3 Blogger Awards + Potentially Awkward Expressions of Gratitude

Why hello again, my blogging friends! This is where I do my best to respond to some blogger award nominations while showing my genuine gratitude in the least awkward way possible.

Side note: I don’t have enough followers yet to nominate all the requested numbers, so I split them evenly between them. 😀

***So first up is The Sunshine Blogger Award by my dear friend and phenomenal story-teller, Purple Rose. She has such an interesting life story, which she shares with grace and authenticity on her blog. She was one of my first friends on WordPress and I value her lovely comments and encouraging words so much. You are the best, Purple Rose!

Rules:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog so others can find them.
• List the rules and display an award logo on your blog post.
• Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
• Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and notify them by commenting on any of their posts.
• Ask the nominees 11 new questions.

Here are my questions:

1. When did something start out badly for you but in the end, it was great? Parenting… I’m not a fan of kids–particularly babies–in general, and the first diaper I ever changed was my daughter, Rhu’s… Wow, did the Lord redeem that. I’m not perfect by any means, and I’m not your “conventional” Mom, but I’m the Mom He made me to be. 🙂

2. Who do you go out of your way to be nice to? Um…everyone. At least, I try to. Some weak spots are chauvinistic males and judgmental Christians. 😦

3. What was the last photo you took? Technically, it was a gif (the Edna Mode “Fight! Win!” gif), but picture-wise, it was of my two daughters, Rhu and Ivy, sitting together on my parents’ porch swing. 🙂

4. What’s the most expensive thing you’ve broken? My twin’s $2,000 pernambuco cello bow. I was 13. I sat down on it and snapped it in half. I still feel bad about it.

5. What’s your cure for hiccups? Grimace and bear it.

6. What movie quotes do you use on a regular basis? Mostly LOTR, though I am a huge movie nerd, so you could expect anything from action movies to comedies to comic book movies. Most of them are of the humorous, and most especially sarcastic, variety.

7. What’s the craziest conversation you’ve overheard? Overheard? I’m always in my head. It’s safer there. (Mostly.) That, or I have headphones in. Even if there’s no music playing. It’s my social buffer. 😉

8. How comfortable are you speaking in front of large groups of people? Extraordinarily (and any other adverb I can think of that’s synonymous with “extremely”) uncomfortable. Unless I’m manic at the time, at which point I feel confident enough to speak in front of thousands. I much prefer to play an instrument on stage. The fourth wall is there so there’s that distance between me and the audience, and I can only see stage lights, so I can pretend it’s just me up there.

9. What’s the most annoying noise? The dissonant minor second pitches produced by the AC vent in my bedroom. Thank God for rain sounds on my phone. 🙂

10. What food do you crave most often? Coffee. (That’s a food, right?)

11. What word do you always misspell? Gauge. I always switch the vowels. Honestly, there are loads and loads of words I misspell (like “misspell” for instance–is it one “s” or two??). Praise God for autocorrect! Though that has its own pitfalls…

Here are my nominees:

1. Renee
2. Stu
3. Matthew
4. Cristian
5. Fractured Faith
6. Death Survivors
7. Yari
8. Jessi
9. Dave & Laura

And here are my 11 questions for them:

1. (In honor of September…) Where were you when you first heard about 9/11? (If you weren’t alive at the time or were too young, describe the way in which you first learned about it and your reaction. If you aren’t American, don’t feel like you’re under a microscope or your thoughts aren’t valued just as much.)
2. What is your favorite animal and why?
3. If you could only have one more meal, what would it be? Multiple courses and desserts allowed and ecouraged. 😉
4. What is your favorite book?
5. Do you prefer rainy or sunny days?
6. Why did you start your blog?
7. What was your favorite subject in school? (PE and lunch and recess are totally allowed!)
8. Where have you always wanted to visit?
9. What historical person inspires you the most?
10. Do you know any other languages, and if not, what language would you want to learn?
11. What is your strangest hobby?

***Up next is The Blogger Recognition Award from my friends Stu and Renee. My answers and nominees will be the same since as it was for the same award and has the same requirements.

Stu is a standup guy who courageously shares his own story and fights for what he believes in, to great personal sacrifice (lots of vicious trolls out there…). Thanks so much for the nomination, Stu! And blessings with your blog, my friend. (There were two different pictures for the award, so I included both!)

Renee is such an encouraging and just all-around kind person. Her heart shines through her posts! Her comments mean the world to me, not just through their content, but because I know she means them. Thank you for the nomination! May the Lord bless you, sweet friend!

Here are the guidelines:

1. Thank the blogger who’s nominated you and provide a link to their site.

2. Write a post on your site displaying the award logo and explain why you started your blog. I started my blog for 5 reasons. 1. I wanted to share my own story and struggles with mental illness to encourage others that they’re not alone. 2. I wanted to provide a visceral glimpse into the realities of living with mental illness to others who aren’t, so they can understand it better and hopefully encourage and support the mentally ill in their own lives. 3. As a means of cathartic expression during my dark days. 4. I love writing. 5. And most importantly, I feel God wanted me to do it.

3. Write two pieces of advice for new bloggers. 1. Don’t look at the followers or likes–just the comments. 🙂 2. Don’t make it a chore.

4. Notify and nominate 15 of your favourite bloggers.

1. Maggie
2. YBP
3. pknott
4. Bill
5. Thomas
6. The Devotional Guy
7. Purple Rose
8. Robbye
9. Kim

And there you have it! Thank you to everyone involved and please, please don’t feel obligated in any way to respond, or feel any pressure concerning a timely response! 🙂

Also, a special thank you to Jessy, Purple Rose, and Stu for highlighting some of my posts. Blessings!