blogger recognition award

I am so touched and humbled by this!

“The Growing Self Blogger Award has been created to acknowledge and celebrate amazing individuals, in the blogging community, who are persevering through life’s challenges not only to GROW as individuals, but to reach out and help others GROW as well.” ~Roda

I feel truly blessed to have met so many wonderful individuals through this process called blogging! I had no idea this world even existed a year ago. I started blogging to deal with my personal pain and isolation and found a network of strong, funny, talented, artistic and kind human beings! Many of whom were dealing with life’s struggles just like me.

I never would have dreamed that the friends I have made in the blogosphere would help me in my “real world” relationships as well. I have been more open, more willing to try new things and, dare I say it, more trusting. Actually, I am still working on that last one 🙂

Many bloggers have been generous to me and nominated my blog for awards, and all of those are important to me. I admit, I am way behind! Embarrassingly so! I hope to start catching up soon. But one lovely human, one that I will never be able to put on the back burner, has nominated me for the award that she herself has crafted. Which makes it extra special! If you know Roda, then you understand what I am talking about! Her nomination brought tears to my eyes, so I will begin digging out of the backlog with “The Growing Self Blogger Award”

How it works:

Put the award logo/image on your blog
List the rules
Thank the individual that nominated you and provide a link to their blog
Describe the award and mention the creator: Roda – Growingself.blog
Nominate up to 5 blogs. Remember, the purpose of this award is to specifically celebrate those individuals that have made a difference in your life or the lives of others.
Give at least 1 reason why you nominated each individual.
Notify your nominees of the award

Today I would like to nominate:

Sophie from Foodzesty

Monika from Everyday Healthy Recipes

Jay from My Truth is Now

Linda from Mainepaperpusher

Sophie- You are my long lost sister from Greece! No, we don’t look alike, I’m sure, as I have red hair, freckles and burn instantly so no one would ever confuse me for a Greek beauty! But, we connected so quickly and strongly from the instant we started messaging. You are so kind and considerate and inspire me to get into the kitchen and try new recipes. We have our mutual love of Rafa to bind us across time zones and you are the first person I think of when a tennis match pops up on my TV. Thank you my dear friend for all the emails and the beautiful post card from Greece!

Monka- I have learned so much from you! Your healthy recipes help me stay on track and fuel my, sometimes, insane workout schedule. I have found new ingredients and tried new techniques which have helped me grow my culinary repertoire. Thank you for putting up with all my questions! One day I will figure out how to get to your cooking site to share those recipes. You are so sweet to take the time to research my queries and help me navigate the blogosphere!

Jay- You are such a sweet man! You inspire me to read more than my usual “goto genres”. I am a creature of habit and will easily fall back on my usual authors. You have made me a better analyst, helping me look beyond the obvious and uncover the many underlying possibilities. I am honored to be a witness to your literary ascent! Please know that I am truly privileged to be a small part of helping you on your way 🙂

Linda-I know, I know, you don’t do awards. I also know that you break the rules when you feel strongly about something. Guess what? Your friendship is so important to me that I am breaking your rule! I am not nominating you to be irritating, but because I feel so strongly about the impact you have made on my life that I am going to talk about you whether you like it or not! So there! We have much in common, and I know if we lived on the same coast we would be fast friends. You inspire me to keep putting myself out there, we both know how easy it is it become isolated. Those of us who are a little too comfortable with alone time can become overlooked, as it were. And, we have the same sense of humor! Your Guest in Jest series is one of my favorite weekly posts! I would give just about anything to spend an afternoon with you drinking coffee, eating cookies and laughing our asses off. Thank you, my friend 🙂

And Roda….The only reason you are not nominated is because you nominated me! I will find you in Colorado, or Seattle, one day. And, hug the stuffing out you 🙂

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One Lovely Blog Award!

The lovely and talented Sophie from “Foodzesty” kindly nominated me for this award. This is the first time I have been nominated for this one, so thank you Sophie! If you have not made it to her blog yet then you are in for a treat! Sophie is a wonderful cook and has shared a number of delicious recipes-go now and plan your dinner!

Here are the rules for accepting this award:

Each nominee must thank the person who nominated them and link their blog in their post.
They must include the rules and add the blog award badge as an image.
Must add 7 facts about themselves.
Nominate 15 people to do the award

Hmmm, 7 facts about me…

I am the mother of two young adults, and am very proud of them!

