liebster blog award, take 2!

I've been nominated again for the Liebster Blog Award - twice!  What an honor to be recognized by my fellow bloggers, Chelsee of Southern Beauty Guide and Brooke of Wide Open Spaces. The purpose of the Liebster Blog Award is to show new bloggers that they are appreciated, and to help spread the word about new blogs.  Liebster translates to "dearest" (or favorite/best) in German. It is also known as the Love Blog Award.  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.

Rules:
1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.
2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you.
3. Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to.
3. Choose 11 blogs (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.  Don't forget to go back to their pages and tell them about the award.
5. No tag backs (but please leave me a comment on this post with the URL to your Liebster Award post so I can learn more about you!)

11 Random Facts About Me:

1. I am an only child and when I was growing up people always seemed shocked that I wasn't a brat.
2. I absolutely love cheese, yogurt, and ice cream and pack yogurt in my lunch every day.
3. I attended a half-day math and science program in high school even though those are my two weakest subjects- I was willing to do the work to get away from my school and boost my college application.  My all-time favorite teacher is my high school chemistry teacher.
4. So You Think You Can Dance has pretty much been an obsession of mine since it first aired and I would love to take ballroom dancing lessons.
5. My favorite Disney movie is Monsters, Inc.;  I cry every time I watch it.
6. I get seasick on big boats, but I love canoeing and kayaking.
7. The two most interesting courses I took in college were on graphic novels and historical revolutions.
8. My favorite city to visit is Savannah, Georgia - so much history and culture!
9. I could watch cooking shows pretty much all day long.  My favorites are The Pioneer Woman, Trisha's Southern Kitchen and Giada  at Home.  I was Paula Deen for Halloween last year.
10. I've been a 4-H member since fourth grade.
11. My fictional character doppelganger is Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years.

Keep reading for Chelsee and Brooke's questions for me, my questions, and my nominees!

liebster blog award!

I've been nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by Laura from The Turquoise Home.  It's a really unique award given by bloggers to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The purpose of the Liebster Blog Award is to show new bloggers that they are appreciated, and to help spread the word about new blogs.   The award was created to promote appreciation and recognition among the blog world.   Liebster translates to "dearest" (or favorite/best) in German. It is also known as the Love Blog Award.  Thanks so much for the nomination, Laura, and for showing my tiny blog some love!

**The Rules:**
1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.
3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
4. Choose 11 blogs you love (with less than 200 followers) and link them in your post.
5. No tag back (but please leave me a comment on this post with the URL to your Liebster post so I can learn more about you)!

**11 random things about me:**

1. I was not allowed to wear red nail polish (because "nice girls don't wear red nail polish") or watch The Simpsons (because Bart was disrespectful to his parents) as a kid.  My parents had some of the most random rules ever.
2. I collect vintage blue Ball Mason jars from local antique stores and thrift shops and use them to store just about everything.
3. I spent one year in elementary school in a multi-age 1st-3rd grade classroom, and I really wish that style of teaching had caught on more.  I learned and grew more that year than ever before.
4. I took dance from the time I was in first grade through my first year of college.  I quit after a bad audition and really regret that I gave up so easily and compared myself to other dancers so much.  I am still really inspired by dance and it's my favorite way to work out.
5. As a kid I refused to wear the color green because it was the color of the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz.
6. Tunnels, including subway/metro tunnels, really freak me out.
7. My favorite color has been purple since my mom bought me a purple sunflower hat like Blossom had on the television show.
8. I was once on a softball team that either lost or forfeited every single game we played.
9. In college I spent two weeks in Ireland for a January term English class with my two favorite professors.  I don't know if that's long enough to count as study abroad, but it was perfect for a homebody like me.  I would love to go back someday and take Mr. Q because he is Irish-American and has never been there.
10. I have been obsessed with France since high school and my #1 dream travel destination is Paris.
11. I was almost an Anthropology minor, until I started falling asleep every day in my archaeology class and realized it was probably not really for me.  I still love learning about other cultures and traditions from around the world, and about traditional agriculture and cooking.

Keep reading for Laura's questions for me, my questions, and my nominees!