Haunts Jaunts Extends a Friendship Blog Award to These 8 Blogs

Yesterday I saw an email from my good pal, Lisa Logan (who I introduced here last week who'll be making a guest post), saying she'd given me a friendship blog award or some such on her blog, Writing in My Wildest Dreams.

"Huh?" I thought, confused.

See, I'd had a rather exhausting weekend. I haven't seen my dad since March 2008, when I made an emergency trip back to Denver when my mom went into the hospital. That trip was the beginning of what turned into what I'll probably come to call my Catastrophe Year.

(I ended up moving my mom back to Nashville with me because not only was she diagnosed with lung cancer while she was in the hospital, but she also had dementia and doctors determined she could no longer live alone. That was just the beginning of it all. I keep hoping with my hitchhiker being in remission that the dark days of my Catastrophe Year are behind me, but....)

That brings me back to my dad. Wayne and I went up to Indiana to see him because he flew in from Denver for a high school reunion and to stay with his sister. We drove up to see him because now his health is failing. His girlfriend is exhausted trying to keep up with all his doctor appointments and hospital stays, so... I once again feel the pressure to help like I felt when my mom took a turn for the worst. Except his situation is different from my mom's in a lot of respects. Different complications and considerations and my mind hasn't been still for the past four days trying to figure out what to do about it all.

So to see this award from Lisa was just that little bit of a happy booster that I needed. To remind me that there is a lighter and happier side to life. One I want to participate in too. With that said, here's how I'm participating today: By extending some "Let's Be Friends Awards" myself!

ABOUT THE AWARD:

Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find 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 are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.

I'd hereby like to deliver this award to the following exceedingly charming, friendly bloggers:

1. Lisa Logan of Writing in My Wildest Dreams (back atcha babe!): I think that not only is Lisa one of the most talented, creative, and on the verge of breaking it BIG writers I know, I LOVE her theme days, especially that Wild Dream Wednesday!
2. Chris Verstraete of the Candid Canine: I was honored she let me read her Searching for a Starry Night and fall in love with her Sam character long before it found a publisher...and then to be there biting my nails with her as she awaited responses to submissions, rejoiced with her during her acceptance, lived vicariously through her as it found publication, and celebrated with her when it became a 2009 EPPIE Finalist. To top it off, she's developed a great blog that lets others celebrate her journey too.
3. AutumnForest of Ghost Hunting Theories: I had been interested in her blog, but didn't know who she was until I clicked through to her profile after she consistently left comments on mine. Then I was even more honored she was commenting because here I've been such an admirer of the hard work she puts in over at her blog. (Not to mention all the interesting theories she proposes, some of which I'm convinced might either revolutionize ghost hunting techniques or change the way ghost hunters view their data.)
4. Mike and Julie at Above the Norm: I found them via Ghost Hunting Theories and immediately respected them. They're my kind of people! All things paranormal intrigue them, so they include just about everything in their blog: TV and movie reviews, book excerpts (that they're writing), thoughts in general...it's very interesting and entertaining stuff!
5. Tom G of Dark Destinations: I stumbled across this blog thanks to a link in a Google Alert. I immediately respected it and became a follower because it's a variation of the same thing Haunt Jaunts is. (Its tagline: The online travel guide to the mysterious and macabre...)
6. ATrueOriginall of The Paranormal Casebook: This blog is way rocking. I admire ATrueOriginall because she relentlessly posts clip after clip of daily paranormal news. How she does it, I don't know, but she's made herself an authority and a respected one at that among a ton of bloggers who share an interest in the paranormal and unexplained.
7. Phantoms & Monsters: I don't know who's behind this blog, but I like the stories they post. Often it's reprises of stories published elsewhere with links to the original piece. I also dig, dig, dig their header graphic. Creepy...
8. Nick Redfern's There's Something in These Woods: This blog mainly focuses on another side of the paranormal: cryptozoology. From Bigfoot to werewolves to vampires and other creatures that we know as myths or from legends, Nick sets out to find evidence of their existence. I like following to see what new creatures I'll learn about. (Some are just legend, their existence hasn't been proven, but they're beasts I've never heard of. I always like expanding my horizons!)