Liebster Award Nomination- Say WHAT?!

Hey y’all! You are NOT going to believe this- So I got on to check out my blog right before bed last night (ya’ know, gotta check that follower count!) and I see I have a comment on one of my posts. Well, I know it may seem funny to some of you more experienced bloggers, I was just GIDDY to have my first comment- haha! However, I was not prepared for what I was about to read. Sweet girl Emily, over at Style Closet to Classroom has nominated me for the Liebster Award! This award is given to recognize new blogs and welcome them to the blogging community! The word "Liebster" is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant valued, cute endearing, and welcome. How amazingly-awesome is that?! I feel so incredibly honored and excited for this opportunity and I cannot thank Miss Emily enough for nominating me! 

To accept this award I must:

1. Link back to the blog that nominated me

2. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers

3. Answer the questions posted for you by your nominator

4. Share 11 random facts about yourself

5. Create 11 questions for your nominees

6. Contact your nominees and let them know you nominated them

Thank you Emily so much! It’s hard to put into words what this nomination means to me and I know that we will be great bloggy-friends. :) If you’ve never checked out Emily’s blog- you need to go over and take a look around. She combines fashion, teaching, and style all in one place! WOWZAS! So head on over to Style Closet to Classroom for a great blogging experience! Thanks girl for the nomination!

Here my answers to Miss Emily's questions:

1. How long have you been teaching?

~This will be my first year as a teacher. I have interned in many different classrooms for the past 2 years, but it is definitely not the same as having your OWN classroom, I’m sure!

2. What technology do you use in your classroom?

~I love using the SmartBoard and my iPad. During my final internship, we were loaned an iPad to use in the classroom as a research project. It was so fantastic and I was able to incorporate it into many different areas of the curriculum. I cannot wait to use it in my own classroom now! I’m a tech junkie, so the more technology- the better!

3. If you could go on a dream vacation where would you go?

~ Right now- my dream vacation would be somewhere up in the most beautiful mountains that exist. There is just nothing like waking up to the smell of mountain air! I remember going to the Blue Ridge Mountains as a teen with my family and never wanting to come home! So gorgeous!

4. How many items do you have on TpT or TN?

~ Right now I have 6 items on TpT and many more in the works! I just started about a week ago, so I’m off to a good start!

5. What is one piece of clothing in your closet that you could never ever get rid of?

~ I have a pair of jeans that I wore in high school and I swore that I was going to fit back into those if it was the last thing I did! After a complete lifestyle change and 30 pounds later, I finally fit in them and now my next goal is making sure they become too big! ;)

6. If you could change one thing about teaching what would it be?

~ I would change the way our public education revolves around standardized testing. Not once will a student ever come back to you and say that those tests they took changed their lives. I want it to be more focused on developing the student as a whole and my teaching philosophy is directed towards this goal!

7. iPhone or Droid?

~ iPhone all the way! I am an Apple fanatic to the core!

8. If you were stranded on a desert island and you could only bring 3 things… What would they be?

~ First thing- my iPhone, it is literally an extension of my hand. I can do everything from it! I just hope that this said island got service ;) Second thing- my blanket, something about the soft coziness of it is so comforting and welcoming… Makes me want to take a nap right now! Last thing- my computer so I could document the entire adventure. I love to write!

9. Have you ever been abroad to another country? 

~ Sadly, no I have not. I hope to travel to Spain, Italy, Greece, Ireland, and England one of these days!

10. What was your favorite children's book OR if you had to choose one favorite book our of your classroom library now--what would it be and why? 

~ My favorite book from the classroom and from when I was a child is Where the Red Fern Grows- it truly speaks to me in every way possible and just had such amazing voice. The characters, plot, and emotional draw this book has are incredible. Funny/Cute side story- I read this to my class that I interned in this past spring and I got to the end of the book and started crying while reading it. I handed the book over to one of my students to finish reading and every one of my kiddos came up and hugged me. Some of my girls were even crying. It was so sweet! This book definitely holds a special place in my heart!

