Thursday, August 30, 2007

Who are you proud of?

A few days ago I was talking with a friend about how no matter how good and fulfilling you childhood is, you always grow up to crave something. (That's our theory anyway.) It might be love or attention or security or any other number of things. When my friend asked me what I crave I responded "I crave knowing that my parents are proud of me ...... and chocolate."

So in honor of those two cravings of mine that never go away I'm going to have my very first blog contest! Check it out!

The Rules
1. Leave a comment on this post by 11:59 PM, September 4th.
2. Tell me in your comment who you are proud of and why.
3. Be sure to include a way for me to get in touch with you in case you are the winner. It's ok if you don't have a blog, just leave your email address.
4. If you do have a blog, mention this contest on it so that more people can get in on the fun!
5. Winner will be chosen at random from all qualifying entries. I will contact you if you are the winner.

The Prize
Chocolate! In M&M form! One lucky winner will receive one tube of Mini M&Ms and one bag each of Dark Chocolate M&Ms, Milk Chocolate M&Ms, Peanut M&Ms, Peanut Butter M&Ms, Almond M&Ms and Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms. And to make the deal even a little sweeter I'm going to throw in a super secret suprise. Can you even stand the excitment? If I am able to track down any more varieties of M&Ms I will add them to the prize.

Have fun and good luck!

19 comments:

Al said...

I know this isn't a winner, but I'm proud of myself. and it's taken me a long time to feel that way.

I'm excited to see what others will write!

StickyKeys said...

I'm proud of a lot of people which is quite fun in and of itself. I'll tell you one which is my mom.

With a bad marriage (I love my daddy but he was a bad husband), a sucky family (her mom and her sister didn't love her nearly as much as they needed too and she'll never admit it), breast cancer twice in both breasts, a nicked lung and no hair because of the treatment, and she still manages to face her 60th birthday with a smile on her face.

She's lost a lot along the way and she cherishes the past, but she also has warm technicolor hopes for the future. She's the perfect model of unconditional parental love, and my hero. Everyday I learn something new from her and can't wait for the day I make her as proud as she's made me.

CamiKaos said...

I'm proud of my husband. He works hard day in and day out for our family. He does everything he needs to do for us and still manages to eek out a sense of self, and to be the most wonderful man I've ever known.

you know how to reach me yes?

www.camikaos.com I'll mention your chocolaty contest tomorrow... The post I wrote for tomorrow lends itself well...

Anonymous said...

Woman! Chocolate as a prize! This is the bestest contest ever!

I am proud of my sons, all four of them and I talk about my younger 3 on my blog. But my oldest son, throughout his difficult, rebellious teen years lovingly accepted 3 younger brothers by adoption into his heart...unconditionally. Three younger brothers that required a tremendous amount of our (his parents) attention and resources. That is not an easy thing to do for a young teen, and I have not talked about it before.

My oldest son is now an adult living his own life, but never forgetting his younger brothers. He would die for them. He would raise them should anything happen to his dad or me. That's a big responsibility for a 26 year old young man to volunteer for, and I just adore him.

Unknown said...

I am proud of my husband, a Chaplain in the Army. He (we) left a safe, comfortable life to make a difference with soldiers and their families. He's leaving in a few months for his second deployment to Iraq and I'm inexpressibly proud of the way he cares for his soldiers in that horrible place.

If I were to win, the chocolate would probably be used as rewards for good behavior for our three kids while he is gone. Or... comfort food for me. LOL!!

Anonymous said...

I'm proud of my Mom. She recently went back to school and is in a grueling MA program. School has always been easy for me, but not for her. She works so hard. I swear if it was as hard for me as it is for her, I never would have made it as far as she has.

Pickel said...

This is why I am proud of my son.
http://adopttwoboys.blogspot.com/2007/08/what-difference-year-makes.html

Pickel said...

Well, that didn't work. The post is What a difference a year makes.

Anonymous said...

I'm proud of my son. Just 16 this year and showing so much responsibility and common sense - where did this child come from? He's clean cut, popular with kids from all over, leader, funny, self confident and knows when to say 'no thanks'. When his best friend had friends over and one of them ended up in hospital with alcohol poisoning, my son was at home with us. Knows how to make me laugh and how to laugh at himself - if I ever grow up, I want to be like him! Then, like shyestviolet, I can be proud of myself, too.

Cari said...

Coming your way from Melody Is Slurping Life.

I'm proud of my brother. My dad died in December and he has been running his own farm and my Mom & Dad's since then.

That's only one of the reasons I'm proud of him...

sissy said...

I am proud of my dad. He is the most selfless person I know. He did 2 tours in Vietnam so that my brother could stay in 1 place and get the therapy he needed. He pumped gas to feed his family rather than go on unemployment when he returned. He raised me and my handicapped brother. He survived a knife attack (he was stabbed 13 times in a violent attack) and still manages to be kindhearted. He now cares for my mom who has dementia, so he has to deal with her "issues" and cook and clean. He is also the leader of his family, and as the eldest he watches over and cares for his 7 younger siblings. He is truly amazing and I love him dearly.

Anonymous said...

What a neat contest!!

