Wedding Wednesday: Liebster Award

Writing a weekly Wedding Wednesday post has proven to be very difficult, so I set a goal of blogging about wedding stuff every other week. Except sometimes that is not easy either.

BUT I was recently nominated by Emily at Southern Expectations for a Liebster Award. Being the clever cat that I am, I'm killing two birds with one stone. 

RULES

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves. 2. Answer the questions that the nominator has set for you, plus create 11 questions for the  people you've nominated to answer. 3. Choose 11 people (with 200 followers of less) and link them in your post. 4. Go to their page and tell them. 5. No tag backs!

 

11 Facts About My Wedding

 

1. We chose our wedding date based on my younger brother's college spring break.
2. Beau and I appeared in a local TV news segment two nights before our wedding, discussing why the church and its food pantry should be saved from new zoning laws.
3. I was sick on our wedding night.
4. Luckily our wedding was in the morning, so we had married sex in the afternoon before I got sick.
5. I intentionally chose a morning wedding because I wanted both a champagne brunch afterwards and more time for married sex.
6. Our "first look" was pretty anti-climatic because Beau is not a crier. 

   

   This was faked, remember?

7. My younger brother got ordained on the Internet and co-led the service with the church's actual minister. 
8. My twin brother proposed to his fiancée before Beau and I got engaged, but their wedding isn't until October. 
9. I didn't have a bridal party because I didn't want to choose a Maid of Honor. Or bridesmaids. 
10. Not having a bridal party led to my idea of only having parents and siblings at the wedding itself. 
11. Having coitus for the first time did not hurt. It actually felt pretty awesome. 

11 Answers to 11 Questions

 

1. What is your favorite part of blogging? Meeting new people and exchanging ideas!

2. If you could move to any country in the world, where would it be? France, bien sûr!

3. Favorite 'adult' beverage? Sparkling wine.

4. Favorite hobby? Writing.

5. If you could have a super power, what would it be and why? Telekinesis because I could save people from getting crushed by heavy stuff and because I wouldn't have to get out of bed to get food or drink.

6. What does your last text message say? Who was it from? My husband texted me about his sweet hotel suite.

7. What is your idea of a perfect date night? Date Night In: pizza and/or boneless wings, beer, Star Trek, sex, cuddles, sleep. Date Night Out: Zoo trip followed by hibachi for dinner.

8. Favorite food/foods? Candy. Cereal. Chips. Bacon. Pizza. Boneless wings. 

9. You have just one 1 million dollars, you have 24 hours to spend it, what do you do with the money? Book a private jet for me, my family, and my friends to Paris! Shopping spree for everyone, freely flowing champagne (real champagne), and gourmet meals.

10. Best 4th of July Memory? Spending the 4th with my best friend Rose, her grandparents, and her great-aunts. Rose made us all dinner, and then we went to the neighborhood fireworks show. Afterward, Rose and I watched Beauty and the Beast while I drank white wine from a light-up wine glass, and she drank scotch. 

11. Coffee or Tea? Tea!

Thanks for the nomination, Emily! This is my third nomination for the Liebster Award (see previous awards HERE and HERE), so I'm following my friend Dana's lead and not tagging anyone else.

They love me! They Really Love Me!

This is my second time being nominated for a Leibster Award! This time, Aukele of 91 Dash nominated me.

The award is pretty simple, given to bloggers by bloggers. It's a way to acknowledge your fellow bloggers' inherent awesomeness, even if they don't have a lot of readers. In fact, it's only for bloggers with less than 200 followers!

 

The Rules:

• Acknowledge the blog that nominated you in a post.
• Share 11 facts about yourself. Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger created.
• Nominate 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you believe deserve some recognition.
• Post 11 questions for them to answer.
• Notify all the bloggers selected that they have been nominated.
• And finally, you can't nominate the blog who nominated you.

Feeling Beautiful

It was hard to find a photo of myself that I genuinely love, that doesn't show my face. Most of my favorite pictures are of me smiling or laughing, when it's not just my mouth turned up, but my whole face is animated with joy.

But I can't share those pictures here.

It's uneven because I cut out the proofs and scanned my favorites.

This is a picture I've used in a few spots around my blog, sometimes with text over it, sometimes alone.

I was a debutante my sophomore year of college. This involved many fun events, one of which was a photo shoot for my debutante portraits. We hired a local photographer* (who is brilliant and award-winning), and we received permission from a woman at church to use her gorgeous house (mansion) and backyard for the shoot.

I love the simple elegance of this picture. It's so peaceful to me. Being a debutante was a very exciting, but busy period in my life. One of the quiet joys was feeling beautiful, and believing that feeling beautiful is okay. This picture helps me remember that.


 

*If you live in the South, and you are interested in this photographer, email me. If I find out you're in the same southern state as my home state, I will be happy to provide you with his details. 

And the Liebster Blog Award Goes To... Belle Vierge!

Y'all.

The funny and colorful Kristen over at Mama Winkle's Blog nominated me for a blog award!

