2005--The Year of the Blogger

Blogs have apparently been around for a while. However, this year they clearly became the thing to do. So I did. As did all of you.

One of my favorite things about the end of the year is when news and entertainment shows highlight all of the amazing things that have happened in the last twelve months. I decided to do the same thing within our little blog community--a blog year in review. However, as I got started reviewing the many blogs, my focus changed a bit. Rather than pick a highlight from each blog, I have designated an award to each blogger for a specific reason. If I was actually handing out awards, the trophy would be Oscar-esque and most likely filled with chocolate. Pretend to enjoy. And let's get started! In no particular order (actually, in alphabetical order), here are the winners of the 2005 Bloggies!

The award for the funniest story ever goes to Ashley. You have to read it yourself to get a real feel for the story, but basically she fell off a treadmill. More than one time. And didn't give up. For that, she is my hero.

The award for the LONGEST post EVER goes to Bruce. I can't make a link to the specific post, but it is from December 9th. It seems that I am not the only person to think this was too long, as there are no comments. Sorry, Bruce.

The award for the best pictures goes to Christi. Christi doesn't write without also posting a picture, and I love them all.

The award for the most random web site links goes to my husband, Dan. The sites he recommends are both funny and frightening. My personal favorite? The mullets galore. Need I say more?

The award for the best Napoleon Dynamite dance rendition goes to David. I had a chance to see this in person at a wedding in May, and it was disturbingly amazing. Please check out the video. Bravo, David!

The award for the best save of a potential disaster goes to Diane. I sent the Patricks a package containing ingredients (sans the butter and eggs) for cookies. When Diane decided to make them, she almost used pure pork lard instead of butter. Darn language barrier. Luckily, she realized the mistake and was able to use margarine.

The award for the best addition to blogworld goes to Gloria. Gloria brought us Talia Grace in November. We even threw a virtual baby shower. My gift was a cat.

The award for referencing one of my favorite books goes to Heather. If you haven't yet checked out Blue Like Jazz, I can't say enough good things about it. Read it!

The award for the most blogs in one day goes to Jaime. On two different occasions (July 12 and August 24), Jamie posted three times in one day! Go Jaime! You could teach Joel a thing or two. (We'll get there...).

The award for the best non-blogspot site goes to Jan. Typepad has done lovely things for Jan. I like the layout and look of her blog very much. But I hear it costs money. Blogspot is free. Such a dilemma.

The award for the largest number of unnatural hair colors in less than a year goes to Jeff. My personal favorite was green. Very Irish. However, I'm glad his hair is back to normal.

The award for the fewest posts since beginning in May goes to Joel. May 19th seemed like an exciting day--we were gaining a new blogger. However, that was the first of a total of five posts. I will say that the quality of his posts ALMOST makes up for the quantity. But the quality just makes us all wish they came more frequently!

The award for the most spam comments on one entry goes to my mother-in-law, Joy. I enjoy spam comments. I don't enjoy getting them, but I do enjoy reading them when they have infected someone else. I mean, where else can you get information on aneurysm surgery and see the phrase, "My blog is just about my day to day life, as a park ranger" in the same place?

The award for the best childhood Halloween costume goes to Judy. Check it out. Need I say more?

The award for the best pretend life goes to Julie. I had a dream about Julie. She met and married a rock star and it changed her life. Julie took this story all the way, and it totally made my day!

The award for the cutest blog kids goes to Lalimama. She has showcased both her daughter and her son, and both are just too adorable for words.

The award for the best handling of an annoying client goes to Lisa. Everything ended up turning out okay, but this guy was a piece of work. Nicely done, Lisa.

The award for the most links to other blogs goes to Matt G. (Jan lost this one by 2). Matt must have a lot of friends. Or he just wants it to look that way. Just kidding, friend.

The award for the best published work goes to Matt M. I have had the chance to see this book in person, and it's fabulous!

The award for the most frequent posting goes to Matt P. Matt is in Slovakia and posts EVERY DAY to update us on the goings-on of his life across the sea. Frankly, there's no one else I would rather read this much about, so one else should aim for this kind of posting. Unless you move to another country and have lots to say, of course.

The award for the best photo of himself goes to Mike. There really isn't anything more to say about this one. Go Mike!

The award for the best photography HANDS DOWN goes to Scott. He has a truly amazing gift and I'm so glad he shares it.

The award for the funniest link to a video clip goes to Tim. This made me laugh out loud.

The award for the best weird world experience (number 5382, to be exact) goes to Tonya. At a recent Christmas concert, Steven Curtis Chapman asked the audience to hold up their lit cell phones (in leiu of lighters, of course). How 21st century of him!

There you have it. Congratulations to all of our winners!

Happy New Year! And happy blogging in 2006!