Time to celebrate! Geanie from the The Library Lady and Rosie Bear has nominated me for the Sunshine Award. This is a new award for me, so I’m super excited. And I love that it has sunshine in the name, because as most of you know I’m always cold, and now I have some extra sunshine to keep me warm 🙂 Thanks Geanie!
To accept the award I must list 10 things about myself and then nominate other bloggers for the award.
First, my 10 things…
1. After college, I volunteered at the Denver Zoo. I chose to work with hoofstock which involved a lot of pooper scooping and hay hauling. It was probably the most physically exhausting work I’ve done, but I was able to eat like a football player (or teenage boy) and not gain a pound! And I got to know some overly friendly camels and hand feed a rhino.
2. One of my favorite things to do in the summer is take a trip to Water World, one of the top water parks in the country. This also burns a lot of calories because to go on any rides you have to haul yourself, and sometimes a large inner tube, up a mountain… fine a hill. And I really love the Voyage to the Center of the Earth ride. You and two of your closest friends get to slip and slide into a time of dinosaurs and watery thrills, with an animated Tyrannosaurus Rex and Brachiosaurus to greet you along the way.
3. I remember the first time I heard the song, American Pie. I was twelve (I think) and visiting family in Florida. We were staying in a Disney campground and one of the restaurants had live music. One night, the band played a cover of the song. Somehow I will remember that always. Random, huh?
4. For Halloween this year, my husband and I dressed as a clown and harlequin from a dark/night circus.

And my hubby as a creepy clown. His hat has kind of a steampunk vibe to it. He’s with my cousin who’s dressed as a very lovely flamenco dancer.
5. The first (and only) time I was published in the Denver newspaper was when I was elementary school. Our assignment was to describe what we would make our Mothers for breakfast on Mother’s Day and why. My culinary skills not being the greatest at the time, I think she may have gotten toast…
6. When the song, Ice Ice Baby, came out by Vanilla Ice I memorized every word. And I still know it. The whole thing. Don’t get me started…
7. Some of my favorite scary movies are: Poltergeist, The Shining and Pet Sematary. Zelda is by far the scariest character in that movie.
8. In college, I thought it would be a good idea to take my roommate’s bunny outside to play. To be sure Buster didn’t get away, I got him a leash and tried to walk him around the yard. We didn’t get very far. Eventually we ditched the leash and just let him hop around the yard.
9. I like to craft. And sometimes I like to make my loved ones craft with me. We made these on Thanksgiving one year:

He he. It’s okay to laugh. They’re turkey coasters. It’s funny how they all turned out differently. My husband’s is the one with feet. My mom’s looks like it’s sporting the Canadian flag. Mine has the straight feathers and my cousin’s has the feathers that look like leaves. And yes, they really work as coasters.
10. In high school I got roped into participating in the Denver Parade of Lights, a holiday parade held in December. I was dressed as a piece of candy and had to carry this REALLY heavy sign. And it was cold.
And now, the other blogs I nominate for the award:
Okay, so here are the rules:
1. Use the Sunshine Award logo in the post.
2. Link to whoever nominated you.
3. Write ten pieces of information about yourself.
4. Nominate up to ten fellow bloggers, “who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”.
5. Leave a comment on the nominees’ blogs to tell them of the award
Thanks and have fun!
Do you still live in Denver? I just moved from there recently. I loved Water World as well. That big water slide with the big innertubes with the T Rex was awesome!
Cute Halloween pictures.
My first publication was in a newspaper too. How cool. I was in elementary as well.
I do still live in Denver. I’ve been here since I was 5, so almost a native.
Water World is amazing. You wouldn’t think a water park that big would be in Denver…
I lived there for several years. Went to CSU. I loved Water World. And no, you would never expect one there, but it was sweet.
I went to CSU too! ALONG time ago. I loved Fort Collins though. It was a great little college town 🙂 How cool to meet another Ram 🙂
To be accurate on #2 it should read:
“My husband carries the tubes up the hill”
I know from direct, exhausting experience.
Yikes. I’m totally busted. Yes, it’s true, for the most part my husband carries the tubes, especially the huge family sized ones. In my defense though, I do usually carry my own single tube. And it’s still hard walking uphill, everyone knows that 🙂
I never carry anything 🙂 Except for Paisley!
