Liebster Award

A big thank you goes out to Not When, But IF, who nominated me for a Liebster Award!

Here's how it works:

• Post 11 random facts about yourself.
• Answer the 11 questions the awarding blogger has posted for you.
• Nominate 11 bloggers (with less than 200 followers) for the award and link them in your post.
• Let the bloggers you have nominated know they are nominated.
• No tag backs.

Here are 11 random facts about me:

1. Though I've been a total homebody lately, in my teens and early 20s I did quite a lot of traveling. I lived in six US states in seven years.
2. I've been outside in temperatures from -50 F to +125 F. I much prefer the heat!
3. Same thing with food: the spicier, the better.
4. I reuse things until they fall apart: sandwich bags, Christmas bows, my last car, the boxes my meds came in...
5. I am not just my parents' only child, but also the only grandchild on both sides of my family.
6. Amazingly, no-one has pressured me to "give them" a grandchild. My little family is wonderful, loving, and kind.
7. Amazingly, I wasn't too spoiled while growing up, although I did take myself way too seriously.
8. I probably still do.
9. Strangely, though, I can laugh much more easily now than when I started TTC.  It's easier to let the small stuff go.
10. Clumsiness runs in my family. I could barely ride a bike as a kid, then recently relearned as an adult. (Hilarity and bruises ensued.)
11. Still, I like to do physical work. It has a way of waking up my body and calming down my mind.

Here are my answers to Not When, But IF's questions:

1. What was the destination of your favorite vacation?  Why?
   On my 20th birthday, I left for a backpacking trip with friends in the western US. We started in a national park, then walked beyond the park boundary, beyond the trails, and out into the canyons where we didn't see another person all week. We felt like explorers from a century ago. There was even a lunar eclipse one night, which none of us expected since we hadn't heard any news. It was magical.
2. Do you have any pets?  What?  How many?
   One cat. My ex found her as a stray. We thought she may have been abandoned because of some physical problems; if so, whoever left her sure missed out! She's one of those sweet, goofy, dog-like cats who greets everyone at the door tummy-up, who comes trotting into the bathroom to pee whenever I do, and who purrs when I just talk to her in that certain tone of voice. I wish I could be half as well-adjusted as my cat.
3. What’s your favorite physical asset (don’t be shy!)?
   Probably my hair, despite the recent hack job DIY haircut. I finally had a hairdresser even it out. I was embarrassed, but she was kind. She even said, "Whatever you did … it's actually really not bad!"
4. How is your life different now from what you thought it would be at this point when you were 20?
   I didn't think I'd still feel like I was waiting for my real life to start, you know? I also have more understanding and respect for some older relatives now. Years ago, I saw the compromises they'd made, saw that their lives seemed less than totally fulfilling, and judged them as having sold out their dreams. Now here I am with almost none of my dreams from age 20 fulfilled. But I guess I'd rather be awake in my own life than asleep having wonderful dreams.
5. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?  What did you think?
   Gravity. Meh. In Sandra Bullock's first scene, I thought, She looks like she's grieving, and of course I empathized. But there were rave reviews about what a "strong female lead" her character was … hmm. How about a few more movies with REAL strong female leads, who don’t have to float around in their underwear and be coached into their strength by a man?
6. Name your guilty pleasure TV show.
   OK, this will make me sound like someone's hermit great-grandma, but I don't watch TV. Have never owned one. I watched it plenty as a kid, and I waste enough time online now as it is. During the insomnia after my miscarriage, though, I discovered free online streaming options and watched a whole season's worth of Downton Abbey in three nights. (Now I really sound like someone's great-grandma!)
7. (Shameless curiosity spurred on by the award rules) How many people follow your blog?  How long did it take you to build up your audience?  How’d you do it?
   Well, Blogger says I have 19 followers, but I know other people follow anonymously by email, etc. It's sort of mysterious. I've been at this for ten months now. I've connected with people by reading and commenting on a lot of blogs, participating in IcomLeavWe, and being listed in blogrolls. I really like connecting with anyone who can relate to something I write, but I never figured it would be a large audience. In fact, I've actually made some choices to limit the number of looky-loos who come here by accident, like choosing NOT to be listed in Google.
8. How often do you blog?
   When I need to. That's the bottom line. It feels like certain ideas are bubbling up, expanding, taking up more and more brainspace, and there's a sense of relief that comes from getting them out. I've probably averaged about two posts a week, but it really varies. I go through cycles of hibernating, then writing a bunch of stuff all at once. The more I write (even if they're rough drafts that aren't ready to post yet), the easier it is to avoid stagnation (which is good for me, as well as for any readers).
9. Does anyone in your "real life" know about your blog?
   A few friends and acquaintances read now and then, mostly women who are going through / have gone through similar things. A few others know that I blog but haven't asked for the address, and I haven't volunteered it.
10. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
    My stepdad, to exchange medical info about my mother. *sigh*
11. If you weren't answering this question right now, what would you be doing?
    I'd be making some dinner, but it can wait a few minutes.

Next up are my nominees and questions...