What a great start to the weekend!  I would like to give a an extra-large THANK YOU to Brittney from A Traveling Gypsy for the Versatile Blogger Award!  I was having a rough week (having a bit of an existential crisis, debating what the heck to do with my life and other typical melodrama), so getting nominated for an award was a nice pick-me-up! Definitely check out Brittney’s awesome travel blog for beautiful pictures and travel tips :).

Here we go…

Rules for Award

1. Show the award on your blog.

2. Thank the person who has nominated you.

3. Share 7 different facts about yourself.

4. Nominate 15 blogs of your choice.

5. Link to the nominees and let them know of the nomination.

 

My 7 Personal Facts

1.  I am extremely claustrophobic.

I’m not sure exactly how I developed this fear…I do remember being in an extremely crowded subway one summer as a young child, on a trip to NYC with my family, and feeling a bit suffocated with all the pushy, sweaty commuters that were about two feet taller than me, but I think at that point I was already averse to small spaces.   Because of this fear, I am not one to bury myself under the covers.  In fact, I can’t even keep my whole body under the covers at night – I have to keep at least one foot kicked out of the covers so I don’t feel trapped!

(I’m a special snowflake, I know).

2.  My dad and I share the same birthday! My mom went into labor on my dad’s 30th birthday, so obviously I was his favorite birthday present ;).  I always loved sharing my birthday with my dad, as it meant TWO cakes and double the celebrations.

3.  My favorite season is fall, despite the fact that I’m not the biggest fan of pumpkin spice lattes ;).  However, I do love a good pumpkin beer, as well as blanket scarves, crisp falling leaves, and chilly mornings that make you reach for a cozy sweater.  October can’t get here soon enough!

 

4.  I’ve competed in both scholarship programs and pageants…I mean, come on y’all, I’m from Alabama!  Despite all the jokes about helmet hair and the swimsuit competition, I actually had a really fun time in these competitions.  The preparation I did for the competition interviews instilled me with a polish and grace that has helped me score numerous jobs and internships that I probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise (my resume definitely isn’t that impressive).

Competing in pageants improved my posture (not even joking), set me up in a network of goal-oriented young women who now own their own business or are published authors (and I get to call them my friends!), and taught me the importance of foundation shade-matching.  Plus it paid for a large portion of my college education, so there’s that.

 

5.  On the Myers-Briggs test, I consistently end up with the ENFP personality type (also known as The Campaigner).

Although at times I have problems with this personality test, as I don’t like anything that tries to fit people into one little “box.” Everyone’s moods change with the day and season, so you can’t really always fit into one specific type; however, it is fascinating study on how different personality types work together, and I LOVE talking about the different personality types.  If you’ve never taken one of these before, a good one is: 16 Personalities

6.  I re-watch at least one season of Gilmore Girls every fall.

I think this show is absolutely fabulous, though my opinions on specific story lines and characters have shifted over the years (used to be OBSESSED with Jess, but now I realize he’s angsty and overdramatic and kind of a jerk).  I’ve actually thought about rehashing this show via blog posts, but not sure how much y’all would love it as the Internet has already kind of exploded over the upcoming new season on Netflix, so we shall see.

7.  I’m left handed.

This has caused endless numbers of obstacles in my life – from not being able to write neatly (the pen smudges are still the bane of my existence, to this day), to having trouble learning how to crochet, to even having to learn how to use dental tools “backwards” in dental school.  However, I wear my southpaw as a badge of pride and secretly love being a little different :).

Ok, and now it’s time to nominate bloggers!  Here’s a list of excellent sites full of unique writing, pictures, and site design I think you should check out 🙂

I tried to pick out different sites from the ones I nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Awards, but you should check out those nominations from my post as well! And again, I am lucky in that I’ve found a lot of awesome bloggers to follow, so this was a difficult decision to make!!

1. An Outcast Wayfarer
2. I’ve Read This
3. Cuppa Critiques
4.  One Blonde Brit
5. Dawn Loves Books 
6. Lynn’s Books
7. Fiction Fan’s Book Reviews 
8. Birdie Bookworm Blog 
9. Bookslayer Reads
10. Proud and Prejudiced Book Reads
11. From Dream to Plan
12. The Twenty-Something Detour
13. Eat Live Escape 
14. Traveling the World Solo
15. Aimlessly Ali 

 

Enjoy some beautiful blogs, loves, and happy weekend!!