Inspiring Blog Award!!!!!!

Thursday night, I received a notification on WordPress that was the silver lining in a not-so-awesome week .  Kavi from Kavi360  nominated my blog for the Inspiring Blog Award!! This was just what I needed to put a smile on my face and a little pep in my step. I had just been thinking too, about how many people actually read my blog, despite my pouring my heart into it. I know it’s not the quantity but the quality of the readers and followers I have and it’s nice to have some recognition especially from a blogger whom I respect, follow and whose blog is inspiring to me as well! Per the instructions for the Inspiring Blog Award:

• Display the award image on your blog.
• Link back to the person who nominated you.
• State 7 things about yourself.
• Nominate 15 other bloggers and link to their sites.
• Notify the bloggers that they have been nominated and link to the post.

7 things about myself:

1. One of my biggest goals is to travel to every continent because I have always been fascinated with other cultures and places and people since I was very young and I believe that there is so much to learn from others, especially those who seem vastly different from yourself.

2. I am the first one in my immediate family to have graduated from a four-year university and I consider this one of my greatest and most prideful accomplishments.

3. I have saved a life – A friend of mine had so much to drink that she poisoned herself and lost consciousness on the street in a not so great area of San Francisco. I was alone with her and had no cell phone on me. I tried to ensure that she was breathing and that her airways were clear while attempting to yell for help. Finally someone stopped and called the ambulance where she was rushed to the hospital and had her stomach pumped. They said that had she not had me there to ensure that she got help, she most likely would have died. This was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life.

4. I appreciate the art of slow travel ever since I took a whirlwind tour of western Europe on my first big trip abroad when I was 18. It made me realize that travel isn’t about how many tourist sites you can fit into your trip, but seeing the actual city, getting to know locals, eating where they do, intentionally getting lost to find places and things that aren’t in the guidebooks, but could be more important than that monument to a military general.

5. I have lived in Argentina and I hope to live in another country someday for at least a year. There is so much that you learn about yourself from getting outside your comfort zone, seeing the world and learning to adapt to change.

6. I would rather spend all my money on travel than on material possessions for travel will always stay with you and cannot be taken away from you.

7. I am of about 10% of the population who is left handed.

The following is a list of 15 blogs which have inspired me (in no particular order) ***

1. Adventurous Andrea – this is a blog of a young woman in Europe and her thoughts on life and traveling. She’s extremely positive, healthy and yes, adventurous 🙂

2. I am an Afterschool Special – I HIGHLY admire how willing this blogger is to divulge personal experiences and emotions. She has a hilarious and witty outlook on many things

3.In Pursuit of more – I love the healthy recipes and healthy outlook on life from this blogger!

4. Third Eye Mom – I think one of the reasons I enjoy this blog so much is because she reminds me of my own mother – teaching her children to be open to other cultures and the value of giving back to those who are less fortunate

5. Bucket List Publications – Lesley Carter has made a living from her adventures around the world. How awesome is that??

6. Spend your days – I love this blog because it’s really about living life to the fullest and embraces the idea that travel does not have to be bank-breaking like many think

7.  Everything Everywhere – this man is who I want to be when I grow up! (well not a man, but you know) He’s been traveling non-stop since 2007, been to 100 plus countries and every continent!

8. Wandering Flower –  I like this blog because it isn’t JUST about where she has been (though she’s been to some sweet places!) it’s about her thoughts, reactions and feelings about these places as well!

9.  When City Meets Jungle – I enjoy reading about the author pushing herself with the unfamiliar, opposite and downright scary sometimes (reptiles can be pretty scary!) and still retaining an open mind.

10. Rise and Roam – this is another example of a blogger who gets that travel is more than checking off items on a bucket list – it’s about the experiences and memories you make

11. Ciapannaphoto – I love how this blogger tells stories with his photos of the lesser seen aspects of well-known cities. I love taking “random” photos even in my hometown, and really enjoy Ciapannaphoto’s galleries

12. Trading Places – I enjoy this blog because Shelly attempts to add meaning and purpose to her travels through volunteering and rasing awareness about issues affecting the areas she travels to.

13. ¡BIBA ESPAÑA! – I love the Splang Saturdays part of this blog the best. There are so many phrases and slang in the Spanish language which is part of the reason I am in love with the language and all its dialects

14. Paving the Road Back – Although this is not a travel blog (yes, I have other interests! 😉 I really admire the extremely important work that Psychiatrist Rod Deaton does. I come from a military family and my degrees are Criminal Justice and Psychology, so his work is right up my alley! Thank you for what you do for those who have served the United States!

15. Lies Our Parents told us – Again, not a travel blog, but I feel this blogger is intelligent and chooses very interesting subjects to write about

This list was extremely difficult and time consuming to put together as I have many blogs that I enjoy and inspire me.

***I chose not to put in some of the ones that I feel already have a lot of traffic to their sites. Though their blogs are inspiring, I like helping out the “underdogs” if you will 🙂

16 Dec This entry was published on December 16, 2012 at 11:36. It’s filed under Lists, Reflections and tagged Argentina, award, blog, córdoba argentina, culture, Europe, inspiring, Musings, off the beaten path, Personal, Spirituality, Thoughts, travel. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.