The Friendship Award

Thanks to Gail & Michelle for passing this award onto me.

Gail at Aging with Grace is a relatively new bloggy friend, but I am so excited to say that she is soon going to be an IRL friend when I meet her at the PFP photography workshop in May. Gail just posted her 300th post and is doing an awesome giveaway, so pop over, say "hello" and meet her adorable kids. You just might walk away with a new friend AND a beautiful necklace!

Michelle at Day by Day is an inspiration to me in so many ways. She is an amazing mom to her four kids and well... I just adore her. If you haven't yet met Michelle, I highly suggest to stop by for a visit.

So here is how this award works:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find friends and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships will be propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly- written text into the body of their award."

Now, passing on awards is very challenging for me. I typically postpone responding because I don't like to hurt anyone's feelings by not awarding someone that is truly deserving. I have been blessed to meet so many wonderful people through blogging, it is so hard to just pick 8. But, I'm just going to peel this one off really quickly... like a band aid... and not procrastinate on this one, but please know there are more I would like to include on this list! I thank all these ladies for their friendship:

Heather at Welcome to Our Little Ladybugs - Heather just blesses me with her friendship. I have learned so much from her. Her precious girls just amaze me with their heart for Jesus... something I have no doubt that they learned from their Mama. She is a gifted writer, an amazing mom and a true friend in every sense of the word.

Lisa at Little Bits of Lindy - Lisa has been taking a bit of a blogging break lately, but Lisa just writes the sweetest notes and emails and I feel as if I have known her forever. She has the cutest little daughter and is waiting for a referral for a second. When I first learned that she and Heather were great friends IRL, it came as no surprise. They are both such amazing women.

Amie at Heart Smiles - Amie just puts a big ol' smile on my face. All. The. Time. Her blog could not be more appropriately named and is guaranteed to make your heart smile as she shares stories of her 7 children (Yes, 7!) and her passion for helping other people. Amie was among the first people I spoke with when we decided to adopt "D" and she's still my friend even though I could barely put two words together in all the excitement. (Thanks, Amie!)

Rebecca at China, Baby- Rebecca just returned from China with her gorgeous little Owen, so I know she probably won't even know I awarded this to her for quite some time, but Rebecca will always hold a special place in my heart for leading us to our future daughter.

Faye at Twice Upon a Time - I met Faye when I joined our local FCC play group last year and we also take our girls to Chinese language class together. Faye just makes me laugh, I feel as if we are old high school friends, I adore her daughter Alex, and she is getting ready to travel soon to bring home another beautiful daughter from China. (YEAH!) And you should see the two of us Mamarazzi at a playgroup. Oh, just watch out! :)

Stacy at Buckeyes Back Home - Like Faye, I met Stacy through our local FCC play group. Stacy has a beautiful little Mia, too, and I love that blogging allows us to keep in touch even when we don't have any play dates planned.

Tisha at Privyet, Mei Mei - Tisha is relatively new to Blogland, but you might recognize her and her beautiful family from My Adoption Website. Like our family, she has a child from Russia and a child from China, so I have felt a connection with her from the beginning. She writes the most thoughtful comments and I feel this award is very fitting for her.

Leslie at My Girls - I can't possibly do a friendship award and leave out Leslie. Leslie was one of the first friends I met through blogging and I feel as if we go way back. We talk about getting together all the time, but just haven't been able to make it a reality. She has wonderful friends who blog, too. (Shout out to Marla, Felicia and Patty!) And I can't wait for the day we can have a play date with all our girls.