It’s been quite a week, full of promise and excitement. The week started with wheels set in motion to show my photography at our favorite local pub. More on that later. And then one of my favorite bloggers nominated me for the Liebster Award!

The Liebster Award, as far as I can tell, is a blogging award intended to inspire, motivate, and encourage new bloggers. The blogger who nominated me listed not just this blog, but my photography blog, Winning Shots, as well. In Da Campo wrote such nice things about both my blogs that it truly does feel like an honor. Please check out her blog, particularly if you would like to read about life in Panama from the perspective of an ex-pat, a Canadian who moved to Panama, the land of my birth. It makes me homesick and proud at the same time.

So now for the hard part. I’m supposed to list 11 random facts about myself. I did this not too long ago so I guess I’ll have to come up with some new random stuff. Let’s see:

1. I like to dance while i dust and vacuum. I used to have a Saturday Morning playlist just for this purpose.
2. I’m going to see the Eagles in concert later this month with my husband, and his ex-wife and her husband. And we’re going to have a blast.
3. i love to read, but feel bad when I have a hard time getting through a “classic.”
4. One year my gym teacher wrote in my yearbook that I should play more basketball. Considering I considered myself the opposite of athletic, I took great pride in that. But I didn’t pursue it.
5. I don’t mind getting caught in the rain.
6. But I’m not that crazy about pina coladas.
7. Did I mention my pictures will be hanging at J Brian’s?
8. This is more about my family than me, but there’s supposed to be a mosquito named after us; it was identified by biologists who were staying at our family’s house while doing research in the jungles of Darien.
9. I’ve turned into one of those moms that embarrasses her son by singing along to the radio.
10. I love going to the beach, but rarely get in the ocean past my waist.
11. I love being the guinea pig when my husband is learning new cocktail recipes.

Now to answer the questions given to me:

1. When was the last time someone made you laugh really hard? It was probably around Becky, my sister-in-law. She can make me laugh like no one else. I’m looking forward to seeing her again next month.
2. When you woke up this morning, what was the first thought that ran through your head? (Skip to the second thing if the first isn’t clean!) Do I have to get dressed today?
3. Look behind you, what do you see? Mistakes, missed opportunities
4. What is the most important thing about you and why? I’m not the same person I was ten years ago, but maybe not that far from the one I was thirty years ago.
5. What country (that you haven’t been to) would you love to visit and why? Too many to pick just one. I would love to have another chance to go to Europe, this time with my husband and really soak in the culture and beauty.
6. Think of the stupidest thing you have ever done and share it with us.  Okay, maybe the second stupidest thing. I was afraid to ask for help when I desperately needed it.
7. Dog, cat or fish and why? I think dogs have more personality, but don’t have any pets right now. More freedom that way.
8. Do you speak another language, what is it, and if you don’t, what language would you like to learn and why? Spoke Spanish fluently the first half of my life, wish I still did.
9. One word to describe yourself. Happy.
10. What was the best present you ever received and why? A camera on my 13th birthday. It gave me a whole new way to look at the world.
11. What is the first word that comes to mind when you see fireworks? Snore.

Here is my list of blogs that I would like to nominate for the Liebster award.  Because they are supposed to have less than 200 followers, it made it even harder for me to choose. And some of these may actually have many more followers, but it’s not always easy to tell. Check them out!

1. Carrie Hokanson: Vagabond confessions I loved her post “(Don’t) Save it for the Honeymoon”
2. Erika Ray Photography In addition to being a great photographer, Erika’s blog is humorous and honest. Love it.
3. Grow your Life & Soul DL Cloe probably has lots of followers already; she writes brief, positive messages that are always inspiring.
4. Lindygrasser A great photography site; inspires me to go out and take more pictures.
5. Moonlight Reflections A mix of informational (she’s a vet) and inspirational posts. Look forward to each one.
6. The Super Fam!A family blog written by the wife of a former colleague. She’s been quiet for a long while now and I would love to see new posts soon.
7. Turning Ground Recipes and more. Check out her “Kindness of Strangers” post.
8. Compost Studios: The art of rearranging life V is a former colleague and probably has lots of people following her blog, and deservedly so. A mixture of art, photography, and personal narratives.
9. Othon ArtWorks My mother’s blog; a mixture of memories and art.
10. That Girl Ryan Sometimes raunchy, always funny.
11. Just me and my dad A collaborative photography blog with father and daughter sharing their interpretation of a word or theme.

These are the Liebster award rules as I understand them:

• Thank the person who nominated you and include a link back to their blog. (Done!
• List 11 random facts about yourself. (Done!)
• Answer the 11 questions given to you. (Done!)
• Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate. (Done!)
• Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or fewer followers to nominate and include links to their blogs. (Done!)
• Go to each bloggers’ page and let them know you have nominated them. (On my way now!)

Here are your questions:

1. Beer or wine or neither?
2. Favorite movie and why?
3. If you could have a whole day to yourself, how would you spend it?
4. Greatest regret?
5. Biggest accomplishment?
6. What’s your first thing people notice about you?
7. Guilty pleasure?
8. Finish this sentence: I hate it when ___________.
9. What was your first job?
10. If there was a quote you could live by, what would it be?
11. Favorite take-out food?

Have fun!