Three More Liebster Awards? I’m Not A Newbie Anymore!

Last Updated on: September 8th, 2020

I am pleased to announce three more Liebster Awards have been given to me. It’s been a while since I have received an Award of any kind, and so I’m grateful to Jeri Walker-Bickett (a writer friend) for bestowing this award upon me. Funny, crazy, quirky Cee Lee also gave me this award. Connor Rickett, another freelance writer I know, also gave me this award – damn him! I shouldn’t have accepted it, but he’s one of a kind. (Aren’t we all?) 😉 Read this post to see what I mean. You’ll die laughing. 😀

I received this award as a newbie blogger, back in May of this year for the first time. I also have received other awards, but the second time I accepted this one was in August. This is the third, fourth, fifth (and final time) I am going to accept it. (I may accept other awards, but I think that five times is a charm for this one!) Let me take you back a bit, and tell you about the first time I accepted it. (This part’s for you, Connor, since no one tells you anything…) 😉

I had no idea what it was, and so, I did what any normal person would do – I turned to Google for some information. Lo and behold, there were millions of blogs to wade through that were chock-full of information.

I was not an experienced blogger back in May, but I am an intelligent person and I decided then and there that I wanted to be listed as the blogger who filled the number one spot in a Google search. I devised a title that I thought would capture Google’s attention. I put the words “Official Rules” in my title. I wrote honestly, from the heart, in perfect English, and spoke my mind. Guest what little old Googs did? She ranked my post as number one! Was this a surprise? Not really. Was I happy about the results? Duh, what do you think? 😀

So this time, I am out to recognize a few bloggers who are in the spot that I once was: a newbie blogger.

Newbie status does not last forever, and the more you learn, the more you are removed from this classification. I no longer consider myself a newbie. My blog is over ten months old now. I’m also happy that I have made several strides in my blogging journey so far.

I really believe that I deserve this oh-so-prestigious award, even though it is viewed by some people as a crappy chain letter and/or a complete waste of time. I see the value in this award, now that I have received it five times! It teaches you about adding links to your posts, saving images and including said images in a blog post, and it helps connect you with other bloggers, which provides a feeling of acceptance in this vast world wide web that is occupied by billions of sites and millions of bloggers. Never underestimate the power of these awards!

I feel loved, accepted, wanted, and valued. Accepting this award is a personal decision. Yes, there are rules to follow, but rules are meant to be broken. If you’re a rebel like me, you’ll make your own choices.

Remember that game in school where the teacher whispered a phrase into Student A’s ear, then Student A passed on the message to Student B, who passed it on to Student C, who…passed it on down the line until Student Z was reached? When Student Z told the teacher the phrase, which originally may have been “Johnny ate six candies”, Student Z ended up saying “Danny’s eight sexy undies are dirty” because the phrase had morphed over time into what people chose to hear or wanted to hear. It’s not a stretch to go from Johnny to Donny to Danny, so you can clearly see how this may have happened. The same applies to to “six” and “sex”; they sound similar, as do “candies” and “undies”.

The same principle can be applied to the rules of the Liebster Award. They have been changed by bloggers over time. This is the main reason why I have chosen to make an “official” set of rules for bloggers to follow. I did the hard work so that the newbie bloggers wouldn’t have to! As my reward, Google has ranked my original post as number one. Yes, this feels good, and is a great accomplishment for a newbie blogger.

I think that this post may rank close to it (this is my prediction, anyway). However, I’m not accepting this award so that newbies will think that they will write a number one-ranking post, because – the truth is – most pro bloggers have trouble ranking as number one!

My advice to these newbie bloggers would be to

a. be happy they have been recognized

b. be grateful to pass it on to others, including their friends, and

c. accept their awards graciously and continue to follow the “rules” that have been established.

FYI, many people are doing just this, and I have hundreds of bloggers linking in to that one post.

RULES FOR NOMINEES

1. Post 11 facts about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions posted by the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 5 – 11 other bloggers with less than 1000 followers for the award. NOTE that free WordPress blogs include Twitter followers in their “blog followers”, so if the blogger displays the number of their followers, this may not be an accurate number. 
4. Create 11 new questions for your nominees.
5. Go to each bloggers site and let them know about the award.
6. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to his/her blog.

11 Facts About Me

1. I love writing and have discovered that I enjoy writing factual accounts more than fictional ones.
2. I don’t listen to as much music as I should.
3. I have a very sweet tooth.
4. I love my family more than they know – especially my Mom and my son. 🙂
5. I am allergic to hamsters.
6. I am not one of those people who “hates” needles. I don’t mind them. I’m not saying I love them, but I’ve had several surgeries, so know that they are necessary!
7. I am a procrastinator – believe it or not.
8. I love shows on TV about missing people, murdered people, etc. No wonder I have nightmares!
9. I have never owned a car. I have rented several, though, and love driving!
10. I am not a materialistic person. If there is food in my stomach and a roof over my head and I’m warm, I’m happy.

