Leibster Award

I was nominated for the Leibster Award by a friend that I've known a long time, probably since our elementary school days, Sara Beth Rainey at Rainey Kind of Days.  Thanks Sara Beth!

I googled 'Liebster' and this is what I found: "Liebster means “dearest” in German, and the award is intended to help up-and-coming blogs get the attention they deserve.

As with any award, there is a bit of ceremony involved. In order to accept the award, you must do the following:

1. List 11 random things about yourself
2. Answer 11 questions that the person who nominated you asked
3. Link back to the blog that nominated you for this award
4. Pick your favorite blogs with less than 200 followers, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award. (Sara Beth nominated 11, but when I googled this online, they only nominated 5.  Since I'm not sure I have 11 to nominate, I'll go with 5)
5. Hope that the blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to eleven (or five) more blogs.

11 Random Facts About Me

1. When I taste anything mint flavored, I sneeze. Repeatedly.
2. When I get scared, my eyes always water... especially when I'm being told a ghost story!
3. Before I became a stay-at-home mom, I was a Executive Meetings Sales Manager for the Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa and was on the pre-opening team for 16 months before the hotel opened in June '05.  I started as the GM's assistant and worked my way into sales (GM asst => Sales Asst => Sales Manager in Training => Sales Manager).  I LOVED my job and especially loved our sales team (they became some of my best friends!) but right before I had Noah, we had some personnel changes and the new Sales Director was downright awful. Seriously! That made my decision to be a SAH mom much easier. 
4. I played softball from 6th grade through high school.  During the summers, I played on a fast-pitch all-stars team and we got to compete in the Fast Pitch World Series. 
5. I have scoliosis and wore a back brace 23 hours a day during my 7th and 8th grade years of middle school.  It was anything but cool.  Thankfully I had some pretty nice classmates that didn't give me a hard time about it.  It was either wear the brace or have back surgery and be in a body cast for a year.  I chose the first option, even though I hated every painful second of it.
6. I had a huge crush on Jamie for about 6 months before we had ever actually met.  We had a class together but never spoke to one another until the next semester when we bumped into eachother at a fraternity house. Turns out, he had a thing for me too. You can read about it here :)
7. I don't like fruit in desserts.  I like my fruit raw, not mushy and baked in some kind of pie.
8. I'm a pretty decent artist/painter and took lessons when I was in elementary through high school. I love working with charcoals the best! I also love doing crafty stuff. Pinterest is my friend!
9. I'm a total planner, Type A personality.  However, I enjoy being spontaneous sometimes too. I guess that kind of contradicts one another so maybe I'm a Type AB :)
10. I pretty good on the computer and with electronics in general.  I have learned how to create blog designs, headers, etc from googling it (and have designed several blogs for friends) and I'm an Excel spreadsheet nerd.  I think Excel is one of the greatest things ever.  When I worked at the hotel, I would do the spreadsheets for our month-to-date and year-to-date sales reports a. because our sales admin was terrible at it and b. because I enjoyed it so much!
11. I want one more child.  Jamie is still on the fence, alot of times says he doesn't want another, but occasionally will make comments like 'when we have our next child...' I used to want 4 kids and he only wanted 1... so we are working on our compromise of either 2 or 3.  However, I'm NOT in a hurry so we'll just see what happens! 

Now for answering Sara Beth's questions...

1.  What is the number one played song on your ipod?
That changes based on what the 'new' songs are at any particular time, but all time #1 song is probably any 80's music, such as Bon Jovi's Livin on a Prayer and Journey's Dont Stop Believin.  I love all things 80's! However, CURRENT most played song on my ipod is Paradise by Cold Play. 

2. What is your least favorite chore?
Um, all of them? :) I love being a stay at home mom, but don't love the cleaning and cooking part of it! I would say my least favorite would be folding laundry.  My husband goes through more clothes than me and the kids combined and it's ridiculous how quickly our laundry piles up. I don't mind the washing but I hate the folding and putting away. Its one of those chores that is continuous.  You may get caught up but by the end of the day there's always more laundry to do.