2. You can see from this picture that we like to rock climb as a family

3. I turned 50 last February and got a tattoo to mark the occasion. This is my one and only!

4 & 5. My husband and I like to run half marathons and travel as much as possible.

6. I have a Ph.D. in molecular biology and taught at the college level for 25+ years.

my daughter and I at my graduation from USC

7. A few years ago, I went to culinary school because I enjoy baking and cooking and needed to get better at both!

Now for my nominees! Please do not feel pressure to respond to this award, my intention is to recognize how much I appreciate your blog and your talents!

Recipes by chefkreso

The Austrian Dish

ONCE UPON A HOT FLASH

Everyone Else has the best titles

wakinguponthewrongsideof50

thisismytruthnow

Thank you all for your friendship, advice and your positivity 🙂

Sunshine Blogger Awards #1 & #2

Hello Everyone! I have been missing for awhile and I am so behind on my postings!! We have been really busy with our new home purchase in Tucson. It turns out that it takes a lot of time to set up a transaction like this when you are not in the same state as the new house. We have finally finished inspections and negotiations and are feeling better about our position with all this. It will close in August, then we really have to move into gear! Meanwhile, this amazing blogging community has been generous with me once again! The incredible Valerie from “Living Lighter in Atlanta” nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award, back in April! Then in June, the Avid Observer from “What Living taught me” also nominated me. I truly appreciate both of these blogs as they have entertained and enlightened my world!

The Rules for accepting this Award:

1.) Thank the person who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
2.) Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
3.) Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
4.) List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

Valerie’s Questions to me:

What are three activities that bring you happiness?

-running, rock climbing and cooking!

When you are feeling down, what kinds of things do you do to try and lift your spirits?

-run, rock climb and cook!
What are some of your favorite funny movies (comedies)?

-Blazing Saddles, Caddy shack, Spaceballs and the Vacation movies
Who is your favorite comedian, and what do you like about him/her?

-Anyone on SNL past or present
Does money buy happiness?

-NO, but it does make unhappiness easier to live with!
Were your parents happy when you were growing up? Why do you think they were/were not?

-They thought they were. I believe they were not because they married too young to know what they really wanted. They divorced when I was 23.
What makes you laugh out loud?

-I am a strong believer in the statement “it’s funny because it’s true”. Check out this link: I laughed until I cried!
Does the weather affect your mood?

-Yes! That is why we are snow birding now!
What in your life are you currently looking forward to?

-Setting up our new home in Tucson!

What living taught me Q’s for me:

A quote or any saying that you love and follow.

–

If you get chance : either to go in future and know what’s there for you or to go back in past and change something Which one would you choose & Why?

-I would go back into the past and (attempt) to prevent a decision, made by someone else, that caused me great emotional pain.

A superpower that you think everyone should have.

-The ability to see one week into the future, so that people can better choose their words and actions today.

Mountains or Beaches?

-both! I can’t choose!

Is there anything that can/might make you stop blogging?

-If this community became negative or unsupportive. That seems very unlikely as everyone I have met has been amazing!

If you get a chance to watch any war that happened in the past live Which war would you choose n Why?

-The civil war because I know which side I would be fighting for!

Share any adventurous or risky thing that you ever did.

-I did skydiving a few times, three to be exact. I would love to do it again!

What gives you goosebumps every-time?

-fingernails on a chalkboard. It is happening now as I type this!

A gift that you would love to receive anytime.

-flowers

Your favorite topics to have a conversation on.

-My kids!

One thing that you want to eliminate from your life completely.

-weeding!

I would like to nominate:

Free to Express

Everyone else has the best titles

My Questions to the nominees:

What is your favorite day of the week?

What was your favorite childhood toy?

Are you a cat or a dog person?

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Are you doing that now?

At dessert time, do you go for chocolate or lemon?

What is your favorite topic to blog about?

Why did you start your blog?

What book are you currently reading?

What past TV show would you like to see back on the air?

If you could go back into your past, what (if anything) would you like to change?

What would you have for your final meal?

Blogger Recognition Award, #2!

I am still working my way through some awards and nominations that I have been blessed to receive. The amazing Kathy Knull was kind enough to think of me when she was writing her acceptance post. Kathy is a novelist, accomplished equestrian and has a wide variety of hobbies and skills I could never master in two lifetimes! I really enjoy reading her posts and can relate as we are in a similar stage of life. Check her out!

