Awesome, not awesome, and awesome again.

The couple of days have felt like a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.

I happen to love rollercoasters. I grew up near a Six Flags amusement park and spent a lot of time at all of the theme parks in Southern California growing up. The first time Amanda and I rode the BIGGEST coaster together, she gave me a pep talk during the long, slow ascend. “If you get scared, just sing!” she said. We reached the top, and I remember that it felt like time stopped for a moment. Then WHOOOOOOOSH! We were screeching straight down at what felt like the speed of light. What a thrill! As we began ascending the next hill, I vividly remember Amanda, having taken her own advice, singing at the top of her lungs. We were shaking when we got off the ride, but we were hooked.

I dug up a photo of me enjoying The Colossus in all its glory. (I wish you could see my fabulous perm, complete with totally awesome bangs.)

The ups and downs of this week were not quite so dramatic.

First, my fellow blogger friend Emily at Adventures of a Dog Mom stumbled upon my Life List and was so interested, she decided to come up with her own “bucket list!” Check out her list here. Not only does it feel good to have inspired someone to challenge themselves with new things, but it allowed me to cross of #96: Get a friend to do the challenge with me!

And we all know what a thrill crossing items off of a list can be. AWESOME.

Not awesome? Breaking habits that I really enjoy. Like enjoying a refreshing summer cocktail, or a glass of wine with dinner.  As I mentioned, John and I have taken a break from alcohol and meat. So far, vegetarian cuisine is completely delish, and I’m learning new ways to cook. But I miss pouring a glass of wine while I cook! It’s not a craving for the alcohol- it feels more like being separated from a best friend or missing your family. It’s just better when we’re together.

I also looked at the calendar yesterday, and realized that our sweet Cholula has a date at the vet to be spayed. I hate thinking about my ‘baby’ being in any kind of discomfort- any dog mom or real parent can relate to that feeling. (Extra spoilings ahead!) I also did some quick counting on my fingers (yes, really) and realized that on Wednesday, little Choo Choo will be 9 months old. Eeek! We brought her home on December 11 at exactly 8 weeks old. See?

She’s not so little anymore…

Like any parent, I am happy to see her healthy and loving life. But I am not ready to see her grow up!

NOT AWESOME.

And then this morning, as I scrolled through comments and correspondences on the usual bliss, I received the happy news that I had been nominated for my 4^th blogging award- One Lovely Blog.

Carol Ann over at Painted by the Sun included me in her list of blogs she admires. It’s such an honor to be recognized by fellow bloggers. Thank you, Carol Ann! Please visit Painted by the Sun. It’s filled with unique photos that really look like pieces of art.

As with all of these awards, there are some requests associated with it- I’ll get to those later. For now, I’m going to enjoy the feeling of receiving another gold star!

AWESOME.

I’ll save the champagne for next week!