On a personal note … thank you

One of the most rewarding things about being a part of Voices of the Past is meeting all of the wonderful people who are using new media to inspire connections to heritage values throughout the world.  Recently, I was fortunate to visit with the wonderful Lisa Louise Cooke of the Genealogy Gems blog and podcast. Lisa exudes positive energy, and we’re fortunate that she’s passed some of that on to Voices of the Past with the Kreativ Blogger award.

The purpose of this award is to recognize bloggers that are making a difference and give them a tool to personally connect to their audiences. As part of this, I have to reveal seven things you may not know about me:

1. Appropriate for the season: I have nearly 40 snowman candles. The collection began when I was five and continued as various folks gifted me with these candles over the course of several Christmases. Since realizing the coincidence, I’ve continued adding to the collection each year.
2. The animal in me is a bat.
3. After decades of thinking it was the world’s most insane sport, I recently took up boxing.
4. I’m obsessed with the television show Mad Men and can quote lines from each episode.
5. I nearly died of a rattlesnake bite when I was three years old. Still have a depression from the bite in my right foot.
6. My five-year-old regularly challenges me to philosophical arguments, most of which end with me telling her “go play.”
7. I recently discovered by accident that I’m descended from an overseer whose journals are the basis for most of what we know about 19th century plantation culture in my area.

And now it’s my turn to extend the Kreativ Blogger award to seven bloggers I admire. These folks challenge my thinking, broaden my horizons and make me laugh.

1. http://pasthorizons.com – the authoritative resource for archaeology news, presented with the latest web technologies.
2. http://sherritalley.com – A TV news anchor in my area whose blog is a pure hoot.
3. http://myhometownohio.blogharbor.com/ – A statewide blog run by a Facebook buddy who shares my obsession with helping folks communicate heritage online.
4. http://dancull.wordpress.com/ – The geekiness of conservation made fascinating. Plus, he’s British.
5. http://blog.terryhershey.com/ – The weekly Sabbath Moment instantly lowers my blood pressure 10 points. Read it and … pause.
6. http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/ – Authored by the first person I ever interviewed for this site. The gold standard for writing and thought leadership in a heritage blog.
7. http://lorelle.wordpress.com/ – Fairy Blogmother to me and too many others to name. She literally gave “Voices of the Past” its name, and defines what it means to be a blogger that makes a difference in the lives of people.

Thanks to you for joining us for the Voices of the Past journey in 2009. We look forward to bringing you more of the best heritage bloggers and new media professionals in the coming year.