I wish to thank ...

Tickled pink ... I've been nominated for a blog award by a dear lady - Alicia!

She is a gifted writer and a very generous individual for she shares her experiences openly and supports when she reads between your lines!  Thank you Alicia.

Liebster is a German word meaning dearest, beloved, or favourite.  The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to other bloggers and is intended to showcase exceptional blogs.  Indeed, it is humbling!

How it works:

1.      Add the award icon to your blog.

2.      Link to your nominator to say thank you.

3.      Post 11 facts about yourself.

4.      Answer the questions the tagger has set for you.

5.      Create 11 questions for your nominees to answer.

6.      Choose 11 up-and-coming bloggers with less than 200 followers, go to their blog, and tell them about the award.

Eleven Facts About Me:

1.      I love jellybeans!  A jar filled with these wonderful little sugary delights is an addiction!  Just the sight of them makes me salivate!

2.      I can lose myself for days creating digital art.  I fell in love with the medium years back and spent many quiet Saturday and Sunday mornings at my computer creating, limited only by the hardware and software I could afford.

3.      I cheated on a test once.  In grade 2, I had prepared with my mother for my first spelling test.  I still remember the little book with all the words and by the time we were done studying, I felt confident that I would spell everything right.  Test time, the teacher standing at the front of the class started rhyming off the words.  Then the word came - LAPIN (rabbit).  Now was that with one "P" or two?  I still remember my mouth going dry.  Is it one "P" or two?!  Mom wasn't there to help sound it out ...  Oh yes!  My book is in my desk.  Without thinking, I reached down to grab my book ... WHACK!  The teacher's ruler came down hard on my knuckles!  But all I wanted to do was get it right!  No spell check back then!

4.      I broke my collar bone - not once but twice.  Twice while executing a cartwheel in gym class.  Guess everyone should have known that anyone who trips on her shoe laces is not cut out for performing cartwheels!

5.      I started playing ball hockey at the ripe old age of 51!  After watching my boys playing for 4 years and pleading with Bill to let me play ... I finally picked up my equipment in 2010 after a substantial weight loss.  I play from April to end of October every year and it is my greatest release!

6.      I have just come out of the closet - I AM A CHICK FLICK ADDICT!  There is no better time than when the house is clean and I have a feel good chick flick running while I am either knitting or crafting something.  I can watch the same movie over and over again.  My work and life is just too full of dark stories that it is nice to let my mind and heart experience something different.

7.      Three of my past boyfriends have moved on to become a priest or a minister.  Not sure what to add to this ... simply interesting, don't you think?

8.      I have lost a great deal of weight over the last few years.  It is an effort to maintain the loss but well worth it.

9.      My greatest fear is to end my days on Earth warehoused in some senior's home.  This is an emotional subject, so I won't elaborate.

10.  The "good-little-girl" syndrome has ruled my life.  I made some pretty bad choices in life because I wanted to please others.  I believe I have broken this cycle with my children by encouraging them to speak their minds with respect, reminding them always that my love is unconditional - I may not always like what you are doing, but I will always love you.

11.  I am a workaholic.  I find it very difficult to simply do nothing.  I take it that this comes from my overwhelming need to please.

Eleven Questions I Have to Answer:

I guess Alicia got carried away ... there are 12 questions here!

1.      What was your favourite book as a child/teenager?

Herman Wouk's Winds of War (1971) - The story revolves around a mixture of real and fictional characters, all connected in some way to the extended family of Victor "Pug" Henry, a middle-aged Naval Officer and confidant of President Roosevelt.

The story begins six months before Germany's invasion of Poland, which launched the European portion of the war, and ends shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when the United States and, by extension, the Henry family, enters the war as well.

I only developed an interest in reading novels in my early teens, when I discovered whole new worlds through books.  Being one of the youngest of 8 siblings, I further protected time spent in these worlds by hiding under my bed, or by wrapping myself up in layers of blankets to ward off the cold in the sun porch during the winter months.  English not being my native tongue, there was a sense of accomplishment when I read the last page of this very prolific book in 1975.

2.      Aside from your parents/grandparents/etc., what adult influenced your life when you were a teenager?

I take it that the etc... means not blood related?  Then this would be Mr. Hanniberry.  He was my grade 11 English teacher who knew how to encourage the writer in me without the famous red pen.  It was never enough to grade your assignment.  He always had prompts in the margin, encouraging further development of your idea, then following up with you just how you had accomplished this.  Odd looking duck, but he had a true interest in your writing.

3.      When you were in high school, what did you want to do/be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a graphic artist.  I spent many hours crafting and when I joined the year book club, I knew I wanted to do this for a living!  All the beautiful decals, the smell of glue and creating wonderful page layouts never imagined by another.  However, being the good-little-girl that I was, my mother always said I should be a teacher; that being an artist was not a career choice.  So when it came time to make application to university or college, I chose neither.  I could not see myself spending money for a career I was not sure I would like.  I set my sights on working for a while, just until I made up my mind!  So there! *arms crossed, foot stomping and pouting*  For the rest of my life, I have been playing "catch-up" taking college courses here and there to further my career as an Executive Assistant.