The Liebster Blog Award is given to bloggers by bloggers. It is a way to acknowledge each other and say “You're all sorts of awesome." It's only for blogs with 200 or less followers, so it’s also a great way to spread the word about smaller blogs and get them more readers and followers! When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person(s) who nominated you. You pass the award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions. You’re not allowed to nominate the blog(s) who nominated you!

My 11 Random Facts:

1. Harry Potter is my favorite book series, hands down, but Philippa Gregory is my all-time favorite author.
 

2. I love pretty much any beverage or food with lime. Diet Coke with Lime, gin & tonic, Bud Light Lime. I haven't bought them in ages, but the tortilla chips with lime. Yummy.
 

3. Before last summer, I thought koozies were the most stupid thing ever. But now I have at least one in my purse at any given point in time, and I rarely drink canned beverages without one.

From @SrattyStyle

4. I started questioning my sexuality in middle school. I finally realized I was bisexual halfway through my senior year of high school. I never told a soul until one fateful evening in London, many many years after I'd graduated high school.
 

5. I like to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, but I don't like to prepare them.
 

6. I miss being paid to cook dinner for myself and three kids. I ate so healthily last year. I'm already struggling to maintain a good diet cooking for one. =/ 

Roast beef with roasted carrots and potatoes.

7. I have a thing for elves. I think Legolas is the sexiest Orlando Bloom has ever been.
 

8. I am so blessed to have the friends that I do, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of good friends I have. I worry that I'm not a good enough friend to them. I wish I could spend more time with each of them.
 

9. I don't understand people who carry a balance on their credit card unless it was for an unexpected emergency expense. Example: when I had to pay for six cavities all at once. Or for a gap in income. I get paid this week for the first time in seven weeks. I'll pay off my Visa in full easily, but I'll have to carry a balance for a while on my American Express (but I currently have 0% APR). And this wouldn't be an issue at all if I hadn't needed to spend about $500 in medical expenses. It's just not that hard to spend only what you earn.
 

10. Sometimes the boyfriend and I skype, but don't really talk. We each do our own thing and just comment if we feel like sharing something. I just like seeing the little video of him in the corner of my screen. #lesigh
 

11. I calculate my gas mileage every time I fill up. Lately it's been really good, about 28-31 MPG, but today it was only 25 MPG. To quote my bestie: boo hiss!

Versatile: A Francophone Feminist Post-grad Sorority Girl, Blogging About Virginity

Versatile: ver-sa-tile [vur-suh-tl] or, especially British, [vur-suh-tahyl]: capable of, or adapted for, turning easily from one to another various tasks, fields of endeavor, etc.: a versatile writer.
Word information source: www.dictionary.com

Here is how the award works:
1. You thank the person who presented you with the award.
2. You tell 7 things about yourself.
3. You award 15 other newly discovered bloggers.

I was super-excited and totally honored when the beautiful Kristine included me on her list of 15 (more or less) newly discovered bloggers. It's taken me an extremely long time to pass it on, but better late than never, right?

Seven Things About Me... (Didn't I already cover this here?)

1. Pink is my favorite color, but when I'm shopping for purses, shoes, scarves, or other daily accessories, I usually buy red or purple, both of which I love as colorful neutrals. On an unrelated note, I can't wait to turn 50 and join The Red Hats Society.
2. I'm obsessed with my sorority, but no, I can't say which one because I interned there. I'm sure y'all will appreciate my research, though. You just won't know it's mine. ;)
3. My favorite pandora station is based on the artist “Glee Cast.” It's the best mix of classic rock, Broadway showtunes, pop, and country. Plus Glee covers!
4. I've seen Wicked in both New York City (I was 17) and London (I was 23).
5. I could happily live in France the rest of my life. Part of the reason I want to be certified to teach high school history & French is to gain the credentials to teach in an American/international high school in France. Like where my cousin teaches. I'm 100% serious.
6. I'm a good writer, but I'm also a really good editor. If you need someone to look over your history essay/blog post/newspaper column/etc., especially just for grammar/spelling/punctuation, than I am your friend. I also really enjoy editing papers. #nerdconfession
7. One of my happiest memories of my current au pair job was a few weeks ago. I was driving my kids to school and also dropping off my boss dad at the train station. Adele came on the radio. My youngest started singing, my boy joined in, I added my voice, and then my oldest sang along as well. It illustrates two huge things I love about my job: being comfortable with my bosses and singing all the time with my kids.

Fifteen Blogs I Like! (Not necessarily newly discovered).

1. Boats And Bowties aka my twitter crush.
2. How to Lose Your Virginity
3. Lindsey Leigh of Keep It Classy, Alabama
4. Therese of The Unlost
5. Victorian Swag
6. I Saw Your Nanny (it's an occupational hazard...)
7. Michelle of Southern Ambition
8. Tex & Coda of The Coolest Kids in Town
9. The Virginity Project
10. So Midwestern (@somidwestern)
11. Hilarity In Shoes (@hilarity_shoes)
12. Kit of Blogging Dangerously
13. This Fish Needs a Bicycle
14. Jordan of Classy from North to South
15. Emily of Clothes Over Bros

So go find some new blogs! And make your own awards!