The Sunflower Blogger Award

I have been tagged by Melanie (at Christian Bookshelf Reviews). Thank you, Melanie - I am honored to be chosen!!!

The rules:

1. Share 11 facts about yourself
2. Answer the 11 questions the previous blogger asked
3. Tag 11 bloggers and ask them 11 new questions

11 Facts about myself:

1. I love to read (obviously!)
2. I'm getting married on September 13, 2014
3. We're going to the Dominican Republic for our honeymoon
4. I went on my very first mission trip this year to Belize. I loved every minute of it!
5. I actually love my job. I work on a phone desk for Wells Fargo.
6. Popcorn is one of my favorite dinners ever
7. I have a TON of pictures everywhere. They are plastered all over my cube at work, my walls at home, and my fridge.
8. I have a fierce respect for our service men and women. I don't like people disrespecting those who give their time and lives for our freedom. (See why on my About Me page).
9. I love McDonald's Coke. It is the best Coke in the entire world.
10. I try to do most of my blogging on my free time at work. I know when I get home, it won't get done because I'm on a computer all day.
11. Most important: I am a child of God. I couldn't imagine my life without my Savior.

My answers to Melanie's Questions:

1. What's the last book you bought? I actually just purchased Swept Away and Fired Up by Mary Connealy
2. What's the last movie you watched? I watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower over the weekend. It was a great movie!
3. What's your all-time favorite book cover? That is a tough question. I am drawn to books by their covers. I don't know if I have a favorite!
4. What's your favorite summer activity, besides reading? ;) Cooking out with family and friends.
5. What is one of the worst/most-boring movies you've seen? The most boring movie I have ever seen is True Grit. I just did not enjoy that movie one bit.
6. If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would you choose? Somewhere tropical. I love the water, sun, and sand!
7. Sneakers or sandals? Sandals! I actually prefer no shoes at all.
8. The beach or the pool? the beach, for sure!
9. What's the last book that made you cry or laugh-out-loud? I cried reading Through The Deep Waters by Kim Vogel Sawyer and laughed out loud reading Talk of The Town by Lisa Wingate
10. What's your favorite candle scent? Vanilla - by far. It's a classic, timeless scent.
11. Do you have a favorite B&W movie? I don't know that I've actually watched a black and white movie.

I'm tagging:

Jennifer ~ WordSmith 

Lis Ann ~ The Indigo Quill 

Kate ~ Too Read or Not Too Read 

Linda ~ Mocha with Linda 

Brooke ~ i blog 4 books 

Aizess ~ Christian Book Review Blog

Amber ~ For the love of books

Michelle ~ I Hope You Dance

Kristie ~ Moments

Sue W ~ Thoughts from Mill Street

Heart2Heart ~ Reviews From The Heart

(no pressure! you don't have to participate if you don't want to)

My Questions: 

1. Where is your favorite place to read?
2. What are you looking forward to doing this summer?
3. Do you prefer e-books or paperback/hardback books?
4. If you could meet one historical person, who would it be?
5. You are on a desert island. You can have wish for three things. What would they be?
6. Who is your favorite fictional character of all time?
7. What is the greatest lesson you have learned from reading a fiction book?
8. Do you love your job?
9. What is your favorite quote?
10. Do you like to buy new books or are you ok with used?
11. What have you learned about yourself lately?

I've been nominated for the Liebster Award!

This is the first time I've ever been nominated for a blogging award, and I can't tell you how honored I am! I never, in a million years, thought my humble little blog would attract so much attention! Thank you, Miranda at To Be A Person for nominating me for this award!

There are a few rules to be followed upon accepting this award and they include:
- Link back the blogger that tagged you.
- Nominate ten others and answer the questions of the one who tagged you.
- Ask ten questions for the bloggers you nominate.
- Let your nominees know of their awards and tag backs.

Without much further ado, here are the answers to the questions I was asked:

1. If you had to choose one author to have a face-to-face chat with, who would it be and why? This is such a hard question! There are so many great authors out there, but I think I would have to choose Colleen Coble or Tracie Peterson because their books are some of the first Christian books I read that really sparked my interest in reading.

2. Describe your ideal leisure day. My ideal leisure day would be one where I could read for most of the day and spend the evening with my fiance, friends, and family.

3. If you were offered any vacation spot in the world free of charge, where would you go? Well, I would say Hawaii but I've been there (4 times!). I think I would like to go to Germany. I've always wanted to see the remains of the Berlin Wall.

4. What day would you say was the happiest in your life? This is also a hard question! I have experienced so many happy days in my life, but I think the happiest day of my life was the day I accepted Jesus as my Savior. I haven't been the same since! :)

5. If you were asked to pick one book you believe should be adapted into a movie, which would it be? Oh boy! This is a tough one! There are so many books I've read that I would LOVE to see as a movie. Picking one that a movie would do justice to is hard! I think I'll go with... Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.

6. Describe your ideal Christmas, or any other holiday. My ideal holiday in general is one spent relaxing with my family and friends! I love spending time with my sister and her twin babies, my cousins and their families, and my fiance's family, along with all of my friends!

7. Which book (or movie) have you read that you wish you wrote? I don't really have an answer to this question. I am in no way, shape, or form a writer. I don't think I could write a book any better than the authors do. As for movies, there are some that I would like to re-write to make it better fit the book! Twilight comes to mind...

8. What good cause do you believe God has laid upon your heart to impact positively ( if it is not personal)? It's not a cause really. Through tragedy, God has brought many people into my life. I have the unique opportunity to witness to those people through the way I live my life. They know I'm not perfect, but they know in whom I believe, and that gives me the "power" to impact their lives in a positive way.

9. Coffee or tea—what’s your preference? Coffee! I'm definitely not a hot tea drinker.

10. Name one blogger that inspires you. One of the first blogs I ever came across was Melanie's blog, Christian Bookshelf Reviews. She has been such a great help to me while I worked to build my blog, followers, and refine my reviews. (Thanks Melanie!)

My nominations:

Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Thoughts on Books
Backing Books
Christian Book Review Blog
Too Read or Not Too Read
The Indigo Quill
Billie's Pink Reviews!
For the love of books
Seasons of Humility
The Power of Words...

My Questions:
1. Who is your favorite author and why?
2. What made you want to become a blogger?
3. What is your favorite book and why?
4. What would be your ideal vacation spot?
5. If you  had to choose, what would you do: Read or Write?
6. What is your favorite spot to read?
7. Which blogger has been your biggest inspiration?
8. If you could choose any person in the world to spend the day with, who would it be?
9. What are your other hobbies (besides reading)?
10. What inspires you daily?

I hope you all had as much fun as I did answering these questions and I can't wait to read the answers from the other bloggers!