Several of my blogger buddies have nominated me for awards, so I thought it’d be fun to respond!
(By the end of this, you’ll know far more about me than you care to.)
The awards have the same basic rules:
- Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.
- List random things about yourself.
- Nominate other blogs you like and notify the blog owner
- Display the thumbnail
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A great big Muchas Gracias to my sweet friend and fellow writer Sandi Nieto, who nominated me for the Sunshine award. Her Clayzmama blog is well-known to anyone who’s ever seen my Friday posts.
So here are 7 random things:
- My middle name is Hope, hence the header on my site, the Romans 15:13 verse and all the other hope verses I post. And all the “hope” coffee mugs in my cabinet.
- I can do 20 “man” push ups.
- I love Amish Friendship Bread (which is really CAKE) and I keep “starts” of it.
- I enjoy food prep (yes, the mundane peeling, seeding, dicing… LOVE IT)
- I like long drives by myself and can drive for hours in complete silence.
- I can program almost anything programmable.
- I can close my eyes and fall asleep almost anywhere.
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Next, the Liebster award, compliments of Cathy Baker and Diana Denis!
The Liebester award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.
I took the follower gadget off a long time ago, so I guess I technically have NO followers, which is why I qualify for this award. I sure-as-heck don’t meet all those other qualifications!
Liebster calls for 11 random facts:
- When I was a student at Virginia Tech, I minored in math. (Dorky, huh?)
- I love country music. (I’m a Southerner. It’s required)
- I’m driving my dream car: a 2010 Ford Escape.
- I dance around my house for no reason.
- I was the drum major in my high school band.
- The Bible study that changed my walk: Experiencing God, followed closely by Calm My Anxious Heart
- I’m obsessed with the sky. I’ll stop in mid-sentence to comment on it.
- I can keep a baseball scorebook. And I’m seriously tough with it.
- I love to mow my yard. (See? WEIRD. Keep reading)
- I love wearing high heels, but slip them off as soon as I sit down.
- I used to be a decent USTA player (tennis)
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- Morning person or night owl? Morning! I try not to be obnoxious, though
- What is something God is teaching you lately? “Apply your heart to instruction” (Prov 23:12). As much as I’d like to do some creative and freelance writing, He’s calling me to study.
- What do you know now that you wish you knew 5 years ago? That my kids were going to be accepted to their colleges of choice.
- Walmart or Target? Target
- Do you have a schedule for posting blogs and have everything prewritten or do you freestyle and only post when you’re divinely inspired? I used to freestyle but the Lord lit a fire under me this summer. I’m scheduled out for about a month, but I still review each post the night before and tweak it!
- Would you rather see a movie at the theater or at home on DVD? Why? Home. I freeze in the theater and I need bathroom breaks!
- Where would you like to live one day? I’d love to live way out in the mountains of southwestern VA or western NC (just make sure I have an internet connection)
- If you had to choose a favorite book of the Bible, what would it be and why? Philippians because of all the joy
- If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Greece
- My favorite television show: So You Think You Can Dance (because deep down, I do)
- What recent blessing from the Lord would you like to share? I turned 50 this month and my friends and family threw me 2 surprise parties
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One last thing about me –
I’ll be blogging for Compassion International beginning in September. It’s perfect timing since September is Compassion’s Blog Month!
Their goal is 3,108 children sponsored between Sept. 1 and Sept. 30, and I’ll be posting on assignment. We sponsor two kids in El Salvador (Oscar and Eunice) and my dream is to go there on a Compassion Blogging Tour and meet them one day!
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Ok, for my nominations. All these folks are favorites but my ADD has kicked in and this is all I can manage for now:
Hester Christensen - Hester has a passion for teaching and challenging women to press on to maturity in Christ.
Jamie Britt - I met sweet Jamie last fall at a writer’s retreat, and we became fast friends. She was born blind and faces more struggles than you can shake a stick at, but inspires everyone who knows her with her faith and perseverance.
Kristi Butler - Kristi taught transitional kindergarden and writes books for children. She has 2 books about the adventures of her groundhog friends, Gracie and Grover.
Diane Bailey - Di is an author and a photographer, and she creates and shares her gorgeous scripture photos on her website.
Julia Tomiak – A fellow Virginian, Julia is a voracious reader and posts interesting reviews and thoughts about all things literary. She’ll also improve your vocabulary!
Jeannette Duwe - Jeannette encourages ordinary moms seeking an extraordinary God! She also broke her foot Monday morning, so please breathe a prayer for her quick healing!
Kim Vander Poel - The title of her blog is “Kim’s Ponderings Beyond Breast Cancer” and that says it all. She also posts great health tips.
Anna Popescu – Anna posts some of the most uplifting messages and image art you’ll find anywhere.
Karen Lembo – love the title of her blog, “Living Above The Laundry Pile” Karen has an ambitious schedule and posts DAILY.
Celeste Vaughn – I love her tag line: Educating, Encouraging and Empowering others to a life of freedom in Christ!
Marisa Bernard – This is who you turn to if you want to eat healthier or know about the healing properties of foods.
Sarah Stilwell – Last but not least, my sweet daughter. If you want to remember what it was like to be a college co-ed, read her blog and have a flashback. She promises to post more regularly, but studying gets in the way of that sometimes
Girls, take your pick — Liebster or Sunshine or BOTH.
