Summer Blog Challenge - First 9 days in one post!

I just decided to join the Summer Blog Challenge. Yes I am late but better late than never. So I am going to do catch up in 1 post...

June 1-- Why are you doing this challenge.
Simple answer to this one. It sounds like fun and gives me the opportunity to engage with other bloggers.

June 2-- Post a picture of you smiling.

June 3-- 15 interesting things about yourself. 
Okay this one is a bit tougher.
1.   I have a dog that dances named Lola. You can see a picture here.
2.   Years ago I figured out that I can improve my mood by dancing around my kitchen. You can read about it here.
3.   How I know I can improve my mood is I keep a chart of my mood before and after. You can see the chart in the left hand column of my blog.
4.   I started blogging on Friday the 13th March 2009. My first post was called Do These Jeans Make My Ass Look Big?
5.   I have been a professional photographer for over 25 years.
6.   For the past several years I photograph almost entirely (professionally, for my blog and for myself) with my iPhone.
7.   I am an Apple Geek. I have a MacBook, and iPad and an iPhone and I have lost count of the number of apps I have downloaded.
8.   The song Louie Louie by the Kingsmen always gets me up on my feet and dancing.
9.   I also have a group blog called Coffee On the Patio.
10. I like to make animated e-cards for Hula Hoop Press.
11. I recently joined Weight Watchers. What finally got me to do it is the WW app (where I can track what I eat and points) and several women friends doing it with me. We encourage each other, laugh a lot and have as a goal...going shopping in San Francisco together, in December, to buy fabulous Christmas outfits for our new skinny bodies.
12. I sometimes help my friends bottle their wine. They have a small winery and tasting room in Santa Cruz, CA called Sones Cellars. It's fabulous wine and lots of fun as a whole group of us will get together to help. We've even helped to pick grapes once in an emergency. It's kind of like California's version of a barn raising. Everyone helps out and then we eat and drink wine.
13.  I have lived in California since I was 6 years old...mostly in Silicon Valley and the Wine Country. I think it's a beautiful place to live.
14.  I have traveled a lot while photographing including, Alaska, England's country gardens, up the Amazon in Brazil on a small boat, the farmer's markets of Provence, taking salsa lessons in Cuba, Panama and more. I love combining two of my favorite activites photographing and traveling.
15.  Blogging has added so much to my life. I love the blogging community.

June 4-- Meaning behind your blog name.
Easy peasy...it's my name and I blog...thus...Cynthia's Blog.

June 5-- Short term goals for this month and why those goals. 
Keep up with the Summer Blog Challenge
Keep on track with Weight Watchers
Dance in my kitchen every day
Start working on assignment for 2015 calendars.

June 6-- Nicknames you have; why you have them.
I only have one nickname Doodle. Richard has been calling me that for years. It started out DearyPoo, then for some reason evolved into PooperDoodle and ended up Doodle. So glad it didn't end up Pooper!

June 7-- Picture of something that makes you happy.
Making animated e-cards using iPhone apps.



June 8-- Not including blogging ;) your favorite guilty pleasure.
Watching So You Think You Can Dance (preferably while eating Ben and Jerry's ice cream, although these days it's a 4 point Skinny Cow).

June 9 -- My worst cooking disaster
There are too many to count. I am not the best cook in the world and do best when keeping it simple. I do however have as a goal this summer to become the Grill Queen. Tonight's menu - grilled salmon, grilled asparagus, grilled peppers.