Here are the rules for accepting this award

Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
Write a post to show your award.
Give a brief story of how your blog started.
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
Select 10-15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.

The first time I was nominated for this award, I was only 2 months into blogging. I don’t think that initial post was widely seen so I am reblogging portions today.

How my blog started:

I started my blog as a way to take back some control in my life. After my kids went to college (and yes, if you haven’t experienced it yet, the “empty nest syndrome” is real!) I found myself floundering. I was disillusioned with my career, my purpose had grown up and my husband, well, he was dealing with his own mid life crisis (also a very real thing!). I needed to reconnect with my life, the world and myself. Once I realized that I had basically disappeared I wanted to get back some of the fire that I once had. After all, I had managed to get both a bachelors and a doctorate degree, raise two amazing young people and teach some pretty hard subjects at the college level for 20+ years, but where did that woman go? Starting this blog was one of several steps I have taken to connect to others in my situation. In the process, I have met far more people, of varying backgrounds and ages and am thrilled to be able to hear their stories and share ideas with them. I had no idea how much these connections would mean to me and I am only 7 months into this journey! Thank you for your support and comments, I hope to meet more great people in this blogosphere!

Advice to new bloggers:

I feel a bit disingenuous offering advice, as most of you are probably more seasoned bloggers than myself! But here goes! A piece of advice I received was, “don’t compare your start with someone else’s middle”. I think this is a wonderful sentiment and can be applied to anything you are starting. Be it exercise, a diet or a new job. Someone will always have more experience, talent or, in this world, followers! We all have to start at the beginning of everything! If you are passionate about it then learn from those folks and embrace your beginning. You don’t get to have 5 years of experience on the first day of anything!

The second piece of advice is more from an observation. The blogs I see that are doing well and, have a genuine feel of authenticity, seem to be those written by people who are not looking to make a fortune. Money may come down the line but you will never have more of an opportunity to connect on a personal level than you do right now. If you get rich later, that’s great but if it’s your passion then enjoy it now!

I nominate the following bloggers for this award:

Please tag me back if you choose to write a post!

Mystery Blogger Awards 2 and 3!

The creater of the Mystery Blogger Award is Enigma, here is her page.

I am such a slacker! I was nominated for this award, some time ago, by two amazing bloggers, and I am just now getting to these. I do sincerely appreciate the time that both BeaFrietas and Inkowl have put into this posting! Beafrietas hosts a magnificent lifestyle blog that most humans in the blogosphere have already followed! And, Inkowl shares inspirational stories and artwork that will make your day a happier place! Check them both out if you haven’t already!

AWARD RULES

Display the award logo on your blog.
List the Rules.
Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well.
Tell your readers three things about yourself.
Answer five questions from the nominee.
Nominate anywhere from ten to twenty bloggers.
Notify the bloggers by leaving a comment on their blog.
Ask your nominees any five questions of your choice, including one weird or funny question.
Share the link to your best post.

Three things about me:

I have a BS in general biology and a Ph.D. in molecular biology, so I love science especially all things DNA
I ran my first half marathon and began rock climbing last year at the age of 49, and have plans to keep going farther, faster and higher!
I am still on my quest of “what’s next in life” and would love to define that path soon!

Bea’s Questions:

What is the last song you sang along to?

I listen to 80’s rock when I run and my last run was yesterday, so that was “Looks that Kill” by Motley Crue- ya, I know!

2. Without worrying about money or responsibilities, if you could go anywhere in the world right now where would you go?

I would leave tomorrow for Greece!

3. Would you rather be a singer, actress, or professional athlete?

Definitely a professional athlete

4. What games do you enjoy playing?

We are leaving for Vegas tomorrow and I really like to play Black Jack!

5. What product can you not live without?

I am not sure if this is the spirit of the question but coffee!

Ink Owl’s Questions:

Where (physical locations) do you write?

I actually write in a number of different locations. Often in my living room or at the island in my kitchen. I sometimes will write out on our patio when I am looking for a creative vibe and will head to the local book store when I have a more complicated post in mind.

2. Why did you start writing?

I needed an outlet for some strong emotions that I was dealing with, and to be honest, am still working through.

3. What is your favorite part about your life?

The freedom to choose how to spend my time. My kids are grown, I work part time and I really have the freedom to structure my day around the activities I want to participate in. If I feel like going for a run, heading out to climb for the day or spend time in the kitchen, I have that privilege. After all the years (decades) of operating on everyone else’s schedules, I really appreciate the time to focus on what I like to do!

