Sharing the good vibes

I am lucky. I have a great family. I have an awesome husband and we have wonderful kids. We travel and live in interesting places. I have gathered experience on all of this - either through my own personal doings, or via what I have heard and read from others, in person, email, or internet. I have always wanted to give back - to do unto others as others have done for us. We've been given helpful hints, warnings and advice on many topics... it seems silly not to pass it on, and we do. We answer questions. We have sponsored new arrivals - formally and informally. We gossip and spread news and other helpful rumors, but wouldn't it be of more benefit it it could be packaged, organized, sortable, and archived? Also, we are usually unable to bring all of our friends and family to visit and share our home - wherever it may be - and therefore, I always like to try and bring our home to them, not just the famous touristy bits, but the real-life parts too.

I have, over the years, tried out various internet tools. I have attempted journals, blogs, webpages, etc. Usually with very little success. Failure is mostly due to technology, or the lack thereof. Traveling to, and living in areas with poor internet can make interfacing with the web a painful and discouraging process. Eventually I gave up and settled on one favorite, easy to use website and uploaded favorite pictures and comments when the whims of the internet gods smiled upon me and allowed the power of upload to flow in my favor.

My sister-in-law is a blogger and she created her "Smiles and Trials" a few years ago. She has done such a wonderful job, that I was inspired to try blogging again. Apparently, I was also trying 'Blogger' again, because when I went to create an account, I found that I already had one, as well as a test blog... set up and hardly touched. I forget where or when I'd dabbled with it, but apparently it was either too new of a tool, or I had bad connection, or both. I ditched the old set-up and started this blog. That was nearly a year ago, and I have truly been enjoying myself, not to mention that I now feel like less of a freeloader - no more take and no give.

Speaking of which, a very witty lady - wise, humorous, and possibly dangerous (meaning that it only the nicest of ways, of course... she'll make you use your brain, and enjoy the process... ), whose blog I have only recently discovered courtesy of another blogger friend's recommendation (thank you Simple Answer!) - presented me with a very pretty award:

“This blog invests and believes, in ‘proximity’ meaning, that blogging makes us 'close'. They are all charming blogs, and the majority of them aim to show the marvels of friendship; there are persons who are not interested when we give them a prize, and then they help to cut these bows; do we want that they are cut, or that they propagate? Then let’s try to give more attention to them! So with this prize we must deliver it to eight bloggers that in turn must make the same thing and put this text.”

Thank you Tobi et al. Besides all warm and fuzzy, I feel honored. It is a pretty prize and I shall now perform my duty as a proximity patroness, and pass this award along to the following bloggers. They are each doing their part to make the world a 'smaller' and more cozy place with their contributions to the world wide web of friendship:

Smiles and Trials

Mama Seoul

Simple Answer

Lulu's Bay

Earth to Danie

Martinis for Two

Wandering the World

Expat Mom

Thank you all. Feel the love, and send it on.