11. When did you decide to become a teacher and why?

~ I was working at a Veterinary hospital for 6 years and starting to wonder what in the world I was going to do with my life since the whole veterinarian-thing clearly wasn’t my cup of tea. I prayed constantly about it and then one day it hit me like a ton of bricks! The part I loved most about my job, was the client education! Nothing brought more joy than when I got to go into a job and educate these clients on their new pets, medications, food, etc.… I finally had it figured out and I remember after my first week at Saint Leo University I called my mom and cried because for the first time in my life, I was finally happy with what I was doing. All of my internships were amazing and I looked forward to seeing my students every day. I truly feel so blessed to be able to impact these children’s lives!

For the next part of the nomination process- 11 random facts about me... This should be fun!

1. I took ballroom dance classes for about 4 years and absolutely loved it. I can salsa, tango, merengue, foxtrot, waltz, swing… You name, I can do it J I miss it and need to find a studio to start up again!

2. From the time I could talk, I always wanted to be a veterinarian! I moved to Gainesville to attend the University of Florida and go to vet school… Clearly that didn’t happen! I learned that He had other plans for me and that was not the path I was supposed to be following. I can say without a doubt- it’s the best thing that has EVER happened to me!

3. I wrote a children’s book during my first semester of my elementary education degree and as part of us learning the “writing process” we got them published into hard cover books. After reading it to my class one day during one of my observations, he declared that I immediately try and get the book to a real publishing company because it was a gem for the classroom! I am currently pursuing this!

4. I am a hard-core, till my last breath, Pit Bull advocate- I absolutely love the breed and fully believe that it all depends on the owner in how dogs/animals behave. I have two pit bull mixes and they are the most wonderful animals I could ever ask for!

5. I played the flute for 6 years and sadly I haven’t picked it up since I was in 11^th grade! I know, shame on me!

6. I received a sewing machine for Christmas in 2011- I absolutely loved it and I guess was a natural at it because after only 3 months of sewing, I opened a shop on Etsy selling handmade dog collars, lanyards, leashes, and other sewn goods! It is definitely one of my biggest passions :)

7. I absolutely am petrified of frogs- (it even makes my stomach turn to write the word!) I’m not sure when the fear started, but I cannot look at, touch, or hear anything about frogs without thinking I’m going to die. Ridiculous, I know!

8. I can bake anything- doesn’t matter what it is! Just give me an idea and I can make it happen! I love to bake, but hate to cook! Is that weird?

9. I went from practically failing college courses (during my pre-vet adventure) to making Dean’s List every semester and graduating Magna Cum Laude while finishing my Elem. Ed degree. Not an easy feat to bring my GPA up that much! Tell me THAT wasn’t a sign! I say- do what you love and love what you do!

10. My nicknames as a child were Moo and Hippo- I know, I know, so random! My mom started calling me Moo (and still does!) as a child because I would just go through gallons of milk like nobody’s business. Hippo- well that’s an interesting one because my older sister started calling me this one day when she was angry at me. However, I thought it was great because my favorite animal of all time is a hippo! So it stuck and now she still uses it whenever she calls me.

11. I married the only guy I ever dated on December 29^th, 2012- He was my first date EVER and I guess he must have done something right! He’s definitely a keeper :) I love him more than the sky is blue and would do anything for him. He is the most supportive person and always has my back, no matter what! It was definitely fate when we met and I couldn’t imagine my life with anyone else!

1.   What is your most fond experience in the classroom?

2.   What lesson do you think made the biggest impact on your students?

3.   Do you speak any other languages? If so, which ones?

4.   Do you own any animals (furkids!)? If so, tell about them!

5.   If you could choose one item for your classroom to be donated, what would it be and why?

6.   How would you describe your teaching style?

7.   How many years have you been teaching? If you are a newbie- where do you see yourself in ten years?

8.   Name your top five books that EVERY classroom should own- GO!

9.   If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you pick and why?

10. What is your favorite memory of your childhood or your favorite teacher?

11. What is your favorite resource that you’ve ever used for teaching purposes?

I am nominating 6 AMAZING blogs for this award as well :) Here are my nominations, drum roll please! :)….. ( please click on their Blog names to visit them and leave some love! <3 )

Tara Witte @ Teaching with Twitte

Liz S @ Beach Teach

Mrs. Harris @ Mrs. Harris Teaches ….

Kayla Parker @ Meet Miss Parker

Blair Turner @ Change the World- One Lesson at a Time

Julia @ Lattes and Laughter 

Congratulations to the new nominees and I hope that you will follow my blog too! I am so inspired by each and every one of you! :)