Linking Hearts Through Award Nominations

The Liebster Award is one of many awards available to encourage new bloggers, and to help us discover new blogs to enjoy.  It’s a great way to link hearts with other bloggers!

Many thanks to Rhonda of Dizzy Stir for thinking of me and considering my blog for nomination.  It’s an honor to be thought of.  May your efforts be twice blessed, Rhonda!  I truly enjoy her tongue-in-cheek posts, humor and creativity.  Though I don’t know her, she seems like someone anyone would want as a neighbor.  Please check out her blog Dizzy Stir at:   http://rhondaerb.com/

My blog site was born mid-February 2013.  At first, it was a nightmare getting my blog up on my own.  I knew little about blogging and even less about setting up a website.  After one frustrating weekend of practically non-stop website set up, I was ready to go begin posting, tweaking my blog here and there as I went along.  Next came how many followers.  I was too embarrassed to show how many I didn’t have.  I am not as worried about this anymore.  I want blogging to be something I enjoy without worrying about numbers. This is where the Liebster  and similar awards come in.  They can help improve readership and followers.

Our hope as bloggers, is to gain enough interest in what we write that someone will actually want to read our posts.  In my case, I also hope to uplift readers with real life humorous stories, and encourage them by sharing how God has worked in my aching and anxious heart over the decades.  That second one being the toughest one;  my trials, vulnerability, and sometimes shame will be exposed.

As an award nominee, there is always criteria to follow.  Here they are for this Liebster Award.

1. Post the award on to your blog.
2. Remember to thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their site.
3. Post 11 random facts about yourself to help us to get to know you better.
4. Respond to the 11 questions the presenter has asked.
5. Nominate 11 new bloggers you consider noteworthy.
6. Post your very own 11 questions for the nominees.
7. Don’t forget to leave a message for those you nominate that you chose them.

Okay.  Here are 11 random facts about me.

• I keep asking my husband for a new home office because my present one just keep getting more and more cluttered,  but for some reason, he just ignores me.
• I really like children.  Their innocence is beautiful.  Sometimes I envy that.
• My idea of getting up at the crack of dawn, is at eight in the morning.
• I loved floating in the extra-salty waters around the Hawaiian islands.
• I often wish life came with a rewind button.  Then I could rewind and erase all the times I’ve stuck my foot in my mouth, which have been plenty.
• I would love to take trip in a spaceship trip to see our beautiful floating planet the way it actually looks as well as the secret beauty of the universe.
• I prefer iced coffee and iced tea, unless the temperature is in the teens.
• The best meals I have ever cooked have been improvised.
• I get a thrill out of taking random little things and turning them into a piece of art or something useful.
• I love to read and could easily spend an entire weekend reading any of the books I have collected.
• I get my best ideas for writing or for projects while in the shower, or at 2:30 in the morning.
• I wish I had a time machine so I could go back to the time Jesus walked on earth.
• I surprised myself.  I am naturally very good at target shooting. Who knew?
• I was born in a communist country.

And the 11 questions Rhonda asks are:

1. How many hours a day do you spend writing?   On an average, I’d say about three to four hours which means I am often up into the wee hours of the morning.  I do not recommend posting then, as I have been horrified at just how many mistakes I missed in my sleepy stupor.
2. Who do you have to critique and/or edit your work?  My hubby.  Poor guy. Whenever I say, “Honey will you read this?” Or “Can I read this to you?,” he gets that far-away-glassy-eyed look.  For the most part, he is very  helpful and encouraging.
3. What is your guilty pleasure?  Boy, that is a very hard one especially right now. For health reasons, I am trying to change to gluten-free eating.  I would say anything not gluten-free, especially chocolate, bread and lots of gluteny stuff.
4. Why did you start blogging?  I have always been super chatty, even if only in my own mind.  Sometimes, it seems there are just not enough ears to listen.  I love to write and love to encourage people.  What better way to combine both?
5. What is your most popular blog post?  The Time Bandit. I found out more people have that thievin’ varmint come around than I thought. Posting stories is lots of fun.  Kind of like opening a present.  I am surprised at which post will get the most likes.
6. What do you want written on your tombstone?  I can think of many.  I had to settle with this one.“She’s finally in a perfect world, with Jesus and her son.” 
7. What are some of your favorite books to read? (I’m graciously not limiting this to one.) I love anything written by Mary E. De Muth.  Wow! Can that woman write. I loved her “Defiance Texas Trilogy”.  Also, she has a memoir called “Thin Places” which is very sad. She vulnerably tells of her sexual abuse at the age of five.
8. If you could have any one super-power, what would it be?  I think it would be to go back in time.
9. If you could be invisible for a day, would you use your invisibility for evil or good?  Though I’m sure I’d be tempted plenty, I would certainly use it for good.
10. What would your “last supper” consist of?  Well, if it’s my last supper, forget the gluten-free thing! Or the carbs or the calories.  Bring out the pizza, lasagna, onion rings, Cuban food, Greek food, and a great big fat piece of Costco’s totally chocolaty, chocolate cake. I’ll take strawberry cheesecake, too . All of it! I would eat it all then follow it with a box of Alka Seltzer. 
11. What is your biggest pet peeve? Oh, can I have more than one?  When I am in the grocery store and I am in a huge hurry, and the cashier is having a wonderful conversation with the customer in front of me.  Or maybe it’s when I buy something and find out it doesn’t work when I get home.  It could be when I am in the middle of using my  computer and some stupid glitch messes up my work.  No—wait—it’s most definitely, when I step on the scale three different times in a row and get three different readings.  Yep, that one.

After hopscotching through many blogs I chose these 11.   They have so much to share with the world.  Some are vulnerable.  Some are funny.  Some are inspirational. Some break my heart.  Everyone of them share a piece of their world with us.

• http://sheilamariegrimes.com/
• http://georgefloreswrite.com/
• http://cancerkillingrecipe.wordpress.com/
• http://tentaclesofmyheart.wordpress.com/
• http://furthestsense.wordpress.com/
• http://www.literarybits.com/about/
• http://yunichar.wordpress.com/
• http://rhymewritteninred.wordpress.com/
• http://boyslumber.wordpress.com/
• http://mkinnel.com/
• http://barbtaub.com/

Here are my 11 questions to the nominees.

1. Have you ever pretended to be someone else?
2. What has been your favorite vacation experience?
3. What got you into blogging?
4. What is your favorite post on your own blog site?
5. How would your family describe you?
6. What has been the happiest day of your life?
7. If you could redo a day, which one would it be?
8. What is your best childhood memory?
9. What characteristic do you get the most compliments on? (e.g. smile, eyes, hairstyle, thoughtfulness, hospitality, kindness, joy, humor, etc.)
10. If you could visit any planet, which one would it be?
11. If you had the power to advance time, what year would you choose?

And of course, my appreciation goes to, Rhonda from Dizzy Stir for this Liebster Award nomination.

By ~ Elizabeth Yalian  ©2013