It all started several Mondays ago with myself and @alextcone almost getting killed in a car wreck on our way to Juanita’s. Separately, mind you, not together in the same car, clutching each other and screaming “NOT BEFORE I’VE SEEN PARIS IN THE SPRINGTIME!” Actually that last part might have just been me.

I’m all about full disclosure, and I’ve taken great pains to make this account as factual as possible lest anyone accuse me of hyperbole (disclaimer: I have worked in advertising, so virtually everything I say can safely be taken at face value). None of the names have been changed to protect anyone, not that I could vouch for their innocence anyway, I mean, come on, you’ve all seen them drink.

That being said, Alex and I were gathering with @jgreghenderson, @ghidotti and NKOTB @andreasmalec to discuss the upcoming anniversary of LRTweetup. @tsudo was absent, but accounted for, having suspiciously been called “out of town” that day in what I suspect was an attempt to avoid @jgreghenderson’s annoying penchant for thumb wrestling for the lunch check.

After checking in at Foursquare, Gowalla, Twitter, Facebook (I lost count at that point), orders were taken, an obscene amount of queso was consumed and talk quickly turned to what type of event should take place for the one-year anniversary of our unique little group.

I blame the fact that I had just watched my life pass before my eyes and had been forced to consider my own mortality (all before noon) for my response when, like your favorite kindergarten teacher, @ghidotti asked everyone to go around the table and briefly state what they enjoyed most about the LRTweetup group.

When it was my turn, I sappily recounted watching all the tweets this past New Year’s Eve, many echoing the same sentiment I felt: how happy/lucky/surprised/grateful/blessed everyone was to have meet this unique cast of characters on the Internet, of all places, and on the cacophony that is Twitter, even so, and ultimately IRL, stranger yet.

I waxed poetic, as did my dining companions, on how friendships had been forged, business partnerships explored, jobs won and knowledge shared, and how much we had learned about each other, ourselves and this social media landscape we now inhabited.

Then the boys (and Andrea) started frog punching each other at the table and agreed all that talk about FEELINGS was great and stuff but ultimately we should just have fun.

So you know what happened next, right? When a group of people find themselves joined around a meaningful but admittedly somewhat narcissistic pursuit that involves the daily sharing of our lives, blogs, links, jokes, twitpics and minute-to-minute locations pinpointed with GPS accuracy?

We give each other awards, of course. DUH.

What better way to celebrate a year of making a community, 140 characters at a time, than by honoring that community with some of the most ridiculous Twitter awards we can imagine?

Allow me to introduce…

We got the ball rolling with some initial categories. You’ll have the opportunity to add your own. Categories and a call for nominations will be posted right here in the next few days, along with information in the coming month on the awards venue (thanks to @andreasmalec and presenting sponsor @LittleRockCVB we will have actual awards), a possible celebrity emcee and an opening act you won’t want to miss.

I can’t take credit for the idea. In fact, I’m not sure now who even suggested it (but if you hate it, then I’m pretty sure it was Alex). But I can say I can’t think of a better time than laughing at each other, and with each other, while celebrating all the crazy fantastic people and personalities that make up LRTweetup.

Except maybe Paris in the springtime. I really should get on that.