The Liebster Award

Last week, my good friend Melissa nominated me for the Liebster Award. I’ve been nominated for this award before and I love it because it has a fun set of rules to complete. Normally, I bypass blog awards but the questions Melissa left for us to answer were awesome and I really wanted to answer them!

The Rules

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. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. No tag backs!

11 Things About Me

1. Talking on the phone terrifies me.

2. I have been at the finish line of every single one of the races my mom has completed. That’s 34 races, including the half-marathon she ran this weekend. I don’t love spectating, but I do love being able to cheer her on.

3. I have a raging sweet tooth.

4. Push-ups are my favorite strength exercise to do. They make me feel so strong!

5. I am awful when it comes to confrontation and talking about my feelings in person. On my blog? No problem. But in person? I’m awful at it.

6. I give every book 100 pages to grip me. But if I’m bored with the story and not interested in the outcome by page 100, I abandon it.

7. I overthink and overanalyze every single situation in my life.

8. I cannot seem to sleep past 8:30am anymore.

9. All I can think about lately is going on a cruise. I’ve been looking up 4-day cruises for April or May but it would still cost me close to $500 and I’d rather go on a longer cruise in the Fall. Sigh. First-world problems and everything.

10. This blog and the friends I’ve made from blogging make my life a billion times better.

11. This will be my first Valentine’s Day with a valentine. Ever. 🙂

11 Questions

1. Why did you start blogging, and more importantly why have you chosen to continue it over the years?

I started blogging because I wanted to write and tell my story. In the beginning, it was to document life at college and my teaching internships. I wanted to have something to look back on. I’ve moved on from there to a more personal blogging niche and I continue to blog because it’s one of my passions. I couldn’t imagine my life without blogging and I love being able to look back on all the things I felt were important to me at different parts of my life. It helps me to see how far I’ve come.

2. What was the ONE most important moment of 2012 for you, and why?

Tough question! 2012 was a crazy year for me. I think the most important moment was the month I took a complete break from social media and blogging. It forced me to stop pretending everything was okay and get really serious about my feelings and the path my life was taking. I was focused on the present, living fully in the moment, and I feel like I found myself in that month.

3. If you were on a deserted island and could have any three things, what would they be?

Hmm… Ryan Gosling would suffice. What more would I need? I guess I would also like a suitcase full of books and a toothbrush.

I never know how to answer these kinds of questions. I would be a mess if I ever ended up on a deserted island, that’s for sure.

4. What is your current favorite song that I should be listening to?

Seriously, Melissa? Queen of all things music? I feel silly recommending music to you. My current favorite song is Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” and yes, my taste in music is terrible. SO WHAT.

5. What is one favorite blog post you have written?

I think my very favorite, right now, is my post titled “On Worthiness.” I continue to refer back to it when I find myself feeling insecure about things in my life and it’s just one of those posts I wrote directly from my heart.

6. Name one of your guilty pleasures.

Chocolate.

7. If you could give a piece of advice to yourself when you were 15, what would it be?

Oh, 15-year-old Stephany. My heart aches for her. She was this lost, insecure girl with no idea of how amazing and wonderful she was. I would tell her to trust herself, be her own best friend, and realize how amazing she is right where she is right now. Being popular or having a boyfriend doesn’t make someone amazing (though it feels that way when you’re in high school!), being true to who you are and loving yourself makes someone amazing.

8. What book are you looking forward to reading in the near future?

Kristy’s Great Idea. I just found out that The Baby-Sitter’s Club books are available on Kindle. So. I’m on a mission to reread the series. Yes. At age 25. I just hope they are as good as I remember them!

9. Tell your readers something they may not know about you!

I went home early from Prom because one of my contacts ripped and it was irritating my eye too much for me to enjoy myself even a little. How’s that for an exciting Prom story?

10. You’re told you have to drop one of your social media accounts. Which one, and why?

Facebook. I would delete my account now, but my book club has a page where we discuss book picks and make plans for our meetings so it’s a necessary evil I have to keep in my life for now. I rarely go on and when I do, it’s usually only to see updates for book club.

11. What is one thing you could truly not live without?

Reading. Books. The written word. I could not imagine a world where I couldn’t read on a daily basis.

11 Questions For You

1. If you could travel to any country in Europe and spend a month living there at no cost to you… what country would you choose?

2. What do you love most about yourself?

3. What did you do for your last birthday?

4. Who has been the most influential person in your life thus far?

5. What’s your favorite food to snack on?

6. What is your biggest pet peeve?

7. What’s the next step for you, career-wise?

8. Recommend a blog to me! Whose blog should I be reading and why?

9. What’s the scariest thing you’ve done in your life?

10. In your opinion, what celebrity is overrated?

11. If you could have a role in any show on TV currently, what show would it be and why?

11 People to Tag

1. Nora from Walking with Nora

2. Lauren from Her Silent Musing

3. Elizabeth of E Is Random

4. Kristen of Life By Kristen

5. Kyria of Travel Spot

6. Krysten of Why Girls Are Weird

7. Gina of Gina Marie Rose

8. San of The In Between Is Mine

9. Amber of A Little Pink In the Cornfields

10. Mandy of Knowing the Difference

11. Becky of Love Everyday Life

… and anyone else who wants to participate. I hate tagging memes because it excludes people so seriously, do this post if you want! If you read my blog, I think you’re super awesome and you deserve this award! 🙂