Adventures, Awards, and Allegories

Adventures

I’ve been a bit disconnected from my computer these past few weeks. This has been an awesome time to spend with my family and my friend who is visiting from Mexico via Japan. We visited Puncak for a few days and were able to relax and just have a nice time with the boys. We were able to visit Taman Safari for a second time and Joshua was so happy to be part of the ride.

I’m on full-on party planning mode for Joshua’s First Birthday and I am working on every detail to make his day special. So far I’ve finally decided on a theme and I’m working on making stuff happen while planning on hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for 15 people next week. I did rebel and put out all of my Christmas decorations since I decided I didn’t have enough Thanksgiving stuff to make the apartment festive enough. Overall, I’m just grateful for family and friends and I’m just taking it slowly and juicing every moment I spend with the boys and the hubby.

Awards

A nice surprise this past week was that I had to honor to be nominated to two awards these past two weeks. I love writing about our crazy adventures and was very excited to find these nominations.

The first is the Expats Blog Award for 2012. I totally didn’t expect it and I just found out it will be decided in late December and a Gold, Silver and Bronze award will be granted for each country. One of the judging criteria will be based on reviews left on my listing on their website. I’m terrible at this but if you guys like Stumble Abroad it would be awesome if you could leave a comment on the listing here.

The second award was a very sweet surprise nomination to the Liebster Blog Award by an amazing fellow blogger Becca from the Dabblist. A Liebster (a German word for favorite) is a blogger-to-blogger award for blogs with less than 200 followers.

The rules of the award are the following:

1. I have to tell 11 things about me.
2. Answer the 11 questions that Becca asked
3. Ask 11 questions to 11 bloggers that I nominate.

So here we go,

11 Things About Me

1. I have lived in 8 different countries in the past 12 years. Mexico, Canada, USA, France, Belgium, Germany, Thailand and Indonesia.
2. I met my husband white-water-rafting.
3. I love baking but hate washing the dishes afterwards.
4. I’m a closet scrapbooker.
5. I’ve always dreamed of learning to dance tango, when I took classes, I decided that dream was just not for me.
6. I love having a crammed busy schedule. I color-code each activity on my calendar depending if it’s for me, for Evan, Josh, both kids and a holiday.
7. I could live on Thai sticky rice with mango.
8. I’m half Nicaraguan (my mom was born there) but haven’t visited Nicaragua yet!
9. I buy post-its every time I see a cute set I don’t already own.
10. I often go OCD and get rid of half the stuff in my closet and regret it the next week.
11. I love the Disney Channel Shows and are sooo glad to have an excuse to watch them.

Becca’s Questions to the Nominees

1.     Last meal on earth – what are you having?

Pumpkin Green Apple Soup and a big chocolate brownie.

2.     If you had to teach something, what would you teach?

Geopolitics

3.     What is your favorite animal?

I love penguins. They are so cute and funny

4.     What makes you smile?

Seeing my two little boys smile.

5.     What are you grateful for most today?

My family.

6.     What is your favorite thing about yourself?

My restlessness.

7.     If you could live in any other country, which one would it be?

What a good questions. I don’t even know where I would like to live right now. If I could live in Paris, then France. Otherwise, maybe the USA? Argentina has always been high in the list.

8.     Who is your celebrity crush?

Changes every few months. Lately, Joseph-Gordon Levitt. Although I’ve liked him since he did Angels in the Outfield haha.

 9.     What is your guilty pleasure?

Greys Anatomy…..

10.  What does your happy place look like?

Any European garden during the first weeks of Spring will do.

 11.  What do you want less of in your life?

Impatience.

11 Nominees.

These all probably have over 200 followers but it’s a fun activity anyway.

1.Can o’Deana

2.Chuzai Living

3. ToddleJoy

4. Unconnected Dots

5. La Vie Overseas

6.Hot Pot

7. Scoops of Joy

8. Wanderlustress

9. Handy Mommy by Ariel

10. Midnight Visitor

11. Le cul entre les deux chaises

11 Questions to the Nominees

Everyone, please don’t feel compelled to answer the questions. I know how busy life can get. If you have some extra time, go ahead and have some fun!

1. Last movie you watched at the Movie Theater?
2. Who do you relate to the most? Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte or Samantha?
3. Coffee or Tea?
4. If you could choose your nationality what would it be?
5. Favorite TV Show?
6. Would you rather go to a beach or hiking?
7. Are you a morning person or a late nighter?
8. What’s your favorite Starbucks drink?
9. If you could only take 5 things on your suitcase the next time you travel what would they be?
10. Little Black Dress or Little Bright Dress?
11. Favorite Author.

Allegories

I’m still working on that part but I promise I will get back to you soon! For now I leave you with one of the few pics I have of the four of us that my hubby was able to save from my drowned computer .