Well. This is a nice early birthday present.

I’ve been nominated for a Liebster Award by Breanne of His First Mate. Thank you so much for considering my blog for such an honor. (And please, check out Breanne’s site, especially if you’re a MILSO.)

Now, what is a Liebster Award?

A Liebster Award is a newcomer award given by bloggers to other bloggers, it creates a great platform for new blogs to be discovered and build communications. The best thing about this award is, it creates a lot of encouragement and support within our blogging community.

What are the rules?

By accepting this award I am committing to the following:

1.Thank and Tag the person who nominated you.
2.Answer 11 questions asked by your nominator.
3.Nominate 11 bloggers.*
4.Create 11 questions for your 11 chosen bloggers.
5.Notify them so through social media.

*Regarding the third point, it seems the general rule of thumb is to nominate blogs with fewer than 200 followers. I did my best to abide by this. There may be blogs that overshadow this a tad, and I couldn’t tell. Oh well.

As for the questions, here is what Breanne asked me:

1. What is your favorite food? I like a lot of food, so this is hard to pin down. Best answer I can give? Cheesesteaks. (I know, that’s so typically Philly of me.) My favorite cuisine, however, is Japanese.
2. What are you most afraid of? Approaching the end of my life, and realizing that I held back too much on pursuing my goals. Oh, and birds. I have a fear of birds. It’s less pronounced these days, however.
3. Describe a good memory that you have. Loafing on the sofa in a Dublin apartment with the boyfriend, watching Food Network. Yes, it’s the simple things that make me happy.
4. What is the best place you have been on vacation to? I have had the good fortune of visiting several interesting places in my life thus far, but I would have to say Japan takes the title here. I visited nearly five years ago (already?!) and would love to return someday.
5. What is your favorite song? Eep. This is probably harder to answer than the food question. I am incredibly fond of the song Stay by Amanda Shires. Let’s say it’s my favorite right now.
6. What are your hobbies? Writing, practicing tang soo do, watching funny YouTube videos, playing retro games on my handheld Sega Genesis (amazing Christmas present from my brother), and reading (I’ll do my damndest to uphold that one).
7. Where is your favorite place to shop? Amazon. I buy most of my life there.
8. Describe the worst date you’ve ever been on. I don’t really have a compelling story to share here. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.
9. What’s your favorite color? Blue. Exciting!
10. What is your favorite TV show? I have several of them.
11. Who is the person you go to for advice and why? This is sad. Google. I rely on Google a lot. Maybe too much. But it’s served me well in some cases. Beyond that, I have a very small circle of family and friends to whom I turn when I need help.

The blogs I nominate for a Liebster Award:

1. Plates & Planes
2. Extra Postage Needed
3. 25 Before 25
4. Tipping the Vessel
5. Me, Myself, and Everything Else
6. FlanCan
7. View from an Irish Backyard
8. The Eleven:Eleven Diaries
9. Desert to Dublin
10. Resolutionary
11. …I don’t have an 11th right now!

My questions for the nominees:

1. What did you want to be when you were a kid?
2. Do you floss every day? (Be honest!)
3. What’s something you miss from childhood?
4. What’s one reason why it’s good to be an adult?
5. Is there a popular trend that you’re not interested in? (Say, Star Wars or Harry Potter — something the world tends to lose its collective mind over and you’re indifferent)
6. What’s one movie you recommend everyone watch, and why?
7. Can you play a musical instrument?
8. Do you have any siblings?
9. What’s one meal you can cook well? (Everyone has one — even me!)
10. What motivates you to blog?
11. Would you please share a favorite .gif?

Congratulations to all of these fine blogs. Do yourself a favor and check them out! Another thank you to Breanne for bestowing upon me this honor. I hope you’ve all enjoyed this SUPER SPECIAL SURPRISE DOUBLE MONDAY POST.

The Monday Question

Which blog should fill my last slot? I’m always looking to expand the blogroll. Share the link to your nominee in the comments.

Til next Monday…for reals!