Liebster Award - AKA An Excuse to Post About Some Random Things

Ok, so here's the thing. I have apparently been nominated for something called the Liebster award, which is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. As the rumour goes, "Liebster" in German is defined as sweetheart, darling and beloved. (aw, thanks Melissa)

I am not sure that this is an actual award, and a quick internet search has led me to believe this is kind of like the chain-letter of the blogging world, but I am honoured that my good friend Melissa thought of me and is encouraging me to keep blogging. You can read Melissa's own blog here. Also, it actually gives me a chance to lay out some thoughts that I had been trying to give in other blog entries that never made it to post. Yes, that's right, I have been writing this whole time and you just haven't been given the chance to read it. I'll try to make up for that today.

So, the rules for receiving this award are simple and are as follows:

1. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you.
2. Share 11 things about yourself.
3 Pass the award to other small blogs (the interwebs tell me I should choose 11).
4. Ask them 11 questions.

Here goes nothing. This post is going to be long. First, the 11 questions I need to answer:

#1: What do you love to learn about? This really varies from day-to-day. Can I say current events? I really like to follow the news and then research more once I find an article or story that catches my interest. Actually, if I need to give a more specific area I would say law and crime investigations. I thought about going into forensics at one point, and if I didn't do what I do for a living now, I could see myself doing something along those lines.

#2: Why did you start blogging? I've kept a journal from the time I was really young, and it's always been a good way to get my thoughts out on paper. The problem is that I always wanted to also share my thoughts, so I would give my journal to my sister or friend Leanne to read. The internet is a nice way to get the thoughts out there but also allow some other people to see into my head and give some input.

#3: What was your greatest accomplishment? It may sound kind of lame, but moving out West was the biggest thing I feel I have conquered in my life thus far. It was a big risk for me, and I was scared to do it, but I went for it and thrived. I wasn't at a very good place in my life before I made the change, and I was able to pick myself up and survive. I guess that's the real accomplishment, surviving even when I wasn't sure how I was going to get out of bed in the morning.

#4: What excites you most about life? The fact that there is so much to discover. Even in my own neighborhood there are little things that I've never noticed before. There's a lot of beauty in the world when you actually stop and look at it.

#5: What country do you want to visit before you die? Egypt. I really want to see the pyramids and the Sphinx. I also want to go an African safari, so possibly make a little side swing down to Kenya?

#6: If the average life span was 40 years, how would you live your life? I don't really think I would live it a whole lot differently. I kind of already live my life knowing that you never really know how long you've got. I probably wouldn't have dedicated 16 years of it to school. That's my answer, less school and more living.

#7: Do you like puzzles? What kind of puzzles? Jigsaw? I had a jigsaw puzzle addiction a couple of years ago, I had to scale it back when I started getting a sore back all the time. Sadly, that's a true story. I've also been known to enjoy a good brain teaser or crossword puzzle, so yeah, I like puzzles.

#8: Name a book or movie that you've read or watched at least 3 times and explain why you did. I'm trying to think of a book I've read over that many times so I can seem smarter, but the first thing that popped into my head was the movie Castaway. Why I've seen it so many times? It's kind of a good story about how the human spirit can persevere. And I love that damn Wilson. I cry every time.

#9: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? If we're lucky, we'll have a couple of kids, my husband and I will still be healthy and in love, and I'll still be working at my awesome job. Unless of course we strike it rich and I'm retired by then, which is even better.

#10: What is your favorite music genre? I don't have a specific genre, my musical tastes are all over the map. I like something with lyrics I can connect with. I also like mindless pop-songs. There's no real rhyme or reason.

#11: What is your favorite meal to make that you learned from an older family member? What I call "Lazy Shepherd's Pie". I like it because it takes practically no time at all to put it together, only 30 minutes to cook, and it's a good hearty tasty dinner. And the leftovers heat up really well the next day.

