The Liebster Award Tag!

Hello to all my wonderful readers <3! I have missed blogging the past couple of weeks, but life has been full! I went to visit my Mom's family for a week, and Noah turned two last week, Josiah turns four tomorrow, and Resurrection is coming (I hope each of you have a wonderful time with your families remembering the beautiful, sinless, sacrificial death, burial and resurrection of the one Lord and Savior!). I am here today, though, to fill out the Liebster Tag I was awarded with not once, not twice, but THREE times in a week right before I went upstate!!! This award has been going around... I don't even know how long. I am pretty sure it's been a thing since before I started blogging over eleven years ago, but I can't find anything about it's origins (except that Liebster is a German word), so I can't prove it. I have wanted to do this tag almost ever time I have seen it making another resurgence, but hadn't ever been nominated before... but when it rains, it pours ;)! So here I am (finally -Tori saw me copying the questions and was like, "Oo!", I think she was giving up hope) to do a three in one tag! Thank you ladies :)!!!

THE RULES

1. Acknowledge the blog(s) that gave it to you and display the award: Little Bit of Sunshine, Forever Persuaded, and The Book Wyrm!

2.. Answer the 11 questions that the blogger gives you.

3. Give 11 random facts about yourself.

4. Nominate 11 blogs.

5. Notify those blogs of their nomination.

6. Give them 11 questions to answer.

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These questions are the ones given to me by Maddy from Little Bit of Sunshine. Most of you should know Maddy, because we did a giveaway for my Etsy shop together last August :)! Maddy is so sweet, and I thought it was neat that she tagged me - last December, she did an "open" tag and I asked if I could fill it out, and I think she remembered that :). Thanks, girl! 

1. EXTROVERT OR INTROVERT?
Hello there, I am Bri, and on the MBTI personality quiz, I test as an ESFJ-T, or an Extroverted Sensory Feeling Judge with Turbulent leanings. Very heavy on the Feeling and Turbulence side of things. The only issue with this? My brother Andrew got the same thing. He answered the questions MORE introverted than I did, and yet came out MORE extroverted than I am, and let's just say, we are nowhere close to the same sort of person, and so my faith in the accuracy of this test took quite a blow at that time, hahaha! But for all practical answering purposes, ESFJ(T) is my personality.

2. FAVORITE MOVIE ACTOR/ACTRESS?
Hmmm. Interesting question. I feel like a lot of people follow all these actors, and know everything about them, and watch some movies just because so-and-so is in it, while I am over here, Tori is saying "So-and-so is in this movie", and I am like, "Who is that?" And she has to tell me who else so-and-so plays, before I realize that I have seen five movies with this so-and-so in it, haha. I really don't have a favorite. The ones I do actually know, I don't prefer over any others I know. If it counts, Tori and I talk about Harrison Ford most often, because every time he lets his personality come out (which is a lot, he can't mask it) we get a glimpse of Josiah's future as an old man. Harrison Ford flies planes and seems to make a joke of looking down on the world. Josiah has already told us he wants to fly a plane when he grows up "so he can look down on the world". It just fits.

3. SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU EXTREMELY HAPPY? 
Something?! Somethings...  Bible journaling, and productive early mornings, and relaxed late nights, and spending time with people I love, and words that are so encouraging you don't know how to respond.

4. COKE OR PEPSI?
I guess Pepsi... but if I am going to drink a soda, it's almost sure to be a root beer.

5. IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE FOR A MONTH WHERE WOULD IT BE?
If I could live anywhere for a month, it would not be far from home, and it would not be alone or with strangers. I just spent a week away from home, and I loved being with my Grandparents and Aunts, but I missed my family and just being home, too. I would have to have a good reason to be gone that long, and it would have to be somewhere I knew what to expect. So really my only options are with my grandparents or staying with some friends in VA, haha!

6. HAVE YOU EVER VISITED A PLACE OUTSIDE OF THE USA?
No, I have not. But I would love to visit Scotland/Ireland area sometime (it's so beautiful!).

7. FAVORITE SONG EVER?
No. Not this question. I can answer either/or questions, or yes/no questions, and sometimes even what do you think questions. But I can.not. answer favorite questions. And favorite ever?! That's worse!!!
I have now sat here for 4 minutes trying to think of a maybe answer, and I now give up. Sorry.

8. HOW MANY SIBLINGS DO YOU HAVE?
I have 13 younger siblings, but four are waiting for us at the feet of Jesus, so until that joyful reunion in heaven, I have 4 sisters and 4 brothers here... and Baby Bear, who will either create a tie or pull the girls further ahead. What do y'all think?!

