Try Something New Thursdays~ Just for Fun!

Recently, my friend Nancy, who blogs at Words From the Home Front sent me a message to tell me that she had nominated me for The Liebster Award.  I was intrigued.  This is what I discovered...

What is the Liebster Award?

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.

Rules for receiving this award:

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 several people and link them in your post.

4.  Notify the people you have tagged.

5.  No tag backs.

What a sweet thing to receive this award.  Thank you, Nancy!  And so today, just for fun, I am going to follow the rules and accept this award.

11 Random Things About Me...

1.  I was a tomboy.  Even though my parents sent me to school in skirts and dresses EVERY DAY I would still play soccer and kickball and even football with the boys.  As a result, I had a ton of boy friends, but didn't have a boyfriend until I was 18.

2.  My mom is constantly amazed at the things that I do as an adult.  She never expected that I would enjoy cooking or that I would pick up a needle and thread, that I would enjoy dancing with my daughter or organize craft days for women.  I like surprising her!

3.  One of my biggest pet peeves is wet socks.

4.  I planted a tree in Australia.

5.  I made the biggest decision of my life when I knelt by my parents bed and prayed a prayer to ask Jesus to come into my heart.  I bawled last week when I prayed at that same bed holding hands with my sister and my Daddy (my other sister and mom were across from me).

6.  I love the San Francisco 49ers.  I have loved them for 27 years- through the great, the good and the ugly.  I am so excited that they are looking GREAT this year.  Go Niners!

My sisters in lovely dresses- me in my 49ers shirt!

7.  I do not like politics.  I appreciate well formed opinions based on integrity, but I cannot stand the way politics divide our country.

8.  I fell in love with my husband in Chicago.  It will always hold a special place in my heart.

9.  One of my biggest dreams was to take my kids to Disney World.  I was so excited when that dream came true!

10.  One of my favorite things is hiking to a beautiful spot and then sitting there for awhile with a journal.

11.  I think my kids have inherited their lack of focus from me.  It has taken me forever to write this and I'm not even half way through.  I hope that YOUR focus is better than mine!

On to the Questions...

1.  What is your greatest fear?  My greatest fear is that my children will grow up and not be in love with Jesus.  It is the single biggest fear that I have- one that I have to constantly commit to the Lord, to trust Him to draw them to Himself.

2.  Describe yourself in three words- Spontaneous, creative and caring

3.  What is your favorite passage of Scripture (verse or book)?  My favorite verse is 1 Corinthians 15:58- "Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."   My favorite passage is Lamentations 3:21-26...

"yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope;

because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed.

for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning.

Great is Thy Faithfulness!

I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.

It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

4.  Name something that is on your bucket list- I call them my Dayedreams (because I am corny like that!), but one of my biggest dreams is to go to England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.  My family origins are from there and I want to see it all for myself!

5.  Describe what a perfect day would look like to you- This is a tough one!  A perfect day would have to involve all of the people that I love.  But this would be tough, because there are so many!  It would involve someplace gorgeous that we would have to explore (with all of my favorite things- mountains to hike, boulders for rock climbing, waterfalls, stony brooks).  And it would include an amazing dinner on the beach afterwards (complete with snorkeling, jet skis and sail boat rides!)

6. Nancy is missing # 6, so I have no idea what the question originally was.  So, I'll make up one!  What is one of your lesser known passions?  I really enjoy planning birthday parties.  It is not something that I want to do as an occupation, but I really enjoy creating a party based on a theme that my children choose.

7.  Share a brief testimony of how God is working in your life- The biggest lesson that God seems to be teaching me is to rely on Him.  I am learning that life is unexpected- and just when you think that you know what your plans are for the coming year, things change.  And so, I am learning again what it means to fully trust Him.  To not make my own plans, but to continually lay my dreams and desires at His feet.  He keeps prying my fingers off of the things that I am clinging to and reminding me that He is worthy of my trust!

8.  What is your favorite snack?  Currently?  It would have to be a mix of peanuts, candy corn and M&M's!!!!

9.  If you could live anywhere, where would that be?  Rochester, NY!!!  It is an amazing thing to have lived in so many different places and to have thoroughly enjoyed each one while I was there.  It has taught me that while there is no "perfect" place to live, there is great happiness to be found when we are with the ones we love.  And it is about making the most of right where we are!  So, Rochester!  And lucky for me, I happen to live there!

10.  Name 5 things that make you smile- A pile of books, a cup of coffee, a house full of laughing kids, a clean kitchen and hugs from my husband and kids!

11.  Why do you write?  If you have followed my blog from the beginning, you know that I kind of stumbled upon writing.  I didn't know that I wanted to write, but now I can't imagine NOT writing.  I feel compelled to write and my constant desire is that I would bring glory to my great God through my words.

If you have made it through this post, then I think that YOU should get an award!  Phew!!!

I have a ton of brilliant blogging friends, but this award is specifically for smaller bloggers.  So I am going to pick of few of my brilliant smaller blogging friends.

And the Liebster goes to...

Jennifer at Running This Thing Called Life

Hilary at Living in Exile

Emily at My Heart Beats For Africa

Sara at Ramblings of a Red Head

Holly at Our Interestingly Boring Life

These are all wonderful women with unique perspectives on life.  Some write more often than others, but I love reading what they write!

I would love if you would pick a question and answer it in the comments.  It is not as much fun when I do all of the talking...