Liebster Award

My friend (and former co-worker) Sarah nominated me for the Liebster Award! I haven't had a blog award in a long time so I am pretty excited... thanks Sarah! Technically I am not supposed to get it due to my number of followers, but we will overlook that together.

The German word Liebster (pronounced LEEB-ster) means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcoming. The Liebster Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.
Here are the rules:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Then answer the questions the tagger sent for them, plus create 11 questions for the people they’ve tagged to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Notify the people you have tagged.
5. No tag backs.

Ok, here are the questions Sarah had for me....
1. What is your greatest fear?

It is silly and overly common but, death. My own, someone close to me, anything. The idea terrifies me and has since I was a small child. I have faith and what comes after death is a little frightening as the unknown, but the process itself has me shaking in my boots.


2. Describe yourself in three words.

Actress, Blogger, Quirky

3. What is your favorite passage of Scripture?

Mark 10: 6-9

God made them male and female in the beginning, at creation. That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and will remain united with his wife, and the two will be one. So they are no longer two but one. Therefore, don’t let anyone separate what God has joined together.”

My husband always talks about this verse too (:
4. Name something that’s on your bucket list.   Visit every continent on Earth (and in turn as many countries as possible). So far I have done North America, Europe and Australia.
5. Describe what a perfect day would look like for you.

Is it bad I think about that girl from Miss Congeniality? "Well, my idea of a perfect date would be April 23rd. Because it's not too warm or too cold, and all you need is a light jacket." ;) But in all seriousness any day I am with my family and friends is a perfect day in my book.
6. What is your favorite color?

Blue. I can get geeky and say TARDIS blue, but darker blues make it!

7. Share a brief testimony of how God is working in your life.

Gotta get with the heavy stuff huh? I know God is working in my life because I have my husband here and safe, my home, my bills paid, my pup cared for, my family safe and well and friends to keep me sane. If that isn't God working a miracle than I am not sure what is!

8. What is your favorite snack?

Nutella, right out of the jar I am a big chocolate fan, oreos and cookies are good for my sweet tooth. If not I tend to go for chips and salsa

9. If you could live anywhere, where would that be?

Tuscany. Hellooooo villa! :P

10. Name five things that make you smile.

My husband, the dup pup, my family, Doctor Who and being on stage.

11. Why do you write?

Originally to document my (then boyfriend now) husband's deployment and my life in Disney. Then our engagement and wedding, then married life and then living 3000 miles apart... many reasons all kind of meaning the same thing, to document life. And if my experiences help anyone else than that makes it all the better.

Now my 11 questions:
1. What is the latest TV show you love to watch?
2. Any addictions? (Not bad ones, more like foodstuffs you cannot ignore!)
3. Favorite item of jewelry (not counting wedding/engagement rings if you have them) and why?
4. You have to move out of the country, what country do you pick to live in?
5. What is your dream vacation?
6. What is your main strategy to calm yourself down when stressed or upset?
7. Do you reread books? Which ones can you read over and over again?
8. Preferred method of travel? (ie car, boat, plane, train etc)
9. What exotic pet would you love to own if care and safety were no issue?
10. What is your biggest pet peeve?
11. Have you ever completed a project or recipe on Pintrest? How'd it go?

I am going to nominate:
Dani from Hard Corps Love
A Girl from A Boy A Girl and the Marine Corps: A Love Triangle
Mandy from Mommy Musings
LC at Faith and Deployments
Skinnie from Skinnie Piggie
Jordan from Southern Hospitality
Michelle from A'etonu Family Adventures
Ashley from The Gollaschs Adoption

And anyone else who wants to do it! (:


Since the 200 follower rule didn't count when I was nominated I am following in that vein! Can't wait to read your answers!

Still Pending

Of course Ryan's package is still pending. Do they not realize the agony this causes?! Ugh! Just give an answer already. End the will they/won't they internal battle my husband and I are both in the midst of. We're still going to church every night, praying as hard as we can. We make sure to mention at each mass how thankful we are for everything we do have... each other, our home, our family, friends, cars to drive, clothes to wear, food to eat. We know we are so blessed. But we still pray for good news to come of this re-enlistment.



Sigh.



Anyway, make sure you vote for your favorite Best U.S. Spouse Military Blogger! Make sure you leave the URL or it won't count. I want to go to the conference sooooo badly. It isn't too far from me. Is anyone else going????

And of course, my song link up for this Thursday with Amber at Good Night Moon.



Why?

Because last night as I am getting ready for bed my husband is messing around with his phone. Suddenly this song starts playing. I look at him, a tiny bit confused, but Ryan comes and wraps his arms around me and we slow dance in our bedroom to this entire song. My husband is pretty darn awesome.

Awarrrd

Thanks to Jeska over at livin our love song for the award!!




Rules for Happy 101 award: post who gave you this award. (*check*)

State ten things you like. (*check*)
1. I like teching. I love acting... but I like that I can still be involved in theatre via Stage Managing.

2. My clients at work. One got back from Turkey and gave us some turkish delight and another just got back from Morrocco and got us these adorable little bags from the marketplace!