4. What has been the most challenging part with writing?

Effective communication and editing! There always seems to be the potential for confusion and a typo no matter how many times I proof read!

5. What gives you inspiration to write?

My blog is relatively new (started in November 2016) so I have a lot of topics and ideas at this point. It is really a matter of choosing which topics to tackle first. I really don’t know how long I will be doing this, but for now I am really enjoying connecting with some many interesting people.

My best post:

According to the stats for the site my best post was Are you really together if you are not side-by-side: A running query

My nominees!

My Questions to you:

Do you prefer action movies or comedies?
What was the last novel you read? Why did you choose it?
Do you prefer warm or cold vacation destinations?
Are you a cat or dog person?
What foreign language would you like to speak fluently?

The Blue Sky Tag

BeaFreitas has nominated me for the Blue Sky Tag! If you, somehow, don’t know about her blog then you need to click on over right now and check it out! She is a fashionista, quote guru and all around marvelous human being!

Rules for the award:

Thank the person who nominated you.
Answer the 11 questions
Tag 11 people
Give nominees 11 questions to answer.
Acknowledge Waves of Awesomeness in your post who created the art.

Bea’s questions for me:

If you could only eat 3 foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?

This one is easy, coffee, chocolate and cheese!

2. What is your favorite time of day?

First thing in the morning (with that cup of coffee from question #1!)

3. What are your pet peeves?

Oh so many! But the worst is people who lie.

4. Who is the kindest person you know?

My mother in law!

5. What is the worst thing you did as a kid?

My sister was 5 years younger than myself and always wanted to be around me, or play with me. I was not very patient with her, so not a nice big sister!

6. What do you enjoy to do?

Exercise: running, rock climbing and the occasional yoga class.

7. What is your favorite quote?

ooh, tough one! There are so many! This past year I have been thinking and reading a lot about character, morality and integrity and how the personal choices we make effect those we are supposed to care about. So, today my favorite quote is:

8. If you could choose your own nickname, what would it be?

Your Highness!

9. What is your favorite childhood book?

This is really old but my favorite book when I was 5 years old was Mr. Popper’s Penguins.

10. If you could time travel, where would you go?

I would like to see into the future, maybe 100 years from now. I definitely would not go back in time to before the discovery of antibiotics! Too dangerous!

11. What is your favorite scent?

Vanilla!

My Questions to you:

What is your favorite color, and why?
What was you favorite childhood TV show?
Who is your celebrity crush?
If you had the opportunity to travel into space would you take it?
What was the best pet you ever had, past or present?
If you could go back in time, which of your past mistakes would you fix?
You can only eat breakfast, lunch or dinner for the rest of your life-what do you pick?
What is your dream job?
What one world problem would you solve if you had that power?
Would you rather go skiing or snorkeling ?
When was the last time you laughed so hard that you peed a little bit?

Nominations

Mystery Blogger Award

The creater of the Mystery Blogger Award is Enigma, here is her page.

I am so honored, once again to be recognized by BeaFrietas, for an award. She recently posted a list of great gift ideas for guys, which I really appreciated! Do be sure to click on over and get some great ideas!

AWARD RULES

Display the award logo on your blog.
List the Rules.
Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well.
Tell your readers three things about yourself.
Answer five questions from the nominee.
Nominate anywhere from ten to twenty bloggers.
Notify the bloggers by leaving a comment on their blog.
Ask your nominees any five questions of your choice, including one weird or funny question.
Share the link to your best post.

Three things about me:

I have a BS in general biology and a Ph.D. in molecular biology, so I love science especially all things DNA
I ran my first half marathon and began rock climbing last year at the age of 49, and have plans to keep going farther, faster and higher!
I am still on my quest of “what’s next in life” and would love to define that path soon!

My answers to BeaFrietas’ questions

If you were a squirrel for a day, what would you do
What is your funniest memory?
What music artist could you listen to forever?
What is your favorite thing about blogging?
What is your least favorite household chore?

