AUER LIFE

Are we still fighting?

Tue, 14 May 2013 19:36:00 -0700

I wish Mother’s Day was during the week and not on a Sunday. It would really work for us, because we seem to fight more on the weekends than during the week when everyone is busy.

As my friend Sarah said in her #ippp post for this week: “This is my life. The potential for greatness or disaster.” Truer words have never been spoken, my friends - and this Mother’s Day we walked the fine line between greatness and disaster.

We also walked up a (small) mountain because I’m a sucker for views of my hometown and the surrounding valley… On the way up there we sat down on a bench and started taking some pictures.

This is where I was thinking: “Are we still fighting or are we good yet?” (I may also have been thinking: “I really need to buy a new bra, my boobs are just hanging way too low.”)

As it turns out the fight was over.

In unrelated news - my lilacs are blooming and I’m just in love with them. The smell and the beautiful flowers are two things that make me really happy.

Onward and upwards!

Revelation: I’ve decided that it’s not good to hold grudges. That’s a big thing for me, since I may have possibly invented grudge-holding. I shall be known as the reformed grudge-holder from now on. Word.

colchrishadfield: With deference to the genius of David Bowie,...

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:43:50 -0700

colchrishadfield:

With deference to the genius of David Bowie, here’s Space Oddity, recorded on Station. A last glimpse of the World.

Huge thanks in the making of the video to the talented trio of Emm Gryner, Joe Corcoran and Andrew Tidby, plus Evan Hadfield and all at the CSA.

Is he like the coolest astronaut ever or what?!?

Family Fun Day Sunday

Tue, 07 May 2013 18:59:11 -0700

Not enough play and too much work makes for a cranky family - so we decided it’s time to introduce Family Fun Day Sunday.

We did two so far - nobody cried and nobody puked - and that counts as a win in my book.

Mix a grumpy, back-and-knee-pain-ridden father, a stressed-out-worry-about-everything mother, a teenage daughter and a genius-yet-super-sensitive pre-teen in the mix and there are usually tears and vomit involved - but not this time, people! We are making this count!

Our first outing went to Harmon Lake and along Kane Valley Road - here are some pics:

And then last Sunday we wanted to hike up to Windy Canyon - the parking lot is like a FIVE MINUTE drive from our house and we have not been there yet - but alas, we took the wrong way and never made it. We will try again, though - and it was still a nice walk:

In unrelated news, I think I may have won parenting today. My daughter is doing some photo-a-day-challenge and today’s topic was “someone who inspires you”. And she picked me! You can see the picture she took on my Auer Life Facebook page.

Also? Guess what - when I’m in my mom-cave working and I need a little break I chill out on my couch and this is my view:

Revelation: Life is Good.

It's a real book!

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:43:02 -0700

A couple of weeks ago my third book was published. It’s the second one I wrote for the German publisher Iwanowski and it’s called “101 Kanada Westen - Geheimtipps und Top Ziele”. It is a travel guide, but not a traditional one describing routes and “hard facts” - it highlights extraordinary experiences and the stories behind them.

Anyway - it was a lot of work to write it, but I loved every minute of it. Needless to say I’m pretty stoked about it and I carry one of my author’s copies around with me at all times…

And sometimes, when I show people, they say: “Wow, that is a *real* book”. You know, like they were expecting something home-made. Like when I tell them that I wrote a book, they think I sat down and started drawing something…

… and then I stapled it all together…

… and voilà, look at me, I wrote a book!

I know, right?

But it actually is a real book!

He he.

P.S. - If you have ever said this to me - don’t be offended by this post. I actually think it’s quite funny and I get a kick out of it. For realz.

Personal Revelation Revolution 2013 - April Round-Up. And Home Office.

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:33:11 -0700

I went offline for three weeks and got a lot of shit done! Well, I kinda went offline - since a lot of the work I do includes managing Social Media for clients I was there, but not really. Doesn’t make sense? That’s fine - let’s move on.

I read a fabulous book this month - Brene Brown’s “Daring Greatly”.

