My dear, dear friends.  There comes a time in every blogger’s life when they must sit down with their readers and have a good ole’ heart to heart talk.

I like to think I’m pretty open here on the blog, in fact sometimes I feel like I share a wee bit too much.   So imagine my surprise when one of my absolute favorite bloggers, Pamela from Something Wagging This Way Comes, asked if I’d be interested in the Liebster Award. 

Are you a follower of Pamela’s?  Pamela is smart, level-headed and has a wonderful way of seeing both sides to every situation.  She’s raised an amazing dog, Honey and is currently prepping to sell everything she has and live on  a boat.  So if you’re not a  S’wagger (a term of endearment she uses to refer to her devoted readers) don’t waste any time, as soon as you finish reading this post, head on over an introduce yourself.  

For those of you unfamiliar with the Liebster award (Liebster means dearest in German) this award is bestowed to a blogger from a fellow blogger with rules stating you must answer ten questions and pass the award on to ten more bloggers.

The twist to this award is, the bestowing blogge gets to ask THEIR questions.  So first I want to thank Pamela for passing this award on to me, and after I answer her nosey interesting questions, I will pass it on to some of the blogs that are dearest to me.

1. What three personal traits are you most proud of?

• I’m honest, I’d like to think it’s to a fault because I won’t tell you something that isn’t true.  Don’t ask me if the dress makes your ass look big, because I will tell you. 
• Loyal.  Yup, I’m the girl you want to have your back in a fight.  I don’t like confrontations or fighting but when it’s my only choice, I’m both barrels in. 
• Persistent. I don’t give up easily.  It might look like it, but I’m just regrouping and coming up with an alternate plan.

2. Why did you start blogging?

About nine years ago I wrote a children’s book about Sampson.  I went to a library presentation with a literary agent and she suggested developing an online presence so when a book was published people would be interested in purchasing it.  Sampson’s a good (boring dog) so I ended up writing mostly about the crazy one.

3. Why do you continue to blog?

I love the connections I’ve made with so many of my readers and fellow bloggers. And It’s damn addicting. I. Just. Can’t. Stop.

4. What does your dream life look like?

I would live on a large piece of land, with a small house, with lots of woods and trails.  I would work from home, hopefully writing books.  I would spend time with my dogs and the people I love.  I would have money to help animals or animal lovers in need.

5. What prevents you from living your dream life?

Me.  I don’t know how to get out of my own way.

6. How do you feel when your blogging is going well?

When I’m really on a roll it makes want to work harder, but when I’m in a slump, sometimes I have all I can do to put up a post.

7. Who makes you feel like your best self?

My support group makes me feel like my best self.  They are an amazing group of women who lift me up and support me.  If you don’t have friends that lift you up and support you, you need new friends.

8. Which bloggers most inspire you?

There are many, oh so many.  If you write a blog post, you’ve inspired me!  Narrowing it down though….Jodi Chick from Kol’s Notes.  Seriously, it’s like there’s three of her, she accomplishes SO much.  Amy from Go Pet Friendly.  She sold her house and travels in an RV with her husband and dogs and makes a living doing it! Mary Hone from Tales from the Backroad, she lives life on her terms, in and in an RV!  And of course Pamela who in my humble opinion could really broker world peace.  On top of that, she’s planning on selling her house and transitioning to a sail boat!

9. When did you do something that took real courage?

I got up this morning.  Just kidding.  I don’t think of myself as courageous, the men and women in our armed forces are courageous. People who are fighting the war on diseases, poverty and animal rescue are courageous.

10. What three things give you the greatest joy?

My family, my dogs and my friends.

And now I get to ask 10 questions and ask 10 of my dearest bloggers to accept the award and answer the questions.

1. How long have you been blogging?
2. Have your reasons for blogging changed since you first started blogging?
3. Is your blog for fun or are you looking for something more?  If the latter what?
4. How do you judge how well your blogging is going?
5. What do you like to do when you aren’t blogging?
6. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
7. If you could talk to any one person, living or dead, who would it be?
8. What is your favorite meal?
9. How do you define success in your life?
10. What accomplishment are you most proud of?

And now for my nominees.  I hereby bestow the Leibster Award to:

2 Brown Dawgs – I love hearing about Thunder, Storm and Freighter’s hunting and hunt test adventures, and learning a bit in the process. Linda is also extremely knowledgeable about many dog illnesses, she’s usually one of my first ‘go to’ people.

FRANKly and ERNESTly Speaking– These two dogs crack me up.  Frankie has been around Blogville for as long as I can remember, in fact I think he was the very first Mayor of Blogville.  Ernie came along a few years ago, but he fits right in and he can keep up with Frankie and that’s saying something.

Life at Golden Pines– I’ve been following the Golden Pines crew for a number of years.  The crew may change as crews are prone to do, but the love, the love never changes and the door at Golden Pines is always open for a dog in need.

My GBGV Life– Emma and her two sisters Katie and Bailie have a grand time in Minnesota with they Mom.  Whether they’re doing scent work or hunting down Snoopy statues, there’s always something that makes me smile.

Peaceful Dog–The picture of Fozzie in the header of Peaceful Dog is what first drew me in.  Kirsten’s free spirit and love of animals keeps me going back.  

Retro Rover–I love a woman who knows who she is and this lady sure does.  She is not afraid to embrace the era she loves and is comfortable sharing this on her blog.  Plus she has dogs with names like Weasley and Norbert and how can this Harry Potter fan not love that?

Sand Spring Chesapeakes–The Sand Spring gang consists of two humans, JoAnn and John, three chessies, Nellie, Gambler and Glory and one little Marsh Kitty (MK.) JoAnn is an avid hunter and trains her dogs for hunting trips.  Between hunting tests, hunting trips, dog shows and Gambler’s antics, there’s always something entertaining going on.

Talking Dogs at For Love of a Dog–First things first.  The talking dogs are Jeffie, Rudy and Rosie (Lil’ Akita,) Sue (the human) makes the most fantastic pet jewelry. She’s an incredible advocate for humane treatment of all animals, specifically farm animals and the eradication of puppy mills.

The Poodle (and Dog) Blog–Jan is awesome at finding stories about dogs in the news.  Whether she’s sharing the latest dog exploit with “she who must not be named” or sharing the sad plight of Chihuahuas in California, Jan shares it all with humor and grace.

Wag ‘N Woof Pets– The beagles Kobi and Sheba first drew me in, and goofy Luke keeps me coming back.  How Jan and her husband managed four dogs is beyond me, as I have my hands full with two.  I’m not sure if Jan’s ever had labradors before, but she’s finding out now exactly how fun they are.

So Pamela, I apologize for taking so long to get this up and I thank you again for passing the Liebster award on to me.