Monday, April 25, 2016

The Liebster Award

Since I started blogging on January 1st, 2016 I have been absolutely amazed with how genuinely helpful the blogging community has been!  I have "met" so many friends from across the country that have been supportive and encouraging to me in my journey.  Jacquelyn from The Lowcountry Mama is one of those friends!  She nominated me for the Liebster Award, which is a way to discover new bloggers.  Thank you so much, Jacquelyn! 



First off, Jacquelyn sent me these questions to answer about myself...
• What is your favorite holiday, and why?
Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday!  It's like Christmas, but without all the stress of decorating and presents!  On Thanksgiving, all the focus is on food and family; two of my favorite things!  Plus, it's the kickoff to the Christmas season, which is the most special time of the year!

• What has been one of best days in your life so far?
Without a doubt, the time my husband got me second row tickets for Wicked.  I'm just kidding...although that was a fantastic day!  The day my husband proposed, the day we said "I do", the birth of all three of my children, and watching my daughter get baptized are a few days that will forever be etched in my mind.

• How would you describe your personal style?
Mom-Leisure!  I don't know that I really have a style.  I love leggings and tunics, jeans, riding boots, converse and of course Kendra Scott!  I would say 80% of my clothes come from Belk.  They have amazing sales...and I have one 15 minutes north of me AND 15 minutes south of me!  It's all about convenience (Belk, if you're reading this, hook me up!)  As a stay at home mom, I only really get dressed up for church and date nights, BUT with that said, I am the type of person that does her hair and make-up everyday.  There could be a snow storm that ices us in for days and I guarantee my hair and make-up will be done.

• What is your favorite blog post in your archives?
I love Just a Small Town Girl, because it so adequately describes the amazing way of life in our hometown.  I sat down with the idea and wrote it in 15 minutes, but could have gone on and on for days.  I have had the most feedback, from people I know in real life, for the Cream Cheese Chicken recipe.  In fact, when my Dad was in town last month, he requested this meal.  It never disappoints!

• What motivated you to start blogging?
I have always loved writing, but my writing skills are a little rusty.  It has been a while since I was a student!  I started blogging to work a little on my writing skills and have an outlet to do something creative for myself.

• The best trip you ever took?
I love traveling and seeing new places, so this one is hard!  Whitewater rafting with Mark & Kendall in Steamboat was amazing, shopping on Rodeo drive as a teenager was a blast, singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame with Harry Carey was something I will never forget, but my favorite trip, has to be my honeymoon, of course!  What's better than a cruise to the Caribbean with your new hubby?  We had a blast!  I would love to go back!

• What time do you usually wake up and go to sleep each day? (weirdest question ever sorry, I guess sleep is on my mind)
I am a total night owl.  I really wish I could change this, but it's the only time I have a quiet house!  I usually go to bed around 11:30 (sometimes later), and wake-up by 7:30.

• Favorite thing about where you live?
I love living in Texas, because I strongly dislike cold weather!  I've lived all over Texas, but currently live in a small town near Dallas.  You can read my Just a Small Town Girl post, to find out why I like our little town.  I like living near Dallas because within 20 minutes to an hour, we have access to any type of shopping you could want, all major sports teams, Off Broadway shows, all types of concerts, and recreational activities.  I do miss the hills and scenery of the beautiful hill country, though!

• Do you plan on living where you are now permanently? If not, where do you want to move?
One of the only topics my husband and I disagree on, is where we are going to retire!  He wants to retire to the Hill Country, and I want to keep it parked right here!  I have  moved seventeen times in my life.  We have currently lived in our house eight years, and that's the longest I have ever lived in one place.  I would love nothing more than to live here for the rest of our lives.  Well...I probably do want to downsize one day...we definitely don't want to grow old in a two story home, but we I do want to live in this community forever.

• Best advice you’ve ever received?
This one was hard, because I could think of a million different things!  Recently in a Bible Study by Priscilla Shirer, she discussed how prayers of thanksgiving release peace.  Since I heard that I have implemented it into my life and been amazed at how it works.  When I am stressed over my chaotic house, I try to be thankful to have a house and for the people inside it causing the shenanigans.  When I am overwhelmed by laundry, I choose to be thankful for clothing options, and for the messy little kids that wear them.  You get the idea, but basically counting my blessings in the midst of my storm.

11 Facts About Me:
I am cheating and copying the first ten from my post, Top Ten Emilyisms, then I added one more at the end, to have eleven...
1.  I could not even begin without addressing the issue I get the most flack on.  I have never seen Top Gun.  I know, I know, it's on TV every weekend, but at this point I pretty much know what happens.  Guess what?  I haven't seen Bambi either.  Moving on....

2.  I have a crush on Terry Bradshaw.  My husband knows.  It's common knowledge among my friends.  Here's how it started:  before I met my husband I had a dream that Terry wanted to date me.  I told him, there's no way, I'm 23 (this was a FEW years ago) and you're my parents age.  I woke up the next morning with a crush and I haven't been able to shake it.  I have seen him speak in person and he is motivational.  I watch his "little sports show" on Sundays and he is hilarious.  My sweet husband even spent a a few bucks on an autographed picture of him for me at a charity auction.  It's weird, I know.  I don't get it either.  

