The Liebster Award 2017

I’ve been taking a bit of a break from this blog, but I’m glad to be back writing again. Sometimes life just gets the better of you, you know? I’ve been focusing more on my other blog trying to update it and keep the posts mostly moving. If you would like to stay in touch with that, you can find it here.

Now, onto this post. I was so grateful to get nominated for the Liebster Award by two different blogs that I absolutely adore, so I’m going to wrap them into one post!

First, here are the rules for those of you I have nominated:

1. Thank the person who nominated you, and put a link to their blog on your blog.
2. Display the award on your blog.
3. Write a 150-300 word post about your favorite blog that is not your own. Explain why you like the blog, provide links.
4. Provide 10 random facts about yourself (optional).
6. Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have less than 200 followers.
7. List these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here or simply link to the official rules page).
8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link.

I will begin with Erin Burton, author of Unbound Roots, because she was the first to nominate me! You can read her Liebster Award post here. When I first got back into blogging after a two-ish year break, Erin’s blog was one of the first I found. I instantly fell in love. The love-moment came as soon as I read about her and her two beautiful kiddos raising tadpoles. You can find that wonderful post here! I am a bio NERD, so the fact that she is already introducing her wonderful kiddos to metamorphosis and amphibians just brings so much happiness to my soul! She has a love for gardening and the outdoors among a plethora of other things. She was new to blogging when I first stumbled upon her blog, and I just connected with her right away. With each and every post she makes, I can feel a smile creeping across my face as I read her words. She is easily one of my favorite bloggers! So, Erin, I want to thank you so much for nominating me for this award! It means a lot!

Erin’s Questions:

1. What inspired you to start blogging?
   Well, for this blog, I initially began it because I really wanted somewhere I could go and just vent and talk about things that I needed to get out but didn’t necessarily want to bring up to any of my friends/family. I didn’t plan on ever letting anyone know about my blog, but I eventually decided to go out of my comfort zone and let others into my blogging life.
2. If you could give a new blogger one tip, what would it be?
   I would tell them to make sure they are blogging for themselves! A lot of people come into blogging with the idea that they are going to get paid. However, this does not always happen and it can actually be very difficult to get eyes to your blog. So make sure you are blogging because you enjoy it!
3. When is your favorite time to write and why?
   I usually end up writing late at night. For example, it is currently 12:30 AM. I just feel like if I’m not tired, or even if I am (like now), I can be super productive at night. If not super late at night, I like to write right around midday. I usually go to the public library or a coffee shop, and I feel super adult-y drinking my tea and writing away.
4. Do you have any other hobbies besides writing?
   I have plenty! My main hobby is herping (going out and looking for amphibians and reptiles), but I also love tennis, reading, and photography!
5. What is your favorite book of all time?
   It used to be Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume, but it might now be tied with The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.
6. Would you rather go dancing in the cities, take a hike, or read a book at home?
   Most definitely TAKE A HIKE! I love going out and exploring, even though I get really tired really quick!
7. Where would you go on your ultimate dream vacation?
   Well, I would used to always answer this with the Galapagos, but I just went there in May. So now, I would say either go back to the Galapagos or maybe to Bali!
8. If you could pick a color to represent your blog, what color would it be and why?
   For this blog, I would say orange. I feel like this is more of a happy blog (?) I’m not sure how else to put it. It’s hard to say why, but it just feels very orange-y to me. The other blog would definitely be green because it is focused more on nature.
9. What is your favorite food?
   The Thanksgiving meal in general is my favorite food!
10. Which post has been your most popular post since you started blogging (feel free to leave the link)?
    On this blog, my most views have been on the post, “What It’s Like to Work in a Greenhouse” (you can read it here).
    On the other blog, my most views have been on the post “My Great Galapagos Trip – Day 7” (you can read it here).

My other nomination comes from Alphonso White, author of his blog Alphonso Francis White. You can read his Liebster Award post here. I first met Alphonso on one of my blogging groups that I have joined throughout the past 6 months or so. He is another parent with a brilliant son! He recently did the 7 in 7 black and white photo challenge, and I enjoyed his take on them. I had to laugh at the first one he posted (you can find it here) because the minimal rules specifically say “no people” and the first photo he posted included himself in it! The photo definitely tells a story! Sorry, Alphonso! I don’t mean to call you out … it just made me laugh! Not only that, but he did another post entitled “7 in 7: Day 8 … I do what I want!” where he put the last 7 pictures in color and explained them all! Not going to lie, the 7 in 7 series will be my next posts, and I might just do that “I do what I want” post. Thanks for going out of the box and thank you for the nomination!

Alphonso’s Questions:

1. If you had to delete your entire blog but could keep just one post which one would it be and why?
   I would probably keep the Greenhouse post mentioned above. It still tends to get traffic after all this time!
2. If you were to write a short (<25 words) note to your future self, say ten years from now, what one thing would you like to tell them.
   I would make sure to tell them that if they don’t have a job right now, they really need to get their crap together! And if they do, then well done. I hope I am happy!
3. If you had to choose a different topic to blog about what would it be? (what else are you passionate about enough to write about?)
   I would totally write a blog completely on herping and nature photography.
4. What is your favorite blog to read? (freebie, stolen from rule #3, you’re welcome)
   I don’t know that I can choose a favorite. I really love all of the blogs that I follow.
5. If you were to host an event for the bloggers that you nominated for this award to meet in person what would you do? (be advised, I’m going to go ahead and invite myself)
   How fun would it be to do a giant laser tag game with all that nominated us and all that we nominated?! Followed by a giant drive-in movie?! Yes please!
6. What other awards have you been nominated for? (post links)
   The only other award I’ve been nominated for was the “One Lovely Blog Award” back in January 2015. You can read about it here.
7. You’re a time traveler, where do you go? (I mean “when do you go”)
   Well, I would want to go back to before my brother died and just really take the last little bit of time I had with him.
8. What would you do if you won the lottery? (Say 1 million dollars)
   I would use it to first pay off debt, then put some away, and then use some to do some travel!
9. 6/2(1+2)+2=? (Hint, It’s my favorite number)
   3!!!
10. Before this point, did you realize that the rules never actually asked you to make up 11 questions for your nominees, or to answer questions from the person who nominated you? (Gotcha! I didn’t realize it either haha It’s probably rule # 5, which is also missing… Relax, it’s in a different subsection on the official award site that I linked above)
    Did not realize that, no! I’m not a very observant person! LOL!
11. Who you gonna call? (By far the most important question that you will ever be asked)
    Always, ALWAYS call GHOSTBUSTERS!

Here are my nominees (in no particular order):

1. Coffee At Kayla’s
2. Mission Incomplete
3. Bulldog Travels
4. Nick’s Wildlife
5. A Mindful Traveller
6. A Walk and a Lark
7. Afternoon of Sundries
8. My Amber Dreams
9. Darts and Maps
10. Disoriented Mom

My 10 Questions:

1. If you could only take one more trip, where would you go and why?
2. How long would you be able to survive a zombie apocalypse? Justify your answer!
3. If you could have any superpower, which would you choose and why?
4. Where is your favorite place to get your blogging done?
5. What inspired you to blog in the first place?
6. If you had to choose between scuba diving and skydiving, which would you choose? Why?
7. What is your favorite meal to cook?
8. What is the best prank you have ever pulled on someone?
9. What is your ultimate dream job?
10. List your top 3 favorite places in the world. Why are they your favorites?

Enjoy the award! You all deserve it! Don’t forget to share the love!