The Real Neat Blog Award #1……

When I started blogging I knew I wanted to reach people. To somehow say something that made a difference to someone. That it would make a difference in how they saw life. Yet my travel blog has gone in a whole different direction. What has been amazing is that that direction has been nothing but the exact direction I needed to go. I want to thank “Mr. A” for the nomination for this award. His blog is below. If you have not checked him out please do so. He is an amazing writer and his blog inspires, and is so insightful I have enjoyed reading his writing.

https://barbariangentlemen.wordpress.com/

So what is “The Real Neat Blog Award”? It is a peer nominated award and the person that nominates you gets to ask you seven to ten questions. To accept the award you first thank the peer for the nomination and make sure to link their blog to your response. In their nomination they ask the seven to ten questions and your acceptance includes the questions and your answers to them. The next thing is you nominate seven to ten other bloggers, ask them your seven to ten questions. It is neat because we get to know a little more about each blogger and everyone gets some really good exposure. Below are the rules.

1. Display the Blog Logo in your blog.
2. Thank the Blogger who nominated you.
3. Do not forget to link to their blog for nominating you.
4. Answer all the questions they have given you.
5. Nominate 7 to 10 other bloggers of your choice.
6. Ask your Nominees 7 questions.

Here were my questions with the answers.

1.) Tell us about a time where you are thrown off course only to find yourself exactly where you intended to be? When I enrolled into college back in 2009 I was very excited about starting. Two weeks after enrolling I found out I was expecting my fourth child. I thought great I’m gonna get my degree and then no one is going to hire a mom of four kids! I still pressed on. I had chosen a specific degree that would seem to work in many different areas. After a year of class I had a very strange number call my cell phone. It was local but also one I didn’t recognize. I usually don’t answer those types of calls but something told me to just answer. It happened to be a local doctor that needed an office assistant and I was who everyone suggested. I landed the exact job I was going to school for and I wasn’t even done with school yet. I worked for that doctor for two years and loved every minute of it. The fact that I had four kids didn’t even make him think twice about hiring me. It was my character and ability to gently communicate with patients that made him hire me.

2.) Tell us about a strenuous physical activity that you enjoy and why? If you have none, is there a physical activity that you are interested in and tell us why you haven’t tried it yet? I am a long distance runner. I run three miles three to four days per week. I am slowly building up to five miles and hope to get to ten plus by October when I run my first half marathon. I have talked in some of my other blog posts about why I run. I do it mainly because it lets me shut off my mind. This is something that just doesn’t happen if you just went out and ran and had never ran before. It takes training. If you follow sports any at all and listen to top athletes talk about training you will hear them talk about muscle memory. The reason they are able to react and perform at such quick speeds is because of the muscle memory. It is done without thinking of the how to do it. Dancers do this actors do it the same with with memorizing lines. They practice it so that it becomes as natural as breathing. With distance running it is the same. Once the discipline is there and the muscle memory has been established, then you can perform without thinking about it. Thus I am able to get out and run and for how ever long I am running, I can shut down all thought. I focus on deep breath in through the nose and a slow smooth release out of my mouth. Once that is set in, the beauty of not thinking about anything slides into place and for a while peace is with me. That peace is addictive.

3.) Is there an establishment that you frequent simply because you like their staff? Mind telling us about your interactions with the servers, staff, and crew? In our little town the bar is called “The Thirsty Buffalo”. Now mind you I live in a town of about one-thousand people. Yes that small. I love it and I love our bar. Yes because of the bartenders. Actually I am one of them, but if you ever came to visit and it is a beautiful night, you will learn very fast that it is very common for the three of us bartenders to be in even on our nights off. The bar is not your typical bar. It is clean and fancy and has a pool table that you don’t pay to play. There are not the typical over the table lights, nope in fact there are even couches in our bar. Yes I refer it to our bar, because that is exactly how it feels. Ever see “Cheers?” There has been multiple times that I have walked into our bar and hear my name yelled out. “DEE!!” I love my fellow bartenders we work hard and the busier we are the happier we are. It is our community that we love to serve and visit with. What is really cool about our bar is the customers that come in. All ages from the young to the old they all mingle here. The young listen to the old and the old give the young shit. It is the sense of community that you feel there. No one is really there to get shitfaced, they are there because work was hard that week. Or it is someone’s birthday and those need to be celebrated always. Working there is amazing and I love it.

4.)Tell us about a Men’s style trend that you think should end or never exist in the first place? I am the last person to judge anything about fashion. I have no clue when it comes to what is hot and what is not. As for a guy fashion that I cringe at it has to be letting jeans hang below the but with the underwear showing. Dude that is the biggest turn off for me. It feels sloppy and screams, I just picked these up off the floor and put them on. No thank you.

5) Who is the male fictional character (with no superpowers) you would like to be with, in time of a disaster and why? What manly skills do you think he possesses that would increase your chances of survival? This one is easy for me. McGiver. Dude can take an inkpen and fix a truck on the fly. Yup he is the one for me. His mechanical skills are off the hook need something fixed it doesn’t matter that you don’t have what he needs, he will find something that works no problem.

6.) What leisurely activities do you think, make a man look sexy, eg reading, cooking, etc? I love classic cars and a man out tinkering on a car or truck is very sexy to me. I’m an outdoor kind of woman, take me on a hike, to the lake anywhere outside. Working on a car/ truck though as long as he lets me work out there with him, man nothing sexier than that.

7) What is your honest impression of me, is there anything you wish for me to improve on my blog? Since I am new at this blogging thing I don’t know if I really have any improvements to suggest. But my honest impression is that you are a great father and son. That life hasn’t gone as you planned but it hasn’t stopped you from still seeking out your true place in life. You are open and vulnerable and not afraid to just be who you are. In the end you will accomplish all that you want in life, because it is what you chose to do.

Again thank you to Mr. A for the nomination I am so humbled by it. I have enjoyed answering your questions and hope that you enjoy reading my answers.

My Nominations.

http://mygrieftalks.wordpress.com/

http://duttaparikhit.wordpress.com/

https://chasingjoy.net/

https://artbyjesica.com/

My Questions

1.) What was your purpose in starting a blog? Has it changed since you started?

2) What is one of your authors? Why do you like them and what book of theirs do you keep going back and reading over and over again?

3) If you could travel to another country where would it be and why?

4) What is the one food you would never eat? What food would you never turn down?

5) Where do you find your peace? Describe your quite place and why you like to be there.

6) Who is someone who saw you when you felt invisible?

You don’t have to answer or even follow through but take the time to think about others that have inspired you. It feels good to know that what you write makes a difference in someone’s life. And you all have made a huge difference in mine. Make sure to tag me in your blog so that I can see your answers and thank you for following me. It is an honor to write for you all. As always please keep writing because each of you inspire me!

Dee