The Liebster Award

Anna, the author of the cute blog My Semi-Charmed Life was sweet enough to give me The Liebster Award!

 

The Liebster award is given to an up and coming blogger who has less than 200 followers. Blogs are nominated by fellow bloggers, and while there is not an official organization that runs this or chooses a winner, it is a fun way for bloggers to get to know each other and discover new blogs.

Here are the rules:
1. Post 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions that the nominator sets for you.
3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
4. Nominate 11 blogs that you love (also with less than 200 followers). Link them to your post and let them know they have been nominated.
5. No tag backs!

Here we go!

11 Random Facts about me:

1. I love milk. And not in the "I used to drink it a lot as a kid" kinda way. In that, I love it and still drink it with every meal I eat at home (I don't order it in restaurants to avoid the funny looks) kinda way. My mom even has to buy a gallon when I come home because the half-gallon she keeps in the fridge for her and my dad will be gone in an instant once I get my hands on it.

2. The movie, Radio, is based on the true story of my high school, T.L. Hanna. The movie was filmed while I was in school there, so I got to meet Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Ed Harris at a pep rally before the movie's premiere. People always think it's so crazy that I actually know Radio, but he was at school every day so I spoke to him like I would anyone else. Oddly enough though, I've only seen the movie once.

3. I'm unhealthily attached to my iPhone. There's very rarely a minute that I don't have it within arm's length, even when I'm sleeping. My must-have apps are Songza, Foursquare, TripIt, Yelp, Kindle, ESPN, and CNN.

4. I never wash my face. I know. When Sara asked me for a washcloth while sleeping over this past weekend, I coudn't even think where they were in my bathroom. I was blessed with good skin and just never got into the habit of washing my face before bed or in the morning. It's not uncommon for me to wakeup with yesterday's eyeliner still in place...

5. I can never find a hair tie/bobby pin when I need them. I swear I buy a pack of the Goody hair elastics every single time I go to the store, but yet they stay under my bathroom sink. I tried recently stashing them everywhere (my car, my desk at work, my wallet, Ryan's apartment) but I've managed to use all of those and they've migrated back under the bathroom sink. How does one fix this problem??

6. I have no less than 6 macaroni and cheese recipes saved on my Pinterest boards. A life without cheese or pasta is not a life I'd want to live.

7. I'm dying to write a 101 in 1001 list before 2013, but I'm afraid I'm running out of time. Maybe I could have one written by the time my 25th birthday rolls around?

8. I broke my leg when I was 5 months old. It was 2 weeks before Christmas and my mom was putting away the dress I had worn to church. The second she turned around, I rolled right off my changing table. There are pictures of me in a full leg cast stuck beside the Christmas tree in my stroller seat. Quite hysterical (although I'm sure my parents didn't think so at the time)! It's the only broken bone I've ever had. See #1 for the reason why.

9. I'd like to think I'm a morning person. Once I wake up, I'm wide awake. An ex-boyfriend of mine once asked if I slept in a toaster, since I seemingly "popped out of bed" the second my alarm went off and wanted to chat. This was not a trait of mine that he enjoyed. Oops.

10. I'm always cold. Always. I keep a blanket at my desk at work and always take a sweater or coat with me to the client's office. It's not unusual to find me under a blanket with long-sleeves and pajama pants and socks in the middle of the summer.

11. In line with #10, I have to be covered up when I sleep or take a nap. Even if I have to resort to a pillow or a cardigan on the couch as a "blanket," I just need to have something draped over me. I must have poor circulation...

Anna's 11 Questions:

1. If you could listen to one CD for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Oh, this is a tough one. I absolutely love The Civil Wars, but their CD can be a bit depressing if you're not in the mood (it's perfect for a rainy day, though). If I had to pick just one, I'd say John Mayer's Continuum.

2. What's the first website you go to when you open your browser.

Easy - my email. At work, it's Microsoft Outlook, but I also open my Gmail, too. I obsessively check my calendar several times a day for fear of missing a meeting or something else important.

3. What's the background on your phone?

This festive picture from our tour of the Maker's Mark distillery.

4. What are you currently listening to? Music? TV?

Nothing. It's hard for me to focus if there's noise in the background. This was always a problem when studying in college, as I needed complete silence. I've gotten better about it since I'm constantly with people at work and can hear anything going on in the cubes around mine.

5. What is one thing you would love to have in your dream house?

A huge porch with a fireplace and outdoor kitchen/eating area. Very similar to this one we saw one our tour of the Inspiration home in Greenville:

Or the porch/backyard at Ryan's dad's house in San Antonio:

Obsessed.

6. Biggest pet peeve?

Haha, I think I have a lot of these. But the main one is probably slow drivers in the left-hand lane. Get out of my way, people!

7. What something crazy/exciting that you'd love to do but are too scared to do?

Skydiving. I think it would be so cool but I'd be an absolute wreck leading up to the actual jump. I think someone would have to push me out of the plane to get me to do it.

8. Are there any songs you know 100% of the lyrics to by heart?

I'm sure there are a few, but the only ones I can think of right now are NSync's a capella version of "O Holy Night," The Civil Wars "Poison & Wine," and Adele's "Turning Tables." Just some favorites.

9. If you could invent something, what would it be?

Lauren and I discuss frequently how awesome it would be to shower and then magically be dressed, hair fixed, and makeup applied. Getting ready is one of my least favorite parts of my day. I'd wear my hair in a ponytail and my pajamas to work every day if I wouldn't get fired for doing so.

I don't know what I could invent that could accomplish this, except little elves maybe who were my personal stylists.

10. You win a contest to create a new Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor. What would be in it, and would you name it?

Uhh, I'm probably the wrong person to ask this question. I don't really love ice cream. Yes, it's refreshing on a hot summer day, but my teeth are too sensitive to enjoy it properly (I have to turn the spoon upside down and lick it off that way). However, on the rare occasion that I do eat ice cream, I love to top it with gummi bears. Spill the Beans in Clemson used to fill up my cup with too much yogurt by accident, so they'd have to give me the gummi bears in a separate cup so I ended up with much more than was standard. Yum-o.

 But if you had asked me what kind of nachos I would create, I'd be all over that.

11. What is your current ringtone?

I keep my phone on vibrate 99% of the time, but my alarm ringtone is "Strum" in the iPhone settings. It's chipper and wakes me up. Ryan's alarm used to be the sound of dogs barking, and it made me want to punch him when it went off at 5:45 am. I know, I'm such a sweetheart.

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Unfortunately, I don't have any blogs that I follow that have less than 200 followers, except for the ones that have already been tagged or tagged me.

 

Thanks again, Anna, for the award! I had a ton of fun answering your questions!