The Awards!

While this A-Z challenge was going on I managed to get myself nominated for some awards.
I shall gladly receive and be grateful for them.

Lets start with the first one:

My wonderful friend Ida at Reflex Reactions nominated me for the Liebster award.
Ida and I have a bit of a backstory. Although we haven't known each other for that long, I sure feel like I have known each other all our lives. She is wise and kind and always has something interesting to say, even with her silences. She is an outstanding person and I for one am so glad I went to Denmark when I did. I was the girl who was NEVER gonna learn danish and I ended up meeting her and her lovely sailor and her two bonus children on my quest to learn Danish.

Liebster is german for 'lovely' (if you were like me and didn't know that!)
The award works like this:
I nominate 11 bloggers, I answer 11 questions from who nominated me and I ask my nominees 11 questions they answer if they receive their award.
Oh, and I also state 11 things you didn't know about me!
There is no real pressure in accepting this award.

11 things you probably didn't know about me:
1) I do not like pickles.
2) I'm obsessed with the color purple.
3) I want to live on a farm.
4) I want to learn all the languages in the world!
5) If I would have been born male my mom would have not named me
(She only had two girl names in mind while pregnant with me so PHEW for being a female!)
6) There is one bone missing in one of my feet
(I can never remember which is which but I found that out when I dropped a heavy metal object on my foot and went to the doctor (thinking I had a broken foot). He proceeded to tell me good/bad news I would be broken badly if I had a bone there to begin with!)
(That was one interesting hospital trip by the way)
7) Seven is my favorite number as well as my date of birth.
8) I don't like to watch romantic/drama films with other people.
But sometimes I find myself watching something like that when undisturbed.
9) The best thing I do to 'waste' time is to read.
10) My favorite drink is water from Kaldársel
(Where we get water in my hometown)
11) My secret wish is to become a Witch.
Or at least have magical powers.

Answering the 15 questions asked:
(Because Ida is always so extreme she made not 11 but 15 questions!)

1) What is the nicest thing anyone ever said to you? 
“Your smile lights up the room”

2) Something your parents taught you? 
My mother taught me to always SPELL and SPEAK correctly (Although I have my silly moments of saying something completely wrong, She always just corrects me and then teases me about it). She also taught me everything I know. My mother is a wise fountain that never drains.

3) Have you  ever dreamed of celebrities or famous people? 
I once had a dream about a young Benicio Del Toro. Like he was in the Usual Suspects. I didn’t understand a word he said but I don’t think he was saying anything life-changing. I’m sure I’ve had more but none comes to mind.

4) Do you have any quirks, rituals or superstitions? 
I have to wet the Q-tip before I use it. I think I have the usual icelandic superstitions.

If a black cat crosses your path, you should go another route, don’t walk under a house-construction platform, Don’t disturb elves and fairies in their rocks and caves. Don’t pick out the moss…..etc etc.

5)  What's the most amazing thing you have seen in the sky? 
I’ve seen the sky dance green and yellow (Northern lights), I’ve seen a bright pink, orange sunset. I’ve seen the sky so blue that it was almost brighter than the ocean. I’ve seen the sky so black that the stars came out wonderfully. I’ve seen the moon in all shapes and sizes. I’ve seen a double rainbow and a triple rainbow and I’ve seen the weather change 5 times during the day (from sunny to rainy to snowing to rain/snow to a hailstorm to bright and sunny again.)

6) What's the craziest thing you have done with your hair? 
I shaved off one side, I’ve died it a 100 times. I’ve cut is so short that I felt like a boy.

7) Have you ever seen a baby being born? 
I have seen a video of it, but my experience with child birth is limited to holding a newborn.

8) Have you ever been with someone when they died? 
I have not been in the room, but death is no stranger.

9) Have you ever had a strange experience that you just can't explain? 
I once had a dream that I was in a small freezer of sorts, and there was a man in a white chefs coat, with golden red hair. He said his name was Kári. And he asked me to pass him the basil. A couple of years later I found myself in that room and when I looked around I saw the basil box and took it in my hand. A few seconds later a man in a white chefs coat with golden red hair told me his name was Kári and asked if I could pass him the… But I had already handed it too him with a look of confusion upon my face.

10) Are you an excellent speller, bad speller, or thought you were good but use spell check a lot? 
In my own language, I would like to say I am an excellent speller. Compared to most people online my age, I would say I have a very broad vocabulary compared to english not being my native tongue. But spell check is my favorite thing. I’m obessed with writing perfectly, spell check just makes it easier (or else I’d be looking up any word that I feel looks awkward or strange.

11) Do you have/have had any pet('s), pick a favourite. 

I had a cat once. He was incredibly smart. He opened doors, he ate crisps, he scratched my door to ask me to play, he always followed me to bed, tucked me in waited until I was asleep and then went and woke up my mother who fell asleep on the couch in front of the TV and dragged her to bed and slept there all night. He didn’t like me all that much, but he was mine and I picked him from all the other cats. He hated heights but loved playing and I sometimes (in my younger years) tormented him by dressing him up in doll clothes. (I couldn’t resist he was just too adorable in them). We called him Mouse, and he had everything against him. He was allergic to grass, fish and milk. And sadly he got so sick that the only humain thing to do was to let him go. I still hear his voice purr in the hallways and the light tap on my door at night. I’m sure he’s watching over us and making sure we are alright.

13) What was the last thing you said out loud? 
“Thank you, Thank you very much”

14) Where are you sitting while writing this? 
I’m sitting at work, at a History Museum about Vikings.