3.  I have the  most intense sense of smell ever.  I feel like I can smell something a mile away.  It drives my husband crazy!  In a weird twist, my daughter, Kendall, does not have a sense of smell at all.  On a side note, Ben from Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, doesn't have a sense of smell either.  I'm hoping Kendall can get a college scholarship out of this, or something.

4.  I'm not that organized, but I am an obsessive planner.  I use to keep a clothes calendar where I recorded what I wore everyday so that I didn't repeat the same outfit in a month.  Obviously, this was when I worked, because as a stay at home mom I would get pretty tired of writing "long sleeved t-shirt and yoga pants" every day.  I'm still obsessed with calendars, though.  I don't enter anything into my phone, but instead put it on my handy, dandy calendar in my purse and on my fridge.  I am a detailed meal planner, and plan to post on the ins and outs of that soon!  This organization does not transfer over into other areas of my life though...if you're at my house, don't open a closet...or a drawer...or the garage.  But, boy can I plan a vacation...

5.  Nothing makes me happier than vacation planning.  I get that from my mom.  When we vacation, there is no rest for the weary.  I research and have every minute planned.  Restaurants booked.  Tickets bought.  There may or may not be a power point presentation before the vacation to highlight what we'll be doing.     

6.  I don't like Ranch Dressing.  Is Ranch Dressing a Texas thing?  Fun fact, I had never even had a salad until the weeekend of my 16th birthday and my cousin had his wedding rehearsal dinner at the Durning House.  They have the best strawberry poppy seed salad ever!  Twenty years later and that salad is still one of my favorites!  Oops, did I just reveal my age?  

7.  I have a weird memory...like Rain Man or something (and no, shockingly, I have not seen that movie).  If I have ever known your birthday; I remember it.  I still remember phone number from back in the day when we actually had to dial numbers. I can remember my first day of school (kindergarten) vividly, what activities we did, and what I wore (and no, I didn't have a clothes calendar yet). 

8.  I am obsessed with the movie Chicago.  I don't even know how many times I have seen the movie!  When my husband and I first started dating it had just come out on DVD, and I was already a huge fan.  He had not seen it yet, so decided to surprise me by cooking dinner and buying the movie for me, to watch that night.  I think he was surprised that the whole plot revolved around women killing the men they loved, all while singing and dancing.  I guess it didn't scare him off too much, he is still here.  Or is he afraid to leave????  I have also seen the Chicago production live a few times and it is AMAZING!! I would definitely see it again and again.  It is completely normal for me to bust out in Chicago song and dance at any given time around our house.  

9.  I am obsessed with famous people.  If I see someone remotely famous, I will become so star struck it is all I can do to speak to them, BUT I will speak to them.  I have met Magic Johnson, Ann Richards, Kareem Abdul Jabar, and Sarah Palin...not together, but that would have been interesting, and you can bet I asked for an autograph.  I had jury duty once and Barry Switzer was there.  Thank goodness I did not get called because I could not even focus.  Plus, he was winking at all the girls.  I showed the most restraint EVER when I saw Buddy Garrity (that's not his real name, but Friday Night Lights fans will know) at Buca di Beppo and did not say hi.  I so wanted to, but my husband wanted me to let him enjoy his meal.  Come on, it's Buddy Garrity, not Tom Hanks.  Atleast he could have let me shout out, "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts...." with the hopes of Buddy responding, "Can't Lose!"

10.  Last, but not least...every time I walk into a free standing store like Belk, Kohls, or Target, I have a feeling I am about to be the millionth customer and when I walk in streamers are going to go off and they are going to award me with a $100,000 shopping spree gift card.  So, I start walking faster.  Then, I think, wait, what if I'm 999,999 and I need to slow down and let the person next to me walk in first???  I know, I'm crazy, but one day it might happen. 

11.  I am named after Suzanne Pleshette from The Bob Newhart Show.  Her character's name is Emily...and my middle name is Suzanne.  With that said, I should have named Kendall: Rachel Jennifer.  #Friends

My nominees:
These are some wonderful ladies whose blogs I always look forward to reading. Please check them out!
(I searched on all your blogs to see if you received this award before and didn’t see anything.. a lot of the rest of you already got it!)

Jessica at Life.Love.Reality
Jacie at The Fella Life
Katie at Cup of Tea
Amanda at A Brownie World
Misty at Morris Moments
Sara at Running From the Law

My 11 Questions For You:
1.  If HGTV busted into your home right now to remake one room in your house, what room would you pick and what would you hope they do?
2.  What is your favorite family tradition?
3.  What is the best gift you have ever received?
4.  If you could spend two hours browsing through a store alone, which store would you pick?
5.  What was your first car?
6.  If you had to eat the same meal everyday for a week, what wold it be?
7.  If you had to be in an existing reality TV show, which one would you choose?
8.  I love hosting people in my home and cooking for them.  If you could host anyone in your home, who would it be and what would you serve?
9.  What is something you never leave the house without?
10.  What are your summer vacation plans?
11.  What is your least favorite household chore?