I'm proud of my children...our fifth child was born with jejunal atresia which resulted in the loss of most of his small bowel. We had to relocate our family for 6 months, living in the local Ronald McDonald House. Each of the children loved to come visit their brother in the hospital. We were able to bring Gus home where he was treated just like a normal little brother. Nik, my oldest son, helped me when Gus would pull out his ng tube...it had to be replaced and Nik was great at holding him just right! Nik also helped me when I changed his central line dressing which we did weekly. Jake loved to help draw up meds and mix Gus' TPN...he was also super good at including Gus in all of the "action"...Jake never once pulled out Gus' central line which was a miracle. They played hard! Belle loved to give Gus his meds through his ng tube. She would push the meds and Gus would just look at her and grin ear to ear! She would also make sure that he got his "tour" of the house by placing him in her doll stroller and strolling around the house. He was just the right size for that stroller! lol! Anyway...these kids were troopers and were wonderful helpers. Not only did they develop hearts for those who are medically fragile. Gus died last May while waiting on a liver/small bowel transplant. All three kids talk of him often and we all agree that we can't wait to be reunited with him in Heaven. I am so completely proud of all my children: Nik, Jake, Belle, Sam(died 19 weeks in utero) and Gus...God has blessed me immensely!

Anonymous said...

I'm proud of my dad for the way he takes care of people - and not just family. He works hard, doesn't complain about it, and is always willing to help even when he doesn't get anything in return.

Nicole
ikkinlala AT yahoo DOT ca

Crystal said...

I found you on Jenny up the Hill's blog.

I'm proud of lots of people, but the dearest to me is my husband. He is always making me proud with how hard he works, even when he doesn't feel like it. He has a chronic severe back condition that leaves him in pain 24/7, but he still works harder than anyone else in his office. He's also very intelligent and sweet. :)

Anonymous said...

Whee...that sounds fun.

If I wasn't so hungover on chocolate...I'd enter...But if I see any chocolate in the next month, I may get ill....

I can't wait to read what others have to say....

Anonymous said...

I’m proud of my family. Not just my husband and daughters, but my brothers, sisters, and their families, and my mom and dad. We’ve had some very difficult times as a family, but that has not stood in the way of us sticking by each other. If anything I think it’s made us better at it. If there is something going on with one of us, there is always someone there to remind us that we are not in it alone. It may not always be the same person, but we look out for each other in a way that makes me feel loved and cared for. And really, what more could you want from a family than that?

Anonymous said...

I am so proud of the man, husband, and father that my son has become. Every time I see him interacting with his wife and children, my heart bursts with joy and pride. I often think of him as a little boy (with Moms that never goes away!), but he has grown into a very good man!!

Ferdinand the Duck said...

Oh, good. I thought I missed this yesterday when I spent the entire day trying to hack into my phone so I could use mp3s as ringtones (I did it, and I'm proud of myself for it, but that's not my answer) but I have until 11:59!

I'm proud of my best friend. She's 26 and an only child, and her father passed away last week, just a few years after her mom died of cancer. I can't imagine having to deal with even a fraction of the pain and heartbreak that she's had to deal with in the past few years. Like, I would have laid down and given up long ago. I just wish I could make everything...less unfair for her. But she's so strong, and so inspiring, and I love her so much and I'm very proud of her.

Annette Lyon said...

In my time zone it's still before midnight. :) Here's my proud moment:

My son, my first baby, just started junior high. That in and of itself is sick and wrong; he cannot possibly be that old (neither can I!). Going into the caverns of the big school is scary enough for that age group, but I worried for my little guy more than some. He’s an August baby, which means he’s the youngest of his grade. Plus, he’s a bit shorter than the rest of his grade.

On top of all that, somehow I managed to get a son who is a grown woman’s dream: he’s sensitive and caring and has a tender heart of gold. Those very same attributes for a brand new seventh grader can easily result in being a bleeding cow in a pool of eighth and ninth grade piranhas.

With his age, height, and sensitivity, I worried how he’d cope with the emotional rigors that simply did not exist in grade school. But he walked into school with a fearless optimism and drive that I wish I had possessed when I entered college as a freshman.

The second week of school he tried out for the school play. As always, he wore his heart on his sleeve, desperately wanting a role. When he didn’t get it, he came home crushed and defeated. Again, maternal worry kicked into overdrive as I wondered what the next months would bring, whether he’d spiral into a depression, hate school, want to give up.

How wrong I was.

The very next day after school let out, he called me from the office. “Mom, they have jazz band tryouts, and they need a pianist. I’m going to audition. Can you bring me some of my music?” After I managed to shut my jaw, I agreed and drove to the school, where he waited for me outside, his cheeks flushed with excitement over something else he wanted to pursue.

As he ran back in, I shook my head in wonder and smiled to myself. Talk about getting right back onto the horse, I thought. I was so proud of him.

He did make it as the jazz pianist, but the practice schedule didn’t work out with his other activities, so he won’t be doing it. When he found out that it didn’t work, he just shrugged it off with an, “oh well.” But I think I detected a glimmer in his eye that said he knew he had talent and that next time he was going to try for something, he would have the confidence to walk in with his head held high.

Mommy couldn’t be prouder of the young man who used to be her baby boy.