I Got A Leibster Award!

I got a Leibster blog award !!

Liebster Award Acceptance: “Pay It Forward”

My blog was nominated for a Liebster Blogger Award by Natasha of EatSleepShootTravel.

When she nominated me, I had no idea what it was, so I had to do a little bit of research. This is an award given to new bloggers by other blogger who have enjoyed reading their blog and think they deserve a mention. Woohoo!

When you get nominated (and accept the award), you then have to find other bloggers that you find worth mentioning and nominate them. So, it’s pretty much a pay-it-forward award.

As far as awards go, it’s a pretty easy award to qualify for. You just have to write interesting articles and have less than 200 followers.

I actually have more than 200 followers right now, but when she nominated me in July, I did not. Yeah, it has taken me that long to get around to accepting the award and fulfilling my obligation, but I’m doing it now!

Once you accept the award, you have to follow these 6 rules:

So, here goes!

Here are the 11 Questions Natasha asked:

1.  Why did you start your blog?
   • I started my original blog back in 2007. My ex-husband was (is) in the military and was trying to get an overseas posting, so I started a blog as a way to keep our family and friends up to date with our lives. Then he got sent to Oklahoma (yeah, I know) and I decided to keep doing it. Over the years my blog has morphed from life updates to personal journal to what it is now: travel and lifestyle focused.
2. What is your favorite travel quote?
   • “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” ~Maya Angelou
3. Describe yourself in three words.
   • Quiet, Intelligent, Religious
4. Tea or coffee?
   • Ummmmmmmmmmmm. Herbal tea. I really love lemon ginger tea or this really great fruit tea we tried in China.
5. What is the most adventurous thing you’ve done?
   • Live in Malaysia for a year. I quit my job, threw all my stuff in storage and went with my boyfriend when his company transferred him to Kuala Lumpur for a year. It was really great. I learned a lot about myself, strengthened my self-esteem (something I’ve always struggled with), learned how to really be independent and learned so, so much. It was great. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
6. Book or Kindle?
   • Hmmmmm. I love physical books because you don’t have to shut them off on airplanes and the batteries don’t die, but I loved (yes, past tense) my Nook for years because I could carry a plethora of books on there. Now, I read on my phone or my tablet when I don’t check books out from the library because all my physical books are still packed.
7. How do you stay creative?
   • I’m taking college classes right now that are requiring me to think outside my normal areas. I’m taking Art History, Humanities and Communications (along with math, but that’s another story). Those three classes really push the bounds of my creativity and help me think of things in ways I’d never considered before. Learning new things is a great way to stay creative.
8. What is one skill or hobby you’ve always wanted to learn?
   • Just one? Goodness. I’ve always wanted to learn Russian and Italian. I’m working on Italian right now and am super excited about it.
9. What’s your dream job?
   • I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was in elementary school. I used to write 24/7 (seriously, in church, in school, on the bus, on road trips, during dinner, while watching movies haha), but then I hit a point in my life where the self-doubt and insecurity about my talent hit an all-time high and I just quit. It has been a struggle to get back into it, but I’m working on it.
10. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
    • It would have to be Italy or France. The history in those countries is AMAZING! 17th century France is probably my most favorite time in history and I want to see all of the places that were key to that time period.
11. What is your dream RTW (round the world) itinerary?
    • Can I say every country on the planet? lol. I think I would start with Canada, then Alaska, then go to New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, India, China, Korea, Japan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, Norway, every country in Europe, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Falkland Islands, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, St. Lucia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and then work my way from Florida back across to Oregon.

Here are 11 random facts about me:

• I’m an introvert.
• If given the opportunity, I would spend my entire life reading in my backyard.
• I love cats. My Sadie is pretty much my child.
• I love singing along with the radio.
• I’m a registered Republican, but there are some Democrat and Libertarian policies that I like better.
• Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
• It has been a dream of mine to travel the world since I was a teenager.
• I have scoliosis and had to wear a back brace in high school (not anymore, though!)
• I’m 30, but still feel like I’m 23
• I love to cook, but half the stuff I cook turns out strange. If I follow the directions, it doesn’t turn out right. If I improvise and make my own tweaks, it turns out perfect.
• I’m a Mormon! Don’t worry, though, I’m not one of those ‘in-your-face’ Mormons.

Here are the 11 blogs I nominate:

1. You Bloody Tourist
2. Have You Packed the Camera?
3. The Accidental Mama
4. The Chai Rose
5. Anneklien’s Solo Travels and Adventures
6. Backpacking Bella
7. Anima Choudhury
8. CupofMadras
9. Kylea & Company
10. Know More Veggies
11. Sincerely, Alaska

Here are the 11 questions for my nominees:

1. Why did you decide to become a blogger?
2. What is your biggest blogging goal?
3. What is the purpose of your blog?
4. What is the most important lesson you have learned from blogging?
5. If you could do anything in the world, what would it be?
6. If you were given $500,000 and had to give away half of it or receive none of it, what would you do?
7. Where would you go and what would you do if you had a month of all-expenses paid travel and leisure?
8. Where do you get your inspiration from?
9. Books, movies or music?
10. What is one thing you are afraid of doing, but that you’d be willing to do if someone did it with you?
11. How do you like to spend your alone time?