Stacie at Snaps and Bits nominated me for a blogger award! Yay and thank you, SnB.

I love Blog Awards mostly because I love the random questions and things you have to answer– it’s fun to have a blog prompt.

Here are the Rules:

• Tell us 11 random things about yourself. Answer the questions that the person who tagged you asks. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag.
• Tag 11 blogs and link them to your post.
• Contact them and let them know they have been tagged.

So first– 11 Random Things about Me

1) I won a watermelon eating contest at the state fair when I was 12.

2) The smell and taste of blue cheese makes me want to throw up.

3) I played soccer throughout my childhood and teens. The smell of grass at the park on a Saturday morning makes me so nostalgic and want to run out and kick the ball around with all the little kids.

4) A few years ago, I spent 4 days river rafting through the Grand Canyon with my dad. It was an amazing trip that I will never forget.

5) I used to work in politics and raise money and throw fundraisers for big politicians. I also have a teaching credential and student taught Kindergarten (love!) and third grade….but never officially worked as a teacher. I’m not that old, but def would say I have had a variety of career experiences.

6) In third and fourth grades, I was so picky that every single day, the only breakfast I would eat was a rice cracker with peanut butter and raisins. My mom would spell messages in the raisins like “Hi” or a smiley face.

7) The zoo used to be my pro-bono client at a consulting firm, so at least twice a month I’d take people (clients, people who worked in city hall, etc) behind the scenes at the zoo. I never thought I’d get sick of holding a koala on my shoulders, feeding hippos, seeing the bears up close, or feeding a banana to a giraffe…….but I did (though now I’m not….and would love to do it again!)

8) That being said, I still have a really hard time going to the zoo or the circus because I feel really bad for the animals in captivity. I know they are treated well (in most cases)….and a lot of the zoo animals are rescues…..but still, they live their lives in such small areas and I can’t help thinking they’d be so much happier in the wild. Makes me sad.

9) My sister lives only 7 blocks from me (another SF neighborhood), yet I see her less than I did when she lived in LA. It’s just because we have opposite, busy schedules, but I know there will be a time when we live far apart again and wish we saw each other more when we lived this close.

10) I have a really, really low alcohol tolerance….one glass of wine gives me a buzz….and booze of any kind usually makes me feel really yucky and hung over (even a little amount), so I tend not to drink too much (unless it’s socially).

11) I’ve never been on pintrest, tweeted, or used instagram. So strange, right?! No idea why not, probably just because it’s one more thing to keep up with. I also use a computer from 2006 (but it’s a MacBook and they are amazing)

random photo from hawaii last december…wishing i was there now

Snaps and Bits’ Questions:

What is your biggest pet peeve? Flaky people (like who say they’ll be somewhere and then cancel at the last minute with no good reason). SF seems to breed a lot of these.

What is your biggest blogger pet peeve? Hmmmm…blurry photos, but I’m guilty sometimes too.

Coke or pepsi? Neither, I gave it up a while ago….but will say Diet Coke (and i still have one on very rare occasions)

What is the number one item on your bucket list? Travel more. Have a family. Buy a house.

Do you like surprise parties? I don’t like to be the one being surprised at all, but I like going to other people’s surprise parties.

What is the oddest thing in your handbag or wallet right now? A bra. Don’t ask.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? When I was 2, a firefighter. When I was a little older, I wanted to be a teacher. And then later on, I wanted to be an investigative journalist.

What are you afraid of that actually shouldn’t scare you? Heights. Just thinking about sky diving makes my heart beat faster. I also don’t like driving over bridges much lately….ever since that bridge collapsed in Minnesota. I know my chances of anything happening are 1 to like 2billion, but still….

Are you on Instagram yet? If not, why the heck not? No, and no idea why not. I’ve downloaded instagram to my phone but never made an account.

What’s your favorite animal? Dogs.

What’s your favorite hobby (blogging doesn’t count)? Hiking. My dog (does that count?). Baking (so relaxing). and Writing (for fun).

another hawaii photo….

And now for MY questions:

1) If you had 2 weeks and unlimited funds……where would you vacation?
2) If _____ is on the menu at a restaurant, I always order it
3) I never leave home without____________
4) What’s a skill/hobby you want to learn?
5) What’s a food you’ll never eat?
6) What magazine do you read every single month?
7) What’s something you’ve learned about yourself from blogging?
8) Best blogging advice?
9) Guilty pleasure?
10) What advice would you give to your 15 year old self?
11) Are you introverted or extroverted?

And now, tagging Bloggers….I like so many blogs and I never know who actually likes being tagged or not, so I tagged just a few…..and no hard feelings at all if you don’t want to participate….all up to you!

These are in no particular order:

Cinnamon @ Eat Pray Tri
Helen @ Helen Naturally
Sara @ Less Serious Life
Yellow Haired Girl
Jennifer Sue @ Luv what you do
Michelle @ The Lively Kitchen
Min @ Savor the Rainbow
Sunnie @ Modern Girl Nutrition
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables
Laura @ Sprint to the Table
Sarah Beth @ Health Craved

Oh and if I didn’t tag you, let me know if you like being tagged!

And for everyone else…..

–Answer some of the questions above!
–Or tell me something random about yourself