Oh shit! Me and this girl could totally get down." Also, she taps into the love I had for my childhood bunny, whose fabulous name I will someday reveal to you. And she makes me feel better about worrying incessantly, because if someone with that much talent, humor, skill, and general awesomeness can worry excessively and still live her life than I just might be able to make it.

3) a girl's world

Gorgeous blog, great writing, beautiful photos. On top of being intelligent, funny, smoking hot, and incredibly accomplished, agirl is hands down the most supportive blogger I have encountered since starting this blog. She runs with the Big Dogs of the wedding-and-marriage-blog-world but always has a kind word to say or a interesting thought to comment, even to the newbies like me. I am in awe of her and owe her about ten thousand Internet hugs.

4) Jehara

This girl reads, and loves it. And I love this about her. She always has intelligent and thought-provoking things to say about the books she is reading (Her discussion on "Good Girls" and the use of the word "sorry" was particularly insightful for me, an over-apologizer). A fabulous choice for a binge-reader like myself. Plus - SHE MADE SAMOSA CASSEROLE! I had no idea that this was even possible and she gets a million bonus points for informing me.

5) Wifey Wiferson

My real-life best friend and I call each other Wifey (she refers to me as "our wife" when she talks to D$) so I don't throw that moniker around lightly, but I have NO problem extending this nickname to Ms. Wifey Wiferson. A fellow newlywed trying to figure out what it means to be married, and doing so with all kinds of grace and humor. I can't wait to see how the new house comes together.

6) What Possessed Me

I think I linked to this blog from either APW or ESB originally. About two weeks ago I thought, "Hmm...I wonder how old this blog is?" and since then I have been voraciously reading the entire archives, staying up way later than is normal and avoiding assignments to get all the way through. So far I am on April 2009 and I STILL LOVE IT. Hilarious, colorful - Persephone is a lady I would like to have a drink (or ten) with.

7) Accordions and Lace

Kitties! Delicious Food! A smart woman making her way through graduate school while building a life with her new husband! What's not to like? Nothing, I tell you. Nothing.

8) Four Four

All right, this one is a little rand-o. But what can I say? I love this man, and I love his freaky little cat Winston. Rich fulfills my need for pop culture in a glorious way - don't even get me started on the Beyonce GIFs.

9) ElizabethTannen/Dating in the Odyssey Years

I know this woman from a different context, and I am so glad that she has started blogging again. She writes mainly about dating in what she calls "The time when people of our age wander around and don't commit to anything, even though what we truly want is stability and a family." As someone who is just now moving away from that stage and into more serious commitments, I enjoy her perspective, wry observations, and good-ass writing.

10) A Basement

Again, I found this blog through APW. The writing on this blog just kills me; Mrs. Basement has an extremely strong voice that I only wish I had. She and her wife/partner are going through a ton of difficult things in their personal and professional lives and she documents it all with a passion and an honesty that I find compelling. I also have my fingers crossed for them and their baby-making endeavors.

11) Project Subrosa

First of all, I want to bury my face in her little girl's belly. Second of all, I want to tell you that this blog is perhaps the best thing you could possibly read if you are despairing of your ability to get married and have children while retaining your own personality and existence (both as yourself and as a partner to your spouse). She is thoughtful and joyous (without being pollyannaish) about marriage and motherhood in a refreshing and heartwarming way.

12) Suburbalicious Living

Another on the list of smart, hardworking, newlywed blogger ladies. She has great insights on navigating a new marriage and a new home. Plus, she has the guts to talk about fights with her husband on the Internet and she shares my deep love for Sonicare toothbrushes.

13) Newly Mrs. S

Seriously! Who knew there were so many smart newlywed graduate students in the world? Mrs. S lives in a house she is helping build and getting a PhD in Education Policy (bless her soul). Although this would be enough to keep anyone's brains busy, Mrs. S usually has an interesting question or thought she is happy to discuss with us Internet-folks.

14) Puppies and Pancakes

Clearly, with a title like that I don't need to explain the source of the awesomeness. But I will say that since starting her blog (which is scary enough) this women has also opened her own Etsy shop to sell the jewelry she makes (including a ring similar to the one she made for her husband as his wedding band). As someone who can't make dinner for her husband without fear of being judged for failure, I am in awe of her spunk and go-get-'em-ness.

15) A Human Attempt at Flight

Although I am not Christian and wouldn't know how to help a cow give birth, I sometimes think that "Blind Irish Pirate" and I might share parts of our brains. Maybe it is all the time I spent with horses as a kid, or the fact that I am also driven to rage during yoga classes. This blog always has thoughtful essays on important topics, interspersed with lovely little images to make you think or smile. Ba Ram Ewe indeed.

Phew, that's done. All 15 of you are rad-ass individuals who inspire me to do better. Thanks.

One last thing: I know I said I was going to stop being self-undermining, but I have to say this. I am giving awards to a few people who feel like Big Dogs of the Internet to me. Wonderful ladies (and one dude) whose blogs I read but on whose blogs I rarely comment because I feel shy. And part of me feels like it is awkward to give an award to a blog when you don't comment on it. But I am taking a deep breath and doing it anyway. Because I lerves you. I really do.

Vagina week resumes tomorrow.

*I am working on this. I promise. Please don't go!

**Or without ending a sentence with a preposition.

***Meg, if you read this: YOU ARE IN NO WAY LIKE THE GRATEFUL DEAD. At most, you are like Cherry Garcia ice cream: cool, delicious, and something I wish were at my house a lot. Is that creepy?