The book begins with Roosevelt’s quote - which explains the title, sets the tone for the book and summarizes it in a few words.

Show up and let yourself be seen. Dare to be uncomfortable and deal with it. Act with honesty and integrity and choose respect and accountability over “fast & easy”. Engage rather than disengage and act like the adult you want your children grow up to be. Distinguish shame from guilt and be all in.

The book talks about everyday life, leadership and parenting and I just could not put it down.

My favourite take-away from “parenting” : let the first look your kids see on you every time they walk into the room be one that lights up your face, like you are happy to see them (rather than the “pull up your pants” or “wash your hands” look). Wow.

In other news, we (and by that I mean 95% my husband) tackled a major reno in our house. We changed the laundry room, built a hallway and walk-in closet in the basement, moved our bedroom into the basement, painted our old bedroom and moved our son into that, painted his old room and made that my office, my mom-cave.

Sounds exhausting? It sure was. I don’t even know how my husband did all that. Maybe it’s because I’m so ridiculously good at delegating and keeping the big picture in mind - just sayin’.

You can see a few pics of my new digs on my Auer Life Facebook page.

And now? Onward and upward into May with renewed spirit, a new office and tons of ideas.

XO.

I’m going offline for the rest of the month! I got things...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 17:25:25 -0700

I’m going offline for the rest of the month!

I got things to do, places to be, books to read, meetings to attend, book releases to celebrate, a basement to renovate, an office to get!

Personal Revelation Revolution 2013 - March. And Vegas

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:58:27 -0700

After 10 days in Vegas and not writing for my blog I can’t even think of a decent opening sentence to this post and I didn’t even drink (much)…

Anyway - I made it through month 3 of my Personal Revelation Revolution and through our Vegas vacation and I actually learned a few things.

For the first few days of the month I stuck with my daily reading of “Simple Abundance” until I decided on March 8 (International Women’s Day) that I’ve had enough. It just got too painful. No, not the working-through-things and revelations, but the writing in that book. I am sure the author is a lovely woman, but her style of writing made me cringe. You know when you read a book and it’s pure pleasure and you are excited for every new chapter and the aha-moments just keep coming and you feel like you could totally discuss this with Oprah? Yeah - that book was just not like that for me.

It was time to move on and first I moved on to “Happier at Home” by Gretchen Rubin. I already loved the “Happiness Project” and I was not disappointed by the second book either.

I read about possessions vs. experience and pondered which one makes me happier. I like things simple and as long as I have enough office supplies I really prefer the experience over possessions. However, Rubin writes in her book that simplicity is not about quantity, but about quality - get rid of the stuff you don’t engage with and keep the stuff you actually use. While we were in Vegas we spent a lot of money on the experience as opposed to buying stuff and I’m very pleased with the result (and my office supplies are safe, because I engage with those all the time).

The best thing I have taken away from reading “Happier at Home” is one of her Secrets of Adulthood - You get more of what you have. So true. When I read this I just knew it is true and profound on so many levels and I really want to keep this little sentence in the back of my head. It’s almost like an Oprah moment.

Talking about Oprah - I watched Super Soul Sunday with Brene Brown about her book Daring Greatly and that was the next book I started reading (I’m about halfway through now). I can tell you that there are a lot of lessons that hit home for me and I will write more about it for the April PRR 2013 round-up.

If you read my last ippp post two weeks ago you know I was starting a self portrait project for the duration of our Vegas trip. I did some duckfaces and some other selfies and I’m pretty happy with the outcome. It was fun and liberating! All the pics are in albums of my Auer Life Facebook page and here are three more duckface pics and one selfie that I saved just for you (because you’re special).

Duckface goes to the Strip.

Duckfaces at the Hoover Dam.

Duckface and bugs at the Springs Preserve.

Waiting at Target while my kids are up to mischief. They said they just needed a few scenes for their Vegas video. I will probably get banned if I show up at that Target again…

That’s all, folks!

Self-Portrait Project 2013 - Duckface in Vegas

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:17:28 -0700

We’re on our way to Vegas and that means my 2013 Self-Portrait Project has begun.