3. I like I can make Otis Spunkemeyer cookies at work Friday in our secret back oven on Fridays.

4. Chocolate. And the secret candy drawer under our reception desk.

5. Beatles radio station on Pandora.

6. Josh Groban's new album comes out November 15th and is called Illuminations !!! (also the name of the EPCOT firework show I usd to do crowd control for and got proposed to during!)

7. My loving husband. Of course I like him and love him all at the same time.

8. My family. They are too cool not to like.

9. My dress for the ball. It is my first formal red dress, kind of excited to wear it and rock some awesome lipstick too!

10. Blogging. Like it a lot. And all you lovely readers and fellow bloggers!

Give this award to 10 other bloggers. (*check*)
Life of a Navy Wife & Everything Else
The Sometimes Single Mom
Army Dogs
Forever Yours Semper Fi
A Whole New World
Devil Dog Darling
Goodnight Moon
Skinnie Piggie
The Adventures of Superman and Mrs S
Simply Sunshine and Daisys

Thanks for reading ladies! And I cannot wait to see your ten likes too (: And thanks Jeska for the award!

Award!

Thank you to Nicole at *Sailor's Sweetheart* for this award!!!

So here are the rules:
1. Accept the award. Post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2. Pay it forward to 5 other bloggers that you have newly discovered.
3. Contact those blog owners and let them know they've been chosen.

Now this is going to be hard as most of the people I want to give this to already have it. So if you do not have this award, please take it! I am giving it to you! Leave me a comment and I will fill your name in the blank (: I love all the blogs I read and I want to spread the love!

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

No Power = No Camp!!!

So a HUGE storm went through the DC area yesterday afternoon. Ryan and I went and saw Inception (REALLY good!) and the storm went through during that time, so we missed the whole thing! We go into the theatre and it is over a hundred degrees and we come out and it is about 20 degrees cooler. Then trees were down everywhere as we drove to the cast party to celebrate the end of the opera.

Well our campus where we have day camp had no power. All street lights around were out. So no day camp!!! They tried to keep us around a bit, in case it came on, but it didn't so I got free pizza and left by 1. So so nice. I even took the beltway home with no traffic!

I came home, napped, and then cleaned like crazy. I even made dinner. Then Ricoberto and his girlfriend Tanya, our neighbors who are both chefs, were outside and we all ended up talking and sharing wine. They even tried my meatloaf! It is a recipe from Nicole's blog at Flip Flops and Combat Boots actually for Cheeseburger Meatloaf... and they liked it! I was very happy about that. So thanks Nicole!!!

Now my Summer Essentials Partner, Michelle at ~A'Etonou Family Adventures~ sent me an awesome package... and an award! I only hope my package even somewhat measures up to how great yours was. So thank you. I am going to post about what I got tomorrow because my pictures of what I got aren't working.

But onto the award!



So what you're supposed to do is:


1. Copy & paste the award on your blog.


2. List who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog (or hyperlink)


3. List 10 things that make you happy.

1. My husband Ryan!
2. My family and my lovely lovely friends.
3. Being onstage, working in the theatre.
4. Travel. I love going to new places and trying new things and seeing amazing sights.
5. Fireworks. I LOVE fireworks.
6. Reading a really really good book.
7. Sitting on the couch with Ryan and watching a movie.
8. Rollercoasters.
9. Chocolate. Preferably with peanutbutter.
10. My puppy... well my mom's I guess now. Dippy is the best dog ever.

Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know!

I am going to pass this on to Skinnie Piggie as I love her blog!

Monday and Awards....

I so need to find a new nail salon. Ryan wants me to keep my pink and white tips from the wedding since he really likes them, but my place at home in NJ is soooo much better than the one I went to in DC. I went in for a fill today and my nails look awful.

Petty much?

Yes. Ok. Moving on.

I have now been given this award two times, by Confessions of a Sailor's Wife and Gaile at Does this baby make me look fat? so time for me to pass it on! Thank you both so much!



The Versatile Blogger- with this award there are some rules, which are as follows:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award
2. Share seven things about you
3. Nominate 15 *(cough7cough)* newly discovered blogs that you think are fantastic
4. Let your nominees know about the award


1. I am a newlywed, as of May 1st! We had the arch of swords at the wedding and I did get the sword whack with the "Welcome to the Marine Corps ma'am"!
2. I love theatre. I majored in it in college, specializing in acting. I also stage manage, scenic paint, do electric work, and carpentry. And those pay unlike acting so I do them a lot more.
3. Swimming, cheerleading, tennis, pole vaulting, long jump... sports I did in high school trying to figure out which one I liked. Hint, cheerleading was not it! Even if I did earn my Varsity letter in it.
4. Before I went to college my mom, her friend Fran and I took a cake decorating class for the summer at Michaels. We made a wedding cake for my Babci and Poppy's 60th Wedding anniversary. Two tiers with columns!
5. I take pictures. A lot. I love taking pictures and would kill for a great camera.
6. I am the oldest of four. I have three younger half brothers; Sean (16), Shane (15) and Stefan (13). Only two of them are related to each other but all three look more related than any of them do to me!
7. Nerd=Me. I am a total nerd... Harry Potter, Star Wars, random movie trivia... it is pretty bad.

