The Liebster Award

Hello friends!!  

I won an award!!  The Liebster Award!!  I recently received a message from traveling blogger, Sue Oxley from No Fixed Abode 4 Sue, nominating me for a Liebster Award! The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to fellow bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers (in some kind of social media platform) and are working on growing and developing their blog - trying to build their readers, which is me!  As a fellow traveler, I immediately hooked on to Sue's European adventures!  She spends a lot of time in London, but I was totally fascinated by a post about her trip to Budapest in Hungary!  I traveled to Romania several years ago, which is close to Hungary, but divided by a very significant cultural feud.  Still, as soon as I finished the post, I was ready to book my flight back to Eastern Europe!

There are essentially 6 rules for this award:

1.  Link back and thank the person that nominated you
2.  List 11 facts about yourself
3.  Answer the 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you.
4.  Nominate 11 blogs/bloggers who themselves have 200 or less followers.
5.  Think up 11 different questions for the people you are nominating to answer.
6.  Notify your nominees and provide a link to your post so that they know what to do.

Here are my 11 facts about me:

1. I collect coffee mugs from the places I have been
2. I love cats more than dogs
3. I love babies
4. I hate mosquitoes because they make me itchy
5. I am terrified of crickets but I am brave enough to own a snake
6. I love being home
7. I wish I had longer (or any) fingernails
8. I kill all plants that I bring in my house
9. When I say I am going to clean, it really means I am going to decorate
10. I am super messy with my stuff, but I will easily organize your stuff
11. I sing all the time; the car. the shower. the grocery store!

Here are my answers to the questions from Sue:

1. Where is your favorite holiday destination, and why?
• I don't really go on trips over the holidays.  I am a holiday home-body!  lol  I think the most recent trip on a holiday is our trip last summer.  We went to Walt Disney World in Florida over July 4th.  That was a lot of fun, and Disney has great fireworks anyway, but July 4th - they were SPECTACULAR!  
2. What do you hope to achieve by blogging?
• I like to think that I am documenting my life.  I thoroughly enjoy looking back over my posts at the end of the year, therefore I feel like in 5 years, I am going to enjoy it even more!  Plus I am going through such a big changing period right now (and I know I am not alone) and I am hoping by writing it all down, it will help me understand and remember every piece of this step.
3. Have you ever considered living in another country for a few years, if so where?
• Yes!  I would love to live everywhere!!  lol  Not even kidding!  I love to travel so I keep trying to convince Joshua to just pack up and live somewhere new for a year!  He is not falling for it though!  If I had to choose - I would want to live in Alaska for a few years and try homesteading.  I don't think I would be good or useful at it, but it would be a great experience!
4. What are you currently reading?
• I just started Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty!  She is one of my favorite writers and this was actually her debut novel!  I hope I love it!
5. How do you generate ideas for your blog?
• OMG!  I am so bad at this!! I joined up with some blogging groups that offer prompts each week, and I kind of read what is going on with all my blogging friends to find some inspiration!  I try to blog consistently, but I am constantly facing that "I am so tired and stressed with life I don't know what to write about" phase.  Luckily, I lean on my blogging friends for support!
6. What would be your ideal meal?
• The kind with food!  Not even kidding!  I don't have an "ideal meal."  If it is good, it is ideal!
7. What 6 people would you like to invite to dinner at your house (dead or alive)?
• Can I say no one?  I don't want to clean and cook for that many people!!  lol  If I have to pick though...I'd pick Jesus, Mary Shelley, Albus Dumbledore, FDR, Socrates, and my Daddy Boles!
8. What new skill would you like to learn this year?
• I'd like to learn how to play the trumpet...or how to hand write beautiful calligraphy!
9. If you were Prime Minister/President of your country, what would be the first thing you changed?
• The lies.  That would have to stop.  I feel that if I am going to ask you to lead my country, I need to trust the words that come out of your mouth...not question them!
10. What is the best gift you have ever received?
• Joshua gave me a beautiful handmade silver bracelet right before my second Ladies in Red concert.  We had only been together about a month...but we already knew...it was serious!
11. What is your favorite social media to use and why?
• Pinterest!  lol  It is not really social but I love looking up new ideas to try!  I use it for decorating, crafting and even reading!

Here are the 11 bloggers I nominate:

Selma of Crazy Little World of Mine
Kara of The Simple Life Blog
Jennifer of Life and Other Stuff
Beth of Life With Bethie the Boo
Julie Ann of Just Julie Ann
Natasha of Planted Bliss
Fox Emm of Blogging Onward
Julie of A Hopeful Hood
Jena of Spoonful of Faith
Hannah of Hannah Says...
Lana of The Joy Blog

And finally, here are the questions for my 11 nominees:

1. Where is your favorite travel location and why?
2. Do you collect anything, and if so, what?
3. What is your favorite book?
4. How did you name your blog and what is it about?
5. How do you advertise your blog?
6. Do you have any children/furbabies?  
7. If you could hop on a plane this second, where would you go and why?
8. What is your favorite thing about blogging?
9. What is your favorite treat?
10. What is your favorite guilty pleasure TV show?
11. How do you generate ideas for your blog?