9. IF YOU COULD EAT LUNCH WITH ANYONE, WHO WOULD IT BE?
I am assuming this question was designed to find out what celebrity I would like to glean wisdom from, ha, but if you know me, you know that's not how I work. I would go out to lunch with my mom, my aunt, or my friend Katie.... and since I get to go out with my mom frequently and Aunt Tessa and I just went out, I guess next up is Katie, but since she lives 6 hours away, that's kind of unlikely ;).

10. DO YOU LIKE BLUEGRASS MUSIC?
I have listened to one Bluegrass music CD, the Maxwell family's. I like that CD! But I don't know if that gives me license to answer for the whole genre.

11. HAVE YOU EVER MET SOMEBODY FAMOUS? 
Famous to whom? I have met the Maxwell family, the Mally sisters, Pastor Voddie Baucham, Ken Ham... and the Huzinger family, who are not actually famous at all, but they adopted a little girl from Pleven and it was literally the neatest thing ever when we ran into them, because I had prayed and raised money for little Penny, and to just randomly meet her <3? I enjoyed that encounter more than the "famous" people, though it was fun to talk to those influential christians, as well!

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These questions came from Abby from "Forever Persuaded". Abby has apparently been lurking on my blog for a while ;), but I just "met" her this month when she let me know that she tagged me :)! So that was fun. Thank you again, Abby :)!!!

1. What was your favorite childhood book, and why? 

Hmmmm.... well. I grew up reading "The Hiding Place", "Little House on the Prairie", "Anne of Green Gables" and some of Louisa May Alcott's books yearly. I loved each of these stories! But the only one I still read yearly is "An Old-Fashioned Girl", so I suppose that would be the one to answer this question with. There is just something about the perspective of this book that I love to read and re-experiance, even if it does have a silly love triangle in it... haha :).

2. What was your favorite childhood Bible story?
Outside of the gospels, the book of the bible I read most growing up was the book of Ruth. It was a really beautiful story, but I didn't realize it's true worth until years later. Ruth is the Proverbs 31 woman if you ask me, and the fact that she was a gentile, "grafted in", is neat for us reading it today, grafted into the spiritual family tree ourselves, don't you think? I have considered doing a series on the book of Ruth in the past, but I haven't yet... I don't know if I will. But it's at the back of my mind ;).

3. Which parent are you more like, and what are your similarities to them?
Both? I feel like I am a very good mix of my parents in every respect, looks and personality. In fact, my Grandma and I were talking about this just last week. She said she thought I looked like Mama, and I told her, well, I look most like my siblings who *obviously* take after Mama's side, but even though I look most like those siblings, I don't feel like I look anymore like Mama than Daddy... I don't look like either of them, even though I look enough like them for you to say I look like either of them. It's kind of the same thing with my personality. I think my dad thinks I take after him, but I am a good mix (Josiah is the one that truly takes after him, haha!). Mama and I think a lot alike and are both very traditionally minded and emotionally invested, while Daddy and I have a lot of the same get-at-it-and-then-don't-stop-until-it's-done tendencies (Mama has a bit of that too, but hasn't taken it to such an extreme, haha), and our family all teases us for always being the last two to the car on Sunday, haha :).

4. What pair of shoes do you most frequently wear?
It's getting warmer here in SC, so that means that I am going to live in sandals, probably either my brown open heeled or my white leather, until November, depending on my outfit. BUT, for the past four months, I lived in my brown boots, because I love them! (Daddy didn't, though... They made us closer to the same height ;).)

5.  What was the last song you listened to?
*blinks* Good question. Oh! A Resurrection hymn melody that a friend shared on FB. But I honestly cannot think what before that, so I am glad I listened to that, haha!

6. You’re handed two tickets: One to Disneyland, and one for a round trip to Rome. Which one do you pick, and why?
Ummm... ha. Neither. Honestly. I have no desire to go either place. But if I was forced to pick one, I would pick the Disneyland one, not because I want to go to Disneyland, because, let's face it, Disneyland sounds just like the fair except 1. without craft and animal shows, which is really all I care about at the fair, though I enjoy one ride on the faris wheel and some funnel cake, and 2. more putting yourself out there, because I am told the characters come up to shake your hand all the time. It doesn't sound fun. So why would I pick that ticket? For the following reasons... 1. It's closer to home, meaning it would be a shorter time away, hahaha, and 2. my best friend lives about 30 minutes away from it, and would most assuredly meet up with me ;). Ignoring Disneyland to talk to her wouldn't be a bad way to work out the situation, as long as I didn't have to ride the rides, haha. A friend told me they were usually terrifying.

7. If you could travel back in time, what top three events would you witness?
Huh, I never thought of this question before. Probably one of Jesus' sermons, one of the life events of Paul, and the landing of the pilgrims in America. It would be so neat to witness all of these events that are so important to us as Christians in America!