I would spend the day raiding those anti-squirrel feeders. It looks like a blast to be spun around like that!
All my funniest memories revolve around my son when he was little. He wore a batman cape for about 3 years and said and did the most hilarious things! Little ones are exhausting to be sure, but they are also a tremendous source of joy and those are memories our family still enjoys reliving.
80’s rock (see my answer to #2 in “three things about me above” to remember why 80’s rock is appropriate for me)
My favorite thing about blogging is this community! I have met so many interesting people and really enjoy interacting with all of you!
Our house is 11 years old now, the perfect time for things to start breaking down. I have replaced sink faucets and currently have 1 toilet that keeps running and a dripping shower head. Instead of fixing the plumbing I am blogging-so plumbing issues are my least favorite!

My best post

I guess I will go with the one that had the most likes. It was a post that was run on the psychology website, MakeItUlta. 6 remedies for a midlife crisis

My Nominees:

My Questions for the nominees:

What is your favorite topic to blog about?
Which foreign language would you like to speak fluently?
If you had to pick, which leg of a triathlon would you prefer? (bike, swim or run)
Do you have a tattoo? Why did you pick that image?
What is your favorite TV show, past or present?

Real Neat Blog Award!

This community has been so kind and welcoming to me since I started blogging just two months ago! I have been so blessed to meet so many of my awesome fellow bloggers. I have learned so much about how to navigate this corner of the blogosphere and one of those amazing people is BeaFreitas! Her blog is gorgeous and you really need to click on over and check it out! If you have not done so yet, you are probably the only one left who hasn’t visited her site, so go now!

Rules:

Put the Award logo on your blog.
Answer 7 questions asked by the person who nominated you.
Thank the people who nominated you, linking to their blogs.
Nominate any number of bloggers you like, linking to their blogs.
Let them know you nominated them (by commenting on their blogs, etc.)

Add your own 7 questions for your nominees to answer.

Questions from Bea:

What are your top 3 favorite cartoon films?

Little Mermaid, Lion King, Hoodwinked but honestly there are a whole bunch I love!

What genre of film do you prefer to watch?

Mystery and I love a good robbery (like the Ocean’s series)

What do you enjoy to do on a cozy rainy day?

Either curl up with a good book and a pot of coffee, or watch Harry Potter movies and drink a pot of coffee!

What is one thing you’d like to improve about yourself ?

I would like to be a faster runner, I am so slow and it takes me forever to finish long runs. I am working on it!

What are your favorite TV channels to watch?

Ok, this sounds weird but I watch the NFL Network A LOT, and FoodNetwork.

Have you ever tried to go skiing or snowboarding? Would you try it?

I have gone skiing, and was not very good at it. I didn’t start until I was 35 and that did not do me any favors!

What is your favorite childhood memory?

My favorite memories center around the 4^th of July-generally blowing things up is a lot of fun!

My Questions to you:

What was your favorite childhood pet?
What was the title of the last book you read?
Would you rather visit Antarctica or Tahiti? Why?
What was your favorite subject to study in school?
If you had the opportunity to travel into space, would you want to go?
What is your dream job?
What is your dream vacation?

I nominate:

With love, from me to you

The one that travels

And she went on and on….

Confessions of a struggling mom

Sorting through the shit!

And the good news just keeps on coming!

What a week I am having! All thanks to BeaFreitas-she was kind enough to nominate me for the Blogger Recognition Award! Do you know that BeaFree has over 1000 followers now? One thousand people can’t all be wrong! There are many great reasons why she has a small city following her blog. Check it out if you happen to be one of the few who haven’t yet! We will all be able to say “we knew her when”!

Here are the rules for accepting this award

Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
Write a post to show your award.
Give a brief story of how your blog started.
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.

Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

How my blog started:

I started my blog as a way to take back some control in my life. After my kids went to college (and yes, if you haven’t experienced it yet, the “empty nest syndrome” is real!) I found myself floundering. I was disillusioned with my career, my purpose had grown up and my husband, well, he was dealing with his own mid life crisis (also a very real thing!). I needed to reconnect with my life, the world and myself. Once I realized that I had basically disappeared I wanted to get back some of the fire that I once had. After all, I had managed to get both a bachelors and a doctorate degree, raise two amazing young people and teach some pretty hard subjects at the college level for 20+ years, but where did that woman go? Starting this blog was one of several steps I have taken to connect to others in my situation. In the process, I have met far more people, of varying backgrounds and ages and am thrilled to be able to hear their stories and share ideas with them. I had no idea how much these connections would mean to me only two short months later! Thank you for your support and comments, I hope to meet more great people in this blogosphere!

Advice to new bloggers:

I nominate the following bloggers for this award:

Living lighter in Atlanta

The critiquing chemist