15 Newly Discovered Blogs I think are fabulous... but I only have seven as not having internet has not given me a lot of new blogs to follow:
It's Something Beautiful
Confessions of a Sailor's Wife (got to give it back!)
Mr, Mrs & Little Miss
Rank & File Wifey
Writing Letters in my Scrubs
Does this baby make me look fat? (also giving it back!)
From Suits to Boots

Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots also gave me this award: The Beautiful Blogger Award



The rules for accepting this award are simple. Just pass it along to seven beautiful blogs!

Diary of a Disgruntled Marine Girlfriend
Confessions of a Sailor's Wife
The Sand is Different Here
Goodnight Moon
Mr, Mrs & Little Miss
The Adventures of Mr. Superman and Mrs. S.
Skinnie Piggie

Award

Now Katie at Diary of a Disgruntled Marine Girlfriend gave me this award awhile back and I totally forgot to post it!

Rules, pass this on to ten SWEET bloggers... so can do!! Now I know some of you may have this already but I am sending it your way again...


Sweet Bloggers
Katie, throwing it back to you of course!
Christina at C&C Aubel
Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots
My Mom Fran at Mother of the Bride
Expat Girl at The Sand is Different Here who I have to say congratulations to on the birth of her beautiful baby girl and having her husband home!!
Mrs at Mr, Mrs & Little Miss a new blog I just started following that is totally sweet
The LT's Wifey at Rank & File Wifey
Amber at Goodnight Moon

And the last two go to any bloggers who have stopped by and I don't know yet. Let me know you're here! I would love to read yours as well!

Pretty sweet (:

Nicole and Katie Love My Blog!!!!

Thank you to Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots and Katie at Diary of a Disgruntled Marine Girlfriend for both giving me this award! I am so touched!!!! So the rules to this one are to list ten things that I love and pass it on to ten other bloggers (which will be hard as a lot have this one already, so you may get it again!).

So Ten Things I Love
1. Ryan. I love him more than anyone else in the world. He is my best friend and soul mate and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with him, starting in 8 days!
2. My Mom. She is my closest confidant and best friend. I could not be who I am today without her. She is amazing and I am going to miss having her close by all the time!
3. Acting. I love it and I miss it. It has been too long since I have done a real show. I love the lights and the feel of being on stage with an audience. It is the biggest and best high in the world.
4. Chocolate. Enough said.
5. Strawberries. I am a berry addict in general, but I can eat a carton in one sitting easily.
6. Champagne. Always been a weakness, I love the fizz and the spark!
7. Fireworks. I love them so much Ryan even knew he had to propose to me during Illuminations at EPCOT. A more perfect proposal could not exist.
8. Reading. I am a book whore. I can read one a day if I try. Sometimes more. I read fast and retain, but I love fiction.
9. Taking Pictures. I have thousands of them. I wish my album abilities and scrapbooking were as kept up!!!
10. My Friends. They are from all over the place and oh so different, but I love them so so much. Fantastic people with wonderful gifts to offer this world, from my theatre school friends to college to Disney to blogger, they are all wonderful.

Now to pass it along to bloggers I LOVE! (some are getting it twice!)
1. Flip Flops and Combat Boots (gotta give it back!!)
2. Diary of a Disgruntled Marine Girlfriend (gotta give it back to you too!)
3. Church Lady and Mom
4. Jess's Journey
5. The Sand is Different Here
6. Scientist. Gamer. Geek.
7. this is only the beginning of our story
8. C&C Aubel
9. Love is Distance
10. Hard Corps Love

I love reading all of your blogs and I cannot wait to see where your stories go!

My First Blog Awards!!!

I have to thank Katie at Diary of a Disgruntled Marine Girlfriend for giving me my first blogging award. And not just one, but two!!! I am so extremely touched and honored, it is amazing knowing people read and care and are out there. So thank you so much Katie.



The first one is the Beautiful Blogger Award. I have to list seven things about myself and pass it on to seven other people. Ok, so seven things about me.

1. I am getting married in 17 days!!! Holy Cannoli!
2. I have a huge fruit addiction, especially to those of the berry variety.
3. I read way too much. I can go through a book a day if I have the chance.
4. Sometimes I care way too much what others think, but I am working on it.
5. My dream dog is an Irish Wolfhound. Ryan said no :P haha
6. More than anything I want to act... be in theatre/film/tv, in any form. Actually I would be just as happy behind the scenes as in front of them. I haven't given up yet.
7. If I can't act or be involved in that field in any way, I would love to go back to school to become a pastry chef.



The second is the Sunshine Award, given to bloggers that inspire others and show positivity and creativity. I have to cheat and give both awards to the same seven. Here I go! (Some may have already received it but I am going to post it for them again if so!)

1. My Mom Mother of the Bride
2. Laura Poland Adventures
3. Sam Scientist. Gamer. Geek.
4. Nicole Something Beautiful
5. Christina C&C Aubel
6. Karie Wife of a Wounded Marine
7. Expat Girl The Sand is Different Here

Thanks girls! I always follow your blogs and I look forward to what you write. Thanks again Katie.