Did anyone else play that game growing up?  I think I mostly chewed on the tiny plastic cherries.  It’s a wonder I didn’t choke, which would have been a tragedy — I’d never have had a chance to dazzle my readers with my blogging wit.  (I’m sure you are all shuddering at the very thought.)

Cherry-licious Rules:

• Thank the person (or people) who, in a display of erudite good taste, bestowed the award upon you.
• List three things you love about yourself.
• Pass the love along to five other bloggers.

Thank you, Sespi!  My Russian-speaking, cookie-baking, adorable-canine-owning, ambitious (she’d love to be Secretary of Defense, which I’m cool with as long as she still opens up that café for my tea-sipping pleasure) fellow Navy wife is always a pleasure, whether one is reading her blog at And You Never Did Think or conversing with her on Twitter.

Thank you, Brooklet!  I was so tickled to connect up with another “Fly Navy” bride, especially one who holds felines in such esteem.  Check out her blog, Life and Times of a Displaced Jersey Girl, for stories of her continuing adventures in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Mr. V.

How do I Love Myself?  Let Me Count the Ways…

1.  I am extremely modest. I’m intelligent.  I might not be the next Einstein, but I have always been told that I am smarter than the average bear.  For good or ill, my identity was wrapped up in being “the smart kid” throughout my childhood.  Now that I’m an adult, I hope I have a healthier way of looking at it: one of my great strengths is that there isn’t much that I would consider myself incapable of learning, ergo I don’t have to fight many “I can’t do it!” mental blocks when it comes to intellectual challenges.

2.  I love my curly hair.  It may not always behave, but when it does?  Hot damn.  😉  My husband, however… the messier it is, the better he likes it.  It has become a running joke that if he tells me my hair is looking particularly good, I had better check to make sure it’s not sticking up like I’ve had a close encounter with an electrical socket.

3. I love that I can, much to my astonishment, handle change.  (Good thing, too; ‘twould have been a crying shame to marry into the military and discover that I couldn’t.)  I don’t necessarily deal with upheaval gracefully or with a smile on my face — more like a Manhattan in hand and a stream of profanity on the tip of my tongue — but I do eventually adjust.  I might even be getting better at it; the Navy certainly gives us enough practice.

More Sundae-Toppers

My feed reader is brimming with blogs I heartily enjoy.  I could pick any number of witty, heartfelt, talented, hit-the-nail-on-the-head perceptive writers for the list.  I’m lousy at keeping track of who has already received which award, so apologies if I’m doubling up.  I’m also not married to the idea that these pretty little pictures represent a sacred contract that states you must play along and post in your blog and pass it to X of your bestest buddies, so please do not feel obligated for my sake.

Here is a sampling of blogs written by some very cool women.  You might enjoy them, too.

• Tomorrow Is Another Day
• Kimberly Arthur Lindner Likes to Write Stuff
• Wookie & Co.
• Capture Reality
• Dreams Take Flight