Honesty is such a lonely word

I've got about a half-dozen blog awards that I'm supposed to be giving out, and since I can't seem to think of anything to write tonight, I guess now is as good a time as any to start!

And I'm starting with my favorite one ... Vanessa at Crazy Says What gave me an Honesty award, which is quite the honor as honesty is something I strive for here at The Modern Gal.


The honorees are to:

A) first list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep!
B) pass the award on to 4 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

While I seem to have no problem rambling on about the aftereffects of my breakup, I've struggled with coming up with 10 thinngs about myself that are both honest and interesting. They're definitely all honest. I apologize if they're uninteresting. Also, I apologize if you've heard any of these before.

1. I'm an only child. I have many of the personality quirks of an only child but not all of them. My best friend as a little girl was an only child as were several other friends I had growing up. Two of my three closest friends now are only children. I don't think that's a coincidence.
2. My mother is the 10th of 11 children, which probably has something to do with the previous item. My father has only one sister, but she's 19 years older than him.
3. I put on my first pair of skis as a 3-year-old. I also went to my first St. Louis Cardinals game that same year. Twenty-three years later I'm still obsessed with both activities.
4. I consider losing those 20 pounds to be one of my greater achievements. By the way, I love the furry little orange hungry monster on the new Weight Watchers commercials.
5. Losing my Grandma was probably one of the most difficult things I've had to go through.
6. I love reading my horoscope. I don't take it terribly serious, but I think it's amazing that my zodiac sign really does represent my personality well. So does my Chinese sign.
7. I don't really talk about it much to anyone, but I'm a very devout Catholic. I was raised that way, but I've done plenty of my own exploring of other religions. I've been to a number of Protestant services, attended temple on Shabbat and participated in Zen practice groups. I enjoyed it all (well, almost all), but I don't think I'll be converting any time soon.
8. As a child my favorite thing to touch was the fur on my favorite stuffed animal, a little dog appropriately named Doggie. Now my favorite thing to touch is the super-soft fur on Lucydog's muzzle.
9. You've probably figured this out on your own, but I absolutely and simultaneously love and hate my job. I wish I could say what it is, but most people think it's cool -- and it is. Except for when it sucks.
10.  Confession: You all know I love Elvis ... now. But as a kid growing up in Memphis, I thought he was ridiculous. Also, I've been to the gates of Graceland no fewer than three times, but I've never been inside the mansion. I guess I'm just waiting for the right person to join me.

Ok, now for the four bloggers. I'm picking four whose honesty I admire, but if you don't want to do the 10 honest things about yourself, that won't hurt my feelings. (And there are a number of other bloggers whose honesty I admire ... these were just the first four who came to mind).

• Noelle at The Daily Tannenbaum
• Allie at Incidents and Accidents and Allie's Answers
• Mel at Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Your Boyfriend
• K at Wannabe Reality Star