Amanda Cade

When I got home on Christmas Eve, I was surprised and excited to see two messages containing a Liebster Award nomination.

One was from Dee at Ntroverted Xtrovert, who described the award like this:

“The Liebster Award is an award that exists only on the internet and is given to bloggers by other bloggers, whose work they find interesting, to motivate them and promote them as well. The earliest case of the award goes as far back as 2011. Liebster in German means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.”

The other nomination came from LaRena at LaRena’s Corner, who said:

“Liebster award is an award for bloggers from bloggers. In this award, fellow bloggers nominate a blogger especially when he/she is new. This type of awards gives a nice kick to an upcoming bloggers career. It boosts his/her morale. It also provides the much-needed recognition to an aspiring blogger.”

SO COOL! I think the idea behind the Liebster is so lovely, and I’m thrilled to get a nod from two bloggers whose writing I love. THANK YOU!!!

UPDATE: Just a few minutes ago I got a third nomination, from Dr. Tanya at Salted Caramel. I am overwhelmed with excitement right now. I’ve added a few of her questions to my Q&A section.

Here’s how it works:

• Create a new blog post on your blog thanking the person that nominated you, link to their blog and put in a graphic of the award.
• Answer the questions that were provided, and then share some facts about yourself.
• Create a new set of your own questions for others to answer.
• Nominate 5-11 others and share your blog post with them so they can accept their awards

When I looked at the questions provided by Dee and LaRena, I realized this is also a great opportunity to talk about a few things I was considering including in future posts, so this is a total win. I’ve picked out a mix of questions from the two nomination posts. So here goes:

What makes you passionate about blogging?

I used to write a lot. Fiction, essays, reflections, reviews…a little bit of everything, really. I even won a few contests and submitted some things for publication. Then somewhere along the line I just…stopped. With the exception of my journal, I didn’t write anything for years. For a variety of reasons, I recently decided I wanted to try writing again, and a blog seemed like a great way to get started. It’s been awesome! I’m feeling more motivated, more creative, and I’m getting to know some amazing people.

If you could use someone else’s brain for the day whose would you choose?

My mother’s. She is a naturally warm, open, and engaging person who draws others to her and effortlessly forms connections. I would love to have an inside perspective on how she constantly brightens peoples’ days.

Name your best holiday experience, by that I mean relaxing, adventure or something else? 

I took a trip to China some years back, sort of on a whim. Well, I had lots of time to prepare for the trip, but I booked it on a whim. It’s the only time I’ve ever taken an expensive, unconventional vacation, and it was incredible. I would love to go back.

If you could learn a different language in a day which would you choose and why?

Spanish, because I interact with a lot of Spanish speakers and would really like to be able to converse with them more easily. I’ve actually been trying to learn some Spanish, but so far I’m not especially good at it.

What is/was your favorite subject in high school?

English. I’m sure that surprises no one.

In general, are you satisfied with your life?

Yes. I love my job, I have an amazing family and wonderful friends, and I’m in a secure position financially. I am very blessed. I used to be very unhappy, but I made the decision to focus on the positive and make efforts to change the things that made me unhappy. That led me to buy a house, go to graduate school, change my diet, and so on. When I start to feel down, I always ask myself, “What can I do about it?”

What is your philosophy in life?

I actually just posted it the other day on my Instagram:

Did you Participate in a scientific competition and what was it about?

My school had a science fair and competition for grades 1-8. The projects were fun, and I was a super competitive kid, so I looked forward to it each year.

If money was no object where would you travel in the world? 

That would be a really tough call. I would like to go back to China, but maybe I should take the opportunity to see something else. Could I do a European tour? That’s cheating, isn’t it. Um…I’m going to go with Ireland, because I have several friends who have been there and raved about the experience.

If you were a superhero, which power would you like to have? 

I would like to be able to freeze time, because there’s always so much I want to accomplish.

What is your favourite tea or coffee?

Tea: Country Peach Passon by Celestial Seasonings. Coffee: Caramel Vanilla Creme by Green Mountain.

Do you think that it is essential for a blog to have a specific niche?

I hope not. Lol. I suppose that depends on what your goals are. Personally, I just want to share cool stuff and fun stories, so I don’t think I have a niche…more of a very loose theme.

Share a link/links to your favourite blog posts.

Definitely last week’s post about wrapping Christmas presents. It was so much fun to write.

Facts About Me

• I read at least one book every week
• Pudding is my comfort food
• When I feel sad, I watch The Muppets
• I love musicals
• My boss has described me several times as “The Go-To Girl”
• When I have a bad day, I go to my parents’ house
• I’m irrationally afraid of bugs

My Nominations

John at The Eclectic Contrarian

Shell Vera at The Essential Creative

Shaz at Faith & Turtles

Alex at Alex Raizman

Megan at Boots & Bloody Marys

Maythe at Someday I’ll Be On Time

You can use the same questions I answered above, and/or replace any of them from this list:

• What movie do you watch over and over again?
• What song is your personal anthem?
• Who is your real life hero?
• When people describe you, what two words do they use most often?
• What’s worth missing sleep?

I had a lot of fun answering these questions. Anything else you’d like to know? Ask away!