So back in the beginning of May, my friend Britt nominated me for a Liebster award and I am ashamed to say that I sat on it. A grief wave hit me hard and I just didn’t do it. Sorry Britt. And now Jessica has also nominated me. So now I am just feeling silly that I never followed through the first time. So I am going to answer both sets of questions and do two sets of facts.
Jessica’s questions
- What is your favourite childhood memory?
Playing with my cousins at various family parties.
- Do you have pets? If yes, what are they?
I have one black cat named Boehner.
- Best way to spend a Sunday afternoon?
Relaxing while my two year old takes a nap.
- Favourite TV show?
How I Met Your Mother.
- Do you dance?
Not well and usually only when I have been drinking.
- You’re going to a deserted island. What three things are you going to take?
My cell phone, running shoes and a knitting project.
- Favourite painter or painting?
I like ocean landscapes so I would say Winslow Homer or Andrew Wyeth. I do also like French Impressionism and enjoy Renoir.
- Country or city?
I truly appreciate both but I would want to live in the country. It’s my dream to live in an old farmhouse.
- What food do you seek out when you’re blue?
Mexican food or coffee ice cream.
- Weirdest word you know.
Maybe not weird but my favorite fun word is “parapluie” which is French for “umbrella.”
- Is the ‘u’ in colour necessary or just odd?
I find the “u” charming.
Britt’s questions
- What inspired you to start blogging?
I wanted to share my story about grief and resilience because I wanted to empower others who may be in a similar position. I also wanted to tell my story to help people understand what it is like to be a widow and an only parent.
2.What is one piece of advice that you wish someone had given you before starting your blog?
That my readers will always surprise me. The posts that I think are going to be popular aren’t always the ones my readers want to read. And other times, posts that I don’t expect to perform well will.
3. What is the most memorable vacation you have ever taken and why?
So many to choose from but I am going to say the time Bryon and I went to Colorado and (a little) Wyoming. It was in 2010 and all our other trips up until that point had been brief weekend trips that involved political conferences. That weekend did involve a political conference but we took several extra days and went on some adventures in the Rocky Mountains.
4. What is your go to fuel – Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate or some other glorious provider of energy when needed?
It used to be a Starbucks Venti Iced Americano with an extra shot and cream and sugar. I have recently given up sugar and am cutting back on dairy so now it’s a Starbucks Venti Cold Brew with coconut milk.
5. What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Facebook because I am addicted.
6. If you could design your ‘perfect day’ what would it look like?
My perfect day would consist of my two year old daughter letting me sleep in, a house that was already cleaned, my daughter napping and maybe a nearby adventure with friends.
7. In what ways do you inspire yourself to come up with new content?
Usually I write about something emotional that is bothering me. Don’t know if I would call that inspiration but I am motivated to sort those feelings out through writing.
8. What is the one app on your phone you couldn’t live without?
9. What is your favourite band or artist?
Right now I have to say Hall and Oates.
10. What is your favourite childhood memory?
Playing with my cousins at various family functions.
11. Do you have any major blogging goals for 2017? If so, what are they?
Just keep plugging along.
I was supposed to do 11 facts. I am going to be ambitious and try for 22 since I was nominated twice.
- I was born in Boston, MA and lived in the suburbs until I started high school and then I moved to Maine.
- My favorite subjects in high school were Social Studies and French.
- I rarely eat cereal but when I do, I don’t put milk in it. The thought of soggy cereal actually grosses me out. My late husband was appalled when he learned about this. He called me “un-American”
- My first airplane trip was at the age of 21. I flew from Boston to London to study abroad the fall semester of my junior year.
- Before I went to England, I had never been out of the Northeast of the US (with the exception of a few trips to Canada but when you live in Maine, that doesn’t count.)
- I am American (see #1) and my ancestry is roughly ¾ Irish and ¼ Acadian with a strain of Native American (MicMac).
- I lived in Maine for 8 years before I tried lobster.
- I only learned how to properly cook a lobster last fall. My friend is the wife of a lobsterman and she showed me how.
- My parents have a black bear who lives behind their house. His name is Bob which stands for Big Old Bear. But Bob isn’t just one bear and he isn’t old. He is likely the young bear who is kicked out of the den to make room for the new bear cub.
- I once ran (unsuccessfully) for State Rep in Maine in 2006.
- My favorite ice cream is coffee oreo.
- I totally have a crush on Marco Rubio and am still in mourning that he didn’t win the Republican nomination.
- I grew up with dogs and thought cats were pointless. Then I got a cat and I love him.
- I plan on getting a Golden Retriever for my daughter when she’s a little bit older.
- When I was a kid, my mother’s medicine of choice for me was Pepto Bismol.
- I bought some Pepto Bismol on a trip to Mexico and it had lumps in it. I still used it because (duh) heartburn. And I lived to tell about it.
- I might have GERD. And I know GERD stands for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. I can say it but I had to google it to spell it.
- I once stayed at a youth hostel in Dublin, Ireland and it was infested with bed bugs. So the phrase “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite” makes me itchy. I am itchy right now. (And don’t worry, I left them in Ireland)
- I have asthma.
- I have been to the Easternmost point of the US (West Quoddy Light House, Lubec, ME) and the Southernmost point of the US (Key West, FL)
- I watch too many crime shows and they make me paranoid.
- The first movie I ever saw in the movie theater was Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back. The second movie I ever saw in the movie theater was Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. The last movie I saw in the movie theater was Fifty Shades Darker and it was the first movie I left in the middle. It was that bad.
The bloggers I would like to nominate are
- Kathy http://deathanddyingchronicles.com/
- Julia https://lacrossewidow.com/
- https://firstsbeyondthefirsts.blog/
- Emily https://readysetgrieve.wordpress.com/
- Erica https://ericaroman.me/
- Emily http://justplayinghouse.com/
- Megan http://www.blondeisthenewwidow.com/
- Roni http://stillhistimesforever.blogspot.com/
- Jodi http://extragracerequired.com/
- Ella http://ellawallprichard.com/
- Nik https://www.niktebbe.com/blog-1
All of these blogs are about grief and most are widows. I thought that would be fun. But really it is because I think our society has a strange, almost archaic view on death and grief and it leaves a burden on the grieving to educate the non-grieving.
The questions I am going to ask the nominees (should they choose to accept this nomination) are
- What book is on your (proverbial) nightstand?
- What is a place you have always wanted to go to but haven’t made it there yet?
- What are your hobbies?
- In what way has grief changed you?
- What is your favorite holiday? Why?
- What is your favorite childhood memory?
- If you could give one piece of advice to your high school self, what would it be?
- If you were in a new city and you had to choose between going to a professional sports game or a museum, which would you choose?
- What was the last concert you attended?
- How do you take your coffee?
- We are all geeks in some way or another. In what way are you a geek?
Running Forward...My Way 