Fill in the blank Friday....

I'm stepping out of my comfort zone here, people. I don't tend to think of myself as a "blogger". I have chosen this outlet as my virtual punching bag, a place where I can spew venom, make funnies and occasionally overshare about my life. There are a few of you who are regular readers, and in my head I refer to you as FRIENDS, not FOLLOWERS.

The blog world is one I am unfamiliar with. I don't know what memes are, I don't have a bunch o' badges, never won any of those "THIS BLOG ROCKS" awards. I come here, I type, I fret about whether or not anyone gets what I mean, I click on the PUBLISH POST button and then walk away (ok so yeah maybe I don't walk away immediately, maybe I go back to facebook and stalk see what my 490 closest friends are doing).

Point is, I've never felt like I am part of the Blogosphere. Today, I'm getting out of my box. I'm venturing out and actually taking part in a bloggy thing. You may have noticed the new BlogHer banner up at the top of my blog. "They like me, they really like me" she whisper/shrieks in her head. I'm taking steps to become a legitimate blogger. And by legitimate, I have no idea what I mean. But I am going to try and do some regular posts, some reviews of things that I use and love (or use and loathe, like AT&T...). I'm going all Activia on this blog, bitches. That's what I'm saying. Got that, Jamie Lee Curtis?

One of my favorite blogs is Linny's Vault. She was one of the first people whom I am not friends with in real life who took time to comment on my blog. She does this thing called Fill in The Blank Friday which I've always enjoyed reading. As I read hers this morning, I thought to myself: Self, you should do this, and then link to the blog that Lin links to. Self balked, and stammered back at me: But Self, what if no one reads it? What if you once again become that frizzy haired, short legged girl trying to pipe up at the lunch table, trying to be part of the cool crowd? I then realized that I was not only talking to myself, I was referring to myself in the third person. Or is it second person? Whatever. I was tiptoeing into Crazy Territory. So I stopped.

Anyhoo. Here is my Fill in the Blank Friday.

1. One of my happiest moments ever was last summer, up at my BFF's cabin. I don't ever recall seeing my kids look so relaxed, so carefree, so happy. That made me happy.

2. Summer is wedding season and weddings are Nice. I haven't been to a wedding in ages (the last one was the wedding of my former sister in law, where I drank too many Cosmopolitans with my former mother in law and ended up weeping in my former father in law's car). But in general, I heart weddings. They always make me cry, but good tears. It's such a symbol of beginnings, of love, of hope.

3. This summer Has been the hottest, most humid mother-effing summer I have ever lived through. I've held it together, though, and only cried once. That was on Wednesday, I took Henry and William to Costco with me and as we walked out it was like being hugged by a giant sweaty John Goodman. That blast of heat, combined with the usual horror of watching people eat their samples, the uncomfortable chafing inside my swampy pants and my two chimpanzees throwing all sorts of random shit into the cart pushed me over the edge. I cried as I unloaded the stuff into my truck. I am so ready for fall.

4. My summer food of choice has been Ummm...have we met? I just like food in general. I guess if I had to pin one down as a summer meal, it would be the marinated flank steak I make, using the recipe that my friend Kelly generously shared with me. It's divine. Slice it up, serve it with some grilled asparagus and some baby potatoes from the Farmer's Market, and voila. The kids inhale it. If there are any leftovers, it makes awesome beef fried rice.

5. My summer uniform has been Either my big girl quick dry black workout capris (we've been hitting the gym almost daily as a family, woooot!!) or else my Gap rolled up cropped jeans. The inner thighs have completely disintegrated now though, so I have to be careful. God forbid anyone gets a flash of the fish belly sexiness down yonder. I have also discovered Fit Flops this summer...comfiest shoes EVER and dare I say, a step up the feminine ladder from my standard Keens.

6. If I could spend the entire summer in one location I would choose a cabin up north, with the kids and of course with regular visits by my hens.

7. My summer anthem is "Blister in the Sun" by the Violent Femmes. Don't know why, but when it's hot and sunny out, that song pops into my head. Big hands, you know you're the one....good times.

And that's it people. If you have a blog, give "Fill in the blank Friday" a try. Then you can link to the little things we do and spread the blog love.

Happy Friday, my friends ♥