liebster award lovin'

Okay, hold on, so HOW RAD IS THIS:  Nicole over at Gypsy in Jasper named me a recipient of the Liebster award!  If you aren't already familiar with it (especially that part where the person receiving the award feels super awesome and thankful!), here's the nutshell description:

The Liebster award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome. 

Rules for receiving this award:

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you, plus create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. No tag backs.

Pretty neat, right?  Right!  So, here are my 11 things!

1. Instead of exclaiming things like "Shoot!" or "Crap!" or "Oh no!" my go-to interjection is "Balls!"
2. I don't drink [anymore].  Most people think that's totally weird.  But jeez, if you met my family... you'd understand.
3. My favorite colors are teal and turquoise -- or, also known as blue-green and green-blue, because I just can't choose.  But definitely not blue on it's own.  And only some shades of green by themselves.  Definitely, though, those mixes of the two.
4. If you put me in front of a computer with Civilization V, do not expect to see me for a few days. 
5. I have cried in a crowded pizzaria in the middle of the day for no reason other than they started playing Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."  
6.  I have five tattoos.  Only two are slightly embarrassing.  All but one are pretty small.
7. If anyone had showed me science the way Carl Sagan shows the world science, I would be an astrophysicist.
8. I can easily sleep 10-12 hours if I have nowhere to be and my room is dark.  
9. I have had many dreams about desperately trying to save my cat during enormous natural disasters.  Many.
10. I am trying to cut unnatural things out of my diet.  For some reason it's really been bothering me lately that all of my shampoos and soaps are crazy-chemical-y and I want away!
11. If you want to see me flip out, let me pet an excited pug or french bulldog.  I will make weird voices and skip around and exhaust myself (and the dog) within minutes playing with it.

Now, to answer Nicole's questions!

1. Why do you blog?  I blog because I need a place to pour myself into that will hold me.  I love to share things, and I love to document my life -- no matter how mundane or small, my life is full of little things so easily forgotten.  I don't want to forget.
2. What was your first post about? If I recall correctly, it had something to do with mexican food and playing Dominion.
3. How has your blog evolved since then? Well, aside from the name change, I feel like it's really starting to develop it's voice.  It's still a little all over the place, but as time goes on, I'm starting to understand that if you don't blog for you, you won't blog for long.  I blog about things that are important to me, and if that's interesting to readers, that's an added bonus.  :)
4. Who inspires you in the blog world? Honestly?  My first real blog subscription was to A Beautiful Mess.  The progress of the ladies over there never ceases to astound me, and their level of success is admirable! I don't know if I could ever do it, but they've certainly achieved their goal of inspiring people to aspire to live a beautiful life.  Other than ABM, I love Amy at Vanagon Champion for her unadulterated honesty,  Gala Darling for her unabashed positivity, Stephanie at Secondhand Superhero for her unrivaled and unbelievably awesome nerdery, and Kate at Scathingly Brilliant for her unparalleled adorableness (and that wonderful recurring "starstuff" feature!)
5. Who inspires you in your day to day life? Jordan, for being the wonderful person he is in spite of the past.  Pogo, for being unapologetically curious (despite being a butthead sometimes).  Carl Sagan, for shifting my perception of the world and my place in it so dramatically, and restoring my sense of wonder and fascination.  
6. When you sit down to write, are there certain things you have to have with you? Like a mug of tea, a glass of water, your glasses, or a cozy blanket? Definitely water, sometimes tea (some variety of green), my moleskine, privacy.
7. Where are you when you're the most inspired? Somewhere green -- tons of trees are so inspiring!  I also find myself jarred to inspiration at my desk, usually after clicking around the internet.  
8. What's your passion in life? To live honestly and fully.  No more pretending to be what someone else wants me to be, no more sitting back while anyone projects their bullshit onto me.  Life is too short to accept anything other than truth, anything other than yourself.  I've wasted too much time already.
9. When the shit hits the fan, who's the one person you always call? Ghostbusters. Bonnie, my aunt.  She would drop everything and rescue me from the ends of the earth without judgment or question in an instant.  
10. Who's your best friend and how would you describe them?  I have a few different best friends, in all honesty.  Jordan, naturally, is my ultimate supreme best friend (otherwise I wouldn't be dedicated to spending my life with him, right?).  Then there is my partner in crime, my BFFAAT, Terena -- we live miles and miles apart now and it breaks my heart, but she is still my bestie and my equal in eccentricity.  Then, lastly, there's Jimmy, my "beh freh," who is my oldest friend here in California and one of my favorite dudes on the planet. He'll wander around shopping malls and Farmer's Markets with me, and laugh if I start dancing in a crowd of people to a Tilly & the Wall song playing out of my phone (instead of wander off with that "I don't know you" look).  We totally get it - and by "it" I mean "it."  Duh.  (If you don't get "it," you just don't get "it," and that's why you're not my beh freh!)  ... Oh dear, shit just got weird.
11. What kind of friend are you? I like to think I am a forever friend.  I am loyal, I will bend over backwards for you, I will call you out on your shit out of love if need be and then let it go if I've said my peace.  If you need me, call me, no matter where you are, no matter how far, CUZ BABY THERE AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH -- jeez I must be getting tired -- but I am acquaintance to few, friend to even fewer, so if you get the "friend" title you are special and I will absolutely throw down for you.  .. And dance around to Spice Girls CDs with you if you want, that's totally cool with me bro.

Now it's time for my questions!  11 questions for 11 awesome people.

1. Why do you blog?
2. What would your ideal, perfect day consist of?
3. What was/would have been your "Most Likely To" superlative in high school?
4. What is your favorite game (board, video, car, whatever kind)?
5. What makes your best friend the best?
6. What do you consider to be the "shining" moment in your life so far?
7. If you could tell your 16-year-old self anything today, what would it be?
8. What is your favorite word?
9. It's 2:00 am. You can't sleep, and you're alone.  What do you do?
10. What song never ceases to put a big ol' smile on your face whenever you hear it?
11. What do you live for?

The lucky 11 who get to answer those questions if they want to are:

1. Erin @ EEF Etcetera
2. Stephanie @ Secondhand Superhero
3. Kristin @ My Life As A Teacup
4. Amanda @ Write In Tights
5. Marisa @ A Parallel of Latitude
6. Jes @ The Militant Baker
7. Aubrey @ star shaped
8. C Marcia @ Like A Small Fire
9. Nicky @ Awesomeville
10. Stephanie @ Take Hart
11. Zie @ Hello Darling Dear

Thanks again to Nicole for the award!  And if I've named you and you decide to participate, please let me know -- I'd love to see how you answer my questions and who you choose to pass it on to!