Rules for the Liebster award:
Thank the Blogger that nominated you in your post and link back to their site
Display the Liebster Award logo on your blog
Answer the questions from the Blogger that nominated you
Tell your readers 11 random facts about you
Nominate 5-11 Bloggers with less than 1000 followers for the Liebster Awards
Ask your nominees to answer 11 questions

Thank you Jacquelyn for nominating me!  Jacquelyn is so talented and inspirational, check her blog out!

27 comments:

  1. I really laughed out loud while reading this post! ha =) Your answers are all perfect! I'm with you on the vacation planning...we still have 215 days (not that I am counting or anything) until we leave for Disney. And yes, I have started planning it day by day. My parents are the type that do things on a whim and never plan and it drives me nuts! haha =)
    Have a great day!!

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    1. Thank you! Disney vacations are so fun to plan! And, really to get some of the dinner reservations, you have to plan early!

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  2. I love these types of posts because you learn so much! I love Thanksgiving too! I would only add football to the friends and food.

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    1. Thank you! Have you done one of these yet? If not, and you're interested, I'll add you to my nominations.

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  3. Loved reading your answers! And that is some great advice.. I always try to see the good in everything, and when I'm overwhelmed especially it helps to focus on being thankful instead =)

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  4. Congratulations on your nomination!! I loved learning more about you!

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  5. Wahoo! Girl you have got to watch Top Gun.... on second thought I have probably watched it enough for the both of us. So fun to read more about you! Happy Monday!

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    1. I know I need to commit to watching it! I know who dies now, though...

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  6. Emily.... I love this - I learned a lot more about you. I LOVED the Bob Newhart Show and Suzanne Pleshette. I am also obsessed with famous people. I think your Terry Bradshaw story is a riot! I think he would be very flattered. Good luck being the millionth customer!! Have a great week.

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    1. Thank you, Katie! I'm a bit of a mess!! Hope you're having a great week.

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  7. Awww, thanks for the nomination! I'll be working on some answers ;) Loved getting to know more about you. Wicked is my favorite. I've seen it twice and would love to see it again. Vacation planning is the best! Hope you're having a great week so far!

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    1. I love Wicked! It's here in Dallas this week and I am kicking myself for not buying tickets.

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  8. I loved reading your answers and your facts! XOXO I think you and I could have some great conversations about musicals! ;)
    I have family in Texas. My cousin actually lives just outside of Dallas. I haven't visited in almost 15 years, though!!! Oh, and I love ranch dressing. My husband despises it!

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    1. I LOVE musicals. The best Christmas present my husband ever bought me was season tickets to the Dallas Summer Musicals (which actually aren't just in the summer...they need a name change!) I love it!

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  9. Congrats!! Love that you received this...well deserved! I enjoyed reading your answers and think you picked some great questions for the bloggers to answer!! So fun!!

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    1. Thanks, Katie! It was a fun post to write. Hope you're having a great week!

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  10. This was the best post because now I feel like I know you so much better!!! I have one of those weird memories too - I remember birthdays and telephone numbers from 27 years ago. OMG you have Belk in TEXAS? You know Belk is based out of NC! LOVE it so much! You're so awesome! xoxoxxo

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    1. Thank you for your sweet words! Yes, we have Belk! I would say we got our first Belk maybe 12 years ago. I love it & watch the clearance racks like a hawk!

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  11. Loved learning more about you! I LOVE vacation planning as well. I obsessively planned our Disney trip last November. I researched my little heart out! And it was definitely worth it in the end. I can't believe you saw Buddy Garrity! That's awesome! I love seeing/meeting celebrities but I'm always terrified to talk to them!

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    1. Yay! I'm glad someone knew who Buddy Garrity was!! And yes, a Disney vacation takes loads of planning! I can't imagine showing up at Disney without having a game plan.

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  12. Congratulations! That is so awesome! I love planning vacations too. I will plan and plan and plan and then not do anything I planned. It happens every. single. time. Good thing I'm flexible lol. And thank you for nominating me. That calls for the special occasion of me dragging out my laptop and not writing it on my phone haha!

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    1. Ha! Dust off the old laptop girl! I can't wait to read your answers!!

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  13. Love this post and learning more about you! I have a crazy good memory too.

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  14. LOVE THIS POST!! And thank you so much for the nomination. I guess I better get to work this weekend on my post!

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  15. We have a lot in common girlie...I too have a major crush on Terry Bradshaw. I was a major Steelers fan when I was little and then when he was in Failure to Launch..omg...total crush time! I also love getting the most out of a vaca...and my family LOVES this (not so much). And I am also freakishly crazy remembering anything that has a number in it. I can literally visualize it in my head and recall...still know all my friends from high schools parents home numbers!

    Shelly||http://www.thequeeninbetween.com/2016/04/friday-favorites_29.html

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