8. CDs or records?
CDs... it's kind of silly to think about starting a record collection with no record player ;).

9. If you’ve seen/read them, Anne of Green Gables movies or books?
"Anne's House of Dreams" and "Rainbow Valley" are my favorite parts of anything involving Anne, so I guess the books... but I feel like I enjoy the first two movies from the mini-series equally well as the books. The third mini series, though... I've only seen that once. That was terrible. If you are considering watching it and love the books, you might want to pretend it's not an Anne story.

10. Wall calendar or pocket planner or neither?
Hahaha! Neither. Because, I have a great big binder that I keep a stack of papers in as my planner, haha! I should just start a bullet journal, but, there is so much to get hung up on keeping one...

11. What is your favorite TV show?
When Calls the Heart. (Tori is probably rolling her eyes right now that I am bringing up this show again, but you asked!) I am behind right now, so no spoilers. Unlike Google, who gave me a recommended article that even just the title + snippet shared on the home page gave away the biggest spoiler of the season right away. *glares at Google* But can I just say, I hate when they take the best character and give them the best story line and then just ruin it all later?

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And these last questions come from Tori from "The Book Wyrm". Who is Tori? I'm not sure.
Hahaha, just kidding, just kidding. Tori is my oldest-younger sister, and she's the queen of puns, a wonderfully humorous blogg(hopp)er, and musical artist :)!

1. What is your favorite time period for fiction books to be set in?
The 1800's. I love that time period, as mentioned in my last facts about me post, and it definitely carries over into books :).

2. Fictional movies, or movies based off a real person?
Hmmmmm, this is hard. See, it really depends on what SORT of movie it is. And... I just like a good movie, I don't usually care how the story came to be, haha. I am going to say that I like movies *done well* and based off a real person best, but that usually a movie has a better chance of being done better if it is fiction but based off of real life. If that makes sense?

3. Favorite preacher/pastor? (e.g., Charles Spurgon, R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur.)
Well, I have to say Charles Spurgeon. I love to read his writings, he can pack so much truth into one quote! His writing is always a refreshing reminder to focus on the Lord. I have to give a bit of credit to our VA Pastor, as well, though. There is a lot about that church I miss!

4. Least favorite movie character?
I thought this was movie actor at first, and I was going to refuse to answer, because Tori knows my harsh feelings on this answer, and it would be rude to share them here, hahahah! But since it's movie *character*, I guess I can answer...
Hmmm.
OKAY, THERE IS ONE. I am thinking of one in particular that I always say I hate it whenever the character comes on the screen. But now I am drawing a blank.
I hate the king of Alice in Wonderland, if that counts. But that is no fault of his own at all, I promise. So I don't feel that is fair.
...whatever.

5. What do you think about Van Gogh's paintings? (Just curious, I've heard differing opinions about them.)
Honestly, they seem messy and boxy all at the same time, and they do not speak to me at all. I don't want to say he was a bad artist, but his technique was definitely not my style ;).

6. On a similar note, do you feel like Charles Dicken's works are intriguing or dry?
I have only ever read "A Christmas Carol", but I love it! So I want to say they are intriguing, but I guess time will tell ;).

7. Favorite language? (Even if you don't understand a word of it.) I honestly find listening to spanish fascinating, but one of the elders of our church showed us an India bible last year and I fell in love with the lettering. That was gorgeous... if they do all their writing like that, I am jealous, haha! But despite those facts, I am learning Swahili ;).

8. Are you able eat white meat or grapes without inspecting them thoroughly first?
Never, never, never. And if you can, are you even human? I can't eat strawberries or clementines without inspection either. Or mozerella cheese. Or turkey.
I inspect my food a lot.

9. Dream job?
My goal is to be an in-home assistant to families with special needs children! I am going to have to get some experience before I can jump into that, though, and I don't plan on working after having children, so we'll see if that comes about. It's what I am working towards as my job goal, though :).

10. Favorite name?
I don't have just one. I used to read the baby name book by the hour, haha! All names are fascinating to me. One that I absolutely love is Adelina, but I don't know that I would ever use it... it might feel out of place with my other favorites. We'll see!

11. Thing you're best at? (Or maybe thing people tell you you're best at, even though you think you're better at something else.) (And it has to be something NICE.)
*starts to write five different things* *is stopped by that "NICE" each and every time* Oops.
Well. I was once told I was "the mom friend", and I took it as one of the nicest compliments I ever got. Does that count as a thing I can be good at, being the mom friend? Because that's pretty much who I am, though I lose that ability under stress.

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Now, for 11 facts about me! Random. Facts. I am done with those, people. I can't think of anymore, hahaha. Soooooo, I am just going to give you regular ol' facts, facts that will be useful to new readers who drop by thanks to this tag. It sounds like the best plan to me ;). 

