Oooooo! Look what I got!

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Red and White Preppy!

I swear, just when I write a post about being a little cynical, and just after having a tough day, RWP brings a smile to my face with my very first Blog Award! RWP is a private blog, but if you are ever lucky enough to get to read it, you'll see how much we have in common. And uncanny connection. And I appreciate this award so much! Truly brought a smile to my face after a long day!

So, now I have to post six happy things, and in true RWP fashion, she beat me to the punch on unconditional love (I love my puppy Jake) and on my job (we both teach high school English!), but I will do my best to come up with six original happy things!

And these things make me extremely happy!

1. A 73 degree day predicted for Saturday!
While I am not making the trip to Clemson for the first sans-Bowden football game this weekend, I do plan to stay here and go to the USC-LSU game with some friends. I am looking very forward to spending time with my friends, and looking very forward to being able to wear jeans all day and not sweat through my clothes! I love the fall. Such a pretty time of year. Its going to be a great football weather weekend! Hope you all have good weather for your games. My NC girls will probably be having pretty nice weather as well!

2. 9:00 PM
The magic time when suddenly my minutes on my cell phone become free. The difference between 8:59 and 9:00 pm? Immeasurable. In fact my mother just called me. So sweet. She waits until 9:00 to call...even though we both have the same provider and cell to cell calls are free regardless of the time!

3. An unexpected late night out
I love to spend time with my friends and family. Friday nights generally consist of going out to dinner and maybe out for a few drinks after that. That is, if it isn't a Clemson football weekend and everyone isn't out of town. But what really makes me happy is when the unexpected happens...like when you run into an old friend at a bar and wind up dancing all night long. Or when a girls night out for dinner turns in to so much more than that. Its the little surprises along the way that lead to the most fond memories.

4. My Freshmen!
I know I've talked about them a ton recently, but they really do make me smile. Even the ones I teach! And I know I've given them a hard time in the past. But they are just kids trying to navigate their way through the intimidating halls of a high school. And I hope I help them find their ways.

5. Edisto
I have no idea what to say about this, except that I've written about Edisto so many times. It is the greatest place on the South Carolina coast, and maybe the entire seaboard!

6. Laughing so hard I cry
I do this a lot. And every time I do, I am so thankful that I have. The saddest thing I ever heard someone say was "I can't remember the last time I did that." Life is to short to not laugh.

Now here are the rules for spreading the smiles to fellow bloggers:

Must display a cheerful attitude.
Must love one another.
Must make mistakes.
Must learn from others.
Must be a positive contributor to blog world.
Must love life.
Must love kids.

Rules when receiving the award:

The recipient must link back the the award’s creator
You must post these rules if you receive the award.
You must chose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself
You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted.
You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
You must create a post sharing your win with others.
You must thank your giver.

I pass The Smile Award onto:

1. The Columbia Fam: Make me laugh out loud! Truly more fun than one family should have, and unfortuntately, the owners of the Halloween costume that is going to beat mine in a few short weeks!

2. Polos & Pearls: Another private blog that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. And another girl I feel like I have a lot in common with. Thank you for the invite to read your blog, and I apprecite the slice of your life you've shared.

3. Stand By Me: My after college roomie, and a favorite person of mine! Thank you for always bringing a smile to my face!

4. The Harper's Haven: My college roomie! Thanks for always being such a good friend to me! Its been a long, long time, and I miss seeing you. But I am always smiling when I do! Thank you! Plus, she just put up the cutest background. Go check it out!

5. Bathtub Gangsta: Not really the name of her blog. Its actually Happy Meals and Happy Hour, but the BG is the bomb (dot com!!!). And this blog makes me laugh so hard every time I read it. Love it! Thank you! She's gotten plenty of awards, but deserves them all! Please go check it out if you haven't already. And, Beta Mom, I want to know how you got that little martini glass to appear in the URL line of your blog. Jealous!

Harder than I thought! But, go check out this award-winning blogs!