The Liebster Award

I am so excited and feel so honored to have been nominated by Rachel from Reality According to Rachel for the Liebster Award! My blog is still very small and sometimes I’m afraid I’m not reaching the audience I’m hoping to, so a nomination like this is wonderful! The Liebster Award is given from one blogger to others to help drive awareness of smaller sites. In addition, nominations are given to bloggers with less than 200 followers.

A HUGE Thank You to Rachel of Reality According to Rachel!

I’m still honestly in shock that Rachel reached out to me for the nomination for this award. Her blog is amazing and I highly recommend following along! She has some great life advice, as well as tips to traveling smart. Her site is gorgeous and perfect for girls like us! You can find her at Reality According to Rachel.

My Favorite Blog

Eden Ashley from Mint Notion has given me the best advice and has the cutest, most informational blog. I absolutely love her site. Mint Notion is mostly a financial blog, as she shares creative ways to not only save money but to make some extra money, too! There are several money saving challenges that I’ve found to work really well. Eden is also one of the people who provided step by step instructions for setting up a blog easily! She really has been so helpful to me, especially in the first few months as a blogger. Be sure to check out her page! You will not be sorry!

10 Random Facts About Me

Some of these you may already know, but I tried to throw in some that were unique too!

1. I attended Ball State University in Muncie for two years, where I became a member of Sigma Kappa Sorority.
2. I have one little sister and we are polar opposites.
3. I have a huge girl crush on Beyoncé & Oprah Winfrey.
4. Spicy food is my favorite. Jalapeños, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, hot sauce – you name it, I love it!
5. Both of my parents are the sixth of seven children. So obviously I have a huge family.
6. I’m the least picky eater you’ll ever find – I literally love all kinds of food.
7. I worry about never being satisfied in life.
8. The University of Louisville Cardinals are my favorite college sports team.
9. Sports make up a majority of my life.
10. My friend group is very small, but we’re all very close and I am so thankful for each of them!

Rachel’s Questions & My Answers

1. Who would you want as a dinner guest and why?
   • I would love to have Ellen DeGeneres to dinner. She is hilarious! Not only can she make just about anyone on earth laugh, but she’s also a great person. I’d love to just sit and talk with her like two old friends catching up on life.
2. What place is highest on your travel bucket list?
   • Italy! There is no doubt about it. Now since I can’t actually narrow down which part of Italy I want to go to the most, it’s on my bucket list to travel the whole country. Seriously.
3. Who is your go-to musical artist or band and why?
   • Justin Timberlake and NSYNC! Growing up, NSYNC was my absolute favorite. Not just because they were the hottest boy band, but because they’re genuinely talented and have the sweetest love songs. Justin Timberlake has proven day after day that his talents are endless. No matter what my mood, playing this music improves my mood every single time.
4. What is the best book you have ever read?
   • Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I’ve read it over and over again, and it’s just as good, if not better every single time. Her solo travels during a time of desperate need for self love and starting over are so inspiring. If you haven’t read it, you must. ASAP.
5. What’s the dumbest thing you’ve done that actually turned out well?
   • This is a hard one! Probably starting nursing school. I knew my whole life I never wanted to be a nurse, so it was pretty dumb to start that program. In hind site, it’s helped me realize the things I do and do not want to do. Even though it didn’t give me a career, it left me feeling more fulfilled with the opportunities that I’m currently working toward. If I never would have started the program, I never would have found the answers to life that I’ve already found.
6. If you could make one rule that everyone had to follow, what would it be?
   • Respect. Just respect your neighbor, no matter how alike or different they are from you.
7. Where did your blogging journey start?
   • In 2011, I was in college, taking a lunch break at my weekend job when I started seeing the most attractive and insightful pages on Pinterest. I started doing research and growing my social media followings because I knew I wanted to start my own blog one day. Unfortunately it took me 6 years to find the courage to actually launch, but I’m so glad I didn’t wait any longer!
8. What has been your biggest lesson in blogging?
   • “Allow yourself to be a beginner.” I have had such a hard time comparing myself and my page to bloggers who have been writing for years. It takes time! No one starts on day one having the most outstanding page with thousands of views. It takes a lot of work and a lot of patience.
9. What quote inspires you most?
   • “You did not wake up today to be mediocre.”
10. What’s the title of your current chapter in life?
    • “Patience and Persistence.” I’m nowhere near where I thought I’d be in life at 26 years old. But I’m working harder and smarter every day to improve various areas of my life, especially professionally. I have to remind myself daily that since I’m putting in the work and doing it well, good things will start happening with patience!

My Nominees

The Daily Pursuit

Ashleigh Elsewhere

Signed Logan

Danielle at I Only Came for the Cake

Essential Messes

My Questions for the Nominees

1. What is the biggest reason you started a blog?
2. Who is the most inspirational person in your life and why?
3. List two things on your bucket list.
4. Where is the best place you’ve traveled?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
7. What is your dream job?
8. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
9. What is your favorite thing to do on a lazy off day?
10. Summer or winter? Why?

Official Liebster Award Rules

1. Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog. Try to include a little promotion for the person who nominated you. They will thank you for it and those who you nominate will also help you out as well.
2. Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”.
3. For the 2017 Liebster Award, I will be shaking things up! Write a 150-300 word post about your favorite blog that is not your own. Explain why you like the blog, provide links.
4. Provide 10 random facts about yourself. (This is optional, but if you wish to engage with your readers it’s a great idea to include random facts about yourself.)
5. Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 200 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)
6. List these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here or simply include the link below to the official rules website.)
7. Select 11 questions for the individuals/blogs you nominated.
8. Inform the people/blogs that you selected of their nomination for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post.

Final Note about the The Liebster Award

I feel so honored to have been nominated for the Liebster Award and I could not be more thankful for the nomination from Rachel. I hope you all enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it! Being able to reach out to other new or small bloggers has been so much fun and I’m looking forward to continuing to form relationships with people in this business!