Sharing the love.

Introducing...the Liebster Award! This is a very exciting, well-renowned, put-on your resume kind of award, so listen carefully! 

Just kidding, that's not really true at all. In fact, you've probably never heard of it. Fortunately, I was nominated by Simply Swarbrick simply because I'm enthusiastic new blogger with an audience of primarily mom & dad (who obviously don't blog), my sister, and my fiancé, McCray. 

This award is for up and coming blogs that have less than 200 followers. So what is a Liebster, you ask? Liebster is a German word that means sweetest, kindest, dearest, cute, endearing, etc. 

Such a thoughtful award! Here are the rules to accept this award:

[1] Link back to the person that nominated you.

[2] Answer the questions from your nominator.

[3] Share 11 random facts about yourself.

[4] Nominate 5 more blogs with less than 200 followers.

[5] Pose questions for your nominees

Here are the questions I was given to answer:

1. Why do you blog?

The reason I started this blog was to document my adventures in Costa Rica this year. Lot of people wanted to keep up with my journey, so this was the solution! Since starting back in January, I've realized that I really like writing and doing all the "behind the scenes" designing, etc. As my journey in Costa Rica will be ending in December, I will most likely continue to document my upcoming Marriage and our ministry together wherever we may land! Even though normal can be good, it's not for me. If I'm going to blog, it's because I have a unique story to tell! 

2. What is your go to dinner recipe?

 Sautéed vegetables, all day long. Put a little bit of olive oil in the pan, chop them up, and you're good to go. Usually with pasta or rice. Often, I'll look up a recipe and try something different, but that its definitely my "go-to". 

3. How do you unwind after a long day? 

Cooking dinner and then snuggling up on my couch and reading a good book, having some quality Jesus time, or watching How I Met Your Mother! I am about to copy Leigh Anne @ Simply Swarbrick  and put a 'Bookshelf' tab on my blog to share my recent reads!

4. What is your favorite blog post you've written?

Wow, I have had a lot of cool adventures over the past 6 months but the best adventure is what God has been doing in my heart. He has been calling me to a life of wholeheartedness and I have been getting so rocked by what he's doing in my heart. 

You can read more about it HERE (Post title: I just want a heart that is fully in love). 

5. What tips do you have for preparing for the week? (at work or at home)

• Make lunch ahead. It is the key to eating healthy! Otherwise...I end up with some really weird lunch combinations...

• Put first things first! So, I'm not always the best at this, but when I plan create lesson plans for the week ahead of time, I am able to minister to my kids so much more instead of panicking at the last minute. 

•  Get to bed ON time! Also a challenge, but a fool proof secret to being successful. 

6. If you were given $20 to spend on anything, what would you spend it on?

Art supplies! I love to be creative. I know, since Pinterest came about, that's like the "trend" right now, but I promise, I liked it before it was cool!

7. What does your perfect Saturday look like?

Haha this varies greatly. I'm laughing because this has been a very lazy Saturday.. filled with coffee, postcard writing, blogging, and reading in my outdoor kitchenette. But more often than not, I'm traveling somewhere to see as much as I can of this little country!

8. Which season is your favorite and why?

Spring spring spring!!! Unfortunately, I missed Spring this year, because I was in Costa Rica where the only seasons are 'wet' or 'dry'. Fortunately, Costa Rica is kind of like Spring all the time! I love the time when the cold is leaving...but it's not too hot. Everything is blooming, usually including my life and love life, too. Everything is just happier to me. I even loved the smell of those stinky Bradford Pears that surrounded my high school, because that meant it was Spring!!! 

9. What do you splurge on? 

Adventures! Many of my adventures back home are free, but since coming to Costa Rica, I have had traveling opportunities that I just couldn't pass up. Of course, since tourism is the #1 industry in Costa Rica, many of those things are a little more than pocket change. Just to name a few: waterfall repelling, dolphin tours & whale watching, crocodile tours, & volcanic hot springs nights. 

10. Where would be your dream vacation spot be?

Europe. Since meeting my dear friend, Suzanne, my desires to see that side of the Atlantic have grown immensely. One of the first vacation splurges that will be on our married "to-do list" is backpacking across Europe!

11. What do you pack for lunch during the week?

Generally, it's always a varied version of a vegetable, chicken, pasta or rice, and bean combination with a side of fruit. I like hot meals for lunch and that is an easy one! 

11 Random facts about me. 

Lets be real, to me this feels like one of those Xanga or MySpace things that I did back in junior high. But here it goes anyway.

11. My eyes are never the same color. One day they're blue, the next there green, sometimes gray, or all three mixed together.

10. My favorite color is green. From what I can tell, it's God's favorite color, too.

9. My classroom is a jungle animal theme, mainly because I love zebras. Not zebra print, just zebras. And because as my old drama teacher used to say as we were leaving class, "be careful, it's a jungle out there". 

8. I am not afraid of death, but I'm afraid of old age. I'm afraid of getting old and I'm afraid of my parents getting old. I honestly don't know how I'm going to handle it.

7. I get restless when I get too much rest. Does that even make sense? I can't handle being lazy for more than one day in a row, or else I'll go crazy.

6. I feel really called to intercede in prayer for...everyone. The nations, my students, my family/friends, my future beloved whoever is on the Lord's heart... but I'm not very good at it. I need to work on that.

5. I'm a note taker. I take notes in every sermon I hear, when I'm reading my Bible, when I'm at a meeting, in a class... a lot of times I don't even read my notes later. I guess it just feels good to be doing something with my hands.

4. I seriously love rock climbing. When I return to the states, I will be finding a rock climbing gym.

3. I don't really know why I chose teaching. When starting college, I kind of felt like I was good at a lot of things but not super great at just one thing. So I guess I settled on Elementary Education because I just had to be well rounded, which I was. Fortunately, I through my Education program I fell in love with my major and haven't looked back.

2. But, looking forward, I know that teaching won't be what I do forever. Teaching is just one of my passions. I like too many other things not to try those things out one day, too.

1. I have no idea what the future holds for me after Costa Rica except for the beginning of a beautiful marriage. I can't wait to find out what God has in store!

I nominate these great bloggers for this award (lets just be real, the name Lauren is just awesome):

1. Elle Alice @ {a beautiful hope}

2. Lauren @ Confessions of my Wandering Heart

3. Erin @ Rotten Strawberries

4. Lauren @ Marked By Grace

5. and my dear friend, Jess @ SHINE

...and because I know that we all really don't have that much time, I'm only giving 5 questions. 

1. Why do you get out of bed in the morning?

2. If you were moving across the world to a place that you knew nothing about and you could only take 3 things, what would they be? 

3. What is a song from your past that has defined a certain period of your life?

4. If you knew you could do something and definitely not fail, what would you do?

5. I you were writing a letter to yourself at 16, what would you tell yourself?

Hope those aren't too hard, but I wanted to make you think. 
Because really, no one is actually going to read this if it's done the boring way.