I'd like to thank the Academy.

  

Ah, award show season.  A relentless reminder of all the movies, music and pop-culture references we missed out on in the past year.  Frankly, I'm not that impressed.

It's also a reminder that I have some prizes of my own that I'd like to hand out.  This blog features a lot of me me me.  It's about time we spotlight a few other folks who deserve recognition.  And the award goes to...

Kathy Shamma
"Most Involved"
My mom holds the proud title of the only person who came to visit us on our enture trip!  She flew 6,000 miles.  She made us feel totally loved.  She brough HELLA SNACKS.  She also followed my blog and emailed me throughout the journey far more than anybody else did.  Thanks, Mom, for making me feel missed!

Felicia Shamma
"Most Supportive"
She may not have been happy about me being gone.  But she was happy for me nonetheless.  She stuck up for us when others complained about our absence.  She did her best to keep everyone from worrying about us unecessarily.  And she almost never asked when the hell we were coming home.  Thanks, Sha, for having my back!

Ayman Shamma
"Most Understanding"
A lot of folks thought we were crazy for deciding to take this trip.  Most of them are in my immediate family.  My dad, on the other hand, knows a thing or two about adventure.  He moved to the US from Egypt at a young and impressionable age, and totally gets where my wanderlust comes from.  Thanks, Dad, for understanding!

Lou Valdez
"Most Interested"
My grandpa is a bit of a history buff.  In fact, he is a buff of all kinds of relevant facts and figures.  At any given time, my grandfather would probably know the geographic coordinates of our given location, and the local weather we'd likely be experiencing.  He was often up to date on current events in the area and always looked forward to asking us more about it.  Thanks, Grandpa, for making us feel important!

Theresa Valdez
"Most Enthusiastic"
I wish I could have recorded my grandma answering the phone each time we called.  I don't think she could have mustered up more excitement were I Mr. Ed McMahon himself calling to find out when the giant check could be delivered.  I can safely say I'll probably live the rest of my life without ever having anybody quite so happy to hear from me.  Thanks, Grandma, for making me feel so special!