For every day during our 11-day trip I will take one or two duckface pictures and some other selfies, whenever the mood strikes (no, not those kind - believe me, you could not handle it).

I’m excited about this!

And to celebrate I am writing this blog, sitting in the hotel room (our flight leaves tomorrow morning), having my favourite beer ever - Fat Tire - which is not available in Canada. So needless to say I am a happy camper right now - but see for yourself:

Of course I also want to show you my first duckface selfie, taken on the road to Bellingham. The whole family is in the first one. Taken on the Coquihalla Highway Summit.

Please hop over to my Facebook Page Auer Life, where I have two new albums - one for the duckfaces, one for the other selfies (and like my page while you’re at it, mkay?)

I’ll have another Fat Tire now, to celebrate.

Revelation: I’m usually really good about visiting everyone else on the link-up as well as everyone else who comments - please forgive me if I don’t for the next two weeks, because Vegas, baby!

I'm totally doing it

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:31:50 -0700

I am huge fan of Sarah’s self-portrait per day 2013 project.

I hate having my picture taken.

Then I saw the picture Sarah took of herself and her husband and I said to my husband that we should totally do that.

At first he said NO, so I practiced on my kids.

That’s us, reading. Marius is re-reading the Series of Unfortunate Events books, Pauline is devouring yet another YA novel and I’m reading Happier at Home (liked it just as much as the Happiness Project!).

Then my husband says: “We could totally do that. Let’s do one with my iphone and the duckface.” Because apparently making a duckface in the mirror and taking your picture with an iphone is the craze amongst teenagers (or maybe it was two years ago, but we’re a little slow with what’s trending sometimes).

So we did.

If this is not the latest trend anymore then we’re at least embarrassing our teenage daughter, so it’s a *win* either way.

Revelation: I like this so much that I am doing a self-portrait a day project for the 10 days we’ll be in Vegas. Also - check out the Harlem Shake video we did at work. My boss said that if we get a lot of views/shares he’s gonna throw us a party.

Old School Blogging

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:45:38 -0800

I came across a post by Elaine from The Miss Elaine-ous Life (how cool is that blog title anyway!) tonight and she has a link-up for some good old-fashioned Old School Blogging.

Not that I know what that would be like, because I have only been blogging for two years, but it sounds like fun and my husband is ignoring me and watching American Idol, so I’m in!

Everyone answers a series of questions and in the end we are all know more about each other and have been entertained - sounds good to me, here we go:

What were you doing 10 years ago?

My son was two years old at the time and I was a stay-at-home mom. The kid just would not sleep. Like ever. So basically I was a stay-at-home zombie, really. That’s all I remember.

What 5 things are on your to-do list?

get a haircut (me and the kids)

go to a community yard sale on Saturday where the kids will sell their junk

write a blog post for Friday night for a client

move our bedroom into the basement (build a closet first)

Vegas, baby (12 more sleeps!)

What are 5 snacks you enjoy?

macademia nuts

blackberries

tortilla chips and guacamole

granola bars (Dole Healthy Bites)

yogurt

Name some things you would do if you were a millionaire

build a library

have a house in a different location in the summer and winter

go back to college

go on a writer’s retreat

buy my husband a pick-up truck

Name some places you have lived

Nuremberg, Germany

Munich, Germany

Schwarzenbruck, Germany

Boulder, CO

Merritt, BC

Name some bad habits you have

Nagging

Judgemental

Eating too much

Impatience

drinking too much Diet Pepsi

Name some jobs you have had

Supervisor at Chick-Fil-A

Bakery Assistant in the bakery of the University of Colorado

Manager at a plumbing company

Consultant for small trades businesses

Writer

Revelation: I would love to connect to more people and make new friends on the internet.

Walk with me

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 19:05:00 -0800

How about you take a little walk with me today? Let’s walk to work. Don’t worry, it only takes 10 minutes.

