My First Award!

Miss Risa, over at Who Shot Down My Stork? was sweet enough to give me a Liebster Award!  Thank you so much sweetheart!

This award is given to new or up-and coming-bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another. What a fun way to get to know other bloggers!

If you receive a nomination, there are a few rules to follow:

1) Each blogger nominated must post 11 things about themselves.
2) Then answer the 11 questions the tagger has asked.
3) Blogger must then create 11 questions of their own to ask the bloggers they decide to nominate.
4) They must choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate and link them on their blog post.
5) Bloggers must be notified of their award!  (I will likely slack on this one - Jamie)
6) No tag backs!

11 things about me:

1.  I have 2 sisters and 3 brothers.  My brothers are much younger, adopted by my father and step-mother after some really severe neglect in the early, formative years of their lives.  They have overcome some really big hurdles, but still have many more to overcome.  It really opened my eyes to a lot of things that I wish I had been able to remain ignorant of.
2.  I commute 110 miles per day for my job.  I hate that part.
3.  I listen to A LOT of audio books while I drive.  I'm just about done with the existing Game of Thrones books.  Love them!
4.  My celebrity crush is Liv Tyler.  Especially in LOTR where she has the pointy ears.
5.  It is my strong opinion that, instead of Shades of Gray, you should read Anne Rampling/Rice's Sleeping Beauty Trilogy.  I may lose fans by saying this, but I have a problem with the message that Twilight sends our teenage girls.  By extension, I have a problem with erotic fan fiction based on it, especially the kind that sheds S&M in the light that it does.
6.  My favorite music is rock and hard rock.  My favorite song is Metallica's No Leaf Clover.  Give my guitar & drums + orchestra, and I'm in heaven.
7.  I am a huge, gigantic nerd.  I'm doing my nursery in Chibithulhu.  If you have any idea what that is, I may love you.
8.  JP and I met online.  Not via a dating site, but via really silly game.  I owe those folks a lot!
9.  I am deathly afraid of bats.  Very little else scares me.
10.  I am never without my Burt's Bees chapstick.  I may forget my purse, my cell phone, and my wits, but I always have my Burt's Bees.
11.  I have totally been slacking off at work for the last 2 hours, and plan to continue to do so for the next 2!

Here are the 11 questions from Risa:

1. What is your favorite holiday?  I'm going to have to go with Thanksgiving.  Lots of food and family!  Working in retail for a lot of years kind of killed Christmas for me, but I'm starting to find my love for it, again.
2. Are you a morning person or night owl?  I'm becoming much more of a morning person than I used to be.  I can't stay up late anymore, and I can't sleep pasts 7 or 8.
3. What was the greatest moment of your life?  Telling JP that he was going to be a father, and telling my mother that she was going to be a grandmother.
4. Why do you blog?  To help me sort out what I needed to do to be a mother.  And to help hold myself accountable for my choices.  I also wanted to share my story, and meet other ladies like all of you.
5. What is your favorite waste of time?  Facebook, I admit it!
6. What is your favorite book or movie?  The Harry Potter books, and the Lord of the Rings movies!
7. When was the last time you cried?  Yesterday during my growth scan/BPP.  Every time my baby girl gets all her points, I'm so relieved.
8. What causes are you passionate about?  Gay rights and getting kids in to non-electronic gaming.
9. What did you want to be when you grew up?  It changed so often that I can barely remember.
10. Beer, wine, or hard liqueur?  Wine.  Definitely wine!  Though I used to fully appreciate the other two from time to time.
11. What was the most important lesson you have learned in life?  Nothing is as important as communication.  That applies to every person and facet of life!

Here are the 11 questions for my nominees:

1.  When was the last time you played a board game?
2.  What game did you play?
3.  What was the last book you read?
4.  What movie did you last see in the theater?  How was it?
5.  What item(s) are you never without?
6.  What is your favorite non-alcoholic beverage?
7.  Do you have siblings?  Are you close?
8.  What kind of music do you listen to?
9.  Have you ever met anyone in person that you met online?
10.  Do you still have a land phone line?
11.  Do you watch reality TV?

And my nominees for the Liebster are.....

Sprout
Mom PharmD
It's MY LIFE
Mommyhood After Fertility Frustration
Hapa Hopes
My Bum Ovaries
MRKH Musings
Our Journey Through This Lovely Life
Life In Little Hispaniola
Old Lady and No Baby
Hobbit-ish Thoughts and Ramblings

Thank you Risa!