1. I am saved, redeemed, and honored to be the daughter of the only true King, who bled and died to take away my sins. This is the greatest gift and title I could ever have bestowed on me!

2. At 20, I am the oldest of my wonderful parents' 5 girls, 4 boys, baby on the way, and 4 babies in heaven.

3. I was homeschooled all of my school years! This was another wonderful blessing that I do not take lightly. 

4. I run an Etsy shop (that is currently majorly under some potential redesign, so it's kind of empty right now, haha). But I am still excepting custom orders! Just saying ;). 

5.  I have a heart for special needs adoption, and volunteer at special needs respites.

6. I love Mondays, the first day of the month, to-do lists, and even deadlines (though the deadlines can also stress me out). They are all great motivation!

7. I have been blogging for over 11 years, and my blog has taken many different paths since I started, but I think I am really growing into what my blog is meant to be, lately, and I am grateful for each of you joining me on the journey :). 

8. If I were asked to send someone a link to my blog for them to get to know me a bit better, I probably wouldn't send them to my "about me" page. The posts I feel best share my heart and who I am are these; "While I was a Sinner", written a few years ago as I was going through a dry season of my life, and this one, a little more recent and part of my unofficial series on my year's word, Rest; "Beautiful, Messy, Dependent." But you can feel free to check out my about me page, too ;).
9. I am an animal person, love being outside, believe that the darker the chocolate is the better, cannot give up writing, love to curl up with little ones and read books or listen to music, will try my hand at any craft project that you throw at me (but some only once... *cough cough* origami (actually, even that I did 4 times, and hated it every time.)), and will talk your head off for hours once we get really started. 

10. My favorite book of the bible is Romans, and I love to sit down to a bible study and bible journaling!

11. I guess I should note that I am quite the procrastinator... since that is literally why I am working on this post right now... ha.

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And now, I would like to nominate...

1. Hosanna from Having a Heart Like His. This is literally my new favorite blog, y'all. The way Hosanna writes about the things she writes about... <3. 

2. Molly from A Ramble Through the Woods. Molly's blog is adorable! I mean, it's inspired by a line from Anne of Green Gables, it was bound to have a whimsy feel.

3. Alyssa from Here is Love. Not only a blogger friend, this sweet girl is a real-life friend <3!

4. Ashley from Precious Moments. Ashley is a blogger friend turned real life friend :)! I love how I have been able to create friendships through this insignificant blog!

5. Julia from The Barefoot Gal. I'd still read Julia's blog if all she ever posted was monthly recaps. 'Nuff said. 

6. Micaiah from Notebooks and Novels. Micaiah has a cute little blog, and I love hearing about her family!

7. Katie from A Writer's Faith. Usually, I'm not interested in blogs that are about nothing but writing projects, I don't know why. But I have loved Katie's since I found it, so she must be a good blogger, right ;)?

8. Elizabeth Anne from Elizabeth Anne. So much honesty dealt out with truth, here. I love this blog.

9. Grace from Totally Graced. Grace is awesome. Even though I know nothing about theater, even her posts about that interest me. 

10. Hannah from Letters to Myself. When I first found Hannah's blog, there was a post about confidence coming from the Lord that felt like it was written for me. It really encouraged me, so obviously I stuck around.

11. Brianna from No End Of Books. Brianna was my 25th blog follower earlier this year, which was neat, and so I wanted to include her in my nominations! (I promise I didn't bribe her to become that 25th follower with this, I just thought it would be fun as I was typing this out ;).)

If anyone else wants to do this as well, feel free to snag my questions and pretend I am the one who nominated you, too :)!

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And now, for your questions to answer! 

1. What is a quote that you really love?

2. What is a favorite/most vivid childhood memory?

3. What is one thing God has been taking you through/teaching you this year?

4. How did your blog start, and where do you hope to see it in the future?

5. What is the longest you have lived in one place? 

6. Do you see yourself as an optimist, pessimist, realist, or opportunist? 

7. What is your typical go-to when you try a new restaurant?

8. Do you re-read books? If so, which have you re-read most?

9. If you could go back in time, what would you tell yourself five years ago?
10. What is your favorite part of your every day routine?
11. How do you do your devotions (by a schedule, with a study guide, is scripture memorization part of that daily time, etc.)?

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This. Took. Hours. Hahaha! 33 questions is quite a lot to answer ;). Now it's time to make cinnamon rolls for Josiah's birthday, clean the house, and work on some crocheting, since I have gotten the project I was using to procrastinate out of the way ;). Ha. But this was a lot of fun, too! I hope you all enjoy <3!

Rejoicing in Hope, 

Bri