I'd like to thank...

A while ago Stephany, a good blog friend, nominated me for the Liebster Award. First of all, how sweet! And second of all, she basically wrote a post for me by giving me questions to answer.

(Funnily enough though, this post has taken me a couple days to put together. Blame it on the ADD I don't have.)

The Rules:

1. Each person posts 11 things about themselves.

2. Answer the 11 questions from the person that gave them the award.

3. Write 11 questions for people you nominate.

4. Choose your 11 nominees and tell them they've been nominated. 

5. You can't choose the person who gave the award to you.

11 things about me:

1. I'm the oldest of three kids, which means I usually know the best way to do something. I like to think I'm a little less "bossy" now, but just today someone told me they could tell I was an oldest.

2. Every Christmas I get beef jerky from my parents. It started years ago, like 10 years, and I was crushed the year they didn't do it.

3. I rarely cry during movies, but when I do it's usually because of an animal. I don't know what else to say about this.

4. This past year I was in 18 (!) states. And saw them all by car.

5. I hate clutter, including on my computer desktop. People who have files and icons all over drive me crazy. There are folders for that!

6. I hate having different foods touch on my plate. And I always eat dishes in order of least favorite to most favorite. Tell me I'm not alone.

7. I am a bit OCD when it comes to organizing my stuff. My closet is arranged by clothing type and color. I have to have books in alphabetical order. And I am pretty anal about how to load the dishwasher.

8. I do not have a good memory. My sister remembers much more about childhood than me, and she was three and a half years younger. I have vague memories of a few things, but I think that's partially because of looking at pictures. No joke.

9. Every couple years I take up knitting, which mostly means I make a couple scarves and buy yarn to make many more. So if you need yarn, I'm your gal. I'm not knitting at all right now and haven't in over a year.

10. I love to lift weights. It's seriously my favorite way to workout. I don't want to talk about how long it's been since the last time I was at a gym.

11. I vacillate between wanting to someday live on a piece of land big enough for a pack of dogs, a garden and room to breathe, and the idea of living near a city where there's lots to do and I necessarily need a car. Hopefully that means I'll be content regardless.

11 Questions from Stephany: 

1. If you could travel to any country in Europe and spend a month living there with no cost...what country would you choose?

This is so hard for me, but I would probably choose Spain. I studied Spanish for 5 years and have always wanted to visit. Barcelona has always been high on my list of cities to see and I'd love explore all over: Seville, Madrid, Bilbao and more. And maybe I'd squeeze a trip into Italy or Portugal as well. A couple other countries I'd love to see: Norway (especially if money wasn't an issue), Greece, and Switzerland. And a billion others.

2. What do you love most about yourself?

My sense of humor and ability to see the positive. I think the two really go hand-in-hand. 

3. What did you do for your last birthday?

I had an awesome birthday celebration opening ceremonies viewing party with my family. We had a flag in the living room and lit torches on the back deck. It was legit. (Also, I'm a crazy partier. Obviously.)

4. Who has been the most influential person in your life thus far?

Oh gosh. Probably my parents (that's two people if you're counting) or Grampie. For serious. That said, I've been blessed with a lot of really amazing people in my life, so if I haven't mentioned your name and you're reading this, know you're important to me too!

5. What's your favorite food to snack on?

The better question is "what isn't your favorite food to snack on?" (Hot dogs if you're wondering.) I love chips and salsa as a snack. Or fresh popped popcorn with melted butter. Edamame is delicious. Mandarin oranges. Cookies. And much, much more.

6. What's your biggest pet peeve?

I don't know if this is my biggest pet peeve. But I hate when someone asks me a question because they want to answer it themselves, and have no interest in what you're saying. Just tell me whatever you want to already.

7. What's the next step for you career-wise?

Finding a job. Ha. I just finished grad school in December, as you all probably know, and I'm busy in the job hunt while I work temporarily on the web team at a local TV station. Lots of possibilities out there, it's just a matter of time.

8. Recommend a blog to me! Whose blog should I be reading and why?

My list of blogs that I read is long and incredibly varied. I'll share a few favorites in a couple different areas.
- Kendi Everyday has been my favorite fashion blog for a long while, even if I could never have and don't really want her exact style.
- I love Elle Sees's blog for tips and dupes on everything beauty.
- Krystal finds the cutest stuff on all the Internet, no exaggeration.
- TJ at His Little Lady is a new(er) favorite that happens to live close to where I do and takes lovely pictures.
- My mom's blog pretty much serves as my daily devotional.
- Joy the Baker is one of my favorite food blogs. I like her balance of healthy and not, and her spunk.

9. What's the scariest thing you've done in your life?

I haven't done too much crazy stuff. Going back to grad school was a pretty big risk, especially financially. But I think it's definitely going to pay off.

10. In your opinion, what celebrity is overrated?

Oh gosh, honestly I don't know. It would be much easier to tell you some of my favorites. Um, I'm coming up blank on this one. What do you all think?

11. If you could have a role in any show on TV currently, what show would it be and why?

Either something in a fun location like Hawaii 5-O, because who doesn't want to live in Hawaii, or Criminal Minds because I love 'em all.

11 questions for you:

1. You wake up on Saturday with nothing to do. What's one thing you would do with your free time?
2. If you had to choose one, what clothing store would you shop in for the rest of you life?
3. You have to move somewhere completely different, but it can be anywhere you want. Where do you go?
4. What's your favorite word? Why?
5. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
6. What's your favorite color? What color do you have the most of in your wardrobe?
7. What celebrity would play you in a movie?
8. Share three places you've always dreamed of living.
9. What is your favorite game? (Anything really...board game, video game, card game, etc.)
10. What is your preferred method of transport when traveling (a.k.a. not day-to-day)?
11. I can't think anymore. Have a question for me?

It seriously took me a week and a half of working on this post to get to this point. Which is why I've decided to not actually tag 11 people. I'd love for you to answer my questions, share random things about yourself, and just consider yourself nominated as one of my favorite people. Answer in the comments or do your own blog post and share. I'd love to read it!