Winning!

Life As Always has been pop-u-lar lately, y'all!

Thanks so much to both my new and loyal readers!

 

I was nominated for TWO more Liebster Awards this week by Lindi at Sweet Southern Sparkle and Kari at Life Lived by Kari.

Thank you so much ladies, I'm flattered!!

 

 

The Liebster Award was started to nominate new bloggers in order for them to gain recognition and inspire confidence to keep going. 

And mainly it's just an opportunity for a fun little Q&A...

 

Here are Lindi's questions for me:

 

1. Why did you start blogging?

I have a degree in journalism and I love writing, but since I wasn't really doing it professionally back in 2006 I decided to start My So-Called Life at the suggestion of my good friend Jeanna. That blog was pretty much about me being single and fabulous ridiculous, so shortly after I got engaged in 2011 I switched over to this blog, Life As Always, with the goal of chronicling my life with Stewart for our friends and family members. As an added bonus, in the past couple years I have also been warmly embraced by this whole crazy blogging community and I've made some really good friends!  

 

2. What is your favorite beauty product?

Mascara. I love this stuff so, so much. It's my favorite part of getting ready in the morning, because I feel like it just pulls together every other aspect of my makeup and overall look. Without it I just feel tired and blah. I also love the precision the application takes; it appeals to my meticulous nature. I actually probably wear too much sometimes, but it's like an addiction... just one more coat! I love it.

 

3. What was the name of your very first pet?

I don't know that she was my very first pet, but my main childhood pet was a tabby cat named Tigger. I got her in the fifth grade when she was just a kitten and had her all the way into college. I really miss that cuddly fur ball! 

 

4. What does your blog name mean to you?

Well, it's pretty simple, actually. I'm Sarah Alway and he's Stewart Alway, so... Life as "Always" -- get it?!
 

5. If you could pick one place to travel to where would it be?

A trip to Australia and New Zealand is the next thing up on our travel bucket list. We thought we might be able to make it happen before starting our family, but the news of Baby Boy has put that trip on hold for the time being... 

 

6. What are your hobbies besides blogging?

I guess reading would be the main thing I'd consider a "hobby." I am a huge book nerd. But I also love athletic outdoorsy stuff like hiking, snowboarding and water sports.

 

7. Who is the most influential person in your life?

My mother. She is the sweetest angel to ever walk the planet and if someday I grow up to be even half the person she is I will consider myself to be a successful human being. She inspires me on a daily basis to be better than I was the day before.

 

8. What is your dream job?

Besides being a TV news reporter like April O'Neil? I actually don't have many lofty career aspirations these days. I just want to work in a position where I am valued and respected, where I enjoy what I am doing and have a great team to interact with. And these days all those expectations are being met, so maybe I have my dream job after all...

 

9.What is your go to wardrobe item?

When I don't have to get dressed for work it's ALWAYS my Lululemon yoga pants and a zip up hoodie. I could seriously live the rest of my life in that outfit. And it's probably the only thing I will wear for the entire duration of my maternity leave. Gift certificates are currently being accepted if you want to send one my way...

 

10.What is your favorite kind of candy?

I'm actually more of a savory than a sweet person, but as a loyal Seahawks fan I'd have to say Skittles!!

 

11. What advice could you give to a new blogger?

Make sure you're aware of some basic blogging don'ts before you get too far into it. There's nothing worse than a fake, whiny blogger who becomes a link up whore with a blog drowning in giveaways. Unless of course that person is also a no-reply blogger.

 

 

And here are Kari's questions for me:

 

1.  What is the best vacation you have ever been on?

A whirlwind tour of Europe with Stewart in the fall of 2010. Stew is a British citizen and seasoned world traveler; the perfect tour guide for my first trip to the UK. We visited many cities in England, Ireland, Italy and France over about three and a half weeks, including Cinque Terre on the coast of the Italian Riviera, where we got engaged.

 

2.  What are some key items on your Bucket List?

Most of our bucket list items include traveling the world. I already mentioned the trip down under that we'd like to take, but we also really want to do a South African safari, snowboard in South America, see the pyramids of Egypt... oh, all sorts of things. And of course we'll want to take Baby Boy to England someday so he can see where some of his roots come from.

 

3.  What is the best gift you have ever been given?

Oh good grief, let me just go ahead and give the most cliché, sentimental answer ever... our son. He will be the light of my life and the center of my world for as long as I exist, and I suppose I have Stewart to thank for this incredible gift. Now was that a Hallmark moment, or what?

 

4.  What do you like more: clothes, shoes, purses, or gadgets?

I suppose if forced to choose I'd have to say shoes. Clothes would be a close second, but shoes are just so much FUN. They're generally not something I splurge on, but I adore shoes... a likely side effect of my addiction to Sex & the City in college. "Hello, lover..."

 

5.  If you could obtain any degree without ever having to take a class, which would you choose?

The thing is, I am a total school nerd. I loved each and every class starting with the first day of kindergarten, and if it didn't cost so dang much I'd probably still be pursuing one degree or another, just because I enjoy being a student so much. So to answer this question in a rambling way, I suppose I would choose a law degree. I was accepted into law school after completing my paralegal certification a couple years ago, but ultimately decided not to attend due to the crushing debt it would inflict on our family. And the fact that I really wanted to be a law student... but not necessarily a lawyer.

 

6.  How many hours of sleep do you get every night on average?

Since getting over my first trimester exhaustion (where I was sleeping about half my life away) I've been back to my usual, about seven hours a night. It's never enough, but it's all I've got time for these days...

 

7.  What is something you could never leave home without?

My iPhone. I am completely and utterly addicted. It's a problem. Have you seen that commercial which should put us all in our places? It might as well be my life. And I'm ashamed...

 

8.  If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Oh goodness. My basic instincts scream mac 'n' cheese, but I think I should probably choose something more nutritionally dense... any Mexican dish would probably do. How about fajitas? That'd work...

 

9.  What city would you most want to live in?

I have always wanted to live in San Francisco, and after visiting I am also now completely obsessed with London. That being said, I'm pretty happy with our move to the suburbs. Living in a small city like Snoqualmie has been a welcome change from the fabulous yet fast-paced Seattle lifestyle.

 

10.What is your dream job?

See above.

 

11. The beach or the mountains?

 Ouch... this is such a tough call, and ultimately a decision I cannot make. It's like being asked to choose between snowboarding and wake surfing, two of my absolute favorite activities! In any case, at least you know that I would always choose outside versus inside...

 

 

Thanks ladies, for your thought provoking questions!

 

Now I am supposed to nominate 11 other bloggers and provide them with 11 questions to answer, but I already did that back in June and also in January, and I've got a lot going on this weekend so I'm going to choose to cut this off here. That being said, if you are one of my new followers in the past week or so (and I've gotten so many!) please consider yourself nominated and visit one of my previous posts to answer some of my own silly little questions. And be sure to let me know  if you decide to join in on the fun!

 

Have a great weekend guys and dolls!