A sweet friend at The Girl in the Blue Apron nominated me for a Liebster Award. I am incredibly humbled by Elisa’s kind words of me. Thank you, Elisa! I am so glad the Oncology Nursing Society brought us together, and I can promise you this – I would not be blogging now had you not reached out to me as a tweeting oncology nurse nearly four years ago. Blogging has brought me such joy, and that joy is rooted in your influence on my nursing care and writing style.

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The premise of the Liebster Award is simple; it is a meme-ish way, a chain-letter so-to-speak, for bloggers with reading audiences of 200 to 2,000 to honor one another. As I’ve followed previous blog nominations from post to post, I’ve picked up several great blogs for my own reading pleasure, so surely the Liebster Award is functioning as intended.

For the nomination, I must tell readers 11 things about myself, answer my nominator’s 11 prepared questions, nominate up to 11 other bloggers for the Award, and prepare 11 questions for them to answer in their subsequent posts. I’m not sure what the fascination is with the number 11, but hey, let’s roll with it!

1. My family is my number one priority. Friday nights are spent playing board games or cuddled up on our pull-out sofa with every blanket and pillow we owned piled for maximal comfort. My kiddos hate it went Fridays get overrun with something else. I must admit, I do, too. Those moments nourish my soul and wipe away the week faster than you can say, Fridaaaaay!”

2. I’ve struggled with the serious idea of going back to school for my PhD (in nursing) for the last two years now. I only recently decided this is not the year for me to apply simply for various reasons. Next year is my year, though. I’m not looking forward to taking my GRE again.

3. After 13 years of marriage and many, many moves, my husband and I recently purchased our very first home. And for the first time ever, my family’s Thanksgiving celebration will be at our home. Fortunately, I cook turkey frequently, and I’ve become more enthused about cooking over the last year, so it should be fine. I am really looking forward to hosting my parents and my three siblings’ families.

4. I hate shopping. No, really. I only shop when it’s a necessity. My husband can out-shop me any day of the week, and that’s absolutely okay with me.

5. I am currently training for my first marathon. I’ve completed several half-marathons, but doubling that mileage is scary. My race is in early November, and my training is right on track. It’s quite exciting learning that I can, indeed, run farther than 13.1 miles. I ran 17 miles this morning!

6. I really enjoy fine-point, colored Sharpie markers. I use them, rather than pens, to write, and it makes me happy to see notes in purple or green.

7. I love sending hand-written thank you notes to people. Even though I do hate shopping, I spend a fair amount of time looking at cards and stocking up. I smile every time I need to send a card and I get to peruse through my blank card collection.

8. My calendar/organization is a hybrid of paper and electronic formats. I put all of my appointments and to-do’s in Outlook, and then I print my calendar in one-week increments at the end of the day each Friday. It works for me. I need both the old-school and the technology to keep me on track.

9. I’ve seen Toy Story 1, 2, and 3 about 200 times each. That’s thanks to my 2 year-old son. Yes, I can recite all the words.

10. My family is planning a trip to Disney World next summer. Neither my husband nor I have been, so it should be a special time for all of us.

11. I am a home-body. As an introvert (yes, I really am), I find my renewal away from others, and I’d rather order-in and rent a movie than go out to dinner and a movie any time.

1. Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging three years ago for the Oncology Nursing Society, and I’ve never looked back. It seemed like happenstance at the time, but the opportunity came at just the right time because I needed to write and connect with other writers. Blogging is a huge part of who I am now, and I love it as a creative outlet and professional forum.

2. When you’re not blogging, what else do you do for fun?

I spend time with my family, and I run.

3. What inspires or motivates you?

I am motivated to make a difference no matter if that is for patients, the people I manage, my family, or my friends. I want to help. I want to make others feel valued.

4. What is the one food that you could never give up eating?

Chocolate. Hands down.

