A Liebster Award

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So, I'm sitting here by my lonesome, and I receive the loveliest note from Amy at A My Name is Amy: she nominated me for a Liebster Award which, per the woman who nominated her, is like a Blogging Grammy. I have no red carpet in my home; hell, the closest I've got is a stained and dingy beige runner in my foyer (read: the strip of hardwood after you open the front door). Nonetheless, I'm wearing sparkly jewelry right now so will channel my inner celeb by waving towards Amy and mouthing "Thank You, Thank You," repeatedly. We bloggers blog for many different reasons, but the common denominator for us all is that we wish to share something and, hopefully, connect with others. As such, it feels really terrific to be thanked or recognized or acknowledged or complimented, and so again, I'm throwing a thanks to Amy, and by the way, K, a new'ish friend I really like and really admire who recently let me know she thinks Em-i-lis is just great and has subscribed. I'm utterly flattered by all of this.

The 411 on the Liebsters is this: each blogger nominates his/her favorite blogging peers, sends them ten questions to answer, and encourages those bloggers to keep the cycle going by nominating and querying others.

Following are my answers to Amy's fun questions

  1. How did you pick your blog’s name? Well, as you may know, I am from Louisiana and love many, many things about my home state. One of its official icons is the fleur-de-lis which is, quite possibly, my favorite symbol. As it turns out, it is also the symbol of Florence, Italy, where my sister and her husband live. My maternal grandfather was Sicilian. There seemed to be an awful lot in common among these factoids, and as I thought about the blog I wanted to birth, it struck me that Emily kinda rhymes with fleur-de-lis and a combo might be a cool play on my name and the lovely lis. Hence, Em-i-lis.
  2. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your 13-​​year-​​old self? Chill out, honey. I swear it'll turn out OK. The road will be horribly tough, thrilling, bumpy, unknown, dark, well-lit, full of meanies and lovelies. But if you don't drive it all, you will never reach the promised land that is your truest and best self.
  3. What’s your favorite TV show? Real Time with Bill Maher
  4. What are three things you cannot live without? Assuming that by things you don't mean people, I'd say: the act of writing; travel to other places, both domestic and foreign; good food and wine.
  5. Who is your favorite fictional character? A well-rested Emily?? I haven't read fiction in ages, sadly. :( I'm gonna keep working on this one though!
  6. What is your most prized possession? My closest relationships (if that can fit under "possession")!
  7. Describe yourself in three words. Honest. Hard-working. Loving.
  8. What is your guiltiest pleasure? Shopping. I love clothes and shoes so much it's surreal. This is likely all the more surprising because most of the time I'm in sweats.
  9. What single quality do you most appreciate in people? Compassion.
  10. What’s your favorite post that you’ve written? (Link, please!) I have turned many of my most honest (and often difficult) posts into essays and created a separate section for them. Em-i-lis Essays which you can access by clicking here.

I want to again appreciate Amy for recognizing Em-i-lis and selecting me for a Liebster! To keep the honorific cycle a'going, I would like to nominate the following bloggers:

  • Molly at Orangette. I am an enormous fan of Molly Wizenberg. I doubt she knows I exist, and that is OK. But I'm nominating her because I love her food and I love the beauty and substance of her blog.
  • Mel at Stirrup-Queens. I met Mel at the BlogHer conference this past July. She was an excellent, energized teacher with a real generosity of spirit. She writes with honesty, and she's funny as get-out. I recently reached out to her -a "would you be willing to edit my essay?" kinda thing- and she got right back and sent really thoughtful feedback. It means a lot when you know others are swamped and they make time to help another!
  • Carissa at CarissaK. Another fantastic BlogHer meet, I felt in about 4 seconds that Carissa and I were old friends. She writes for Huff Po and herself, amongst others, and is thoughtful, smart and kind.

And, questions for these women:

  1. What is your favorite nickname, bestowed by another or self-inflicted?
  2. With whom would you most like to have dinner (that you've not yet)?
  3. Why do you blog?
  4. What's your favorite way to spend an afternoon?
  5. What have you learned about yourself and/or your interests via blogging/writing?
  6. Let's break for an easy one: Sweet or salty?
  7. Off the top of your mind, what are your favorite three books that aren't your own (for you pubbed authors)?
  8. What's some of the best advice you've ever received?
  9. If you love to cook, what's your favorite utensil? If you hate to cook, what's your favorite dish prepared by others?
  10. What's one of your favorite destinations (you could have gone once or many times)?