Sunshine Award

Good morning all. And wow, it's really December already! It's exciting and slightly nerve-wrecking because so much is happening this month - my birthday is just around the corner, then helping Rafa get ready to move us to a new place, saying goodbye to him,  flying to good old Cali for holiday madness, catching up with family and friends, etc. etc. Doesn't the end of the year always end with a bang? This year feels especially like that.

So, awhile back I was nominated for the Sunshine Award by the lovely Nicole over at Letters from Nicole! I'm so glad she tagged me to participate, thanks Nicole! So here's a whole lot of things about me:

11 Random Facts: 

1. I really love avocados. So delicious in so many ways :)

2. Street art mesmerizes me. {see my Graffiti in Granada post}

3. One day I am going to write a children's book!

4. I am terribly torn between simplicity and excessivity (new word!). I love the feeling of purging things and not having much of anything. But at the same time, I like having little trinkets and art supplies, books. It´s all about balance for me...

5.  One of my favorite hobbies is jewelry-making. I love designing and creating something with my hands.

6. I wear skirts more than pants. They're just so comfortable and feminine!

7. My middle name is Margaret - I was named after both my grandmas (it's their middle name too).

8. I was my own wedding designer {some of my wedding DIYs}

9. In 2011, I posted  a Rock Wrapping video and it seems to have a lot of attention in the YouTube world. 

10. I married my Peruvian sweetie this year.

11. I often smile or laugh to/at myself.

11 Questions from Nicole:

1. What is one thing that defined your childhood?
Rolly-pollies, butterfly catching, and playing in the plants.

2. What is the last book you've read?

The Language of Flowers - this is such a wonderful book! It's about a woman who grew up in foster care and learned to communicate through the meanings of flowers. 

3. What is your favorite holiday and why? 

I love all of the fall/winter holidays. It's just a cozy time of year to be together with friends and family. Plus, pumpkins and peppermint!

4. Which fictional character would you love to meet? 

Hmmm...The Little Prince :)

5. What was your favorite activity in gym class? 

Probably playing volleyball and learning different kinds of dances.

6. Would you rather vacation in Hawaii or Alaska and why?

Oh! I'd say Alaska because I've never been there and would love to experience the desolate whiteness that I imagine. After I experience it once I'd choose Hawaii - I love it's tropical weather/plants and the relaxed lifestyle.

7. What would your perfect day consist of?

Taking a hike up to a beautiful lake with friends. Also, cooking a nice meal with my husband and watching an interesting film.

8. What was your first job?
My first job was when I was probably in 8th grade. I started babysitting and tutoring younger kids.

9. Gold or silver?
Silver. I like gold sometimes but not as jewelry - for some reason it seems tacky to me. 

10. Do you collect anything?
Why, yes! I love collecting jars! And I also started a little tea pot collection a few years back.

11. What's your zodiac sign? Do you 'believe' in it?

I'm a Sagittarius. I definitely believe that it can help to understand people and relationships.

Last year in the paradise of Hawaii! 

Bloggers I'm Tagging:

Anna @ Eat, See, Do.

Laura @ The Pink Herbivore

Bri @ Pocket Full of Pollies

Angela @ The Clutter Box

Claire @ Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Diane @ The Sweet Catastrophe Blog

Megan @ Neither Here Nor There

Jamie @ Ink + Adventure
Any- and everyone else who'd like to join in!

11 Questions.

1. What is one thing you couldn't live without?

2. What's one thing you LOVE about yourself?

3. If you could learn any skill or hobby, what would it be?

4. Where is your 'happy place'?

5. Favorite kids book:

6. A quotation:

7. Piece of advice to a younger you:

8. What song/artist is currently playing?

9. Favorite thing about winter:

10. What's something you aspire to do one day?

11. Where would you like to travel to?

Here are the rules to participate:

Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you

Share 11 random facts about yourself

Answer 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you

List 11 bloggers

Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate and let them know they have been nominated

Well, I hope you enjoyed learning about me. What's a fun/weird fact about you??

I'm tagged! 6 Things About Me

Hi there folks, here we are again at the end of the week! Fridays are great, aren't they:) ? I've been tagged by my lady friend Leia at Latitude Adjustment with 6 get-to know-you questions (thanks for the tag Leia)! If you're just tuning in, check out a few more posts about me here, here, and here. 

1. What is your favorite animal and why?
I'm such a big animal-lover! Every species is so intricate and unique its hard to choose just one that's my favorite...BUT I'm going to go with the butterfly. I feel like it's pretty applicable to my personality. These little creatures start as a chrysalis, then form an egg, hatch as a caterpillar, and live as a butterfly until death. Pretty amazing the life changes it goes through, isn't it? I tend to go through changes and adapt my world from time to time. It helps me keep a fresh perspective. Fun fact: Butterflies use chemo-receptors on their feet to taste!

{source}

2. If you could travel to one place in the world, where would it be?
Like Leia, I've got a handful(or maybe 8) of places on my to-go list. At the top of it are several Asian countries, but Taiwan in particular. I choose Taiwan because I have a good friend who is Taiwanese and tells me about it all the time. I really hope to travel with her there one of these days :) AND definitely for the food...I mean, just look!!

{source}

3. What is your favorite thing about yourself (or quality you like in others if you don't wanna talk about yourself)?
Listening is a very admirable quality in my opinion. It's very humble and shows compassion. There's really an art to listening and it can be very therapeutic. It's such a compliment when I'm told that I'm a good listener :)

4. What did you want to be when you grew up and what do you do now?
As a kid I wanted to be a lot of things. I was inspired by animals, nature, music. I remember using my little chalkboard and teaching all my stuffed animals. I really liked the word flow and remember 'teaching' how to say it, what it meant, and using it in a sentence. It's still a word I like. I have been teaching many years now (swimming, tutoring, English, even math - which is not my thing). Currently I teach English with business professionals and young children. I would love to learn yoga and really teach about 'flow' :)

Practicing letters with the littlest munchkins. Cusco, Peru.

5. What is the LAST concert you went to?
Oh, gee it's been too long! The last time visiting California, we went out for a friend's birthday and saw a pair of really great local Americana folk bands. The night was danced away so hard!! I'd love to see some good live music soon!

6. What is something not a lot of people would know about you?
I was adopted. It's a funny thing that doesn't up come often for the most-part, not because it's something I avoid or am not open to talking about. It's a complex thing to explain the feeling that goes along with it and everyone's experience and story is so different. I'll be posting on this in the future for sure. Anyway, I'm proud that this is a part of who I am. I love my parents and brother so much. 

6 bloggers I'm tagging:

* Nicole @ Letters from Nicole

* Kerry @ Till Then, Smile Often

* Meghan @ Neither Here Nor There

* Laura @ The Pink Herbivore

* Elizabeth @ Army Ever After

* Noami @ girldust


Choose 6 questions you'd like:
What is your favorite animal and why?
Would you prefer a city break or a sun, sea, and sand vacation?
If you could travel to one place in the world, where would it be?
How many countries have you traveled to?  How many of the 50 states?
What is your favorite thing about yourself (or quality you like in others if you don't wanna talk about yourself)?
What is the best advice someone has ever given you? 
What did you want to be when you grew up and what do you do now?
What is a pet peeve of yours? 
What is the LAST concert you went to?
What is something not a lot of people would know about you?