When I leave my house I get a good view of Iron Mountain, which is still covered in snow and a good indication that this winter is not over yet…

They say not to plant anything outside until the snow is gone from the mountain - I’m pretty safe there because the only thing I plant outside is my butt into my recliner when it gets warmer.

Next up is the Sushi place, which has really good Sushi and seaweed salad, the rest of their stuff is Meh, but I like to get Sushi take-out there. Also - they have Teriyaki Wifi there, which is the best kind of Wifi.

Then, just around the corner is Spirit Square, which is a nice little place for concerts and stuff in the summer. Can’t really say anything negative about that, because I really think it turned out great.

When you’re standing at Spirit Square, you see the Coldwater Hotel on the other side of the street, just a little bit further down. It’s over 100 years old and pretty cool. Up until not very long ago they still had hitchin’ posts in front of the hotel and the cowboys would park their horses there when they went into the bar.

And now just one more block and we’re there. Home Hardware, where I work. One of the owners is a big supporter of the whole Country Music Capital of Canada thing that Merritt is supposed to be and we have all Country stars painted on the building. Alan Jackson takes quite a bit of abuse, he’s had one blackened tooth before and not too long ago someone drew a big dick right across his cheek and into his mouth. That was not funny at all. He he.

We actually sell a lot of cool stuff there, not just lumber and hardware and one of my favourite products is the Naked Bee stuff, it smells like Orange Blossom and I just love it.

See, that wasn’t so bad, right?

Revelation: My office is next to the men’s bathroom and some days the smell of shit mixed with Febreze really gets to me. Like today.

2013 Personal Revelation Revolution - February

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:36:22 -0800

I made it through the second month of my Personal Revelation Revolution!

I gave 2013 the theme of learning more about myself and - as Oprah puts it - living my best life. I committed to reading “Simple Abundance” by Sarah Ban Breathnach and pondering a way to live a more authentic life. And even though Sarah’s writing is a bit antiquated for my taste, I’ve been getting some great insights and lots to think about.

If I had to pick two words for my journey in February, it would be “listen” and “excavate”.

Listening to my instincts and finding a common thread in work, life and play. I think a common thread is important to not get overwhelmed and stay grounded. I have a lot of stuff going on in my life (as does everyone else, I’m sure) and I definitely have a tendency to feel burdened and trapped. Listening to my instincts and finding that common thread will help me stay more stable emotionally. By no means do I have this figured out, but I’m making progress!

As far as “excavate” goes - digging deep and trying to be authentic (by the way - I found a really good definition of authentic: it means being truthful with yourself. Isn’t that a great way to put it?) ties right in with the common thread. You have to find out what really matters to you and makes you happy to discover the common thread!

One of my favourite exercises this month for “excavating” was this (from “Simple Abundance”):

Imagine you’re moving into a completely empty house. Money is not an issue. What are the first 20 things that come to mind that this house absolutely would have to have (architecture, deco, features….) so you would feel at home and it would be uniquely yours? What do those 20 things mean to you?

I don’t think many of us are in the position to actually put this little exercise into action (because money probably is an issue) and neither can I, but I am determined to create a space for myself that is completely my own and a reflection of myself. When we get back from our Vegas vacation in April we will make some changes in our house and I will be getting my own room, which will be my office and a space that I can truly call my own! (Stay tuned!)

“One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time” Andre Gide

Wanna come over and like my Facebook page for Auer Life?

February in Tweets

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 06:44:50 -0800

Welcome back to my popular monthly feature - month in tweets!

Let’s see what February was all about, mkay?

Waiting at the doctor’s office. Bad music and lots of sickos. Reminds me of just another Saturday night when I was young.

February 1, 2013

“Mom, is seaweed something like dope for mermaids?” I don’t even know where to begin…

February 2, 2013

French Toast. It’s what’s for dinner.

February 5, 2013

I just love it when I come home from work and my kids are acting like a bunch of entitled jerks.

February 6, 2013

Yes, my day just started with “Mom, can you make me some waffles? Just don’t burn them this time.”

