Invisible-No-MoreMaking the most of your mid life crisisnominate

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 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:

Living lighter in Atlanta

The critiquing chemist

Cooking with a wallflower

Eat yourself skinny

Flavia the bibliophile

Ivy cottage baker

Thank you, so much, to BeaFreitas, for nominating me for this Award! I have only been blogging for a couple months and it is so special to me that anyone reads my posts, let alone, subscribes! And, to have someone like BeaFreitas, who’s blog I admire so much, to recognize it for a special mention, really encourages me to keep on bloggin’! Her blog is full of lifestyle tips, great ideas and beautiful pictures. Go check it out!

The rules for the Liebster Award consist of:

Thank the blogger (s) who nominated you

– Answer the 11 questions the blogger gave you

– Nominate at least 5, but no more than 11 bloggers who deserve the award

–Tell those bloggers you nominated them

–Create 11 original questions for the nominees to answer

The questions I answered:

1.Do you have any embarrassing stories that you refuse to tell anyone?

Uh, ya! And since I refuse to tell anyone…….!

2.What is your favorite book?

Oh boy, this is beyond tough. Right now, in my life, I have been reading a lot of self-help and self-improvement books. I would not say they are my favorite, but I am searching for, well, anything to help with these tough life transitions. My favorite category to read is mystery. Love a good “who dunnit?”

3.If you had to choose between living in a place that was cold year round and living in a place that was hot year round, which would you choose?

I am going with hot, I am so tired of winter right now!

4.Do you prefer home cooked meals or eating out at a restaurant?

Home cooked and I love to do the cooking!

5.Would you ever go skydiving?

Actually, I already have! I did three static line jumps and then found out I was pregnant with my first child. Doctors tend to frown on skydiving when you get pregnant, so I was done!

6.If you were handed 1 million dollars, what would be the first thing you would spend it on?

I am a mom, so my kids! Help them get a home, set a business, whatever they may need to get a strong start.

7.If you could have any car in the world, which would it be?

The one I have now! I actually really love my Subaru!

8.What is your favorite dessert?

Crisps, any type of fruit crisp!

9.What made you want to blog?

I am going through a really tough time in my life, have been for a while, and noticed that I had become irrelevant, invisible, in my own life. The people around me just stopped noticing me, or caring about my happiness. It was time to step out into the light, both virtually and in the real world. I am so glad I did, this community is wonderful!

10.Do you have a favorite TV show? What is it?

Not really, I have not had time to watch as much TV as I once did.

11.Have you ever learned to play any instruments?

I did not but always wanted to learn to play the harp. Maybe one day!

The questions I would like to pose:

Has your blog changed from your original, creative vision? How so?
How long have you been blogging?
What did you find to be your greatest challenging for blogging?
How do you spend your down time?
Do you have any hobbies that you do not blog about?
Have you ever been bungee jumping? Would you welcome that opportunity?
Dog or Cat?
If you had a free night for yourself, and money was no object, what would you do?
What was your favorite vacation?
Where is your dream travel location (again, money is no object)?
Which actor/actress would you like to trade places with for one day?