Now, 11 things about myself, of my random choosing:

#1:  Remember how I said my musical tastes are all over the place? Well, my favorite band for a good long time now has been Matchbox Twenty. I'll admit, I am kind of disappointed that their new stuff is pretty pop-ish, but their old stuff is golden and the lyrics are genius. Don't believe me? Listen to this. It's a popular song but once you hear the meaning behind it and the expression in his voice, I dare you not to fall in love. Anyway, as cheesy as it is, their music has helped me through some tough times. Also, I love the song Bright Lights because it makes me remember my move to the big city. It was like it was written about me. Except I didn't move to New York. Whatever.

#2: My favorite flower is the daisy, because it reminds me of growing up and picking them with my grandmother. I think maybe she used to plant them in the ditch just for me. When we showed up to get the keys for our current house, the yard was completely filled with daisies. I knew then that I was home. Sunflowers are close behind, mostly because they remind me of my wedding to my awesome husband.

#3: Marriage has actually made me a better independent person than I ever was before. Back when I was actually single I was needy and always looking for someone to help define me. Being in a long-term relationship/marriage has given me a chance to grow in a supportive environment. I'm a lot less insecure about myself and I feel like if I were put in a situation where I HAD to be on my own, I love myself enough that I'd be fine. (I'm very thankful that this theory hasn't had to be tested.)

#4: Around the house, I typically turn everything into a song. I sing to the pets. I sing to my husband. Sometimes he sings along. Those are the times I love him the most.

#5: Dirty dishes make me gag. Sometimes just thinking about really dirty dishes makes me gag. Sometimes I just gag without even thinking about the dishes.

#6: I have almost crossed everything off of my bucket list already. I am actually kind of freaking out about what else I should add to it. Most of the stuff that's left is traveling, and I'm not even sure I feel that driven to travel to all of those places.

#7: I want to learn the bagpipes and the fiddle. I'm torn between which one I want to learn more. I'm leaning towards the fiddle, mostly because I think it would be really hard to practice the bagpipes without driving everyone in the house/neighborhood crazy. The problem is I don't want to take formal lessons. I'd rather teach myself, except realistically I know that it would be a lot harder. I just shudder at the thought of an adult recital where everyone is playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

#8: I have this one weird reoccurring dream I have had since childhood. It circles around me entering a room at night and trying to turn on the light but the switch won't turn it on. I can't see what's in the room but I know something's there. I usually wake up in a cold sweat. A few weeks ago I had the dream again and it terrified me so badly I didn't want to go to sleep the next night. I'd be interested in hearing from one of those dream people what it's all supposed to mean.

#9: I'm obviously heterosexual, but I feel a lot of empathy towards the gay-rights movement. I can't imagine someone else telling me that the emotions I have or the way I want to live my life is wrong. I don't understand why it's even still an issue, and I hope I live to see the day where it's not.

#10: If I call you, and you don't pick up the phone, there's a good chance that in my head I am imagining all of the horrible things that may have happened to you. This is extra true if I get home from work before my husband does, or if I am supposed to meet you somewhere and you're running late without calling. In my head you're in a ditch dying somewhere. I have a bit of an over-active imagination.

#11: I really love cats. If I lived on my own I would probably have 20 of them. It's a good thing I don;t live on my own.


Phew, that was exhausting. So the last part of this is to tag another blog (I can't do 11!) to follow suit with the nomination, so I choose my sister's blog, which is really only getting started and could use the boost. Sooooo....

#1: What's the one thing you would really like to do, if you could only sum up the courage to do it?
#2: What one life event has most made you the person that you are today?
#3: If you had to describe yourself with a song, which song would you be?
#4: Where is your favorite place you've been/seen so far?
#5: What's your biggest ambition in life?
#6: Who is the most inspirational person you know?
#7: What's the one thing you hope people remember about you?
#8: If you could only eat and drink one thing for the rest of your life, what would they be?
#9: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
#10: What are the three objects (excluding people and pets), you would save from your burning house?
#11: What's your favorite childhood memory?

This concludes this long-ass blog entry.