3. What is your favorite quote/Bible scripture?
Two Bible verses come to mind as favorites, Matt. 19:26 "...with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  This verse has been my mantra since having Noah.  I truly believe that God can heal Noah's brain and allow him to begin talking.  He's already proven this to us by Noah walking on his own.  Noah understands so much and wants to talk soooo bad.  He will look at me so intensely, while holding my face in his hands and try to make a sound and I KNOW that he wants to tell me something. I can literally see the determination in his eyes as  he is trying to move his mouth and tongue.  It breaks my heart but at the same time I don't lose faith.  I pray every evening that God will allow Noah to begin communicating with us. And I believe he will one of these days.  He's already begun using picture cards in therapy to express his wants, which is a big step!  My 2nd favorite verse is James 1:2-3 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perserverance."  I had such a relatively easy life growing up but then I had Noah and bam! Our world was turned upside down... our child suffered a brain injury. Then dad was diagnosed with cancer and bam, another trial. Its been a tough few years and even though it's been 5 years since Noah was born, it is still upsetting.  This verse is so reassuring that even when we are going through hard times, the Lord is strengthening his relationship with us and helping us to become stronger people through Him.  It's hard to look at a trial as 'joyful' but something about this makes me feel at peace. It's like its reassurance that it IS in fact HIS plan.

4. What is my favorite food to eat? To cook?
Favorite food to eat... there are just so many! I guess my #1 FAVORITE meal is Grouper Pontchartrain from Louisiana Lagniappe in Destin.  I've been going there for YEARS and it's the only thing I ever order.  In fact, every time Jamie and I go to the beach, we eat there twice and I order it each time.  It's a pan seared grouper and a fried soft-shell crab, topped with hollandaise sauce and almond slivers.  YUM. My mouth waters just thinking about it!  Now as far as cooking goes, I don't love to cook anything. I don't even remotely enjoy cooking.  I did do a lasagna once and it was kind of fun and even turned out good but I haven't done it since.  It's sad but I really don't cook as often as I should.  

5. What is your favorite sound?
I think the most precious sound in the world is children's voices.  I just love to hear that way kids talk and say things.  It's the cutest, most endearing sound ever.  And I have to add to that, that I love my boys' laughs.  Its just music to my ears and one of those sounds that just make you want to laugh right along with them. Noah may not be able to talk but he can most certainly laugh.  He has a great laugh and I love it because it's the one time I truly know what he's feeling.

6. What is your favorite ME time activity?
I love laying out by the pool by myself, getting a massage, reading a book, or taking a nap.  In fact, I'd really love to lay out by the pool while getting a massage and napping or reading a book all at once.  Maybe I should throw in a fruity little frozen cocktail or deliciously salty margarita.  That would be the ultimate ME time activity!

7. If you could go back to any age what would it be?
My freshman year in college.  Such a fun, exciting time.  I had joined a sorority and was meeting new people and making new friends.  I had gained independence from my parents since I was no longer living under their roof.  It was almost like starting over (even though I was still within 20 minutes of my hometown) because I made so many new friendships.  I was getting to go to Phi Mu formals, date parties and mixers and enjoying all the college activities, such as UNA Homecoming  Week and Step Sing that were all new to me.  It was probably one of the most fun times I've ever had.  I was carefree and didn't know what it was like to deal with the stresses of adult life.  All I had to do was go to class, make good grades, occasionally go to work, enjoy myself and stay out of trouble!

8. If you could witness any event (past, present, future) what would it be?
I hope to be around to witness my kids graduate from high school, college, get married and have their own children.  For Noah I want to be around to see him accomplish things that people didn't think he would be able to do. 

9. What are the first three words that come to your mind?
Vacation! (Jamie and I are leaving for ATL tomorrow to celebrate his birthday and our 9th anniversary), Diet Coke (I want one) and almonds (I'm snacking on them right now).

10. What is your favorite book?
I LOVE to read but I honestly can't think of my all time favorite! I have loved the Twilight Series (I know, I know), The Hunger Games, Water for Elephants, The Help, the Karen Kingsbury series, all the James Patterson books about Alex Cross, and anything Emily Giffin writes. I even love non-fiction, such as The Scott & Lacy Peterson Story, The Casey Anthony book written by one of the prosecutors and Without a Doubt, by Marcia Clark (the prosecutor for the OJ trial).

11. What movie can you watch over and over and it still 'gets you' everytime?
Marley & Me and The Notebook (why do you think my child is named Noah?) :)

WOW! Those questions took a lot of thought!  So for my nominees...

1. Chenequa at The Clayton Family Chronicles
2. Amanda at The Jones Family
3. Leah at High Heels and Hoe Downs
4. Martina at La Familia Penter
5. Julie at The Greenhaw's Are Growing

Now for my 11 Questions to YOU:

1. Do you have any random/weird habits?
2. What's your favorite song?
3. What's your favorite memory from college?
4. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be, with who, and why?
5. Who do you admire and why?
6. Do you have any special talents?
7. What is your favorite quote/Bible scripture?
8. What is one thing that people would be surprised to know about you?
9. What is one product you can't live without?
10. If you could have any job what would it be?
11. If you could go back to one moment in your life, which moment would you choose?

Alright Leibster nominees, time to get to work!