I’d like to thank the Academy…

While I am excited to receive this blogging award from my friend Brian, I must say that I’m even more excited that he received it from one of his readers.  Way to go, Brian! I highly recommend that you check out his blog, “I’ve Never Heard of You Either… an uncommon look at everyday things.” It’s full of sharp wit and excellent music suggestions.    I’ve mentioned him here before, but that was prior to him jumping out on a limb and beginning his awesome blog.

I definitely put my heart into that gratitude post from 6 months ago, but it’s worth repeating because you dear readers have grown in numbers since then.  THANK YOU for being part of this community and for reading and sharing here.  I am perpetually amazed that you 1) care about what I write and 2) want to see my photos.  I used to individually reach out to each new subscriber, and I wish I could do that now, but you read the blog and you know that I love you and that I’m not exactly sitting around twiddling my thumbs these days.

I did a quick Google search and it seems to be that the Liebster Blog award originated in Germany, “Liebster” meaning favorite or dearest, to showcase bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. Upon accepting the award, the recipient must then pass it on to five more blogs.

The requirements are:

1. Show gratitude to the blogger who nominated you and link back to them.

2. Post the award on your blog.

3. Nominate five other bloggers you would like to pass the award to, also with fewer than 200 followers.

4. Tell your readers ten random facts about you.

I love getting the opportunity to share some of my favorite blogs with you.  I just counted my Google Reader subscriptions and it came to 194, up by 66 since I last counted in December.  Holy moly! No wonder I am always 800+ posts behind.  (By the way, I use Flipboard on my iPhone to read posts on the go… check it out!) Maybe I’ll design a page here of my favorite blogs, if anyone’s interested.

A problem with these awards is that I end up finding MORE wonderful blogs to follow.  Oh well.  Check these out and then let’s all look forward to hearing which blogs they recommend.

• What We Create
• Lori Moon Studio
• PurpoSoul
• Four Deer Oak
• Minding My Nest

In my Googling of this award, not one recipient I saw had a list of 10 random things about themselves, so I thought I’d compromise and make it 5 instead.

1.  I clearly remember the day in 4th grade that I first walked into school in glasses.  I was embarrassed but I could see! (I also was astounded to realize that carpet is made up of individual fibers, there were boats out at sea and that trees had leaves rather than being a big blob of green.)

2. I am proud of the fact that I took BC calculus my senior year of high school, but now I don’t know what the heck the purpose of that was or even what a derivative is.

3. I had a professor in college who was elegantly worldly in her demeanor and dress.  I started wearing several rings on my hands to be like her.  I couldn’t carry that off in the slightest.

4. I didn’t really come into my own until college.  I’m sure that’s a common thing, but at the time, I felt like the odd one growing up.

5. I took twirling lessons when I was 8 or 9 and even went to a competition.  I remember my dad taking me to class one time and we were getting fitted for our costumes.  The teacher said something about putting the sequins in a V on my (then non-existent) chest and I was so embarrassed my dad heard that.