Liebster Award

Thanks to Barb from Follow The Sun for nominating me for the Liebster Award! I'm supposed to answer Barb's questions and then make up 11 of my own and nominate people for the award.  I am only going to do the first half and answer Barb's questions.  And I nominate anyone who also wants to answer her questions!

What's your favorite place you visited in 2015?

This is a hard one!  I enjoyed every place that we visited on our cruise, but I'm going to pick Grand Cayman.  Josh and I went scuba diving for the first time and it was amazing!  Both of us loved it and can't wait to go again!  We also had a great time just hanging out at Margaritaville and relaxing.

What are your favorite souvenirs or collectibles to buy?

 I buy a magnet from every place I go.  I started this in 2009 when I went to Costa Rica so unfortunately I have none from Europe.  I don't like "stuff" and clutter, so magnets are perfect for me because they can be displayed and not take up a ton of space.  They're also fairly cheap and I've never been to a place where I haven't been able to find one.

Which is your favorite cuisine?

 Honestly, any thing with fruit or anything sweet.  I definitely try my hardest to eat healthy but I have a total sweet tooth!  I ate the crap out of some gelato in Italy!  I also love pizza and spaghetti ... I should be Italian.

Do you have a favorite travel movie?

I love Eat Pray Love (who doesn't?) and as cheesy as this movie is, I loved Monte Carlo.  I also really loved P.S. I Love You; I know that's not a travel movie technically, but I love the scenes from Ireland!  When I was a kid I loved the Mary-Kate and Ashley movies (you did too, just admit it) and I still watch them on occasion and I'm not the least bit sorry about it.

Have you been to eastern Europe? If so, what did you think about it?

I have not been to Eastern Europe but the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland are at the top of my list of eastern European countries to visit. 

What's the strangest thing you've eaten?

I guess that depends on your definition of strange, so I'll list a few that I would consider strange.  Keep in mind that I am not adventurous when it comes to foods and all of these were tried before I became a vegetarian.  Alligator, frog legs, buffalo, snails, mussels, and squid. 

What was the least favorite place you've been?

I've never not liked a country in it's entirety but there have been a few cities that I wasn't crazy about.  I really wasn't nuts about Pisa.  After the initial awe about actually seeing the leaning tower in person, I was over it pretty fast.  There just wasn't much to do there.  I also wasn't a fan of Madrid.  However, I think this was a situational thing (nothing was going right and it was the end of the trip), and I'd love to go back and give Madrid another try.

Do you prefer the beach or the mountains?

Mountains!  10000% mountains.  I've always loved the mountains but I was mesmerized when I went to Colorado and saw the Rockies for the first time.  Also, part of my reasoning for picking JMU for college was because it was in a valley surrounded by mountains.  I even worked at a ski resort. 

 Do you have a favorite book?

Is this even a question!?!  I have quite a few favorites, I could never just pick one!  A few favorites are: Room, PS I Love You, Harry Potter, all of Khaled Hosseini's books, Winter Garden, Garden Spells, The Book Thief, Orphan Train, The Help, The Lost Wife, and The Secret Garden.  Check out my favorites shelf on GoodReads. 

What's the hardest thing about blogging?

For me, two of the hardest things about blogging are finding the time and being able to put what I want to say in the right words.   I work a lot of overtime (especially with Josh away) and I am exhausted when I get home and the last thing I want to do is write a post.  Once our trainees are fully trained hopefully this wont be too much of a problem anymore.  The other thing is that I have a million ideas for posts but have a hard time getting my thoughts down in writing, in a way that makes any kind of sense to anyone besides me.  I've even contemplated doing Vlogs but I really don't like myself on camera.

What's your favorite travel accessories?

A book.  I can travel without a lot of things or pick things up along the way, but I always have to have a book.  You never know when there is going to be down time, and I'd never survive a flight without a good book.