15) What does your name/names mean?
My name Katrín (Kahdreen) or (Kah-Tree-n) means “the pure one”. Some days I love it, but mostly I get annoyed when people pronounce it wrong (Its just me being silly but I like it to be pronounced Ka-dreen with a strong ‘D’ and almost no T sound. That’s influenced by where I’m from. And non-Icelanders usually just call me Katherine or Keitrin. 

Origins are Germanic. I heared somewhere that this fits in well with my zodiac sign, Virgo. So I am double pure and motherly. (Thanks mom for that)

My 11 Questions

1. Have you ever had a Deja’vu that you either dreamt or remember happening before?

2. Do you think you are an old soul or a new soul, if old do you remember anything from your old excistance? (Like a feeling, a dress, a place, a person…)

3. Whats your favorite colour and is there a special reason why?

4. Whats your least favorite thing to do?

5. If there was one place you could be in and never leave where would it be and what would it have to offer?

6. If you had to pick the ocean or a forest to live by, what would you pick?

7. Are you a night owl or a morning bird?

8. What is your dream job? (If you’d get the money you needed to have a great life no matter what you pick)

9. If you had one superpower what would it be?

10. If you could have a wish for yourself or give away 10 wishes, what would you do and what would you wish for if you would not give them away?

11. If you had to pick one thing to eat for the rest of your life (without consequences) What would it be?

The second award

I was nominated by Susan at Scribblings.

Thank you very much, and I'm very glad I am inspiring!

Woop Woop!

And because there is nothing really involved by accepting this award
I'll just nominate those who I'll nominate for the Liebster award, for this award too!

Because I can ;)
And because I think everyone should be awarded for their blogs!

Thank you all for everything !

And my nominees are (in no particular order):

1) Hilary

2) Sally

3) Betty

4) Jen

5) Kaye

6) Zoe

7) Ida

8) William

9) Mental Indigestion

10) Sharon

11) Heidi

Feel free to accept or just take joy in that you were nominated!

Because we are SURVIVORS!
(I decided to skip this years reflections post since my schedule
is already filling up and I'm very late with my next blog challenge)
Just know that this year was so much fun and straining and at times I thought I'd give up!
I'm glad I can say I finished and made myself very proud!


P.S. I never thought receiving awards could be this difficult.
The anguish I felt while writing this post was well worth it when I can scroll up and tell myself that it is over and done with but who would have though opening up about something as silly as 11-15 questions and random facts could be this straining!
Now that this is over and done with I think I'll also link my next challenge: That I will start 3 days late.. (Because there is no blog police!)

Here are the rules:

1. There really aren't any rules. If you miss a day, you can make it up or skip it. The blog police will not come knocking.

2. I will be including a linkup option at the bottom of my post each day, so you are welcome to leave your links here for others to peruse, as well. 

3. You can still post other things every day, too. I plan to do normal outfit posts, life posts, around-Austin posts, and sponsor posts just like usual.

4. I'd seriously love you if you also include the "blog every day in May" button (below) either on your sidebar or at the end of your posts, but again, the blog police will not come knocking. My main goal here is to get us all back to the basics of blogging, not to gain a million new readers (though I wouldn't mind that). 

5. Here are the topics. You can be as creative and awesome or as boring and bland as you like with these. Take 'em and run with it. Use creative post titles. Interpret each "prompt" however you like. There's no wrong way to do it. Have fun.

Day 1, Wednesday: The story of your life in 250 words or less (or one paragraph... no one will be counting your words... probably)

Day 2, Thursday: Educate us on something you know alot about or are good at. Take any approach you'd like (serious and educational or funny and sarcastic)

Day 3, Friday: Things that make you uncomfortable

Day 4, Saturday: Favorite quote (from a person, from a book, etc) and why you love it

Day 5, Sunday: Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family member

Day 6, Monday: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?

Day 7, Tuesday: The thing(s) you're most afraid of

Day 8, Wednesday: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.

Day 9, Thursday: A moment in your day (this can be just a photo or both a photo and words)

Day 10, Friday: Most embarrassing moment (s). Spill. 

Day 11, Saturday: Sell yourself in 10 words or less

Day 12, Sunday: What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)

Day 13, Monday: Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.

Day 14, Tuesday: Ten things that make you really happy

Day 15, Wednesday: A Day in the life (include photos from throughout your typical day - this could be "a photo an hour" if you'd like)

Day 16, Thursday: Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it

Day 17, Friday: A favorite photo of yourself and why

Day 18, Saturday: Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.

Day 19, Sunday: Five of your favorite blogs and what you love about them

Day 20, Monday: Get real. Share something you're struggling with right now.

Day 21, Tuesday: A list of links to your favorite posts in your archives

Day 22, Wednesday: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)

Day 23, Thursday: Things you've learned that school won't teach you

Day 24, Friday: Your top 3 worst traits

Day 25, Saturday: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad)

Day 26, Sunday: Something you read online. Leave a link and discuss, if you'd like.

Day 27, Monday: A letter to your readers

Day 28, Tuesday: Only pictures

Day 29, Wednesday: Five songs or pieces of music that speak to you or bring back memories. Use Grooveshark or YouTube to include them in the post

Day 30, Thursday: React to this term: Letting Go

Day 31, Friday: A vivid memory

Also sorry for the extremely long post today.

Compared to my other posts, this is longer than them all combined.

-Miss Bates