The Stork Award

The Stork Award is a new blogging award, created by my wonderful bloggie friend Teresa at Where the *Bleep* is Our Stork?.  Not only is Teresa a bloggie friend, but she is also a fellow Oregonian that I had the opportunity to meet in person this past summer, which made us officially real life friends as well!

Teresa and me

About the Stork Award:
Teresa thought of the hummingbird when developing this new award.  The hummingbird generally symbolizes playfulness as well as adaptability.  Additional symbolic meanings are: lightness of being, enjoyment of life, playfulness and joy, swiftness, and resiliency.

Teresa has found that many of the blogs she reads, remind her of the hummingbird.  The strength and resilience that so many of you have is fascinating and inspiring.

I agree with her.  I have found so much inspiration from the stories you share.  We learn from each other how we might better handle loss, grief, struggle.... and we also learn how to be humble and conscious of others when we experience success.

Each of our stories are important, and each of us have something in our individual stories that can help someone along the way. 

How it works:
1. Include the Stork Award icon in your post
2. Link to the person(s) who nominated you
3. Answer the 10 questions about yourself
4. Nominate as many bloggers as you want to receive the award

5. Ask your nominees 10 new questions

6. Link your nominees and let them know they've been nominated

7. Post the Stork Award icon on your blog side bar if you are so inclined

 

My Questions from Teresa:

 

1. Do you like to plan things out in detail or be spontaneous?  I tend to be spontaneous.  Some of our best vacations have been the ones we fly by the seat of our pants without reservations and decide as we go what we want to do.  We once traveled to Pennsylvania to watch Oregon State football play Penn State.  Our only planned activities were the game, and to spend one night in Philadelphia site seeing.  After that, it was a toss up.  We ended up visiting Gettysburg, then driving down to Delaware where we had dinner and spent the night.  The next morning we took the Cape May-Lewis Ferry across to New Jersey, drove to Atlantic City where we walked on the boardwalk for an hour.  Then we had to make a quick drive back to Philadelphia to catch our flight home.  It was an amazing trip, and we did SO much in just that one weekend!

 

2. What embarrasses you?  Feeling stupid in front of people.

 

3. What are some of your favorite websites?  The websites I spend the majority of my time on are kind of boring in that it is nothing unusual.  Blogger so I can read all of your blogs, Facebook, and Pinterest.  That's about it.

 

4. How would you explain your basic life philosophy?  Growing up, I lived by the philosophy that if I had to hide what I was doing, I probably shouldn't be doing it.  I was a goody two shoes.  Now, I try to live by the idea that we CHOOSE our response to what life throws at us.  We can't control what all life has to hand us, but we CAN choose how we respond to it.  CHOOSE to be happy.  I am not always successful at this, but I try to be.

 

5. Would you rather be hated or forgotten?  Ouch.  This is a really tough question.  I absolutely can't stand to be hated, or to have people mad at me.  On the other hand, it's kind of a terrible thought to think that I might not make an impact on the people around me and they forget me.  Between the two, I guess I'd rather be forgotten, because I probably wouldn't know the difference.  If someone hated me, it would grate on me forever.

 

6. What do you like least about yourself?  My insecurities (read above).  I wish I was a more self confident person.  I know who I am and what I stand for, but it turns me inside out to have someone be mad at me.

 

7. Do you have a favorite number?  Any particular reason why you like that number?  In high school, playing sports, I always had #11 or #12.  No particular reason that I can remember at all.  Right now, my favorite number is each week I get to count down in this pregnancy! 

 

8. If you could try out any job for a day, what would you like to try?  I would want to be on the coaching staff of a softball team playing in the College World Series!

 

9. If you could go back in history, who would you like to meet?  Jesus.  Without question.

 

10. How are you, really?  I am extremely happy to be growing these twins, but this past week has turned a corner on the difficulty level.  I am getting more exhausted more easily.  My hands hurt and seem to be getting worse due to pregnancy induced carpal tunnel.  I don't sleep very well at all, and I have been really emotional this week.  I am otherwise doing very well!

 

All of you who have shared your stories, and also have shared your friendship with me in this blogging community, mean more than simple words can express.  Any time I nominate my bloggie friends for awards, I inevitably leave some of you out.  Please know that all of you are important and have a special place in my heart.

 

For this special award, I am nominating those that I have felt the most love and support from through the ups and downs of my journey this past year.  Your friendship is immeasurable and truly appreciated.

 

My nominees:

 

1. Teresa at Where the *Bleep* is Our Stork

2. Erin at The Gypsy Mama

3. Em at Teach Me to Braid

4. Stacie at Life As I Know It
5. Aubrey at Two Hearts and One Dream
6. Tonisha at I Can Do This
7. Aimee at Is It Time Yet?
8. Kimberly at No Good Eggs
9. Jane at Mine to Command
10. Aramis at It Only Takes One
11. Melissa at Ask An Infertile

My questions for you:

1. If you could live anywhere in the world (besides where you live now), where would it be?
2. What is your hidden talent that few people know about?
3. Who has been your biggest role model/mentor?
4. What is your fondest childhood memory?
5. If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?
6. What is your favorite holiday and why?
7. Do you have any collections and if so, what are they?
8. What is your most prized possession?
9. What is your love story?  How did you and your husband meet?
10. How would you describe your personality?

One of my favorite thing to read on other people's blogs is answers to these types of questions.  I love learning more about you, so I hope that you will participate!  If not, well, I thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my blog :)

*Even if you are not listed as one of the nominees, please feel free to answer the questions if you want to!