Ah! I'm super excited, you guys! I have been nominated by both
Inge and
Danielle for a Liebster award!
The Liebster award is passed along from blogger to blogger in a kind of pay-it-forward manner. You have to have under 200 followers to be eligible. The rules are as follows:
- If you are nominated, you must post 5 things about yourself.
- Answer the questions that the person who nominated you wrote for you, and create 5 of your own questions for the people you pass the award onto.
- Choose 5 bloggers to nominated for the Liebster award and link to them in your post.
- Tell the bloggers you nominated about the award!
- Follow and support the other bloggers that have been tagged.
It's a great way to spread the blog love :)
Here are my 5 random things:
1. I'm a really good speller. When I was in 5th grade, I won our school district's spelling bee and went onto the regional spelling bee. I thought I was really cool at the time (also because I was on the 5th grade math team and we won 1st place in a regional competition. I'm a nerd, okay?). Just this week, someone asked me how to spell "pterodactyl," and everyone was impressed/weirded out that I knew how to spell it.
2. My favorite place to sing is and always has been in the bathroom (although stairwells and parking garages are also wonderful). When I was little (like 3 years old), I would refuse to get out of the bathroom stall until I was done singing every verse and chorus of the song. In college, I would purposefully walk to a different floor in my residence hall to shower because there weren't many people who lived on that floor and their bathroom was always empty and had awesome acoustics. I would sing, sing, sing in that bathroom every day. To this day, I still start every morning by singing in the shower and then having a dance party for one while I'm getting ready. It wakes me up and puts me in a great mood!
3. I absolutely love Harry Potter. Yep, I said it. I think that JK Rowling is an incredible woman and inspiration, and I feel very connected to the series. I feel like I grew up with Harry, Hermione, and Ron, and the books were such important pieces of my childhood and adolescence. Hermione was an excellent role model for me, as a smart, high-achieving, confident young woman, which was so crucial in a society in which these traits are not necessarily valued for women.
4. On a somewhat related note, I'm a proud feminist. I am passionate about equal rights for women. The tattoo on my foot is the female symbol, and six months after getting it, I'm still as in love with it as I was the day I got it. I'm also a huge advocate for equal rights for LGBT individuals. Some of my best friends growing up were gay males, and I have a couple of friends who are transgender. Their experiences in life are heartbreaking, but also inspirational. I want to get another tattoo of an equal sign to show that I am committed to equality for all. (I don't like to get political/preachy on my blog, but this is one of the things in life that I am SUPER passionate about - along with dog rescue and proper sex education - and it directs my life every day.)
5. I really love stupid and funny YouTube videos. I'm currently obsessed with Miranda Sings (
this video is one of my all-time favorites of hers), but I also love
this video,
this video, and
this video (all are oldies but goodies). They never fail to make me laugh and can cure any bad day.
Inge's Questions
1. What's the best thing to come out of blogging, besides meeting new people?
Oooh, that's a great question! I think the best thing about it is that it has helped me to think about purchasing clothing with more intention. I used to see cute things on the sale rack and buy them just because they were cute and affordable instead of thinking about how versatile it would be in my wardrobe or for my current lifestyle. I have gotten so much more thoughtful when shopping, and it is easier for me to leave things at the store, even if they looked good on me and had an affordable price.
2. What trends have you tried that you might not have before you started blogging?
Hmm. I'm not particularly a trendy person, so it's hard to think about. While I have almost always really liked lace, I am not sure I would have had the courage to buy a lace dress if it wasn't for seeing how pretty and versatile they were on other bloggers. And I'm really glad I didn't look back - I love my lace dresses!
3. What popular trend is everyone wearing that you are still hesitant about?
I'm not a fan of tribal prints. As a white woman, I feel like wearing tribal prints is disrespectful to the native populations to which those tribes belong. I don't think that someone's native culture should be "trendy" for others. But maybe that's just me...
4. What's the most exciting thing you have planned for the summer?
Oh, goodness, who knows?! I've been so swamped with class and work lately that I can't even think about what's coming up this summer! I'm not going on any vacations or anything...I think we've already had our exciting moment in adopting our puppy!! :)
5. What was the last movie you saw?
In the movie theater, I saw The Purge. It was pretty ridiculous, to be honest. I love movies that scare me (as long as they're not gory), and The Purge definitely messed with my head a little bit. However, it was definitely not a "good" movie...just entertaining, I suppose. I really want to see Monsters University!!!
Danielle's Questions
1. What is your most embarrassing childhood memory?
When I was in first grade, we had a new student join our class. I wanted to be welcoming to her and be her friend, so during "circle time" in the afternoon on her first day of class, I decided to come sit by her. As I sat down, I farted. It was mortifying at the time (I used to be really uncomfortable with bodily function humor...but now I think farts are funny. Yes, I'm like 12 years old on the inside...). I think it's hilarious now.
2. What is the best book you've ever read and why?
I love Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, but I think my all-time favorite book (aside from anything Harry Potter) is The Giver by Lois Lowry. Yes, it is a book for children, but I find it to be so poignant and striking. I loved it as a child, but have a much deeper love for it now. The plot is fascinating, and the characters are rich and powerful.
3. Which one of your family members are you the most like?
I'm not really sure. I don't think I'm like many people in my family - not in a bad way, though. I used to be a lot like my mom, but not as much as I've become an adult. I think I have pieces of all my family members, as well as things that are uniquely mine. For instance, I'm musical and smart like my dad, I'm caring and compassionate like my mom, and I'm passionate and feisty like my brother.
4. What's the best trip you've ever taken?
This is a tough one! I think the best trip I've ever taken was this past summer, to Yellowstone. I went with Kevin's mom, dad, and one of his three brothers. Now, I'm a self-proclaimed "inside girl," and spending lots of time outdoors is reallllly not my thing, so when we had the opportunity to go camping in Yellowstone, I was a little hesitant. However, I decided to go for it (plus, I love Kevin's family and have always wanted to go on a trip with them!) and be a trooper. It wound up being the coolest trip. We drove from Minnesota to Yellowstone in an RV all together, and then traveled around the park for a week. It was so amazing to see all of the geological features and the wildlife. I learned so much on the trip and we all had such an amazing time together. Also, I developed this "persona" while we were in Yellowstone, called Junior Ranger Brynn, and I would describe in my own way what all the wildlife and geographical features were about. It started out as a mockery of the Neature videos, and was pretty ridiculous, but Kevin recorded me while we were out touring the park and I made a Junior Ranger Brynn video when we got home. It's become a bit of a joke in the family since then :) [I uploaded it in case you want to see me making a fool of myself and talking in my silly Junior Ranger Brynn way. It's super crappy quality, too...]
5. Worst fashion trend? Best fashion trend?
I think I've answered these before in Inge's questions. My least favorite fashion trend right now is tribal prints (followed by super short shorts that show butt cheeks, crop tops, and high-low hems). My favorite fashion trend currently is probably lace, but I also really like colorful blazers and popover shirts.
My questions for nominees...
1. What do you like to do in your free time?
2. If you could have a dinner party with any three famous people (dead or alive), who would they be and why?
3. What is your favorite household chore and why?
4. What's your favorite item of clothing that you currently own?
5. When you're on a road trip, what is your go-to music?
I'm nominating...