February 7, 2013

“Dad, there is an article in the paper about reconnecting with your spouse. No need to read that, because I heard you connect last night!”

February 8, 2013

I don’t think my daughter is taking math serious enough… twitter.com/kerstinauer/st…

February 10, 2013

Why yes, that is half-dried-up Hannah Montana sparkling gel in my hair. Thanks, son, for using up the whole effing tube of my gel.

February 18, 2013

Talking about the difference between white caulk and coloured caulk. Just another day at the hardware store.

February 20, 2013

Just thought I was having a stroke because it was all a blur and then I realized it’s just my daughter, talking teenager speed.

February 21, 2013

My husband just said the words I’ve been longing to hear: “You relax, I’ll clean up the kitchen.”

February 25, 2013

Talking about Social Media: I bet you don’t know I have a Facebook page for Auer Life, because otherwise you would have “liked” it already, right? Hop on over and do it now!

Three Hats

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:32:00 -0800

On Friday I got my business cards for my freelance contract with Echo Valley Ranch, which brings the number of different business cards I carry to three.

That’s crazy, say you? I think you may have a point there. When I think about it, it’s a lot like wearing three hats…

… and we can all agree that’s pretty ridiculous, right?

Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that I’m wearing three hats, at least you can’t see all that grey hair that’s starting to show up on my head.

Revelation: I’m nuts. Also, can you please come over and like my Auer Life Facebook Page?

Business Idea

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 21:20:38 -0800

Did I ever tell you guys about a business idea I had a while ago?

A little over a year ago my husband hurt himself at work and herniated two discs. He’s been fine and back to work for a while now, but the laying-on-the-couch-whenever-possible syndrome has been with him ever since - which is probably why I keep coming back to this fabulous idea!

My husband has a unique sense of humour - I like to call it “grunny” - he’s grouchy and funny at the same time, all whilst lying on the couch (is it lying or laying? I never know).

So - I was thinking about screwing some rollers on the bottom of the couch and renting him out for weddings, birthdays and other festivities.

You could just roll him into a corner and he could be the life of the party with his delightful comments.

It could go something like this:

Daughter: “F. and her family are going to Circus Circus in Las Vegas on her birthday.”

Husband: “They might as well come here, it’s a circus every single day.”

Son: “Do you think we’ll be in this house forever, or are we going to move someday?”

Husband: “You can move as soon as you want - why wait?”

Other parts of his repertoire includes a pretty good imitation of our 15-year-old daughter.

I think I may be onto something here. Watch for an announcement on “Grunny Escapades” coming soon - until then come and “like” my brand new Facebook page!

Revelation: I have two new favourite TV shows - Shark Tank and Dragon’s Den. Maybe I should pitch this idea to them.

Kaiserschmarrn

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:56:15 -0800

Due to my new flexible work schedule I have been stuck cooking way more often than I want to lately. It seems like I do the majority of the cooking during the week and it blows! Cooking is definitely not my thing and to alleviate the pain at least a little bit I have decided to pull out some German comfort food (which my husband doesn’t like, so it’s sandwiches for him those nights).

The type of comfort food I like is sweet and one of my favourites is Kaiserschmarrn. It’s actually an Austrian food and I can’t even begin to explain what it translates to, just trust me when I tell you it’s delicious.

It tastes like an incredibly fluffy crepe and it has raisins and you eat it with a compote of Italian plums. This is what it looks like:

I know, right?

This is how you make it:

3 eggs

2 cups of milk

1 teaspoon sugar

1 pinch of salt

12 oz. of flour

1/4 cup of sparkling mineral water

1/2 cup of raisins

3 tablespoons of butter

Separate the egg whites and yolks. Mix the yolks, milk, sugar and salt and beat really good with a whisk. Slowly add the flour while beating with the whisk. Add the raisins and sparkling water carefully with a spoon (do not whisk anymore).

Beat the egg whites with a mixer until they are stiff. Carefully fold into the batter.

