Down the Wrabbit Hole: Liebster Blog Award Recipient

Writing this blog is a labor of love for me. My posts are like diary entries about the most exciting, enchanting, or exhilarating moments in my life. Writing these entries is cathartic, and re-reading them down the road akin to visiting an old friend.

I don't monetize my blog. (That is, as of January 2013 - that may change, who knows? Right now, I don't think I have enough traffic to make minimization worth my while...) I don't ask for PayPal donations, or petition sponsors to send me free stuff. Any magazine articles I write are from the heart and don't benefit my wallet. I'm not in this for the "goods". I do this because I love to travel, and I want to share my stories with like-minded people.

However, I won't argue that it was nice when I opened up my Twitter account today and learned that I had been given the Liebster Blog Award - a "pay-it-forward" blogging award shared amongst blossoming writers in the blogosphere. The fantastic Sonja at "The Happy Travel Bug" was kind enough to acknowledge all of the time and care that I have poured into this little site. For that, I sincerely thank her!  

Here are the rules of the Liebster Award:

• When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person who nominated you.
• Pass the award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions.
• You are not allowed to nominate the blog who nominated you!
• Make sure the blogs you choose have 200 or less followers.
• Include a link to the person who nominated you and let them know about your post

Made apparent in the rules listed above, this blog award is designed for small blogs with the intention of giving them more exposure, upping their popularity, and assuring the authors that, "Yes indeedy!" someone out there DOES read your blog! I thought it was a fantastic idea! So, without further ado, here are my contributions to the Liebster Blog Award!

11 Random Facts:

1. Spiders are allowed to live outside my house. I won't squish them outside because they kill other, nasty bugs. But they are NOT allowed to live inside my house. It is a squishing free-for-all in that case.

2. I can play bass and sing at the same time. I used to be in a band in high school where I was the bass player and main singer. We cut a demo. It was not that good.

3. I collect fridge magnets from every place I have traveled to. My downstairs fridge looks super tacky!

4. My husband and I go out for dinner so much, the waitress at Boston Pizza knows what we're going to order before we sit down, and sometimes brings our drinks before she even says hello.

5. My favorite book from C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" is "The Magician's Nephew" because they jump into the magic pools and go to new worlds. I wanted those pools in my backyard.

6. I am scared of waterslides. I'll go down the baby ones, but that's pretty much it.

7. I am the most organized-disorganized person you'll ever meet. I love to label things, have everything sorted chronologically and alphabetically, but I'll be darned if I can find my keys or bank card when I need them.

8. I love being a bridesmaid, but didn't want a wedding for myself. Go figure.

9. I make my own wine, and prefer red over white.

10. Before I was a teacher, I worked as a pita maker, a theater cleaner, a coat check girl at a bar, a telephone operator, a psychologist's secretary, and a chiropractic assistant. 

11. I once got so lost in a parking lot, I had to go back inside the building to regroup. I am NOT good with parking lots.

West Edmonton Mall waterslide.  This...is...terrifying.

My questions from Sonja, who nominated me:

1. If you could travel anywhere in the world, and money was no object, where would you go and why? Well, if money was no object, than I would do a tour of the Mediterranean. I would check out Greece and all of its majestic isles, Sicily, the French coast, and sail the Balearic Islands in Spain.

2. Best meal you've ever had? While traveling, it would be the BBQ oysters from New Orleans - freshly shucked in front of me and cooked right up. So delicious. At home, it would be my Grandma's traditional Hungarian dish of Halushka.

3. What's your favorite post on your blog? I love my post on Loch Ness, mainly for the photography. The article was also picked up by Trek World, an online magazine, which makes me love it all the more!

4. Favorite cruise line? I have never been on a cruise! I'll let you know if I ever do go on one!

5. Favorite candy? I love me some Reece's Peanut Butter Cups! Or Nibs...

6. Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life? I think only Angelina Jolie could capture the magnitude of my lips. However, she might be too old to play me, so probably Zooey Deschanel. She and I are both kinda quirky!

7. Favorite quote or saying? I have two. The first is my Dad's: You never grow up, you never grow old. The second is: A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.

8. What would your super power be? Oh, teleportation all the way! The ability to just be somewhere else in an instant would be amazing! Think of all the items I could check off the bucket list!

9. Favorite smell? Clean sheets. That doesn't happen very often in my house! Ha!

10. If you had to live in a decade other than this one, what would you choose? The 1920s! I would be a flapper, dancing away in all those speakeasy clubs in my shimmery dress, using that film noir accent and ending every sentence with, "See?"

11. How old would you be if you didn't actually know how old you are? I feel about 25. I definitely don't feel like I'm in my 30s!

Oh grow up?  Not me!!

My 11 nominees - Let's hear about you!

This was the hard part!  I know so many good bloggers, but it was really tricky to stick to the 'under 200 followers' rule. I did my very best!

1. Becky -http://www.thebexfactor.com/
2. Corrine - http://www.reflectionsenroute.com/
3. Keara - http://traveltheatrics.wordpress.com/
4. Travel Chick Diaries - http://travelchickdiaries.com/
5. Liz - http://youngadventuress.com/
6. Marriann - http://goodbyemymuffintop.wordpress.com/
7. Lilian - http://travelarmadillo.com/
8. Amy - http://www.whereverwriter.com/
9. Hilary - http://nomadgrad.com/
10. Laeta - http://jaourfamilyaffair.blogspot.ca/
11. Brandy - http://itsoneworldtravel.com/

My questions for those that I have nominated:

1. When you travel, are you an 'explore every nook and cranny' or a 'sit back and relax' kind of person?

2. When ordering a drink that requires an umbrella, what do you order?

3. Favorite season and why?

4. Most embarrassing story you are willing to tell online?

5. When you go camping, do you use a tent, a trailer, or do you prefer hotels to camping?

6. What are your top 5 items for YOUR travel bucket list?

7. If you had to pick an animal to represent you, what would it be? Why?

8. Have you ever lost anything while traveling? - Tell your sad story...

9. How many pairs of shoes do you have?

10. Best way to get exercise?

11. Strangest job you've ever had?


And that's that! Thanks again to Sonja for the Liebster Award and for making me a part of this movement. I look forward to reading all of the responses from my own nominees!