Liebster Award

Hey everyone, the hilarious Mommy Needs Wine Not Whine nominated me for a Liebster Award. And hey, when the goat lady call, you answer! But sersiously, a very big thank you and a humber “aww, shucks” to MNWNW. I still consider myself new to blogging (just over two months now!) but I have already been lucky enough to meet some very talented and very welcoming bloggers. Mommy Needs Wine Not Whine is one of my favorites! Plus, she loves the movie Labyrinth, which pretty much makes her my brest friend for life! So if you haven’t already, check her out. If you send her a funny picture of a goat she’ll be your friend forever 😉

So what is a Liebster Award, you ask? Well, it’s basically a fancy way of sharing your favorite blogs and highlighting the bloggers behind them. This is how it works:

1. State 11 facts about yourself
2. Answer the 11 questions asked by the previous blogger
3. Nominate 11 new bloggers for the award
4. Ask 11 questions for the next bloggers
5. Include the Liebster Award logo

So here we go. Bear with me, I’m not really very interesting…

11 (fun?) facts about Mary

1. I lived in the UK for five years. My first son was born in Lancaster, England.

2. I have a degree in psychology which I NEVER use.

3. I grew up in the town that was the end of the Oregon Trail: Oregon City, OR

4. I went to college in Missouri, which also happens to be the beginning of the Oregon Trail.

5. I was a competitive swimmer for 12 years and even swam varsity for two years in college.

6. I have a terrible penchant for 80s hair bands. Def Leppard is pretty much my favorite band ever, and I’m pretty sure I’d still swoon for Bon Jovi.

7. I HATE coffee. If you’ve never read Memoir From Antproof Case by Mark Helprin, you should. I hate coffee almost that much.

8. I have met, and touched, Adam Levine from Maroon 5. I consider this one of the highlights of my life.

9. I have a morbid fascination with criminal psychology and secretly with I was Dr Temperance Brennan from the show Bones. Plus, David Boreanaz is pretty hot.

10. I once got high with the band The Go-Go’s…by accident. Yeah, there’s a story there.

11. I am the worst speller on earth. It takes me forever to write anything because I have to google all the big words that I’ve spelled so badly that even spell check has no idea what I’m talking about.

Now, for the questions MNWNW asked me…

1. What do you read every day? My kids are 3 and 9 months old. I wish I had time to read more, but most of the time I read my email and my social media news feeds. And my friend’s blogs, obviously.

2. What are the five books that immediately come to mind as favorites? Ok, off the very top of my head: Memoir from Antproof Case by Mark Helprin, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, and American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I should also point out that (although not on this list) I probably have to admit to liking both the Twilight series and 50 Shades of Grey. Sorry.

3. Winter, spring, summer, or fall? When I was a kid I would have always said summer. Maybe it’s because I now live in the midwest where summer is pretty unpleasant, but I think I’d have to choose fall. I love when the trees start to change, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the beginning of the Christmas season. It feels cozy and homy, like a warm fire or a (faux) bear-skin rug.

4. What is your favorite pair of shoes? I have a pair of grey leather boots from Steve Madden that I wear almost every day. I LOVE them. I someday hope to own a pair of Louboutin black pumps. The ones with the red soles. I’m sure by the time I can afford them they will no longer be fashionable, but I will still love them.

5. If you could have drinks with one person, living or dead, who would it be? Kathy Reichs. She is sort of my idle. Ooh, or Seth Rogan. Because I LOVE him!

6. If you could have drinks with one fictional character, who would it be? I’d love to hang out with Rob Gordon from High Fidelity. I have a thing for geeks of all kinds.

7. Winter or Summer Olympics? Summer. No contest. I still know people swimming in the Olympics from my time as a swimmer.

8. Cats or dogs? I love all animals, but my husband refuses to let us get a cat. So I guess I’ll pick dogs. Really, I love cats who act like dogs and one of my dogs pretty much thinks he’s a cat.

9. Favorite blog post you’ve ever written? Well, I’m still pretty new to this so I don’t have many to choose from. I think I’d have to choose either Don’t Judge Me or Fire and Ice.

10. Kindle or Paperback? I really want to read on my kindle. I love the idea of it and the convenience, but I still need to feel the pages in my hands. I find I can read light books on kindle, but anything that requires focus or concentration I need to have the book.

11. Favorite location to visit? I’ve been lucky enough to visit a lot of place in my few years living in Europe. I think my absolute favorites were: Paris, Rome, Oslo, and Prague. I know that’s four, but I loved them all for very different reasons. Sorry.

And The Nominees Are…

1. Daddy Anarchy
2. Multitask Momma
3. Writer Mom’s Blog
4. Inside the Lunch  Box
5. Mommy Needs a Latte
6. One Funny Daddy
7. Faith and Family Works
8. Pecked to Death By Chickens
9. One Funny Mummy
10. Megsanity
11. Perfection Pending

My questions for the next generation:

1. Where did you grow up?
2. What is your most embarrassing memory?
3. Have you ever broken the law? What did you do?
4. What are you favorite movies of all time?
5. What are your guilty pleasure tv shows?
6. How did you meet your spouse (or last SO)?
7. Do you like to lead or follow?
8. Why did you start blogging?
9. If you could trade lives with one other person, who would it be?
10. What is your spirit animal?
11. What is your favorite blog post you’ve ever written?

Ok, if any of you have made it this far into the longest post ever, then I hop you enjoyed your little glimpse into my mind. I hope you’ll come back again!

Thanks again to Mommy Needs Wine Not Whine (check out her post here) for the shout out. I think this is a great way of getting to know the bloggers we all know and love.

Hope you find somebody new to love from my list 🙂