Melt the butter in a large pan and add the mixture. Turn down the heat to medium low and let it cook until the bottom is starting to get crispy brown. (The top will likely still be liquid at that point and the whole thing is really a mess to make, but so worth it)

Try to break up and flip the whole thing and chop it into pieces with the spatula. Keep turning it until it’s cooked from all sides and there is no liquid batter anymore. (You’ll know it when you see it)

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with plum compote or applesauce.

Let me know when dinner is served.

Revelation: I have managed to make my husband feel bad about me having to cook during the week ;) He does all the cooking and cleaning on the weekends now, he he.

Shiny New Year

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:11:49 -0800

I’ve participated in JustWrite a few times now and I just love the idea behind it. Just start writing and focus on the moment. A great way to unwind and to practice my writing skills. I have written a lot of assignment stuff and there I really get to take my time and think about what I want to write, then write it and change it again and again - so this is a welcome change.

One thing I have thought about all day is that every time I seem to justwrite, I focus on serious and/or contemplative stuff. I have no idea why that is, but it probably has something to do with the whole “tone” my life has right now. Lots of changes, a little storm in the marriage, a major storm in parenting and it’s starting to wear me down.

What I really want to focus on is the positive, the accomplishments, the funny. I love writing funny stuff and after I went back to my submission for last week’s JustWrite where I wrote about writing and how much I love to write funny stuff I wondered why I can’t do it for JustWrite…

I don’t have the answer for it, but I feel that focusing on the positive and funny in every aspect of my writing and my whole life will help me turn things around.

My ex-husband lives in Las Vegas and my daughter (his daughter) talks to him via Skype every Sunday morning. There is always lots of laughter coming from her room when she skypes and she gets along really well with her step-mom and step-siblings. They tell her about all the fun stuff they do in Vegas (which is way more glamourous than our Canadian redneck town and that seems to have a magical appeal to my teenager) and when she’s done skyping she usually shares it with the rest of us.

Today they talked about the Chinese New Year festivities in Vegas and when my daughter said it, it sounded like “shiny new year” to me. Of course I know she said Chinese, but I kept laughing about shiny. She did not think it was funny at all because she felt I was laughing at her, but of course I knew that she said Chinese instead of shiny.

Shiny stayed with us all day and made everything better. We joked about it while we took a nice long walk together, over lunch and in the afternoon. In the end my sensitive teenager thought it was funny as well. I really admire that about her - her ability to see everything in a positive light, even if it takes a little while sometimes.

It’s definitely time to concentrate on the fun.

Revelation: my girl definitely does not have a problem laughing at herself. She recently watched the new Bond movie and called him 0.7 afterwards, instead of 007. After getting a good laugh at that one, she decided to make a little movie trailer about it…

Photo

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:10:48 -0800

Playdate Excuses

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 19:21:00 -0800

I read a thread on Facebook a while ago about whether it is better to lie or to be honest when declining a play-date invitation. Like when the mother of a kid that your kid can’t stand asks if he can come over and you know it’s just not going to happen because the other kid is a sociopath in the making.

I threw in my two cents and did not really follow the conversation after that, but I think the majority was actually in favour of the little white lie. My opinion was that it’s better to tell the truth - in this situation or any other - and I was surprised that so many mothers did not feel the same way…

(Now just for the record - even though I have been told that I’m a tactless and blunt German bitch, I would not use the words “sociopath in the making”, but I have declined play-dates with the explanation that my kid does not want to come over and that kids at that age just change friends and explore new people all the time and that I support that)

For some reason I kept thinking about this Facebook conversation and because I really want to help all those other mothers out, I came up with a few excellent pro-active untruths to discourage play-dates.

1. Before we set a day I feel like I should let you know that we don’t wear any clothes around the house. It is an ancient way of connecting with the natural spirit.

2. Well I actually won’t be at home that day, but little Johnny can come over anyway - I’m sure my neighbor Bob won’t mind watching the boys. He just got out of prison and is looking for ways to make a few bucks.

3. Yes, Saturday will be great! We have something special planned - is little Johnny alright with drinking fresh chicken blood?

4. That sounds like a great idea. I’m glad you don’t believe those rumours about my husband. None of it was ever proven anyway.

