Award Central- My Darts Kick Ass!

Two of my favorite Elaines just awarded me with this! I think it's called the Darts Award (Premio Dardos).

"This award is for bloggers who distinguish themselves for showing cultural values, ethics, great and fun writing skills, as well individual values, through their creative writing."

Thank you, Elaine at The Inscrutable and Elaine at Moments and Thoughts! I'm so appreciative that you both think so highly of me!

The rules are:
1. To accept and show the distinct image
2. Show the link to the blog from which you were given the award
3. Choose 15 blogs to give the Darts Award (Premio Dardos)

There is no way I could pick 15 blogs to pass this on to, so I'm going to just narrow it down to 5.

1) Eric and Emily's Adventures Emily blogs from Brazil, where she and her husband have been for almost a year, living in Belo Horizonte for her husband's job. Emily has a wonderful writing style, and is ever so diplomatic in her observations of her new country (I wish I could be so nice when trying to decipher Brazilian culture!).

2) American in Norway Tressa lives and works in Norway. She writes so honestly about her experiences of living and raising a family in a different culture, and I've learned so much about the country she now calls home. AND she will make you laugh as she relays the antics of everyone around her, including those of her Norwegian mother-in-law.

3) Planet Nomad Elizabeth and her family are just finishing a year back in the States after living in Mauritania, to which they will be returning VERY soon (I think within days). She writes from the heart and is incredibly well versed. A wonderful, insightful blog.

4) The Perlman Update Jill and her family just moved from Israel to India, with a short vacation back in the States in between. It's been fascinating to read how Jill maneuvered through an international move with two small children, all that went into preparing for India, and now that they're there, how they are settling in. Jill is the real deal, and you will love her for it.

5) Hunsucker's Home Phyllis and her husband are missionaries in the Ukraine, after first having served in Russia (where all of their children were born). She embraces the culture and the people, and has shown me a part of the world on an intimate level that I otherwise would never have seen.

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And then, American in Norway went and gave me with THIS!

It's the coveted Kick Ass Blogger award!

Sweet!! Thank you so much, Tressa.

Here are the rules.
1) Pick 5 Bloggers that you feel are Kick Ass Bloggers
2) Let em' know in your post or via email, twitter or blog comments that they've received an award
3) Share the love and link back to both the person who awarded you and back to Kick ASS Blogger Award
4) Hop on back to the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ to sign Mr. Linky then pass it on (which you can also get to on the above link).

Okay, so here are the five blogs that I think totally rock and KICK ASS.

1) Mommy Pie Mommy Pie draws you in with, well, with PIE, but then you stick around 'cause it's one of the best blogs out there. She has a gift for coming up with creative ways to get her readers involved. Oh, and watch out for the sarcastic wit. Her pie has a lot of it.

2) More Than A Minivan Mom Minivan Mom is opinionated in the most marvelous way. She can hold her own, that's for sure. Her writing is flawless, and often expands beyond the typical topics to really make you think. And then there's her sense of humor, shining through it all.

3) Stretch Marks I hardly ever leave Melissa's blog without laughing my ass off. Which is great in lieu of exercise, of which I'm sure she'd agree. And the times when she's serious, you leave her blog feeling blessed to have read her words. Quite the combo.

4) Mommy Learns To Blog Rachael is an awesome new blogger. After two recent back surgeries, she suffers from terrible back pain, but still tries to live life to its fullest. I find her view of the world an inspiration.

5) Barking Mad If there ever was a kick ass blog, Aud's is it. And not only because she's not afraid to smack down a troll or two. She's honest to the point of being raw, and wildly funny. You learn a thing or two about life and how best to go about it from her writing.

And there you go!