Take The Cake

The always sincere Melanie gave me a Happy Award a while back, and I truly appreciate it. Seriously, Mel. *mwah*

I'm tellin' ya, I'm just amazed at how many awesome people I've met through blogging, some actually and some figuratively. Communication and relationships have always enthralled me, but you guys take the cake.

Okay, the deal is, if you don't already know, anyone given this particular award has to list ten things that make them happy. Then they get to pass it along to up to ten other bloggers. Here goes some of my happies...

1. Certain smells and sounds bring me a lot of joy. My absolute favorites? Puppy breath, wiggles and grunts.

2. Campfires thrill my soul from start to finish. They have a life of their own, and mesmerize me.

3. Driving along country roads with no apparent destination, windows down, playing in the wind.

4. Silkie chicken hineys. They're just so darn fluffy.

5. Answered prayers, and just knowing God is there, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

6. Night swimming makes me feel really, really alive.

7. Lightning bugs are magic, and make me feel like a little girl with no worries. I heart bioluminescence.

8. Pinwheels have always brought me joy. I mean, what kid doesn't love a shiny, blowy pinwheel? As an adult (of sorts), I love how they show evidence of something unseen.

9. Family resemblances have probably been mentioned here on Mimsy before, but they're worth mentioning again. My family may not be the closest, and I may not know my father very well, but I look like him. When I look in the mirror, I feel like I belong.

10. Otters holding hands. 'Nough said.

Now, for passing this thing on...I'm not going to choose ten bloggers, though I can definitely think of ten of you that make me happy. Today, I'm sticking with several lovely ladies that I've just realized have quite a few things in common.

Shannon - Shannon & her HB may not live next door, and I may have only met them once, but I simply adore them. We share a love for life that pretty much links you instantly. Thank you, Shannon, for being YOU, and for making my blog so incredibly ME. I love it, and you. Can't wait to see you guys again.

Ari - I don't even know where to start with this one. For anyone who doesn't know, we met when we were fourteen, at a mutual friend's birthday bash. We lost touch for a few years, met again in college, and have been pretty much inseparable ever since. She's my creative partner in crime, and we're seriously thick as thieves. We share so much of our lives, and I don't know (or want to know) what I would do without her. Love you, my little prickly pear!

HisDaughter - This little lady amazes me in lots of ways, especially with her mad mommy skillz. I've only met her a couple times now, but I know she's making a difference in people's lives everyday. She's refreshing and alive, and I just smile thinking of her. We have to hang out soon, lovely lady!

Madam Rasberry - I've talked about the soul mateness before here, in case anyone gets confused. She's my soul mate, and my oldest friend. We are part of each other, and just the thought of her makes me...all kinds of emotions, and happy is definitely in there. I love you, friend.

I may love them for different reasons, but they're all A-dorable, loving, sincere, bright, creative (Yes, Jodi, you are creative.), fun, and madly in love with their canine counterparts (Again, Jodi, Dixie counts for you.). Didn't know you had so much in common, did you? Hmmm...I think I may have inadvertently discovered the secret to making me adore someone...

Brendan ♥s Kate

Today was a busy, busy day. I worked in a frenzy as it snowed like crazy outside my office window. I'd peak out between phone calls and reports to see the court house lawn getting whiter and whiter. I successfully fought the urge to go play in it, until it was time to go home. At which point, I crunched up the back steps to my Jeep, with my head back and mouth wide open for maximum snowflake consumption. It was glorious.

In the midst of my busy morning I received a link from my dear prickly pear, Ari (Wha? The girl loves cacti, and I love pet names.). What was this link, you ask? It was a post by Stevie, about an awesome, unstoppable man named Brendan and the girl with whom he fell in love.

While deployed in Iraq last year, Brendan's unit received a terrible blow. Some men were lost, while others were seriously wounded. Brendan suffered injuries to his head and face, and he lost both of his arms and legs. He's the only quadruple amputee to survive a major American war.

Currently, Brendan is doing physical and occupational therapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he met Kate...
Sounds like an amazing guy, right? You wanna know the rest of the story, right? Please go read it HERE (it's short and sweet, I promise). They've entered Crate & Barrel's Ultimate Wedding Contest to win the wedding of their dreams, and they need YOU to go vote for them.

We've got 6 weeks and 5 days to make this happen, and there's competition, folks. Let's do this, shall we? We're The Internet. We can so make this happen!

P to the S: Go now! Tell your family, friends and coworkers. Blog about it. Tweet about it. Go!

Love Harder

Brandy is a lovely lady I met not too long ago. By "met" I mean I stumbled across her blog. On my first visit I learned that she's in love with a hot awesome dude. And that hot awesome dude has just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

Lovely bloggers everywhere are raising money for the Multiple Myeloma Research Fund in his name. For the price of various office supplies that I do NOT need, I can be part of an effort to cure a disease that affects approximately 750,000 people worldwide! You know what that means?! You can too!

How, you say?

Give. Be part of a worldwide effort to cure a disease that affects approximately 750,000 people worldwide. Every dollar helps.

Pass it on. Forward this story to five people. Share this blog post. Become our fan on Facebook.

Love harder. Life is short, love is unbending, and no one knows what could happen next. Tell someone you love them today.

DONATE: http://www.loveharder.org
CONTACT: theloveharderfund@gmail.com
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.loveharder.org
MORE INFO: http://www.themmrf.org

Every dollar brings us closer to a cure, folks. And with every donation comes hope. If you've been reading this little blog o' mine long, you know how I feel about hope. It's a good thing, maybe the best of things.

Where Our Money Goes:

The American Institute of Philanthropy recently named The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation one of the best organizations to give to in terms of their accountability and use of resources. By working closely with researchers, clinicians and partners in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, the MMRF has helped bring multiple myeloma patients four new treatments that are extending lives around the globe. The MMRF has advanced twenty Phase I and Phase II clinical trials. They need your support to advance these clinical research programs and accelerate the development of better, more effective treatments. The MMRF’s Multiple Myeloma Genomics Initiative recently became the first to sequence the multiple myeloma whole genome in its entirety. A whopping 98% of your donation to the MMRF will be used immediately to support high-priority multiple myeloma research. With diminishing funding for early stage drug development and the next myeloma treatments not expected to be approved until 2011, the MMRF desperately needs your help!

Aaaaaand I have to share this lovely video that a bunch of wonderful people put together for Brandy and her Hot Awesome Dude. Sometimes people are really awesome, and I cry.

In the words of LiLu herself, "Please feel free to repost this video, or all of the above! We. Are. The Internet!!!!!!!!!"