Thanks to Janice at a´ la modern mom I have been nominated for The Liebster Award. I just have to say what an honor this is. I am pretty brand spankin’ new to the blogging world and the fact that anyone even takes the time to read my words blows me away; and then to be nominated for an award!? I’m so humbled and appreciative!

From what I learned from Janice’s post about the Liebster Award, it appears it is for fairly new bloggers with fewer than somewhere between 200 and 2,000 followers. I haven’t even passed 100 yet, but every single new follow is a pleasant surprise.

Here are the rules for receiving this award:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve tagged to answer.
3. Nominate 5 – 11 of your favorite bloggers and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. Thank and linkback the person’s blog who nominated you.

I have been nominated for very few awards in my life, and there are precisely zero I’d ever turn down. (Unless it was something like “Worst mom ever” or something else really negative.) I of course am gladly accepting this award and will share a few inside nuggets of me and my budding blog, Three Boys and a Mom.

Here are 11 facts about me:

1. I went skydiving when I was 18 (accelerated free fall, not tandem…meaning I did it solo minus the dudes flying next to me in case something went wrong with my parachute (which it did so I was extremely grateful for their presence)). It’s as close as I’ll ever get to flying and it was AMAZING! (Minus the rocky landing) ☺

2. I have always wished I could fly and I actively envy birds. (Thus the skydiving). As a kid, every time I threw a penny into a wishing well, my wish was that I could fly. Picture Jenny in “Forrest Gump” saying, “Dear God, make me a bird…”

3. I grew up military and although I have immense respect for my dad and his unbelievable career and success, and although there are so many things I’m now grateful for about that lifestyle; I SWORE I’d never marry military. Then I did it not once, but twice…. Neither time went well and so I’m praying third times a charm (if there ever is a third time). Rest assured, it will not be a military man; although again, nothing but love for the military in its entirety. From this I’ve learned to both never say never, while also trusting your gut on the things you’ve vowed to yourself.

4. Related to number 3, I come from a strong Christian family with strong Christian marriages. I never in my wildest imagined I’d be divorced, much less now doing it a second time. But here I am, one of the only divorced women in my whole family at the ripe old age of 28.

5. I LOVE food… as in I’m a 500 pound Biggest Loser contestant inside my brain. (Thus my recovering bulimic status)

6. As much as I’ve struggled with self esteem and self worth issues my whole life, I’ve always been told that people’s first impression of me was that I’m stuck up and/or a b****. I’ve learned most people’s interpretation of me, to include my family at times, has been extremely far from how I feel about myself.

7. My dream for the first 17 years of my life was to be a professional dancer; and I achieved that dream, but let it slip through my fingers because of my eating disorder.

8. Along with number 7, I was accepted to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s summer program at age 16 and then moved to New York city on my own to finish my senior year of high school there on scholarship. It was a life changing experience and I was living the dream, but it was also one of the worst, hardest, most devastating years of my life. God had different plans for me, and I’m grateful now…although parts of me still miss it, especially when I watch SYTYCD. ☺

9. I have a brain tumor in my pituitary gland but I haven’t had any follow up MRI’s about it since probably 2009. It was benign and not too concerning, and other than my regularly scheduled headaches, I’ve had no issues, so I’m not worried about it.

10. I have a handful of gems as my true best friends, all of which live in states scattering the map.
Thank God for Facebook!

11. I have 3 younger brothers and always knew I’d be outnumbered by boys in my life, even though I have always struggled with my relationships with men. That stems back pretty far and has deeper roots than I like to look at. I always imagined I would have a daughter but I now believe God giving me all boys is a healing journey for me, and probably a protective measure for a girl. 😍

Now for the 11 questions presented to me by Janice.

1. Why did you start your blog?
I have always wanted to write a book and I started feeling the pull toward public writing earlier this year. I’d felt God calling me to it for a week or so and then one night around 1 am, I literally just googled how to start a blog and I created the thing. It’s been a growing work in progress and I fall more in love with writing every day as a result.

2. What is your favorite quote and by whom?
This is such a hard one because I literally have a quote book where I just keep tons of quotes I love. One I’ve loved for as long as I can remember though is “Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching.”
Satchel Paige

3. What is your favorite post that you’ve written (provide a link!)?
This one is tough too because I have a few I love for different reasons. One of my earlier posts I still love is Crazy, Beautiful, Perfect, Mess because I think it covers a broad spectrum of me and my life, both past and present.

4. Who is your favorite fictional character?
Hmmm, I tend to be more drawn to non-fiction type things, so I don’t know about this one. Here lately my favorite fictional folks are Peppa Pig, Dora the Explorer, and the cute pups from Paw Patrol. 😉

5. What single quality do you most appreciate in people?
I’m going to cheat on this one and say a few that I think go hand in hand. Integrity, honesty, faithfulness, respect, selflessness, attitude of gratitude.

6. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your 13-year-old self?
You are beautiful! The things you feel so insecure about now won’t matter in the grand scheme of life. Believe in yourself. Have some self respect because you ARE worth it! Live boldly, love yourself, and love others (but be careful with the boundaries of that last one.)

7. Where was your best vacation?
I’ve been to some really cool places. I’d say Spain was probably one of the most amazing vacations with breathtaking sites and historical depth, but some of my best memories are simple vacations to the beach with my awesome family.

8. What is your hidden talent?
I’d say dance, but I’ve lost my moves as I’ve gotten old and crusty. I wish I had a hidden talent of singing but I think it’s just so hidden that even I can’t find it.

9. What is your favorite meal?
What isn’t my favorite meal would be an easier question. ☺ I love seafood though.

10. If you could have any super power, what would it be?
As I mentioned before, I’d definitely go with flying. I’d also like to read minds.

11. What movie did you love to watch as a child?
I watched all the Disney movies on repeat there for a while. I also used to watch musicals with my mom. Oklahoma was a fav! A couple other most quoted/watched movies were Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, Pretty Woman, and Dirty Dancing.

I have been so inspired and touched by all the bloggers I have met since this writing journey began. Truly, there are so many blogs and so many posts I love that it’s hard to keep up with it all. So many blogs, so little time!

Here are my nominations for the Liebster Award. Hopefully I’m not double nominating or nominating people who have more than the allotted number of followers; and I hope you accept so that the world and I can get to know you better! ☺ I’d also like to say that there are SO many amazing bloggers that it’s hard to just pick 11, but hopefully there will be more awards and I can spread more love!

Please accept this nomination and know you’re awesome! ❤

Sasha at Mom Life Now
Hannah at Pocketful of Motherhood
Sue at Sue Parke
Valerie at Atlanta Mom of Three
Keri at With Love from Colorado
Anne at Grace is My Superhero
Natasha at Giggle Giggle Toot Roar
Ai at Less to More
Ginger at Ginger’s Grocery
Chad and Jennifer at And Three to Go
Melissa at Our Growing Roots

My questions for you are:

1. Where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world, and why?
2. What do you consider to be your best quality?
3. What was your favorite toy as a child?
4. If you won a million dollars, what would you do with it?
5. Who has influenced your life the most, and in what way?
6. What is your favorite season and why?
7. What inspired the beginning of your blogging journey?
8. What is your biggest fear?
9. Name 5 things on your bucket list.
10. If you could hang out with any celebrity for the day, who would it be and why?
11. What would you consider to be your dream job?

I hope you accept this award and I can’t wait to learn more about you all! And thanks again for the nomination Janice!