Cherry on Top

Look at this...

 

Kristine from Kristine's Place has given me one of these award thingies! Isn't that sweet? And she kindly said all sorts of nice things about me - here. And I'm just needy enough to accept it! So THANK you Kristine! You should all PLEASE drop over to her place and check things out. She is always fun, always hilarious and always a straight talker, which I love.

Now part of the deal with this little award thingy is that I'm supposed to share with you 5 things that I love about myself. Which is hard, isn't it? Why is that so hard to do? I feel like I have healthy self-esteem. I have many things I "like" about myself. But 5 things I LOVE? And saying it in print? Gah. But I shall attempt to rise to the challenge.

1. I'm a good talker. I can pretty much talk to anybody. I truly like most people - in fact, I can count the people I actually don't like on one hand. (Actually, there are some people who I used to not like, but over the years I have come to like them - either I discovered their tragic flaw or pulled my head out of my butt about them.) So I'm comfortable talking to a variety of people from a variety of lifestyles in a variety of situations. Which has served me well in life.
2. I'm tall. I'm 5' 10". It's actually amazing that this is now something that I love about myself, because I spent the entirety of my youth hating it. I was always the middle of the back row of all school pictures next to Daniel Malin. Junior High dances were horrifying, the boys all came up to about mid-boob on me. Slow dancing was humiliating. But over the years I have come to appreciate the joys of being "statuesque". I still slouch, a habit which Daddy abhorred! But I like being able to wear clothes well, and I like being able to see over everybody in crowds and I like being able to reach things on shelves. (Interestingly, Kristine, who started this whole thing, is also 5' 10" and loves it. Tall girls rule!)
3. I'm a good storyteller. I am often told this. It like to think it's a Southern thing. Jimmy, I'm afraid, doesn't agree. He thinks I ramble on and on. I think it's a New York thing. But most people agree that heaven is in the details, and my stories, though lengthy, are certainly detailed.
4. I'm a good cook. And I enjoy it too. I'm not a chef or anything. But I think I can throw together a pretty nice meal. And I think that if I had chosen to get some formal training, I could have been really good. Who knows? Maybe in my dotage I'll go to culinary school.
5. I am almost ridiculously forgiving. I just don't see the point in holding a grudge. I have, in my rather long life thus far, forgiven people for truly despicable actions. After a while, things just don't seem so important. I think that sometimes we human beings can be terribly selfish and thoughtless, and sometimes downright awful, but basically we all are just trying to do the best we can.  We're all extremely flawed. That's life. Jimmy, by the way, benefits tremendously from this quality of mine.

The second part of this award thingy is that I'm supposed to pass this on to 5 bloggers I love. This is tough. Because I love many bloggers, for many reasons. But these five I always enjoy reading, and I don't think they'll think of this award thingy as a chain letter. And if they do, they won't care.

1. Michele from It's a Dog's Life - Librarian extraordinaire, humorist, amazing artist, Texan. What's not to like?
2. Jenni from Oscarelli - I actually KNOW Jenni. In real life. I spent two days hanging out with her at BlogHer '10. And she's a wonderful writer and an excellent human being. I'm happy to call her a friend. And embarrassingly, we play Farmville together on Facebook. Don't judge us.
3. Mary from Unmitigated - Smart, funny, loves history, Detroit girl, Zombie lover. And her Great Grandma just died, so she could use some lovin'.
4. Sarah at The Mommylogues - Every time I read Sarah I feel like I'm reading a letter from an old friend. I totally envy her blog name! Don't you love it? And she calls her husband Captain America. Neat.
5. Michele Renee at Must Be a Full Moon - I always think of Michele Renee as someone who might be right around the corner. Like she might just pop over sometime and we could do some baking or...canning together. I don't even know if she bakes or cans, it just seems like she'd be fun to do it with. Someone you'd want to have as a friend, you know what I mean?

Okay, that's it for the award accepting and handing out. Thank you Kristine! I think I'll go place my award on the mantle. I'm not one of those modest people who puts their Oscars in the bathroom. Whew, am I glad to get out of this evening gown and Spanx, geez.

 

Comments

[Kristine]

Thanks for playing along!!!
Leave for our vacation in Cuba this weekend.
Have a great week and I'll see ya when we get back!!

[Jan]

You and I have a lot in common - only I'm only 5 feet tall. I think the storytelling thing is, indeed, a Southern thing. My exhusband HATED for me to start telling a story; he also saw it as rambling on and on (he also hated not being the center of attention, but that's something else all together). Beloved, fortunately, finds it endearing.

And good heavens, girl, please post recipes and take pictures! I'd love, love, love to see what you cook!

[Mommylisa]

What a great way to kick off the weekend.

[Michele Renee]

Oh my gosh, Gretchen. I have been out of the loop this week with being out of town and computerless for 4 days and then slammed at work. I just popped on over and was so surprised to see what you wrote. It really touched me as I am a tired, emotional mess this week…and reading about what you like about yourself and me thinking likewise is something I really needed today. I will definitely come through with these thoughts in a future post. You are an awesome storyteller indeed.
I do cook and I do bake and I saw a bunch of canning jars at Goodwill and almost got them but I didn’t.
P.S. I never made an appt with my dentist for the same infection thing I have next to a crowned tooth and after reading about yours it may be 6 months before I do.

[Michele]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'd love to borrow your evening gown (cuz that's what we do right? Borrow each others stuff.) except that it would drag the floor by 8 inches. I'm just not sure if the cleaner could get out that much road sludge.

Don't believe Jimmy about the storytelling. You are great! JR doesn't want to hear my stories either. He has decided to use the "if I interrupt often enough she'll shut the hell up" strategy. I promise to keep him away from Jimmy.

[Sarah at themommylogues]

Stop it! Well, first of all, a much deserved award for you. I always enjoy reading what you've written, because I can kind of imagine it's more of a conversation over coffee than a website. Because I think we would get along famously in Real Life.

And thank you thank you for putting me on your list! I'm working on locating my missing blogging mojo - and this might do it. Doubly perfect for today because IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

[Captain Dumbass]

Good work tagging Mary, she's been slacking.

[Jenni]

OMG, I am so honored, Gretchen. You are my favorite FV friend.

[Elizabeth]

Congratulations -- it's much deserved! I've been out of the loop this week and missed some posts, so I've got to go and catch up. I'm glad that you're tall, that you tell a good story, that you love to talk and that you're a good cook. Being forgiving makes you a saint --