blogging award…

Within the past week I have been nominated for TWO blogging awards!! I can’t even begin to tell you what an honor this is. I kept a blog while studying for the California bar exam, but Musings of a Dysautonomiac is my first blog that people (besides future California attorneys) read, so I am (relatively) new to blogging. My first post was in June, so I’ve only been at this for a few months, making these awards even more appreciated. In the interest of not annoying my readers and other bloggers, I’m combining the awards into one post, as the methods of accepting the awards are virtually the same. (I hope that’s allowed).s

I have been nominated for and am honored to accept the Beautiful Blogger Award! Huge thanks to my fellow invisible illness sufferer and blogger, Rachel, for the nomination.  Check out her blog Do I Look Sick? for some amazing posts!

And, I am ALSO honored to accept the Lovely Blog Award from fellow invisible illness sufferer and all around amazing woman, Katie Michele, who hosts the blog Connective Tissue Disorders: My Journey. Check out her blog for some beautifully written posts.

To accept the awards, I post the above images, write a little tidbit about the bloggers who nominated me, write a list of 7 things about myself, and finally, nominate 7 bloggers to receive this award as well.

About the bloggers who nominated me (in chronological order of when I received the nomination):

About Rachel: I first came across her blog a couple of months ago on accident, really. I was clicking through other health blogs, their links to other blogs, and sites of people who had left comments. Somehow I came across Rachel’s blog, Do I Look Sick? I love Do I Look Sick? because each post is positive, uplifting, and still informative. And, Rachel has a wonderful sense of humor and a level of perseverance that I really admire. For one of my favorites, check out her How to Date When You’re Sick post – adorable!!

Katie is a beautiful young woman who handles her connective tissue disorder and other illnesses with such grace. I’ve been following her blog for a little over a month and really enjoy the honesty in each post. Check out her blog, if not for her wonderful posts, then to see her photographs and drawings. Such talent! My favorite post of hers is A new step: Beta blockers. Beautiful.

And now for the less interesting part – 7 things about me!!

1) I once went swimming with sharks.

2) I am the best pretend bass guitarist ever. (I like to rock a wicked bass solo on the Guitar Hero and Rock Band video games).

3) As a kid, I was very healthy. I was rarely sick, I’ve never had surgery or stayed overnight in a hospital, and have only broken fingers and toes, nothing more. It’s ironic that I am now permanently ill.

4) My car’s name is Matilda.

5) I don’t actually have a dog, but I have lots of dogfriends (friends that are dogs). We spend time together and their pictures are all over my fridge, just like my human friends.

6) Studying for the California Bar Exam is probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. I used to sing this song every night during bar prep when I was in the library until midnight on Friday nights.

7) I have an unusual interest in the latin language. My personal motto is Spemque metumque inter dubiis. I came across that quote during a difficult time in my illness a few years ago, and it has stuck with me since.

My other favorite inspirational “quote” is “Roadrunners mate for life”. I got that one from the Mayo Clinic in Arizona almost 8 years ago when I was there for tests. I heard it during a time in my illness where I felt very alone and isolated, and hearing it made me a little less so.

And now for my nominees for the Awards:

– Self-aversary – A friend from high school’s  wonderful blog about her current international travels. Allows me to live vicariously 🙂

– Power of Positive Thoughts – I have been following this blog for a couple months and love the positive thoughts it inspires.  Seriously, read it and try not to smile…I dare you.

– Mik’s Hidden Hearts Alliance for Dysautonomia – very informative blog for teens with dysautnomia and other invisible illnesses.

– Live Waste Free – A personal friend’s blog about learning to live more mindfully and waste free. Very interesting and inspiring.

– allergictolifemybattle – I actually just started following this blog, but already I’m really enjoying it.

– Teens With POTS – As you might expect, about teens who have POTS. I’ve always thought it must be very difficult to have POTS as a teenager. It’s bad enough as an adult, but I can’t even imagine what it’s like for a young adult to miss out on some important growing experiences. Even if you’re not a teen, check out this blog. Very well written.

– POTS Awareness – Fellow POTSie. She and I are Twitter friends and she has the best sense of humor! Love her website – fantastic resource filled with tons of information as well as her personal struggles. She’s done a wonderful job of raising awareness, for which I am so grateful.

I’ve copied the following directly from Katie’s Connective Tissue Disorder blog, as I absolutely agree with what she said, and I couldn’t say it better myself:

“I just want to mention that many of my nominees either suffer from chronic pain or a chronic illness or care for a loved one who does and that there is absolutely no pressure to forward this award on. I know that it takes quite a bit of time to think of answers to the questions, find 15 bloggers to nominate and then notify each blogger individually. I, myself, have been working on this over several days, putting it down and then coming back to it when I feel more able to. It’s enough that someone may click the link to your blog from here and be as inspired by what they read as I am.”

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”  ~Mother Teresa

Stay tuned.
– L

P.S. Just a reminder that your comments are always welcome here, and you do not need to be a WordPress user to leave a comment. Or, you are also welcome to email me at Lindsay@dysautonomiac.com.