He He. It’s true. And Paisley weighs like nothing 🙂
Great memories, I remember them all fondly. Love your Halloween Costumes, very creepy to say the least and congrats on being nomiated for the Sunshine Award!
Yeah, I have that Mother’s Day article somewhere… I know, wasn’t Logan creepy? We had to help him with his makeup, but he was a good sport 🙂
Congrats on the award nomination! The comment about Buster bunny made me smile. He wasn’t too keen on that leash, but he sure did love hopping around the yard! 🙂 He was a good bunny. Waterworld always makes me think of you; in fact, last time I was there was with you! It’s been way too long… I love the Thanksgiving coasters!! Will you get them out for use this year? How fun!!!
Thanks! I thought you would like the one about Buster. He was such a cutie!
We didn’t go to Waterworld this year, the first time we missed it in 6 years 😦
The coasters are pretty funny. We take them out every year, but we usually don’t use them as coasters. I was thinking about stringing them and hanging them like a garland under the ledge in our kitchen. We’ll see. We have pinecone turkeys that the family made too. Those are sitting on our window ledges 🙂
Congratulations on a Sunshine award. Isn’t that just the best name?
Thank you! I do love the name. There are so many cool blogging awards out there. It’s fun when you come across a new one with a nice name or logo.
Congratulations Jennifer! You certainly do light up the blogosphere!
Your craft things are amazing – love the little hat from last week and those coasters! Great design and colour!
Thank you. I appreciate your kind words and your continued support and encouragement 🙂
I always look forward to your fiction pieces and your artwork, which are both wonderful and quite clever. So, I’m glad I was able to pass on the award!
The coasters were really fun because we made them as a family on Thanksgiving day. I want to say it wasn’t stressful, but of course we were short on time and my mom was getting frustrated trying to figure out how to assemble hers. But now, when I take them out of the box each year, they make me smile and even giggle a little bit.
That’s so funny!
No problem at all – Libby’s blog is one of the highlights of my week!
P.S, I’ve been outrageously lazy, and I haven’t been able to respond to all the awards! I have posted a piece today about the Versatile Blogger Award and mentioned your blog so you may get a link/pingback!
Receiving nominations is great (I look like that little kid on your post this week when I get nominated), completing them is unexpectedly hard!!
http://mcdulac.wordpress.com/2014/01/08/awards-season/
I love scary movies, TV shows, and books. Pretty much anything that will make my heart race and me shout at the characters who can clearly not hear me, if you have seen the Conjuring you know what I’m talking about. Great factoids. Thank you so much for the nomination!
Your welcome. I love scary movies too, although sometimes I scare myself too much and I can’t sleep.
It’s fun yelling at people who can’t hear you. I hope that if I’m ever in a house that’s clearly haunted, I don’t hang out and make videos about it. I better be getting my butt out of there 🙂
Congrats, Jennifer
Can think of a hundred more things about you that make me smile!
Thanks. These were just the first things popped to mind 🙂
Congratulations sunshine, you deserve it! DON’T EVEN SAY ZELDA!!!! Our turkeys were amazing by the way.
I know, she even gets more creepy with time. They turkeys were the best. I’ll have to think of something for this year 🙂
Yay!! I learned so much about you! Stop Colaberate and listen, Ice US back with my brand new invention…lol. Me, too!
We used to take a day or two away from Boulder Canyon to go to Water World, Eliches and/or Lakeside (was that the name of the other amusement park?) It had the Chimpmonk ride. My grandma loved that ride… aww, I haven’t thought about that in years. Then we’d go to Casa Bonita and see Black Part while stuffing ourselves with food. (Way better back then, the 80s) Memory lane..thank you!! Congratulations!
Dang phone. Auto correct strikes again.
He he. It happens to me on my computer too 🙂
I know, there is something about the song. Sometimes, I can’t remember why I walked into a room, but I will remember the words to Ice Ice Baby forever.
Yeah, Lakeside has the Wild Chipmunk ride and is still open. Elitch Gardens moved downtown in the 90s and was never quite the same.
And we used to go to Casa Bonita all the time. That place was so cool, with the caves and the divers and they have the best sopapillas. My boss from my last job worked as the Gorilla there in high school. I haven’t been in awhile, but it’s still there 🙂
😀 This makes me so happy to read. Memories!
Ref No.6: Me, too! And also Gangsta’s Paradise and Hammer Time…..Maybe it’s a generation thing? 🙂