Love That Liebster!

Many, many thanks to Amanda at Growing Griswolds for nominating me for the Liebster Award! This is a blog award given by bloggers, to bloggers with less than 200 followers. You must answer 11 questions given by the blogger who nominated you (great questions, Amanda!) and then ask 11 questions to the 11 fabulous bloggers that you nominate in turn. Liebster is a German word that means all kinds of warm and fuzzy things: sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome. It's a beautiful thing to be recognized and then be able to recognize others, and spread the love around!

Here are the questions Amanda posed...

1) If you were a pickle in a jar, where would you want to be and why?

Hmmm. I would want to be in a mini-fridge in an Airstream trailer somewhere in Acadia National Park, because that is the most gorgeous place a pickle could be. I would be a very happy bread-and-butter pickle.

2) What is your favorite holiday?

Halloween. It's edged out Christmas because a) Halloween is my wedding anniversary, b) Halloween encourages you to go around demanding candy from strangers, c) the weather is gorgeous, and d) selfishly, it is not a family holiday that you have to worry about traveling or gift-giving or making a giant meal for the masses. It is totally stress-free, gluttonous, and silly.

3) If you have a bucket list, what is the most ridiculous thing on it? (Thanks Bree for the question)

I don't actually have a bucket list! But if I did, now that I think of it, I'm sure there would be something ridiculous on it. Nothing crazy like skydiving or deep sea SCUBA, because that could send you off to the bucket and I am a chicken. Probably something like riding a horse on a beach. Because I love the beach but am terrified of horses, but that seems like a really romantic thing everyone should do at some point or another.

4) If you could only watch one disney movie for the rest of your life, which one would it be and why?

Great question! I would say The Little Mermaid. It was a high school favorite that I saw in the theater and then watched with my girlfriends at sleepovers (Yes, party girls we were not). It has a good story even though it's not remotely true to the Hans Christian Anderson original, the songs are great (Les Poisson being my favorite to sing in a ridiculous Frenchy voice), and it makes me cry.

5) What is your favorite nursery rhyme?

I don't really have one, but I have a favorite nursery rhyme book. It's that Mother Goose picture book with the checkerboard border around the edge. Loved the pictures in that one when I was little and I need to find it for when I read it to someone tiny in my house.

6) Do you have any pets? If no, why not?

Two kitties--Abner (black and white kitty) and Lucky (black kitty). They are super snuggly, although Lucky has been pretty destructive lately and Abner is a little gross.

7) Is your current hair color your natural hair color?

No, not exactly... it's close to my natural hair color but better (and with less gray). My natural hair color is brown, but this one is "Coffee."

8) What do you like to do in your spare time?

Spare time? What's that? During the school year I feel like this is a mythical concept... But when it does exist, I like to go hiking, read, play my violin, and garden. I also like to cook delicious gluten-free food.

9) If you could be any crayon color, which would you choose to be? (Thanks April for the question)

I would be Blue Violet. It's my favorite Crayola purple.

10) What is the furthest you have been away from home and where was it?

I think it was Hawaii... that's further from NY than England, right? A vacation after college graduation that was beautiful, even if it was wasted on He Who Must Not Be Named.

11) How old were you when you got your first cell phone?

20-something... I didn't have one in college. I don't remember if I had one when I lived near NYC, or if I got it when I moved to Rochester (which would have been 25). I think it was in Rochester, I don't remember having a 914 number. There were so many times before that when it would have been helpful to have one. It's weird that so many people don't remember a time before cell phones.

OK, here are my fabulous nominees. I apparently follow a lot of blogs with lots of followers, and spent a week (A WEEK!) feeling guilty about not nominating more. Every additional awesome blog I found that I could nominate was... already nominated. So here are my five lovely ladies, and I apologize for not following the rules...:

Tippy at Tippy & Tidy's Tumultuous Trip to (Twin) Toddlers
Suzy at Our Journey to the School Bus
Princess Wahna Bea Mama at The Princess and the Pee Stick
Kelly at Mommy Mayhem
Peg at Que Sera Sera
 
Here are your questions:

1) What did you want to be when you grew up, and did you end up doing something even remotely close to that original thought?

2) What was your favorite romantic vacation, and why?

3) What meal is so good that you could eat it every day for the rest of your life?

4) What is something surprising and pleasant that you have learned about your relationship through this process of family-building?

5) Which season is your favorite, and why?

6) What was the last movie that you watched that you were embarrassed to admit you liked?

7) What was the last album you bought (physical or MP3)?

8) What book has really resonated with you recently?

9) What is your most ridiculous fear?

10) What is something that you are super proud of?

11) Do you have a strange/unusual/silly talent? If so, please share!

Enjoy the questions. I feel like I'm setting up an online dating profile for you, but it will be fun to see your answers! :)

Have a wonderful Saturday, thank you to Amanda, and congratulations to the five awesome bloggers above!