I have just been nominated for a Liebster Blog Award by the very kind and gracious lillian888 at Hopes and Dreams: My Writing and My Sons. While my first reaction was pride and excitement, I had to do some research to find out exactly what this honor meant (actually, I lucked out in my Google search and came across a post on Sopphey Says in which Sopphey had already done the research). Turns out it’s less an award than a way for bloggers to connect with each other in the great wide blogosphere. Even if there is no real award, or monetary prize, or main street parade, I’m happy someone has given me the opportunity to share a bit about myself and to promote some of the other bloggers who have caught my eye since I entered the blogging world.

These are the Rules nominees are supposed to follow:
1. The Liebster is given by bloggers to other bloggers who have less than 200 followers.
2. Each blogger should post eleven facts about himself or herself.
3. Each blogger should answer the eleven questions that are asked by the person doing the nominating.
4. Choose eleven new bloggers to nominate for the Award and link to them in the post.
5. Create eleven new questions for your nominees.
6. Go back to their pages and tell them they’ve been nominated.
7. No tag backs.

Eleven Random Facts About Me

• I’ve moved 14 times in my life (that’s an average of once every 2.85 years).
• April is my least favorite month.
• I am an expert builder of flat-pack furniture.
• One of my best Christmas gifts ever was a cordless drill.
• My hair is curly when it is long, but if I cut it short, the curl disappears.
• I climbed Mt. Fuji…and would consider doing it again if they ever start a helicopter service for the descent.
• At various times in my life I’ve studied Russian, French, Latin, and Japanese languages.
• I once fed my brother a hot dog that had rolled off the grill.
• I was an active member of the Lions Club for ten years (and met my husband in the club).
• I’d rather clean the bathrooms than do the ironing (and I hate cleaning bathrooms).
• I’m still not sure what I want to be when I grow up.

My Answers to lillian888’s Eleven Questions
~What do you like best about blogging?
I like finding my voice again, in fiction and nonfiction, after many years of silence–the whole point of starting this blog was for personal growth but I’m extremely flattered to have readers and followers who care enough to give up a few minutes of their lives to check on my latest posts.

~What’s your happiest memory?
I honestly tried to come up with a single answer for this question, and I just can’t. My life has been pretty well packed with happy memories, and I simply can’t pick one that truly outshines the rest.

~Where do you want to be in five years?
In a place I love, surrounded by people I love, doing a job I love, with free time to enjoy the pastimes I love.

~Favorite animal?
Turtle

~Favorite dessert?
Oreo cookies

~Is there anything or anyone you hate?  If yes, why?  If no, why not?
No. There are people and things I dislike, but hate takes too much energy. I’d rather just acknowledge that the person or thing makes me unhappy, then move on with my life, avoiding him/her/it as much as possible.

~What inspires you?
Memories of my grandmother. She contracted Guillian-Barré Syndrome and became completely paralyzed when I was a child. With the help of my grandfather, she pushed herself through months of physical therapy until she was able to dress herself, cook, and even walk again. I never heard her complain, and she lived on her own in the house my grandparents had shared even after Granddad died. Her strength, motivation, and positive spirit will never cease to amaze and inspire me.

~Where is your favorite place in the whole world?
Outer Banks, North Carolina

~What’s more important, justice or mercy? Why?
I don’t discount the importance of mercy, but in the big picture I believe justice is more important in society. Justice is getting what one deserves–no more, no less–which, in principle, evens out the playing field in society. No one receives special treatment, which should theoretically lead to less ill-will between individuals, races, genders, and classes. Idealistic view of the world, I know, but I can’t help it.

~Name three people, living or dead, you’d like to meet.
Christa McAuliffe, Sadako Sasaki, Tom Brokaw

~What is the best thing about being a human being vs. an animal or an object?
Humans have endless options in their pursuit of happiness.

Eleven New Questions for My Nominees
~Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met?
~Why did you start blogging?
~What is your most likable quality?
~What is one item you should really throw away, but probably never will?
~If you could be anywhere in the world this New Year’s Eve, where would you choose and why?
~Summarize your outlook on life in six words.
~What event in the next few months are you most looking forward to?
~If you had a $100 gift card to spend in any store, where would you choose to spend it?
~What cheers you up when you are having a bad day?
~What one piece of advice would you give to a new blogger?
~If you could create a memorial to yourself in a city park, what and where would the memorial be?

And my nominees are…
(Note to nominees: If you’ve already been nominated for a Liebster in the past, I won’t be the least bit offended if you accept this nomination as an Honorary Liebster Award, with no strings attached!)

A Little British Pea

Diary of a Square Toothed Girl

Wanna Buy a Duck

Living 2013

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part

Phenomenal Lass

Kitty Tales and Bunnie Whiskers

My Mom’s a Whack Job

City Muse Country Muse

When a Lion Sleeps, Let It Sleep

In Search of a Title