Susan, thank you for the nomination! And every qualification you listed for the Leibster award, you meet and exceed everyone of them! You’re a precious lady, a faithful prayer partner, a helpful “webmaster,” a wonderful teacher and dear friend. Do you want me to go on? I’m sure I’m not the only one who could make a list here. Love you, sweet friend!
Sweet friend…and You are such a sweet friend. Thank you for this nomination! You are so qualified to receive the Leibster Award. I am very honored to be able to call you “my friend”
Susan,
I loved getting to know you even more today – (we are a lot alike girl!). I about passed out when I saw my name on the list– you are so very sweet! I think you qualify for them all girl! You’ve got it sister!
I’m excited for you and how the Lord is opening doors for you with writing — God bless you Susan – you’re a blessing to me!
Love, Hester
Susan, I loved learning more about you! And thanks for the nomination, but I’ve already been nominated for both the Liebster and Sunshine awards. Maybe you can nominate another blog?
You are such an encouragement to me and a blessed Sister in the Lord!
Enjoy your weekend!
~Anna
You’re so sweet!! I feel honored to be on your list! I promise (you and Sandi) that I will try to get my act together and follow the instructions…in the middle of all the baby love and living away from home.
I vote for Western NC so that you can be closer to me! And you know I love me some country music too!! And I’m so happy that you love to drive so that we can see each other!!
Love you!
There is so much more to you than meets the eye! Tennis, dance, pushups, tech, math whiz, with a love of dance and country music to round out the mix. I loved reading more about you. I love country music as well, and while I adore and admire great dancing, my body just doesn’t move to that beat in a timely or smooth fashion.
Thanks for sharing!
Susan,
I’m giving you big squeezes vicariously through my couch pillow right now! Thank-you so much for adding me to this list when I know you could have picked 100s more in my place. I got goosies as I read your random acts and how many of them we share in common… would you like to plan a trip to Greece?? Yes… please!
Hugs to you my very best & sweetest pen-pal <3
Marisa
Congratulations to all the nominees! Fun reading about fabulous women!
Susan,
Thanks for relaying all those awards as they come your way…I see it kinda like running the race of knowing Jesus and someone is ahead and passes you the baton of faith…you run a lap..then pass it on to the one just behind you waiting to take it and run. I love hearing more about you through those comments you made about yourself…always love your sense of humor when you talk about being sick of yourself. Thanks for that. I know exactly what you mean. I would much rather write about someone else than myself. I look forward to finding the time to check out all these gals you gave awards to. Thanks for sharing them with the rest of us.
Have a lovely weekend!
Susan, I too enjoyed learning more about you through this post; I’m pleased that we have a lot in common (push ups! Who knew?). Your winsome on-lIne personality always cheers me- I can’t wait to meet you face to face. I’m so thankful that God put you in my life – I literally would not be in the blogosphere without you, and every week I learn something new from you. Thanks for your encouragement, for answering ALL of my questions ( I ask a lot), and for this award. What a smart way to highlight the awards- you know I love it that you included the etymology of “Leibster”.
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You girls are too sweet. My family will tell you that I’m really pretty boring, but I’m also easily entertained and “as happy as if I had good sense” as we say in the South
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I’m grateful for each of you. Hope y’all have a GREAT labor day weekend!!
Oh Susan – what fun to read all your answers! I’m quite convinced that if we didn’t have the miles between us, we’d be fast friends in person, too! Thanks for the nomination and the foot sympathy/prayers. Saw the Dr. yesterday and I now have a boot. Crutches for one more week. Optimistic it should heal well though – and there are SO many worse things in the world! Thank you for the prayers and nomination…and I think I’ve gotta go with Liebster…the first German words my Oma taught me were “Ich Liebe Dich!”
Blessings to you, today, my sweet friend!
Ahh, one of a very few German phrases I understand! I love you, too!!
Susan, let me add one more!
I’ve nominated you for the Super Sweet Blogging award because of your super sweet blog and spirit! You can read about it here: http://auntieemsguide.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/super-sweet/
Thank you! I’m honored you think my blog is award-worthy
I’ll check it out!!
Susan,
Oh, it was so fun getting to know you a bit better–to see our similarities and our differences. I too can drive in the car for a long time without radio/noise. My coworkers shake their head in disbelief. I shared with them, “There is so much going on in my mind, I don’t need anything else for entertainment.” Hmmm, could it be that is why we like to write? The sky is also one of my “stop and smell the roses” moments. My poor hubby, I have waken him up several nights to “Come, quick take a look at this beautiful moon!” I also enjoyed meeting some new bloggers–thanks sharing!
Isn’t it fun to get a glimpse of each other in “real life”? You made me laugh because I’m with you — I can entertain my OWN self, thankyouverymuch
And the hubs has seen more sunsets than he probably ever wanted to, but I’m still going to point them out!
I’m behind but am so glad I stopped by! I learned so much and didn’t get sick of you at all!
Completely awestruck how you can be a month out. I need to get my act in gear. It’s crazy…I have 58 drafts….if I could only finish them!
and I never get sick of myself…I can be alone with my thoughts for hours. we might even make good travel buddies