The Liebster Blog Award

To my genuine surprise, Ashley over at Sincerely Miss Ash nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award! I'm so honored that she thought to include me in this! The Liebster Award is simply a fun way for you to get to get to know other bloggers and also to help your readers get to know you. From what I can find via Google, "Liebster" means "darling" in German, so it's also a nice compliment to know others are enjoying your blog :) Thanks, Ashley!

The Liebster Blog Award Rules:
1. Share 11 things about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions given to you.
3. Choose 11 fellow blogs to nominate {or however many you'd like} and let them know you’ve nominated them. The nominees must have under 200 followers.
4. Think of eleven questions to ask the bloggers you have decided to nominate.
5. Thank the person that nominated you and link back to their blog.

11 Things About Myself
1. I’m an introvert to the core. The only time I voluntarily put myself out there is through this blog.
2. Fact #1 means public speaking is one of my worst fears.
3. I have never traveled outside of North America – only twice outside of the U.S. Truthfully, I’d love to see all 50 states more than I want to travel anywhere else in the world.
4. My favorite movie of all time is the Wizard of Oz. Growing up my room was always filled with memorabilia from the movie, including an original poster and the autographs of 2 of the munchkins who I met at a Wizard of Oz festival.
5. My favorite type of candy is Nestle Crunch.
6. I have never learned to like coffee.
7. I rarely wear heels. I much prefer a cute pair of ballet flats.
8. I hate wearing socks.
9. I was never a babysitter (with the exception of once or twice with my sister) because I’ve never been a “kid person.” But now, more than any other career, I’d love to be a stay-at-home mom. Go figure!
10. Large cities and public transportation make me nervous.
11. I’ve only ever owned one car. It’s 15 years old & it’s got over 150,000 miles on it, but it’s seriously never going to die. No really…every time something needs to get repaired, the mechanic is like “oh, this is an easy fix and you’ll get at least 5 more years out of this car.” It’s a blessing and a curse.

The 11 Questions From Ashley: 
1. Do you have a day job and what is it? 
I’m currently working as an administrative assistant in a medical office. My dad is an orthopedic surgeon, and I work in his office scheduling surgeries and office appointments, obtaining insurance authorizations, and handling all medical records requests. Some people would dread working for their parents, but it’s such a blessing to have my mom and dad as my bosses.

2. What inspired you to start blogging? 
I had been following and reading other blogs for about a year before I started my own. On a personal level, I chose to start this blog as a way to shift my focus after a tough season of life. More details to come on this soon. On a broader level, I want my blog to be an encouragement to others, as I have been encouraged and blessed by the words of other bloggers.

3. What would be your tip for new bloggers? 
Above everything else, my advice is to write like you talk and be true to yourself in the topics you write about. Blogging “rules” about how many times you should post each week, what your blog design should look like, or what topics you should write about, aren’t really rules, they’re just that one blogger’s opinion. 
Beyond that, I would recommend taking the time to brainstorm a list of topics or events you’d like to post about. Then when you’re stumped for a topic, you’ve got a go-to list all ready! I find it’s easier to post more consistently (I think consistency is more important than frequency) when I can just peek at my list to remind myself “oh yeah, I want to write about my sorority event” or “that’s right! I wanted to highlight this shop or blogger that I love.”

4. Facebook or Twitter? 
Right now, it’s Facebook all the way. I actually don’t even have a Twitter account yet, but it is on my to-do list because I’m constantly hearing more and more benefits about it.

5. Do you workout and how often? 
Um, no, I don’t work out. But I should. In fact, it’s a goal for this year. Currently I workout about once a month. Ideally, this will change to at least once a week.

6. What is the craziest thing you have ever done? 
I’m kind of...boring. Like, I really don’t even have an answer for this. I asked Mike for help with this question, and he said, “Getting married?!” So yeah, that might be the answer, haha.

7. One thing you would like to do before you die? 
I have really small dreams actually...I’d love to own a home, have a couple kids, and open up a cat barn with my sister to save all the stray kitties ;) But if I won the lottery, I’d love to stop working and just travel to visit friends and family across the U.S.

8. If you had to choose just one beauty product what would it be and why? 
Can I pick two?! It’s a close tie between face wash and dry shampoo! I’ve recently gotten so much better about washing my face before bed, and it’s really helping my complexion. But dry shampoo has been a lifesaver since I stopped washing my hair every day.

9. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be and why? 
I’m truly content living in Michigan because I love being surrounded by the Great Lakes and having all four seasons. But I’ve often said that I would love to move to the South because they have the best sweet tea and warm weather! Not to mention, I’m a country music fan :)

10. Lipstick or lip gloss? 
Lip gloss! To be honest, I usually just wear chapstick…most recently EOS.

11. If you could be any celebrity who would it be and why? 
I would choose to be either Jessica Alba or Reese Witherspoon. These two are my style icons, and I love that they are both dedicated to their families.

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Blogs I would like to nominate: 
1. Jamie at Hello Little Scout
2. Elizabeth at Enjoy the Little Things
3. Jenny at Confessions of a Hairstylist
4. Jenn at My Fabuless Life 

Questions for the bloggers I nominated: 
1. What inspired you to start blogging?
2. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
3. Stripes, Polka Dots, and Floral prints are popular in fashion right now. Which one is your favorite?
4. Is there a TV show you never miss each week?
5. What’s your favorite movie of all time?
6. If you had to give up one “luxury” in your life, what would it be?
7. Where is your favorite place to travel?
 8. If you won the lottery tomorrow, what is the first thing you would do with the money?
9. Chocolate or Vanilla?
10. Where is your favorite place to shop?
11. What’s the latest DIY project you’ve done? Or, if you’re not into DIY projects, what’s your latest purchase?