I got an award, y’all!
This comes courtesy of my friend Elizabeth Flora Ross, who writes at The Writer Revived AND is the founder of The Mom Pledge Blog. She’s an awesome writer and a wonderful mother to her darling four-year-old, and I admire her very much.
So I was honored and excited to receive this award, which comes with fun questions I get to answer!
1. Why do you blog?
This is a two-parter. Part one is why I started blogging. And, as I’ve explained before, I began this blog when I lost my job as a columnist for The East Tennessee Catholic, the newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville, for which I had been writing for several years about life issues. I gave my blog the same name as my column, and expanded my focus a bit. I had tried blogging a couple of times before but couldn’t figure out what to say. This time things clicked.
Now for part two. I continue to blog because I have things to say, and writing is the best way for me to express them. I love writing my blog more than anything, and I wish that I had become a blogger during a different phase of my life when I would have had more time to devote to it,
2. What do you see as the top benefit to blogging?
It increases my reach. Color me conceited, but I do think I have a few beneficial insights that I have always wanted to share with the world. Now I have a wider audience for my rants. 🙂 I see my blogging (not every post but some of them) as an extension of the ministry I was engaged in with my column. I like to educate and to inform others about issues that I believe are important.
3. What has been your biggest blogging challenge?
Unlike my first blogging efforts, I am never at a loss for words these days. TIME is what I don’t have enough of. I have several pages listing potential blog posts. But even though I am blessed to be able to write extremely quickly and without second-guessing myself with much editing, it probably takes an hour to write each post, do all the links, and promote it in various places so it will be seen. That’s an hour I just don’t have most days.
4. Your greatest blogging accomplishment?
5. What are you most proud of overall in your life?
My daughter suggests I should say my children. And of course
I am proud of them. But the more I parent (
especially teenagers!) the less I am convinced that I have the right to take credit for their successes. I really don’t feel like I know what I am doing most of the time.
I can say for sure, though, that one of my
proudest achievements was the vaginal delivery, after three C-sections, of my fourth child, who weighed 13 lbs. 5 oz. I’m proud of that not only because the physical achievement of my body but for all the work I did beforehand to prepare, studying and learning and advocating for myself so that I would not be pushed into yet another surgery. Pretty much anyone besides my extremely supportive husband–including my doctor–would have said that it was impossible but they were all wrong and maybe a few of them learned something.
6. Name one thing you hope to accomplish in the next year.
I would like to take better care of myself this year. I have had a gym membership for a few months now and have only managed to attend the orientation session. I’m fat, and would like to be less fat. I’m getting to the age where I can no longer assume that I will continue to have the excellent health I have always enjoyed without making some positive changes.
7. My best qualities are _________________.
8. I wish I was more ________________.
Holy.
9. If you could live anywhere, where would you choose and why?
This is an easy one. Knoxville, Tennessee. My hometown and
my favorite place in the entire world. (And yes, I have spent time elsewhere–four years in college in D.C. and one year after in Alexandria, Virginia.) Knoxville is a beautiful town with lots of things to do and it’s full of friendly folks. Most of my family has been in East Tennessee for over 200 years so maybe that’s why I feel so strongly attached to this place. It’s home.
10. Where do you live now?
See above. 🙂 I’m currently located in West Knox County and one of these days I will blog about the neighborhood, which is not the sort of place I ever expected to end up.
*************
Now here is the catch that comes with the award! There are rules to follow, y’all! See below:
Include the Award Logo in your blog post
OK, did that!
Link to the person who nominated you
That’s covered.
Answer 10 questions about yourself
No problem there!
Nominate 10 bloggers and give them 10 questions to answer
ACK! That’s the hard part, because Elizabeth and I travel in some of the same circles and she has already snagged some of my favorites. So, let me think . . .
Back to Allen
A Day in the Life
My So-Called Sensory Life
Life’s Dewlaps
The Family Pants
The Eyedancers
Parenting Is Funny
Korinthia’s Quiet Corner
Allison Carmen
And now I will invent questions for them to answer!
1. How did you choose the name for your blog?
2. What kind of writing did you do in your pre-blogging life?
3. How do you define blogging in YOUR life? A job, a vocation, a hobby?
4. Provide a link to your favorite blog post.
5. Provide a link to the post you think is the most popular.
6. What was your very first job and what did you learn from that experience?
7. Does your family read your blog and if so does this affect what you say or how you say it?
8. Have you made virtual friends because of blogging?
9. What is your dream job?
10. What do you do to take care of yourself?
I’m looking forward to learning more about y’all! And thank you again, Elizabeth–I am honored that you thought of me and I enjoyed answering the questions (even though it took me forever–see above biggest blogging challenge!
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I’m not sure which I love more – your answers to my questions or the ones you came up with. Great stuff! One thing I love about you Leslie is that you always make me think. And you offer your beliefs and opinions with such dignity and grace. Now, I shall enjoy being introduced to some new bloggers. While we do follow many of the same ones, I see some new names on your list…
Thank you, Elizabeth. And I want you to know that I have learned a lot from you. Whenever I am tempted to rant a little harder than I should I think about the Mom Pledge and try harder to be kind and respectful while still making my points.
This is a great post! And thanks so much for nominating me.:)–Mike
Looking forward to learning more about you!
i cant wait to answer! thanks for nominating me
🙂
Thank you! Honored!
🙂