Normally I reserve this blog space to share design and lifestyle-related events, tips, recipes and the occasional life musings, with the goal of offering what I hope is generally useful and maybe even sometimes entertaining information. If you disagree with that assessment of this blog, please don’t “at” me. Reason being, I’m in excellent spirits today and am asking you to indulge me, because “Bon Vivant” won silver for Best Lifestyle Blog at the Press Club of New Orleans Excellence in Journalism Awards Thursday night.
Cut to video footage of me jumping up and down in my living room, due to the awards being virtual. The PCNO awards are judged by press clubs around the nation, so while I don’t know who judged the Best Lifestyle Blog category, the contest administrators did share the comments with contestants. For “Bon Vivant” the judge wrote, “Excellent writing, and I love Melanie’s cheeky style! Her writing is interesting and uplifting.”
That first part you guys — wow! That is just as good as winning the gold. It’s all any writer ever wants to hear and there it is in black and white. Then to have my work called interesting and uplifting is of course, icing on the cupcake. The uplifting part makes me feel especially warm and fuzzy, because if there is one thing I try to do each day it’s spread a little joy. To quote the great Sally Fields from her speech for winning an Oscar for her performance in “Norma Rae” in 1980, “… I can’t deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you like me!” Thank you to the Press Club of New Orleans, the contest judges, web editor Kelly Massicot who is my partner in crime and every one of you who reads this blog each week, especially my husband Mark, who is often my springboard.
“Bon Vivant” won gold a few years ago, then the blog went on hiatus, so I’m considering this a triumphant comeback, despite being bested for gold this time around by my colleague Eve Peyton over at the “Joie d’Eve” blog. Peyton is incredibly talented and deserving of her win, as is the bronze winner Mary Staes over at Very Local New Orleans, so to say I’m in good company is a major understatement. Congratulations to my foes — er, I mean my extremely worthy opponents. I’m not competitive, you are! So, in keeping with the “Bon Vivant” ethos to celebrate everything, I’m celebrating this win with my coworkers and fellow bloggers, other media colleagues in New Orleans and, of course, you guys, the readers who come back again and again to visit with me, offer your own insights, submit gentle corrections and give me hot how-to tips or leads on fabulous goings on. In true “Bon Vivant” style, let’s all treat ourselves to something nice tonight. Cheers to getting a little recognition, tooting your own horn and celebrating big and small wins!
(If you’d like to read the winning “Bon Vivant” posts, click here, here and here.)