5. Do you have a motto, life quote, or “words to live by”?

I have several, and the Bible is a constant guide for my work. I especially love Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

6. What’s the most interesting or unusual food or meal you’ve ever eaten?

Definitely the most unusual meal I’ve eaten is escamole, or ant eggs, while I studied nursing in Mexico one summer. It’s considered a delicacy, and it wasn’t bad at all. Well, enough guacamole and salsa makes anything better.

7. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

I actually have several. In fact, at my prior place of employment, we had an ongoing list of pet-peeves just for fun. Professionally, it really bothers me when employees are held responsible and accountable for things without any given power to change them. Personally, it bugs me when Facebook statuses have grammatical errors and even more so if those errors are on a created e-card.

8. What’s the last book you read that you couldn’t put down?

I just finished Condoleezza Rice’s Extraordinary Ordinary People. It’s a book about her parents and the sacrifices they made for her as well as the lessons they taught her. I actually listened to the audio book, read by the author, and it was fabulous. I enjoy non-fiction much better than fiction.

9. What are three things you always have in your refrigerator or pantry?

Milk, Greek yogurt, several varieties of cheese…okay, so we like dairy!

10. What’s your favorite thing to cook or bake?

Anything in a slow cooker. Toss in the ingredients, turn it on for hours, and it always turns out delicious. I’ve also recently come across a fabulous peach pie recipe. It’s definitely a favorite thing to make for others right now.

11. Who do you admire?

That’s a tough one; I admire so many people, really. I greatly admire my parents. They’re still married, have four successful children and now 12 grandchildren. My mom worked as an LVN. I still have no clue how she worked those night shifts and got any sleep during the day when we were home. My dad served in the Vietnam War and worked in construction most of his life. He was paralyzed at one point during an occupational accident, and he had to fight his way back to walking, which he did. They are two amazing people, and I am who I am because of them.

1. JParadisi, RN. I love Julianna’s perspective on life. She’s an oncology nurse with rich experiences and lovely art. I will own one of her original pieces one day. I look forward to her posts both on her own blog and at TheONC, a gated community for oncology nurses. In short, she makes me smile, and I like having those kind of people in my life and in my inbox.

2. Jody Schoger. Jody was one of the first people I connected with on Twitter when I first joined that social network. She is an amazing breast cancer advocate and writer. I admire her for so many reasons. We’ve met in person once, but she’s a dear friend, for sure.

3. TorontoEmerg. Jane Doe blogs anonymously at Those Emergency Blues. She tells it like it is. She’s been off the grid for a while, so I sure hope everything is okay with her.

4. Dr. Dean Burke. Dr. Dean helps people, nurses in particular, reach financial stability. He has real-world, practical wisdom, and he is a passionate advocate for other bloggers succeeding. I’ve had the privilege of talking with him via telephone, and he’s just as wonderful “in-person” as he is on his blog.

5. The Nerdy Nurse. Brittney blogs about all things high-tech and high-care. She is a mom and patient, which give her a unique perspective on healthcare, as well. She has great ideas, and I love that she works to bring high-quality posts to healthcare professionals as well as serves as a connector for other nurse bloggers.

6. Nursing Ideas. Robert is the main reason I post briefs of current nursing research studies. He caused a paradigm shift in my blogging, and I love that he is a forward thinker.

7. My Strong Medicine. Sean is a critical care nurse, Certified Athletic Trainer, and Crossfit fanatic. Like many of the previously nominated nurse bloggers, Sean blogs on his personal blog and elsewhere. You can also find him at Scrubs Magazine.

There are so many other great nurse bloggers I could nominate, but I’m hopeful that those I nominated will pay-it-forward to others with their nominations. The nurse blogosphere has no shortage of fabulous writers!

1. What is your most favorite blog post you’ve ever written?

2. When you’re not blogging, what do you do for fun?

3. What’s your favorite book of all time?

4. Pets or no pets?

5. How many healthcare professionals do you have in your family?

6. What’s your ideal weekend?

7. What’s your best organization tip for work or life in general?

8. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

9. What or who made you laugh today?

10. If you could be friends with one literary character, who would it be?

11. What joke makes you laugh every time you hear it?