The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth

When I posted my response to the "Creative Writer" blog award on Friday, I promised that I would post the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth here on Monday, which is today. So, here's the reveal:

1. I have snorkeled with sea turtles, barracudas, and stingrays, but not sharks or dolphins.

This is FALSE. I have snorkeled with ALL of these creatures. The sharks were small lemon or nurse sharks, not great whites or anything truly scary. My long-term blog readers should have known this was false because last January I posted a photo of me swimming with dolphins in Mexico.

2. I love to ski the green (beginner), blue (intermediate), and single black diamond (advanced) ski slopes of my home state of Colorado, but I stay off the double-black diamond (expert) slopes.

This is FALSE. I do NOT enjoy the easy green slopes, which I find boring, and I DO go on the double-black diamond slopes, especially when I'm skiing with my husband or son. Tricky, tricky!

3. I broke my arm on the playground when I was young, then danced the Virginia Reel with it afterward because I didn't want to miss the dance.

This is FALSE. This actually happened to my brother in elementary school, but not to me.

4. I wore a walking cast for six weeks after dancing on a bar at a college fraternity party and slipping on a beer puddle and falling.

This is TRUE. Yep, I loved to party in college. :-) The ankle wasn't actually broken. The doctor told me I pulled a ligament away from the bone, which was worse than a break. After the walking cast came off, it took months of swimming with my leg trailing behind me, then kicking more & more vigorously, to get that ankle back in shape.

5. I've hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru.

This is FALSE. This adventure is on my "bucket list," but I haven't done it yet. Check back in a few years!

6. I used to have a car vanity license plate that read FAKE IQ.

This is TRUE. When I was a software engineer, I used to do work in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Under the license plate, I placed a bumper sticker that read, "Artificial Intelligence, it's for real!" Other drivers still snickered and pointed at the blonde in the driver's seat, though. ;-)

7. I've spent a night in jail.

This is FALSE. I did go through the El Paso County Sheriff's Citizen's Academy, which included a full-shift ride-along with a police officer and a tour of the county jail, but it did not include spending the night there.

So, how did you do? Did you have me pegged or did I fool you?

"Creative Writer" Blog Award

Some of my fellow bloggers have decided to nominate me for this award. This fun award was created by Lesa Holstein at Lesa's Book Critiques. Are authors natural born liars? That seems to be the point of this blogosphere game.


The rules for this award are fairly simple.

Recipients must -
1. Thank the person who gave this to you. (Thanks Sue Ann Jaffarian, Maryann Miller, and Keith Raffel)
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person(s) who nominated you. (See #1)
4. Tell us up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth (or the other way around). (See below.)
5. Allow your readers to guess which one or more are true.
6. Nominate seven "Creative Writers" who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies (or as many as you would like).

I nominate the following:
Patricia Stoltey
Bill Crider
Terry ODell
Donna Lea Simpson
Joanna Campbell Slan
Camille Minichino/Margaret Grace
Terri Thayer

7. Post links to the blogs you nominate. (See #6)
8. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them. (Done!)

So, below are some things you might not know about me. Truth or fiction? You be the judge and let me know what you think in a comment. At least one is false and at least one is true. Here's a hint: read them carefully! I will post the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth here on Monday.

1. I have snorkeled with sea turtles, barracudas, and stingrays, but not sharks or dolphins.
2. I love to ski the green (beginner), blue (intermediate), and single black diamond (advanced) ski slopes of my home state of Colorado, but I stay off the double-black diamond (expert) slopes.
3. I broke my arm on the playground when I was young, then danced the Virginia Reel with it afterward because I didn't want to miss the dance.
4. I wore a walking cast for six weeks after dancing on a bar at a college fraternity party and slipping on a beer puddle and falling.
5. I've hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru.
6. I used to have a car vanity license plate that read FAKE IQ.
7. I've spent a night in jail.