i got an award!

wow, i've been nominated for an award ... by a person that i didn't even know was reading my blog. i've been reading Dana's blog Of Wool and Water for probably a couple months after she was linked to by another of my fave blogs.

i've got to say that she really inspires me pretty regularly and well ... she's just a cutie.

Here are the rules:

•Be polite, say thank you to the blogger that gave this to you & give 'em a linkback.

•Pass it on to about fifteen other beautiful bloggers that you've recently discovered.

•Link 'em.

•Notify 'em.

•Say seven things about yourself.

ok, so here goes.

My favorites right now include:

Dana at Of Wool and Water beautiful and sweet on a daily basis. thank you Dana.
Al at Al's Musings sometimes pushes my buttons but also sometimes i'm a jerk who needs his boundaries pushed out.
Everett at A Guide to a Satisfying Life is a guy i'd love to meet in real life. there's only an entire continent separating us geographically, that's not too far is it?
Down Goes Brown is a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey blog. the language can be a bit "adult" sometimes, be forewarned.
Abraham at Downhill Both Ways writes beautifully of everyday happenings. very cool.
The Thinklings have a nice mix of cultural savvy, theological knowledge and rubber to asphalt approach that i like.
Mike Todd at Waving or Drowning has inpired me on several levels for close to a year now.
i'm still getting to know Matt at The Church of No people but so far i'm liking the experience.
Jesus or Squirrel , now that place can push your boundaries sometimes
The Fellowship of the Travelling Smarty Pants is a blog written by several contributors and it's pretty ingenious sometimes.
tyler stanton is hilarious

and now, more than 7 things about myself:

i love Wendy and she loves me.
i'm the biggest hockey and baseball fan you know. it gets me in some trouble on those days when i pay WAY too much attention to such things.
i officiate baseball and football although i never really played either game except recreationally after the age of 12.
my dog's name is Maddie and we named her after my wife's favourite author Madeline L'Engle. the dog seems to behave like a cat and i have no idea how she got those habits.
i'm learning the guitar and i have a couple tunes that i LOVE to play. it inspires me.
i bike to work as soon as the snow and ice leaves the road, until then i'm on the bus so that i can work on being green.
we moved to Winnipeg the same summer that the NHL hockey team left town. i fought the move at every turn and now that i'm buried in our church community (the only real reason we moved here) i can't think of living anywhere else. i still want NHL hockey to come back to town though.
i'm a welfare worker and feel really fulfilled in that job, it's a nice niche for me.
i haven't been sleeping well lately. stress.
i've known some dark days but i was loved back into the light.
i love Christmas.
i say some REALLY stupid things sometimes.
powerful influences over my lifetime include: Jesus, Mom and Dad, Wendy, Mrs. Cathcart (my Sunday School teacher as a child), Glenn Shantz (former employer), Larry Norman, Bob Dylan, Mark Heard, Steve Taylor, Bruce Cockburn, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and Wendall Clark (favourite Toronto Maple Leaf), Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Terry Pratchett and Monty Python.