THINKING BLOGGER

Ok so you in case you missed it, the other day I posted about the fact Amanda over at Life, Vegas! Style had given me a 'thinking blogger award. Click HERE to read the post. So now it is my turn to give some of my favorite blogs the same honor.

The rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think

2. Link to the original post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' in the post that you wrote

I have been thinking about this over the last few days. I love most of the blogs that I read, but there are a few that stand out for one reason or another. I am actually going to cheat a little because I am only going to make mention of 4 blogs. Mainly because Amanda would have been one of my five but I have already talked about her and she already received the thinking blogger award. And so here they are. (in no particular order)

1. Organized Chaos - I came to know Jodi's blog through a friend of mine and I am so glad I did. Jodi is a mother of FIVE kids, all under the age of 11. Everyday I look forward to reading her posts and learning what adventures she might be on with her kids that day. She is a constant reminder to me of so many things. Most importantly how blessed we truly are in this life and how important family is. I am inspired by her and her love for her family.

2. In My Shoes - Leslie sometimes finds ways to get the wheels in my head turning with a simple sentence. Her and her husband are pastors up in Canada. Her blog posts are generally short and to the point. Which is what I love about her blog, because even in those short posts she is sometimes able to spark something in you, in your mind and in your heart. Her love for God, her family and her church community is something we should all be inspired by.

3. With A Twist And A Turn She Gets Her Wish - I met Carly at a wedding last year and later found out she had a blog. Whenever I start reading a new blog I always wonder whether I will be able to be sucked in and return everyday. With Carly's blog I was hooked the first time I read it. She is not afraid to say what is on her mind and I love that about her blog. I know that I am definitely guarded about a lot of the things I write on here, and I am sure so is she on some levels, but her way with her words and her sheer honesty is something I totally love. I love her style of writing and her view on so many different topics constantly has me thinking.

4. Family of Five - This is a private blog so I cannot post the link for you all. This has to be one of my favorite blogs for the simple reason is that it is as real as it gets. I am inspired by her love for her husband and her children. The realness of her posts shows her heart in times of joy and time of trials and sorrow. She is a constant reminder to me of the things that matter most, and her stories of her children constantly make me smile.

So there you have it. Please do not be offended if I did not make mention of your blog. I love all of the blogs that I visit. If I didn't I wouldn't visit you. These were just a few that really stand out for me.

On a side note. A couple of weeks ago I decided to be brave and submit my blog to be "critiqued" over at Critique My Blog. I constantly am convincing myself that I am not a good writer and that my blog is boring. But I took the plunge and let a total stranger offer their opinion on my blog. Between this and Amanda it has given me some encouragment and a little bit of an ego boost. Here is a snippet of what was said about me at Critique My Blog:

"We have some staying power here with this blog being born in 2004...I would add a site meter ( http://www.sitemeter.com/ ) to see how many visitors you have coming to your blog. The content and writing is great, I particularly liked the recent post about Privacy...I am with you there...only I use the men's room :)
Keep up the great work and keep the blog rolling"

There was mention of my background and it being too much. But as you know I have that up for the purpose of the blog off and will change it back to something else afterwards. While I realize it might be a bit much, that was kinda my point:)

SO there you have it! Are you up for having YOUR blog critiqued? Go for it, i dare ya, I double dog dare ya;) Props to the person who knows what movie that is from?!?