Here are the 11 Questions that Jeri posed, with my answers:

1. Who has been the most positive influence in your life? My mom.
2. What was your most memorable Halloween costume? I once made a Certs costume. It was awesome!
3. When do you write best? Mornings, afternoons, evenings? As soon as I turn on my laptop, I have to write. I discovered that this is the best time for me to write when I partook in a 30-Day Writing Challenge.
4. Where did you go on your favorite vacation? I have been to Winnipeg a few times – and had a blast – but I want to go on an island cruise.
5. Why is reality TV so popular? Because people like hearing about other peoples’ lives.
6. How do you relax? I relax by having a cup of peppermint tea and a cigarette. (Yes, I smoke!) I also watch TV or read. Petting cats helps me de-stress, too.
7. Which work of art most inspires you? I am not “into” art that much. I do like pictures of nature settings, like sunsets, lakes with moons over them that are reflected in the water, and trees. I also like colourful things, like rainbows.
8. Could you live without electricity? This is a toughie, now that I have a computer! However, I have always enjoyed camping, candles, and reading. I think that I could make it. I have cooked food over open fire at camp before, and enjoyed “roughing it”. The only thing that I didn’t like was using an outhouse. Since reading books and writing on paper can be done without electricity, I’d be fine.
9. Are you afraid of the dark? No. I am not afraid of anything, actually.
10. Can you honestly say you’ve never stolen anything? No.
11. What song lyrics strike you as hauntingly beautiful? Lyrics to “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker come to mind, as do the lyrics to “Beautiful” by  Christina Aguilera

The lyrics to  “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker are:

You are so beautiful to me
You are so beautiful to me
Can’t you see
Your everything I hoped for
Your everything I need
You are so beautiful to me

Such joy and happiness you bring
Such joy and happiness you bring
Like a dream
A guiding light that shines in the night
Heavens gift to me
You are so beautiful to me

Here is a video of this song:

Here is a video of the lyrics  to “Beautiful” by  Christina Aguilera:

Here are the 11 Questions that Connor gave me, with my answers:

1. If you could live anywhere for a year, where would it be?  On a beach. Lying on a hammock. Somewhere warm. Sipping Coconut drinks. With little umbrellas.

2. What’s one song, singer, or band who you love that no one else seems to know about? Me. I wrote a song for my son when he was 2 and still have not gotten it published. See Random Fact 7.

3. Top five travel destinations?  A beach. Anywhere. Five beaches. Anywhere. What can I say? I have lived in winter climates all of my life…

4. You’re stuck on a desert island in a parallel world where the Swiss have never heard of knives and ducks don’t know anything about tape, what three things do you bring?  If I am stuck on an island, I’d bring You along. You would know what else to bring. What kind of trick question is this, anyway?

5. Monkeys or squirrels, which is more evil? Evil monkeys? Like in The Wizard of Oz? Squirrels!

6. Captain Reynolds or Han Solo? Neither. Captain Crunch.

7. If you could ride any animal, without getting your ass kicked or devoured, what would it be? A horse. Draw your own conclusions. Kidding. Nope, still a horse. I have ridden a horse before, and liked it.

8. You can punch one person living or dead of your choosing in the nose without repercussions, who do you choose? You. For making me answer stupid questions. 😉

9. You can steal the superpowers of any superhero, which one do you take? The invisible man. Is he a superhero?

10. You receive a credit card with an infinite limit BUT if you ever use it a gnome will ride around on your shoulders giving you wet willies at random intervals for the rest of your life. Do you use it? Does giving it to you to use it count as “using” it?

11. If you could have any exotic pet (with none of the risks/disadvantages) what would it be?  Hmm. One that’s cute and cuddly. And furry. The size of a cat or a small dog.

Here are the 11 Questions that Cee Lee gave me, with my answers:

1.On a scale from 1-5, with 5 being scared stupid, how afraid of dark are you? One.
2.Who is the person you never want to meet in a back alley? A murderer. Any one of them!
3.What’s been your favorite age to be, so far? Eighteen, when my son was born.
4.If you could create a half-hour TV show of your own, what would it be and what’s the name? Lorraine Reguly’s Life. It would be about me! 😀
5.What’s your all time favorite quote? “Everything happens for a reason. We might not know what that reason is at the time, but everything happens for a reason.” (This is my own quote!)
6.What is the one thing you do best? Talk about myself, probably!
7. Can you dance? (twerking does not count) How well? Yes, somewhat. Not like the people on Dancing With The Stars, though, but I would like to learn!
8.Bigfoot exists. Yes or no? Maybe.
9.What was the worst auto correct fail you’ve had? Never had one. Sorry!
10.Do you dream in color or in black and white? Both.

Here are the lucky nominees of this Liebster Award:

1. Just A Small Town Girl
2. Living The Life
3. RAMISA THE AUTHORESS
4. fairiesangelsnurses
5. 29 GOING ON SLUT
6. Pilbra’s blog
7. Juliet Lubega
8. Taming the wolf
9. Michael Palmieri
10. Annette Bridges
11. Blessed with a Star on the Forehead 
12. Midway Marketplace – Max’s site 

Here are the 11 Questions I would like my nominees to answer:

1. Why did you begin blogging?
2. What are the hardest 3 things you struggle with when it comes to blogging?
3. If you could have one wish in the world, what would it be?
4. Do you enjoy poetry? If so, do you like reading it or writing it – or both?
5. Where would you go on your dream vacation?
6. Do you have pets? Tell me about them!
7. Who is your most influential/favourite blogger, and why?
8. If you could have someone show you “how to blog better”, in what areas would you need help?
9. What kind of music do you like – or do you like music?
10. What kind of TV shows do you like – or do you like TV?
11. What kind of books do you like – or do you like books?
12. Bonus: Answer the questions Connor posed to me… 🙂

Have fun with your post – I tend to take things too seriously. I tried lightening this one a bit, thanks to Connor.

As always, I love getting comments, so please don’t be shy! Leave me one! I respond to all comments!