Happy Cinco de Mayo!

A quick post while I catch up from an out of town trip...I just learned we have more than 180 bloggers in this year's WordCount Blogathon. So many participants this year. I'm impressed and hope you will be as well.

Why not click on the link above and visit a few of us? Post comments. Add us to your blogrolls. Subscribe. Help the blogging community grow. And at the same time, enjoy each other's stories.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! 

Five favorite books

Today is the first "theme day" for this year's blogathon. The group (more than 150 bloggers, I understand) is supposed to write about "five favorite books." Since my theme for the month is about joy, today's post features five favorite books that bring me joy. In no special order, they are:

1)  Holy Bible (King James version, because I like accents, and this one lets you play around with that)

2)  Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (because I love his fun-loving, childish poetic voice)

3)  Backroads & Byways of Arizona (because I wrote it, duh)

4)  Anything written by Edgar Allan Poe, but mostly the short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher," (He's the only "mystery" writer I've ever enjoyed. His words keep me on the edge, and I love the imagery. His work brings me joy to the extent that it works my imagination--always a good thing.)

5)  The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (just read muy blog, and you'll know why)

What are your top five?

25 things that bring you joy

Now that we're settling in to this month's Blogathon and getting the feel for my theme here, let's make a list. I'm going to compile a quick list of things that bring me joy, and I want you to do the same. Take 10 minutes to jot down 25 things that quickly put a smile on your face. Don't think about it too much. Just write what comes to mind first. Here's my list:

THINGS THAT MAKE ME GO: YEAH!

1) spending time with my children (see above picture)
2) sharing a bottle of wine with my boyfriend
3) traveling Arizona's backroads
4) exploring Arizona's historic sites
5) getting things I like or want for free or unexpectedly
6) being brave enough to Hula Hoop in public
7) hiking
8) biking
9) making decorations instead of buying them
10) trying something new
11) jumping on the bed
12) organizing my collections
13) splurging on something outrageous just because I can
14) saying yes to the last-minute trip
15) taking creative pictures of people, places and things
16) painting pottery
17) going to wine tastings
18) meeting new people
19) reading greeting cards at the drug store
20) playing cards with friends
21) signing my books
22) finding new travel brochures I've not yet seen
23) dancing
24) singing Karaoke
25) taking improv classes

Once you have your list--and I hope you'll post it here--see if you can find some common denominators. Is your list more about people, places or things? Now is the time to start thinking about what really brings joy into your life. How much time are you investing in doing joyful things? Maybe this month you'll figure out more ways in which you can incorporate more joy into your life. It doesn't have to involve a lot of cost, if any. What it generally involves is connection.

What do you think?

The Blogathon Badge: which should I use?

Welcome back!

Maybe you noticed I've posted another version of the new logo for this year's Blogathon event. I'm trying to decide which one I like best. I'm fond of the rounded edges from Day 1. But I wanted to post this one as well to see what it might look like on the screen.

For today's joyful assignment, I'm asking you to help me pick the best badge. Should I go with the badge I used on Day 1, or go with the squared edges you see above?

It's a simple request, but you'll need to visit yesterday's post to help me decide. Then use the comment section below to post your answer. If you choose the one I pick to post on the right-hand side of the page next week, I'll enter your name in a drawing to win a copy of my travel guide, Backroads & Byways of Arizona.

Hey, that's two fun things in one day! Yes, it's all about joy this month at B.I.K.E. WITH JACKIE. What brings you joy? Helping others? Winning prizes? I hope it's both.

You have to enter to win, so let's see your opinion. Post a comment and tell me which badge you'd prefer on your page. If it's the one I've decided I like best, I'll add your name in the drawing for a copy of my book. You can see the cover on the upper right-hand side of this page. The winner will be notified next week.

Blogathon 2011 Begins

Let the 2011 WordCount Blogathon begin.

Expect things to start heating up this month as I take the plunge yet again and participate in Michelle Rafter's amazing month of super-sized blogging. Click on the link above to learn more about it. And note that Ron Doyle has done it again as well. He's the guy behind the Blogathon logo designs. You can see his first from last year's event on the right-hand side of this page. Scroll down if you need to. This year's is hot pink and really brightens the page.

A list will likely go up soon on Michelle's page, so be sure to visit her link to find out who else is participating. You'll likely see many of them here as the month progresses. I'll post the list as soon as I can. But the month is beginning on a busy note, so bear with me as I get started. The first week might be a slow one. And then again, it might not be slow at all. I'll tell you more about why later.

Meanwhile, you may like to know that this month I'll focus on writing about joy...What is it? Where do you find it? Why doesn't everyone feel it? And how can you go about bringing more of it into your lives. Those are the questions I'll be asking you and posting about here. It's part of a new project I'm working on, so I hope you'll join me.

Till tomorrow.