das ist sehr gute.

Liebster: a German word that means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

I want to be all of those things.

Bonnie at Paperkeeper believes that The Usual Bliss IS all of those things! She generously nominated this blog for the Liebster award.  Bonnie’s blog is entertaining, particularly her recent interview series; she’s been road-tripping to meet other bloggers! How fun is that?! She also has an Etsy shop with a organizational product I could really use- take a look. Thank you so much for the nomination, Bonnie!

As I was writing this post, I received another nomination for the Liebster award from Amber at The Smile Scavenger! I love this blog because it’s all about finding something to smile about, every day. Her tagline is “On the hunt for happiness.” And aren’t we all? Thank you, Amber, for including me in your list of nominees!

Two nominations from two fabulous bloggers. How do you say “AWESOME!” in German?

These nominations have rules. I’m asked to display the award, thank the nominator, answer some questions about myself, and nominate other blogs I find deserving. Thankfully, these nominations were both accompanied by questions (I’m not good at coming up with them myself). Since I don’t want you to fall asleep on your keyboard, I’ll only answer a handful from each.

Favorite book? What did you learn from that book? I love to read. My first ‘adult’ book was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I learned that reading is an adventure and that words can evoke deep emotion. It remains my favorite read!

If you get nervous when you talk to someone, what do you do? I blush a lot. And I’m aware that it’s happening, which makes me blush even more! I also smile and laugh a lot, even when things aren’t really funny.

What do you do in your spare time? I love to read, spend time with Cholula, experiment with new recipes, travel, camp, explore… and do all of that with my hubby-to-be. And then I like to blog about it.

Give a goal you would like to achieve within the next year.  I’ve got a lot of goals listed on my Life List, but one I’d like to focus on this year is starting a family. It’s time!

If you were to go back in time, what would you tell the 20 year old you? Treat yourself with love and respect, and treat others that way, too.  Don’t stress about small things, or the big future things- they’ll figure themselves out. Do stuff, be brave, have fun, take photos, make memories, and enjoy the ride.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Every time I visit a new, fun place, I think: I want to live here.  It’s not that I’m not content where I live, but there are just so many cool places in the world! I try to remember that some people might feel that way about where I live, too. I know I could be happy anywhere, as long as I’m with my future hubby.

What is your favorite blog post that you’ve written? I think my favorite one is still The Other Woman, one of my first posts. It’s about John cheating on me…with a musical instrument.

If you were going to call something your personal “Golden Rule”, what would it be? I’m a huge fan of the original: Treat others how you want to be treated.

What is your go-to comfort food? It’s comfort food season! I wrote about some of my favorite foods once. I think a big serving of my Mom’s baked macaroni and cheese or a really good risotto are on the top of my “yum” list.

What is the one thing with which you struggle? Maintaining perspective- the big picture. I also can be super lazy sometimes.

What is your favorite place or travel destination? Probably somewhere I haven’t been yet! I did adore Tulum. I’d like to go back there.

If you could have a superpower, which would you want? This one is easy. I’d want to fly. Wonder Woman’s Rope of Truth was pretty cool, but sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

I’d like to pass on the Liebster Award to The Kate Keeper, The Sand in California, Katie: Normal Girl, Just My Peanuts, and The Best Life. Share the love, friends!