Liebster Award

I woke up yesterday thinking about my weekend post. It was going to be about how mean people suck. I had a "mean" encounter last week (it was online and about politics, when will I learn) and I really wanted to talk about how words can really hurt. I had the post all planned out in my head and logged on to begin writing when I saw that I had a comment on my last post from J.D. over at 700poundsisasbadasitsounds.blogspot.com/. J.D. Notified me that he was nominating me for the Liebster Award. 

Wow. 

Something nice just happened. 

My mood and thought process just changed all because of one person's thoughtfulness. 

So, now what?  Well, first I have to thank J.D for nominating me. Second, I have to find out just what the Liebster Award is.

I Googled "Liebtser Award" as well as other variations like "Liebster Blog Award" and things of the like. It seems the award is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Some say it's like a chain letter...and I suppose that in a way, it is. Unlike a chain letter though, I am going to play along with this one. What better way to recognize "the little people". 

One of the other things I've noticed in my travels is that everyone is playing by similar, yet slightly different rules. Because J.D. paid it forward to me, I will go forth with the rules he stated on his blog. 

The Rules:

1. State 11 personal facts. (Yikes!)

2. Answer the questions from the person who nominated you. 

3. Nominate 5 bloggers who have less than 200 followers (no tag backs) and ask them random questions.

4. Complete your post.

5. Link up your post on the originating bloggers post. 

Just the Facts:

1. I'm finding this part to be extremely difficult because I am an open book. I guess fact one should be: I am an open book. I find it therapeutic to not bottle stuff up and keep it to myself. 
2. I'm not very creative when it comes to naming my pets. I once had a guinea pig named "Pigus" and a cat named "Kitty". Ok, Kitty wasn't her real name, it was originally Mineu (mee-noo) because that's what my grandmother called every cat she saw (she wasn't French, my grandfather was- go figure). 
3. I take things too personally. I will let things eat at me and eat at me. I have a really hard time letting go of the negative and focusing on the positive. 
4. I dream about going to Disney on a daily basis. 
5. Wishes I established more of a career for myself to go back to when my kids are older. I worry about getting back into the work force. 
6. I've always wanted a large family. If I could, I would have 6 kids. Hubs would like only 2 but has agreed to have a third. Now that my youngest is almost 4, I'm not sure I want to have that third child. I know I will never regret having another but I know I will always wonder what life would be like with a third. 
7. Speaking of kids. I always wanted to have just boys. And I have 2 beautiful boys. Lately though I've been tearing up when I see girly things and think I may want to try for that girl (but would love another boy). I think I just heard hubs run for the hills -haha!
8. Hates Thanksgiving. Really. I do.  No joke. I like the premis of it, but I hate the actual day. We have a small family and I feel like it's a whole heck of a lot of work for a whole lot of nothing. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with the family.  I really do. Again, it's just a lot of work for a big meal for a small family. 
9. Would love to start a home cake business. I love making cakes. 
10. I act as if I'm outgoing, but in reality I'm afraid of my shadow. 
11. I feel like I live a less-than-ordinary life. Don't get me wrong, I like my life, I just wish (sometimes) that it was more "eventful". Then again, when things turn "eventful", it's usually of the drama variety and that I can do without. 

J.D.'s Questions to me:

1. How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?

That one is easy; 26! I loved being in my 20's. Especially my mid to late 20's when I met my husband. I felt like I was just beginning my life. I loved it. 

2. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

Hrm...Well, I would probably not put off til tomorrow. Seriously, I am a procrastinator by nature. I always feel like there is plenty of time and get frustrated when time is up. 

3. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

Well, I always tell my kids to be themselves. Never let anyone try to change them or make them feel less than a person for who they are. 

4. If you had a personal motto, what would it be?

Yikes!  That's a tough one. I would have to say "Hakuna Matata" Which is a little odd because I do worry a lot but I know in the end that everything will work it self out. 

5. What was your favorite Christmas gift between the ages 5 and 17?  What makes it so special?

It was a swatch watch that my grandmother gave me. It looked close to the one pictured above. It was special because she was special to me. She passed when I was 13 years old. She adored me. She spoiled me. I wanted a swatch watch more than anything else on that particular Christmas and she got one for me. I believe it was her last Christmas with us. I still have a little piece of that watch hidden away in a safe place. 

6. What would you differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

I would dance. Seriously. I used to love going dancing but I was always the subject of some cruel joke so I stopped going. 

7. What is your least favorite quote?

It's not so much a quote but I hate it when people say "you people". Gets my blood going every time and yet I've found myself saying it a few times. Yikes!

8. What day of the week do you hate the most and why?

This is a tough one. I would probably say end of the day Sunday because it's almost Monday. Hubs goes back to work, the kids get back into school, and the week takes off. Monday's are busy around here...I don't hate Monday's, I just hate that Monday is coming. 

9. If you could choose your "last meal" what would it be and why?

Hmmmm....I guess it would depend on my mood. If I'm looking for comfort food, I would have to say Macaroni and Cheese from a local restaurant that makes the best mac & cheese I've ever had! If I was looking for a meal though, I would have to say prime rib served on the rare side with mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans.   

10. (Here's a hard one) If you could only save one person besides yourself, who would it be?

Wow. This is a tough one. And it brings a tear to my eye. I would obviously save my kids but to have to choose, I don't think I would be able to. I guess the only way out would be to save my husband so he could save both kids. :D 

11. How many pets have you had in your lifetime?  Names and descriptions please. 

I've had too many. Mostly cats and dogs but I've had a few guinea pigs and fish as well. 

My current cats are Sabrina and Boo. We rescued them from a shelter. Sabrina is a long haired tabby and Boo is a short haired black cat. Sabrina chose me and hubs chose Boo. Seriously. When we went to the shelter, there were a number of cats roaming around the room on their own while others where in cages. While I was searching the room, this one cat kept following me around and she'd tap me on the back while I was playing with other cats. I realized that she really wanted to come home with us, so the rest is history with her.  Hubs chose the other cat. Not sure why. He's not a fan of cats, or animals in general, but he felt the cat shouldn't be alone...so we got two. 

We also had another cat named Rachel. She was a long-haired black cat. I "surprised" my hubs with her. Again, he's not a fan of animals and I can't live without them. Rachel sadly died rather suddenly. We aren't sure if she had a heart attack or something like that or if our dog Drew sat on her until she stopped breathing.

Oh, Drew. He was a crazy dog!  He would tear apart the house while we were away. He was very high maintenance so we found him a new home that could handle him. He's living with a friend of my mother's and we couldn't be happier that he's a happy boy with his new family. 

Questions for my nominees (I am changing this one to 5 questions)

1. If you were president for a day, what would you do/change and why? (sorry, the political stuff is on my mind...I wonder why? ;-))

2. Who do you admire the most?  And why? Can be someone living or deceased, real or imaginary. 

3. What is your favorite holiday? How do you celebrate that holiday?

4. What are you most afraid of?

5. If you could choose a new profession, what would you do?

And my nominees:

Unfortunately, most of the blogs I read are ones that are fairly established. There is no rhyme or reason for it, other than maybe I am lazy and only have the attention span to read a few blogs a day. That all being said, I will work on finding a few new blogs to read this week.

SO, if either of you decide to participate, please pay it forward to someone else for me and I am going to work on finding another blog or two to add to my blog roll. :D 

Marion

Nina