Over the past five weeks, three bloggers have made my heart happy by nominating me for a blogging award called the Liebster Award. All three of the people were nominated and accepted this award themselves, and as part of the terms of the award, passed it along to some of the blogs they feel also deserve the award.

So, first: sincere thank you to Safiani Mahat (from Do What You Love), Kim (from Invited by Grace), and Melissa (from The Intentional Expat) who nominated me for this award.

Second: the award comes with terms. Unfortunately, since this is something born and continued on the Internet, the rules can vary, and each of these three bloggers followed slightly different rules. The general concept is the same, however. As copied from Kim’s blog: “Liebster is a German word that means dearest, lovely, endearing. The award is usually given to relatively new, up and coming bloggers, and is a way to let others know about them.”

The rules (in general) are

• thank the person who gave it to you
• write a certain number of random facts about yourself
• answer the certain number of questions the nominating blogger asked you
• nominate that same certain number of bloggers with less than 200 followers
• ask them that certain number of questions for them to answer when they accept the award

And here is what happened: two sets of rules included the random facts, but the other one did not; and each of the three bloggers had a different number for the “certain number” (Kim’s had 5, Melissa had 10, and Saf’s had 11).

So, here is what I am choosing to do: I will choose to use the number 5, because (completely subjectively), while 10 seems to be the most common when I have seen the award on blogs in the past, it just seems like too much about me. I will include 5 random facts, and instead of answering all the questions from all three of the nominations, I will choose 1-2 from each blogger for a total of 5 questions.

5 Random Facts

1. Winter is my favorite season, and I really love snow.
2. Despite the previous fact, I do not know how to ski, have only been snowboarding once, and the one time I tried to wear snowshoes, I still sunk into the snow when I tried to walk.
3. Outside of P.E./gym class, I have never played on a sports team (it’s on my list).
4. If I could have a superpower, I’d choose the ability to fly or to breathe underwater. Or both, if that was possible.
5. I don’t like the taste of coffee, but it smells delicious.

5 Questions from the Nominating Bloggers

1. If there was no risk of failure, what one thing would you try? (asked by Melissa) – I would start a business. Or breathe underwater (see above fact about superpower choices).
2. Describe love in two words (asked by Saf) – Jesus Christ. I really don’t know how else to summarize the fact that love is a choice, a verb, and an emotion. He represented it perfectly, unconditionally, and completely.
3. Which sports do you enjoy watching? (asked by Saf) – figure skating, baseball, Olympic gymnastics, but baseball is really the only one where I know some of the rules. The other two just look amazingly beautiful and strong, and I enjoy watching them, but would have no idea which competitors are better from a technical perspective.
4. Why do you blog? (asked by Kim) – I have four blogs, and the reason is different for each, but I blog here on The Goal List because I love writing about my bucket list, encouraging others to accomplish things on their own bucket lists, reading about other people’s adventures, and sharing all that with the online community. I hope that I can make a difference in people’s lives through my blog and my list. Also, if I stop writing, I get grumpy. Blogging helps me write consistently.
5. What would a perfect day look like for you? (asked by Kim) – I’m not sure what the exact activities would be, but it would include waking up from a good night’s sleep (but not sleeping in), doing something on my list, helping someone, creating or writing something significant, doing something productive, eating good food, spending time with family, doing something active, and either watching a movie or a play or reading a good book. And then of course, somehow not being too tired after all that!

5 Blog Nominations/Recommendations for You to Read

• Green Goats Travel – mostly travel, with a bit of green living
• Young Broke Traveler – money-saving discoveries and travel stories (“adventures of a girl whose dreams are bigger than her budget”)
• Catch 52 – 52 weeks, 52 new things
• Passion Searcher – mostly adventure travel
• There Lies Freedom – travels, adventures and bucket list

5 Questions for Them to Answer

In addition to sharing 5 random facts about themselves, plus choosing 5 nominees, and writing 5 questions for their own nominees to answer, my blogger nominees should answer…

1. If you were going to rename your blog, what would the new name be and why?
2. What is your best mistake?
3. What is a dream you have for your life?
4. What is the best advice you ever received?
5. What is a time you felt brave?

Thanks again to Saf, Kim, and Melissa for the nominations, and thank you to my nominees for blogging brilliantly.

Readers: How would you have answered the 5 questions I asked my nominees, or the 5 the other bloggers asked me? Share your answers in the comments.