Liebster Award nomination!/Random Snippets

You know how it feels when something happens, something entirely out of the blue, and suddenly you are very aware that things have changed drastically? Maybe only slightly, maybe only for awhile, but at that moment it hangs on you like a dark, heavy cloud, and you have to somehow find a way out.

I will post about my Ireland adventure soon, but if I'm being honest, I just can't do it yet. It certainly had its surprisingly incredible moments, but it had moments too upsetting to completely understand. And they aren't done yet. Unfortunately, at the end of my senior year, things have changed. They had to eventually; I could feel it impending for years and years. The timing is just pretty crappy.

But for now, I need to focus on getting my degree, starting my life, and enjoying time with my friends and my wonderful boyfriend at the end of our college career. For now, I am leaving what has happened where it is until I can sort through it.

Now, with all that depressing nonsense out of the way, I'd like to talk about something a little happier:

I was nominated for a Liebster Award! The nomination goes to an up-and-coming blog and offers up a little info about the blogger. With so many new faces around here, it came at a pretty good time!

I was nominated by the lovely Christiana over at Sunkissed Tangles. She's new on the blogging scene, but her blog has lots of helpful beauty tips and adorable photos of her and her fiance. Stop over and check it out!

Now, to begin:

RULES:

1. Answer the 11 questions the blogger who nominated you asked.

2. Give 11 random facts about yourself

3. Nominate 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers

4. Create 11 questions for the nominees to answer

QUESTIONS FROM CHRISTIANA:

1. What is your favorite thing to blog about?
I love to blog about weird things that happen to me. I have always thought of life in terms of stories. If I'm going through something difficult, beautiful or hilarious, I get so excited to tell other people about it. I sometimes have to stop and remember to actually live through what's going on instead of thinking "When I tell people this, I should start with this sentence..." As a journalist, it happens.

2. What is the hardest thing you have experienced blogging so far?
Not getting discouraged. There have been many, many times where I have stopped and thought "Why? What is the point of putting my life and my ideas out there like this?" When that happens, I just remember that it is important. Having a voice is critical and empowering, and it doesn't matter if one person or 50,000 people read your writing; someone is still hearing you. And that's worth it, because words can be a very powerful force.

3. What is your favorite animal?
Any that are my own! In terms of like...visiting the zoo (or the barnyard?), I like llamas. Because come on...they're hilarious.

But my own pets, my dog I call creature, my 2-year-old Betta fish Lloyd, and my boyfriend's cat and dog, are all my favorites. They can take any bad mood away because they're adorable. Even Lloydy.

4. Where would you go if money was no object?
I would go on some kind of retreat meditation thing. I am not good at quiet and/or relaxing in general, but I have always wanted to go somewhere beautiful where I can meditate all day and just drink a lot of tea. Maybe pick up some tai chi tactics. That's my dream.

5. How many siblings do you have?
Oh boy. Four! Four younger brothers. One is 20, two of them are 19 and one is 14 or 15 (I can never remember. He is eternally 10 in my mind.) One is fully related to me, and the rest are step-siblings.

6. Most awkward/embarrassing moment today?
I woke up at 5 a.m. because of jet lag. So I am at Starbucks in my pajamas and I'm pretty sure I haven't looked in the mirror yet. Which may be for the best.

7. What is your favorite place?
This coffee shop downtown here. I started writing my fiction series there last spring, and now I go there when I need inspiration or a creative refuge. It reminds me of happy times and fantastic almond butter croissants. Also, near any body of water.

8. Why do you blog?
I have always been a writer. But working at so many news outlets showed me that I needed a creative outlet for my sanity. So it started that way. But then I realized I really enjoyed the sense of community that the blog world fostered, and knew I wanted to be a part of it. So I blog because I have faith in that network.

9. What is your dream job?
I ask myself this daily. Let me give you a rundown of all the things I have wanted to become, in sequential order:
-Inventor
-Comedian
-President of the United States (I wrote a speech when I was 9. I talked about college and gun control, naturally. That's why I had so many friends as a child.*Not.*)
-Interior decorator
-Wedding planner
-Meteorologist (I checked out every cloud book in the library when I was 10. I can still tell you my favorite cloud is the strato-cumulonimbus. Another reason I had so many friends.)
-Journalist
-Author
-?

That is an unanswered question for the time being, but some kind of author is still up there pretty high. I have a few books going right now, so we'll see!

10. Who is your favorite person in the whole world? Or one of them?
This is a difficult question. I'm pretty fond of most of my family. They all have their quirks and I love them. And I adore my boyfriend; he is one of the most unique people I know and he is endlessly patient and supportive.
And my friends all have fantastic traits. I turn to each of them for certain situations and they definitely keep me sane.
Uh...I realize I didn't actually answer this question.
Emma Stone?

11. What's your best piece of blogging advise?
Reality! I love blogs that toss a hefty dose of "real" in with their pretty pictures and DIY posts. That's the best. It's awesome to laugh out loud or feel like you can relate to someone through their blog. 

RANDOM FACTS:
1. I have this silk nightshirt named "Shirt" that I stole from my mom when I was a baby. They tried to get me to slowly let it go when I was about 12. Failed. It's on my bed right now.

2. I am all into learning about astrology, numerology, ghosts, past lives, various traditions of other religions, etc. Anything mystical fascinates me.

3. I looked like "Mini Me" from Austin Powers as a baby. Seriously.

4. My family used to own a very successful circus a couple generations back. Then a great uncle drank away the fortune.

5. I had a lot of beads as a child. I think my parents thought I made jewelry with the beads. But I actually played "war" with them where the biggest bead tried to eat all the little beads.

6. I have been on TV four times: Once to sing when I was 8, once as part of a Democratic Congressional debate (I was a student panel participant) and twice because I was interviewed by the news.

7. I am obsessed with holistic health. I hate taking any kind of medicine, so I am in the process of learning about vitamins and herbs and their various healing properties. Get excited because I can pretty much guarantee all that is going up on the blog.

8. I was the creepiest little kid. I saw ghosts and told people what would happen in the immediate future and other weird stuff like that.

9. I am a major morning person. It's my favorite time of day and pretty much the only time I am super productive.

10. I am AWFUL at sports. I come from a family of athletes and I SUCK. To give you an idea: In junior high, the kid with the broken arm or sprained ankle was often chosen before me in gym class. No hand-eye coordination. None.

11. I am fairly introverted. I need a whole lotta' alone time to feel balanced. That includes shopping, getting dinner and taking plenty of walks by myself. I call them self-dates, which may be weird, but that's okay.

I NOMINATE: 
2 Girls, a Guy, and a Diet
LOVEMEBRIGHT
Bits of Brooke
Pinch of Paisley
Stubborn Delight
Adventures of a Misfit Librarian
Your Young Mom
Stay Crafty, my friends
Inhabit Your Moments
Hunters of Happiness
Sincerely, Laura

MY QUESTIONS:
1. What are your goals for your blog?
2. What is the best piece of blogging advice you have received so far?
3. What would your dream home look like?
4. If you had to relive one moment of your life, which would it be?
5. Whose wardrobe would you steal?
6. Is there a quote or saying that inspires you?
7. Where do you go when you have a totally free day?
8. What was your most recent trip/vacation?
9. What is your guilty pleasure?
10. What is one place you'd love to see before you die?
11. Why did you start blogging?