The BoBs

Today at 6pm MST and 4pm EST the voting for the Best of Blog's popularity part of the competition stops. I have been running a close second for the past few days and have NO idea where all these votes are coming from! I know that a CERTAIN relative *cough - brother* sent out an email without my knowlege to all my friends about this award and that several of them, in turn, have been telling their workplaces who, in turn, I think, have been telling the whole of London! And I am both incredibly embarrassed and really really thrilled to have done so well. I also know that there has been a lot of controversy about the voting for this competition. Apparently, and I am a bit sketchy on the details, but mobile IP addresses have been able to vote more than once whereas all fixed IP addresses have only been able to vote once.

The main organiser of these awards has been receiving quite a lot of snarky comments from participants which is unnecessary in my opinion as it is quite clear that he and his team have been putting in a HUGE amount of work and I, for one, am hugely grateful.

But,

having said all that, the competition is not nearly over yet. The judges panel still have to evaluate all the blogs for their readability, their design support and their content and then the winner will be announced on January 30th. I know that I have put a great big shiny flashing button up in my sidebar but I deliberately didn't push the voting because if I do win, I want to win fairly and justly, not because I pushed for it....if you can understand that.... Now that the voting is on the verge of closing, and the baton is handed on to the judges, I can have my say.

Now, please don't get me wrong - I still want to win but I do, honestly feel like a winner already and this is why...

1) All of you that have voted for me, that read my blog, that leave heartening comments for me here, that email me, have made me feel like I win already. I am just so very lucky to have such a wonderful audience, to have people like you who value my writing, who value me as a fellow human being - thank you, thank you all.

2) I have already received three major offers to contribute to the cause of cancer. It is highly likely that I will say no to all of them *grin* but without the awards, I would never have had the exposure and the offers.... For that, thank you...

3) I have met so many wonderful bloggers and blogs through these awards. Have you met Raehan yet at 'Agog and Aghast?' Not only does she write beautifully, but she is such a wonderful mother to her two girls and her love just flows off the page... Debutaunt who has beaten me on the public vote is having a really tough time of it at the moment with her leukaemia and faces a labyrinth of choices ahead of her... And that is only in the Inspirational Blogs category...The other categories have just as many wonderful blogs in them too...

4) The incredible support that you, as a blogging community have shown to me personally. I have had people cheering my corner all over the net and for that, I thank you.. I am well aware that you all have independent voices and blogs, that for all of us, our blogs are our little corner where we can be ourselves completely and to take up some of your space with a link back to me, or an article is very, very much appreciated. Except I am not absolutely sure if I should be grateful for this push...*grin*

Thank you all, thank you so very, very much,


Minerva