The Liebster Award: Part One

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You could have knocked me over with a feather.

Recently, I received a tweet from my friend Jenna Sauber naming this blog for the Liebster Award, which aims to raise the profile of blogs and bloggers who may not have yet achieved widespread attention.

The Liebster Award has no panel of judges—one blogger passes it to five others. In short, winning the award encourages me to give it to others via the following steps:

  1. Link to the blogger who gave me the Liebster Award.

  2. Answer the eleven questions she asked.

  3. List eleven facts about myself.

  4. Give the award to five other bloggers with fewer than 2,000 followers (or whom I feel deserve more recognition).

  5. Ask the five bloggers to whom I’ve given the award eleven questions.

So hang on, folks: This post goes longer than most.

To reduce the size of this post—and add some suspense—I’ll cover items one and two in this entry. You’ll have to wait two days for part two.

Jenna’s Questions for Me

1. If you could be a character on any classic television show, who would you be?

Mary Tyler Moore comes across as independent and driven yet sympathetically human and fallible. A career woman not portrayed as a raging witch? Miracles happen.

2. Jeans or a dress?

I like comfortable clothes. Jeans don’t feel relaxed. I’ll choose “dress,” then. A casual one.

3. If you could relive any moment from your past, which would it be and why?

I can’t pick only one amazing moment to relive. Instead, I’ll focus on having more amazing moments.

4. What’s your favorite quality about your mother, father, or both?

My mother provided a wonderful role model, gave me the space and encouragement to be myself, and supported all my endeavors. From a parent, that’s an incredible gift.

My father practiced involved, active parenting—not always the mode for dads of his generation. And he reminded me not to give up something I loved: writing.

5. What book from childhood did you read again and again?

I best remember chapter books read alone or with my dad at bedtime. We didn’t read them repeatedly due to length. I’ve listed my childhood favorites here.

6. If you were on “The Amazing Race,” who would you pick as your partner?

My brother and I have always said we’d do “The Amazing Race” together. His enthusiasm has dwindled, though, so I might need a new candidate.

7. Who would you write a letter to if you knew he or she would write back? Famous or not. Dead or alive.

I’ll indulge selfishness, rather than world edification: I’d really like to hear from my Grandma Gladys again.

8. What song reminds you of childhood?

All children born in the mid-1970s can sing almost anything from Marlo Thomas’s “Free to Be You and Me.”

9. Would you rather redecorate and redesign your kitchen or your bedroom?

Simply because the attached bathroom needs a reboot, I’d like to redecorate and redesign my bedroom.

10.  What’s the best quality of the man or boy who means the most to you?

I really admire my brother’s magnetism.

11.  What’s one thing you wish you could have told your eighteen-year-old self?

Don’t forget to network. If you start building connections now, you’ll have a huge head start.

Stay tuned: On Wednesday, I’ll publish part two.