These Do Not Go to Eleven

Ok so maybe promising part two of Liebster the next morning was too ambitious for me. 

Here it is, a few days later, but not any less enthusiastic. 

As the rules state, I am to nominate my own 11 Liebster Award Recipients but there is fine print saying they must have fewer than 100 readers.  Let's pretend I'm not wearing my glasses and didn't see that fine print.  Let's also pretend I actually own glasses and read more than three blogs. 

Because I honestly only read three blogs, I am going to list all the blogs I thought enough of to save to my desktop over a year ago.  Unfortunately, their status as "people I am afraid of because of no rational excuse I can come up with" precludes me from actually contacting them to tell them about this award.  I know, such a loser,  I'm sorry.  Yet still, hoping two out of the eleven will play along and at the very least, you will have an arsenal of kickass bloggers to visit. 

1.) SpeckT from A Speckled Trout.  She has way more than 100 followers and a real name which is lovely but I can't bring myself to call her anything but SpeckT.  I love me some SpeckT.  Out of all my blog friends I don't really know in real life, this is the one I'm sure I will meet some day soon.  Obviously, I am not afraid of SpeckT although she could slice me and dice me in a write-off.  We are buddies and I will tell her you guys are coming over.

1b) Anna from An Inch of Gray.  You guys already know her.  She's got followers coming out of her ears but I adore her too much not to add her in here.  Go visit Anna and send her some love.  Christmas is hard for anyone who has lost a loved one.  It is especially hard when that someone is your little boy named Jack.

2.) Cristie from The Right Hand Mom.  She also has far more than 100 readers but hey, I'm breaking the rules right out of the gate.  Cris and I were roommates in college and even shared bunk beds.  I kept her awake most nights asking if she liked Butterfinger or Snickers more mixed in with why people pray.  There was this one time I almost killed her by giving her grapefruit juice when she had walking pneumonia.  Her tongue swelled and she had to go to the ER because I was sure acidic juices were the answer to a problem I didn't understand.  She didn't leave our dorm for a week.  Oh, we also shared a boyfriend!  (Not at the same time, it wasn't that kind of college.  Actually, it kind of was.)

3.)  Linda from All & Sundry (She's as famous as Dooce so not a chance I will contact her to let her know I'm nominating her for this.  Linda has an unmatched wit and a journey that never quits.  She lives where I want to live someday.  Her kids are precious and her husband's adorable too. Go see.)

4.) John from Black Hockey Jesus (Same as Linda, he has a million billion willion followers.  Sorry, I'm afraid of him, too.  This guy's veins explode words and sometimes you are left wondering where the damn bleach and sutures are to clean up after reading him.  Part folklore, part tragedy, he's always an interesting read.)

5.) Ashley from The Sullengers (Lovely Ashley.  She too has like 2k followers but don't let that stop you from becoming one.  Her story is achingly beautiful and so is her soul.  And yes, I'm afraid to bother her also.)

6.) Fluffy Bunnies.  I have no idea who this lady is but man can she take some pictures.  Her style is very artistic and you feel like you are soaring inside a cloud with a magnifying glass when you finish reading her posts.  That is a weird way to say she brings you right into her world with such intriguing detail you feel like you're getting away with something.

7.) Momastery.  Dear Lord go read Glennon if you have not done so already.  She is a feeler, thinker, lover, do-er, healer of all things hurting.  I don't know her but I can claim to have met her in the bathroom at one of her talks in Virginia, before she was famous.  She had stage fright and we hugged it out right next to the mouthwash.  I've never felt so importantly invisible in all my days.  Next to motherhood, that is.

8.) Are we done yet?  I'm running out of apps.  How about AccuWeather?  You guys like her? 

9) The Big Piece of Cake.  Kate is awesome.  She is a busy lady who is now making her FB statuses her blog posts.  It's oddly hilarious.  Kate is well known also and I can see why.  She's a great writer with a dash of humble pie.  Also, she's gorgeous in real life with a firm handshake and a real person's connection.  Go see and bookmark her page. 

10.) Kelle from Enjoying the Small Things.  I haven't read her blog in ages but her pictures inspire me to blow the dust off my Nikon.  Her voice is down-to-earth and upbeat.  She puts a positive spin on things that might otherwise fall crooked.  I appreciate her sunbeam on a cloudy day.

11.)  YAY, I did it with only cheating once!  Kate Ingliss from Sweet & Salty.  She is a dreamy artist who oozes talent, sadness, and hope all in one.  She suffers in private but then lets us all in to pull her back up from the cellar.  She's the goods, man.  Also, she lives in Nova Scotia which is a close second for me to Oregon. 

Oh crap.  I almost forgot to ask them my own 11 questions.  Let me give that a shot before succumbing to the walk my dogs are beaming into my forehead as I type.

1.)  What's your favorite thing about yourself and why. 

2.)  Do you believe in afterlife?  If not, why not how come what for?  Also, do you feel life has a purpose or is it just randomized units of energy bumping into each other?

3.)  If you found a stray animal that was hurt, what would you do? 

4.)  Do your days bore you, enlighten you, weigh you down, or other?

5.)  If you could do anything at all without any concern about money, what would it be and why?

6.)  What is your favorite memory as a child?  Teenager?  Adult?

7.)  What is your internal dialogue saying?  Do you speak kindness to yourself throughout the day?  How does doing this or not doing this impact your actions?

8.) Where would you rather be right now and why?

9.) Describe your perfect afternoon.

10.) Are you doing what your 15 yo self wanted you to do?  If not, what is stopping you?

11.) What kind of people make you happy/inspire you/intrigue you?


Thank you for not giving up on us here at OSMA.  The last couple of weeks have kicked our butts.  Our entire household has gone through every known illness known in Louisiana with two migraines (one Grayson's, the other mine) thrown in for good measure.  We are starting to feel human again just in time for the stress of Christmas.  Although this year, hopefully we can keep that to a minimum since we aren't going anywhere.

What are your plans for the holidays?  I will be hoping for stress free minds for you all, too. 

Here are a few pictures Abby took to decompress.  I love a five year old's perspective and how everything is so relaxed in her presence: