Today I was caught completely by surprise.

This is a picture I took of a bracelet I bought myself when my blog first hit 1000 visitors. (that is me wearing the bracelet) There was a complete set of three I wanted. I thought if I ever make it to 2000, or the impossible 3000, I could get the whole set. I have the set. I never could have made it without encouragement.

The actual cause of my pleasant surprise was being nominated for the Beautiful Mama Blog Award by a blogger I totally stalk, Unsweetened Tea. I look up to her for her amazing parenting skills (don’t laugh, they work) and her raw honesty; really writing about who she is. Although, she can do that because she is the blogger formerly known as Tea. Well not formerly, currently. I really don’t want to completely joke about this though, because in all honestly her post on Encouragement really hit home for me.  So many of us smaller bloggers are swimming upstream in a sea of notorious and even published (I’m whispering in my Woody Allen voice) bloggers.  Yet we have each other. We have somehow managed to find these amazing women, who are just where we are. We are struggling with putting ourselves out there for all to see. We are struggling with personal issues whether we share them or not. When just one of them says “Right On!” it feels so good. It feels right and good and true. So for the future, you hang that award on your wall blog and when you need encouragement, all you have to do is look at your sidebar.  OR you can download this to your iPod and know it’s from me to you.

(in this lonely spot was “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction)

Because this award is about recognition for more than just being a blogger but for being an amazing and inspirational blogger. I would like to share it with these three people. They may do with it as they will, they can pass it on to as many or as few as they want. It is for them and there are no rules. Although, if they put it on their sidebar, they will always remember. There are so many blogs out there that I truly admire, but these are my peeps, the ones I know will respond to my cries for sanity on twitter, the ones who comment on even the boring posts. So, maybe they are the only ones who will see this post, but on the off-chance some stragglers stop by, give them a shout out, they deserve it!

Julie from Next Life, No Kids 

Dana from Kiss My List

Kristi from Finding Ninee

And if you can’t live without One Direction reminding you how awesome you are, click here!

What Makes You Beautiful – Up All Night (Deluxe Version)