5. I’m glad my son is finally starting to have a social life. Just make sure that little Johnny gets a rabies shot before he comes over.

You’re welcome.

Current status: my daughter is at work, my son is planning an expedition to Thessaloniki, Greece and is asking me 1000 questions about the Museum of Byzantine History, my husband is singing Rammstein as loud as he possibly can and I’m wondering what the hell I did wrong.

Award Season

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 11:56:44 -0800

It’s award season - so I’m told - and the fabulous Farrah from The Three Under nominated me for a Liebster Award.

Of course I know what “liebster” means, it’s German for sweetest, favourite, bestest ever…

Thank you, Farrah!

This whole thing comes with a whole whack of rules and being the rebel that I am, I’m bending them (if that disqualifies me, I’m still not giving back this award, just sayin’). One of the most valuable things I learned in college was “always question authority” and I’m gonna have to stick with that.

The official rules are:

- Nominees should post 11 random facts about themselves (I can do that, I like talking about myself)

- Answer the questions the nominator has sent and create questions for the people I nominate (no problem here either)

- Nominate 11 bloggers who have less than 200 followers and tell them about it (alright, this is where the problem starts. I have no idea who has how many followers - unless you’re talking Twitter followers - heck, I don’t even know how many people even read my blog. Also, I think I’m just gonna stick with nominating 6. Not that I’m lazy or anything, but 6 is just a much better number)

- no tag backs (I can live with that as well, ‘cause I’m not lazy, yo)

11 Random Facts about myself

1. I’ll take the mountains over the ocean any day.

2. I cannot watch scary movies and there is a lot that qualifies as scary for me. The Walking Dead? No fucking way!

3. One of my favourite movies ever is “Harold and Maude” and my husband doesn’t get that at all.

4. I am spiritual, but definitely not religious.

5. Boulder, Colorado is my “liebster” place in the whole wide world.

6. Perfection used to be my curse, but I walked away from it.

7. I don’t like traveling to countries I don’t know the language of. It makes me very uncomfortable to not understand what people are saying. (I’m good anywhere where German, English, French and Italian and Spanish are spoken. I used to know a bit of Russian, but that was a while ago…).

8. I am a certified plumber and know how to weld.

9. I love road trips - alone.

10. The sound of my kids repeatedly slamming doors drives me up the wall within 3 seconds.

11. I want to be a writer for Saturday Night Life.

My responses to Farrah’s questions:

1. Sweet or Savory? Savory - I love bacon

2. Summer or Winter? Spring and Fall

3. Most irrational fear? Zombies

4. A flaw you have accepted in yourself: not beating myself up about flaws

5. The last book you read: The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

6. How many hours of sleep you got last night: 7

7. The drink you order in a restaurant: Diet Pepsi

8. Cat, dog or fish? Black Panther (I have no desire for a pet)

9. What would be the opening line of your eulogy? Ding Dong the witch is dead

10. What actor/actress would play your life story in a Lifetime mini series? Ellen DeGeneres

And the nominees are…

(I enjoy reading the blogs and tweets of the people I nominate very much. And I want them to answer my questions, he he - but hey, if you don’t want to - no hard feelings!)

Joanna @ Joanna Ciolek

Peggy @ My Family Bliss

Colleen @ The Family Pants

Kimberly @ The G is Silent

Cindy @ The Reedster Speaks

Michelle @ The Journey

So there.

My questions, should you choose to accept this mission

1. Number one on your bucket list:

2. What did you want to be when you grown up?

3. Favourite TV show:

4. If you were a stripper, what would be your name?

5. Hot or Cold?

6. The best James Bond:

7. Twitter or Facebook?

8. Ocean or Mountains?

9. The last thing you ate:

10. Romance or Action?

11. What makes you happy?

Thanks again, Farrah! xo

Revelation: I was excited and reluctant at the same time about this award. Of course I loved getting the award, but I don’t want to bother anyone with having to do this (which of course means I’m secretly afraid of rejection). Word.