Wow!  I’m nominated for the Liebster Award by fellow (awesome) blogger and writer of The Chocolate Teapot. She keeps me on my toes to inspire me to write witty blogs, but she’s much better at that than I (you go, girl.  And thanks so much for the nomination!).

Here are the rules for the Liebster Award:

1.  The nominated user has to provide a link back to the person who nominated them

2.  Provide 11 facts about yourself

3.  Answer 11 questions set by the person who nominated you

4.  Choose 11 more people and ask them 11 questions

Okey-dokey.  Let’s start with facts about myself:

1.  I have an incredible family, my husband and 3 boys, who provide me with inspiration, motivation, and support.  Love you guys.  Man, am I lucky.

2.  I LOVE being outside:  Hiking, camping, mountain-bike riding, kayaking.

3.  My declared major at Colorado State University was Wildlife Biology.  Lasted for about 6 months before I gave it up for Interior Design.  Weird.

4.  I used to confuse pancakes with hamburgers (?).  Okay, okay…I was maybe 6 years old.

5.  I’m a closet photographer who does not understand F-stop, ISO, shutter speed, or any of the other weird things that photographers know about.

6.  I love chocolate.  In any way, shape, or form.  Oh, and unrelated, but I love movies, too.

7.  I’m a tea drinker.  Must have Tazo Awake every morning.  Have been a tea drinker since high school.  We won’t talk about how many years that has been.

8.  I grew up on a farm in Colorado with 4 other siblings and tons of animals.

9.  After painting for 20 years, I took a hiatus from art for three years. I cannot explain how I grew during this point and am so glad to be back.  This blog is the beginning of coming back.  Hence, the tagline “Journey Back to Passion.”  I am obsessed with art and design.

10.  Being a mother has been the most important job in my life.

11.  Eating pineapple makes me sweat.  Seriously.

So now for the questions I’m answering:

If you could choose any era to live in (including modern day), what would you choose?

I think I would choose to live in this modern era.  I love technology, I love having freedom as a woman.  I love global connections and travel.  Worst part is the astounding NUMBER of people and pollution as a result.  But yeah…I’d live here and now.

What has been your favourite post to write so far?

Honesty, I think my favorite post was my very first one ,Beets n Green Beans Breakthrough, simply because it was my very first one.  It was so fun to write about my passion and my return to painting and allow it to be read by anyone else.  It was a kind of commitment to my art that I’m trying to uphold every week.

In a zombie apocalypse, what weapon do you choose?

Swords.  You don’t need ammunition 😉 No brainer.

Do seals have to write essays, and what would they write them on?

Well, if you are talking about what writing surface they would choose, it would have to be seal skin from their fallen brethren.  They could use their little flipper-claws to dig letters into the hide.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could pick one person to have with you, who would it be?

George Clooney. Hands down.  Sorry, hubby;)

If you could choose to be any animal, what would you be?

An eagle.  The whole flight-thing, you know?  Plus, they just LOOK tough.

What’s your idea of a good evening?

A date with my husband, dinner out, and a hot tub later.

Favourite book?

Sweeping up Glass, by Carolyn Wall.  But there is a whole bunch of books I love.

If you didn’t write, what would fill the gap?

I write, I don’t write well, so I would definitely paint.  And bike ride.  And hike…

What’s your happiest memory?

Being a mom to little boys and watching them grow up.  Corny, I know, but they are amazing.  What a fun 20 years.  And more to come, though they are almost grown now.

If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

To make scads of money painting.

My questions for you, dear nominated blogger:

1.  What was the worst blog you posted?

2.  If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

3.  What is your dream car?

4.  What is a pet peeve of yours?

5.  Do you prefer on top of a mountain or beneath the ground in a cave?

6.  What is your favorite dessert?

7.  What is the one thing you could not live without?

8.  Are you a dog person or a cat person?

9.  Why do you think some plants eat flies?

10.  What is the most versatile piece of clothing you own?

11.  If you lived to be 100 years old, what would be your top three indulgences?

I nominated Looking at the West, Studio Mothers, Nature’s Place, Writing through the Fog, Geek Gardens, StudioViana, MicroGalactic, Basically Emily, Anita Miller, I Miss You when I Blink, Why? Because Science for the Liebster Award.

Please comment on this post with a link to your own post, so I can see what you answered!