4.      Of all the "roads not taken" in your life, which one would you like to peek down, just to see what would have happened?

This goes hand-in-hand with the above.  I continued to craft and make pretty things while working as a clerical to bring in the money to live.  When computers became more accessible, my thirst to create digitally had me exploring Web Design and Video Production.  I am self-taught and can lose myself in this wonderful digital world for days.  I have created websites, video montages for friends and family and more recently have taken up photography to bring uniqueness to my work.  Many times I wonder just how much more fulfilled I would feel if I could earn money doing what I really love to do!

5.      If you went to college, what was your major?  Would you choose the same field if you went back today?

Seeing a trend here ... although I did not go to college full-time, I did take the necessary courses to advance my career as a clerical support.  Starting as a receptionist in an aluminium doors and windows factory, I moved into the world of Executive Assistant.  So going back?  Well going forward, I am working towards a University Degree in Marketing to set myself up for a productive retirement!  LOL

6.      Do you have any siblings?

French Canadian, Roman Catholic and grew up in a small remote rural community ... do I have any siblings?  Heck yes!  We are a family of 8 siblings!  Five guys, three girls.  I am near the bottom of the pack with only a baby brother to push around.  Seriously, I would not have it any other way.  We are so diverse yet the same and there is so much love! 

7.      What's the most beautiful place you've ever been to?

Bushkill Falls, PA!  I stood on this very bridge with Bill

while on our honeymoon.  Although, the colouring was

different for we went in October, the essence is the same!

 

8.      How do you indulge yourself when you need a pick-me-up?

My bath!  The bathroom has had a facelift and I am now the proud owner of a soaker tub.  I can spend many hours soaking in the warm water while watching the snow accumulate on the tree branches just outside my window.  There is something refreshing about it - body and soul.

9.      When was the last time someone else cooked a meal for you?

Last Monday.  My youngest son threw some chicken morsels with apple butter sauce in the oven, heated a can of corn and piled the whole thing on our plates!  Yum.  Even better, the two of them cleaned up the kitchen afterwards.

10.  What do you wish more people knew about you?

I wish people knew just how hard it is for me to process my thoughts while in conversation.  I am a very reflective person and to answer questions on the spot about important things in life is difficult.  I need time to understand the question, to reflect on how I feel and on how my answer will impact the future and then I need to choose the appropriate words.  I do not like to speak only for the sake of saying something.  That is why, most times, I am quiet in large gatherings.  There are few people I trust to banter ideas with.

11.  Why did you start blogging (which may not be why you blog today)?

I started blogging in February 2011 after my husband's death.  I had searched the Internet to give meaning to my feelings and seemed to always fall short on the "lived" experiences of widowhood.  I was frightened by the various chat rooms where some had been members for YEARS and did not seem to have "grown" - reading about their pain as if it were yesterday.  It was only after my début, that I discovered the sisterhood of widowhood! My blog is changing as my grief is evolving ... as I have recently written, I miss Bill very much but I miss living even more.  I hope that my blog can offer hope, can offer reassurance that grief comes in waves and that's okay and can offer an invitation for others to reach out an share.

12.  What movie do you always have to watch when it's on television?

Bonus Points:  I am an avid DVD collector!  I love watching my movies when I want, where I want and most importantly ... without COMMERCIALS!

Eleven Questions I Am Asking:

1.     What was the one conversation about with your parents when you just knew they were speaking with you as an adult?

2.      Do you believe in the hurried child?

3.      If you could spend time in Heaven with your loved one, what would you ask?

4.      What was the most embarrassing moment in your life?

5.      When life gives you lemons, what do you do?

6.      What crucial political event shaped your life?

7.      What brings joy in your life?

8.      If you could go anywhere in the world, where would that be?

9.      What is your greatest talent?

10.  What do you do before falling asleep?

11.   If you had to divulge something about yourself (coming out of the closet), what would that be?

Eleven Blogs I am Nominating:

The request is to identify 11 blogs, however, I believe in quality vs. quantity.  This is in by no way a negative comment on what is out there.  It is simply that these are the ones I can associate with most.

1.         John writes poetry in honour of the love he and his wife shared.  He has not been posting very much these days for he has found love again.

2.         Carolyn is an exceptional writer who shares not only her journey with grief but also her many travels!

 
3.         Alicia writes on many subjects.  From the very first time I visited her site, I was hooked and needed to visit her blog often.  She writes what she feels and what she stands for - no sugar coating.  Although she herself has been nominated for the Liebster award and would not be expected to nominate 11 more, it would be nice to see her response to my 11 questions.