I would first like to thank Kerbey (http://sanceau.com/) for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award, which, apparently is like initiation week for pledges in a college frat house. It is a tradition to pass the baton to new bloggers in the WordPress community with less than 200 followers. So again, Kerbey, I thank you for appreciating my work, even though you are putting me through a grueling series of steps!

So, here is the short list of steps needed to successfully accept your Liebster Award:

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog. (check)

2. Link back to the blogger who awarded you. (check)

3. Copy & Paste the award to your blog . (check)

4.  List 11 Random Facts about yourself.

5. Answer the questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.

6. Nominate 5 blogs that you enjoy to receive the award and who have less than 200 followers.

7. List 11 questions for your nominees.

8. Inform them of their nomination by leaving a comment on their blog.

Step 4: 11 Random Facts About Me

1. I have both US and French citizenship (thanks Mom & Dad)
2. I have never broken a bone (knock on wood)
3. I get paid to play Basketball
4. Sushi is my favorite food
5. I have traveled to more countries than US states
6. I played 4 years in NCAA Basketball
7. I have dissected a real human in my Anatomy class
8. I had a pet chameleon for 3 years
9. I played Basketball with Jamie Foxx once
10. I like all types of music from electronic to classic rock (but not country, sorry)
11. The Great Wall of China is still my favorite monument I have seen in my life

Step 5: Answer the questions asked by the blogger who nominated you

1. How often do you blog and why? I blog as often as I can because there is no better feeling than sharing some of your work that random people find just as awesome as I do.
2. How do you like your eggs?  If you don’t eat eggs, what is wrong with you? I love eggs and I like mine either scrambled or fried. And don’t forget lots of butter, salt, and pepper.
3. Did your parents take enough pictures of your childhood? Yes, my mother did a great job of making photo albums. I have an older brother and an older sister and each of us have 3 photo albums each. I always told them that if our house burned down, I would go straight for the photo albums, and then probably my laptop, because that is my other life.
4. Who was one of the first authors to impact your young life? Depending on what young means, I will have to choose R.L. Stine with the Goosebumps series. Or a little older would be Agatha Christie with her mystery/crime/thriller novels.
5. Do you own a Kindle or do you read books made of paper, as is the natural order of things? Now I own a Kindle because it was a gift after graduating college. That Summer, I read 9 books because it is incredibly easy to access so many on an e-reader. I personally enjoy the feel and smell of a real book but I found the transition was not hard at all.
6. How do you feel about magazines? I only seem to purchase them at airports. I end up just looking at the images and kind of ignore the articles. I prefer to read a book or just play a game to pass the time.
7. You’ve just adopted a happy golden retriever and an arrogant, Siamese cat from the animal shelter.  What do you name them? Rocky (dog) and Bullwinkle (cat). An arrogant, Siamese cat named Bullwinkle? My life would be complete.
8. Can you drive a stick shift? This is a great question. I don’t know how to drive stick. In France, almost everyone drives stick and the friends I’ve made here make fun of me for not knowing how to. My excuse is that I just say I am American, and they kind of shake their head. They offered to teach me so I will learn soon.
9. If you become an award-winning writer and go on The Tonight Show to pimp your book, and companies start hounding you to endorse their product, which product would you choose to endorse?  (I have already disclosed that I would endorse Ross Dress for Less, pieces of gum stuck on dressing room stall doors notwithstanding.) I would endorse Nutella, because there is nothing better knowing that you can have a lifetime of free Nutella.
10. Does it bother you that Bart Simpson is voiced by a woman and Miss Piggy is voiced by a man? Well, now that you have taught me something new today, it disturbs me in a way that I will still be able to happily live on with my life even after knowing this information.
11. Should men moisturize, and have you ever met one that has? Yes, some of my teammates moisturize before and after games. I personally don’t but I don’t see anything wrong with it, especially if you actually have dry skin.

Step 6: Nominate 5 blogs that you enjoy to receive the award and who have less than 200 followers

1. Pretty Girl Pics http://prettygirlpics.wordpress.com/ because who doesn’t like to look at pretty girls?
2. Marco from Italy http://orientaljourney.wordpress.com/ because I support anyone who takes big, life risks.
3. Kirsty Gail http://kirstygail.wordpress.com/ because I support fellow students who are taking action.
4. Christina http://christinamiltonphotography.wordpress.com/ because she is a talented, young photographer.
5. Luke Robinson http://blog.mortalcoil.com/ because it is a well written travel blog and fantastic images.

Step 7: List 11 questions for your nominees

1. What is your biggest fear?
2. What was the last book you read?
3. Do you believe in aliens?
4. What is your ultimate dream job?
5. Do you follow the news? If so, which news source is the most reliable for you?
6. What is your favorite place you have traveled so far?
7. How many languages can you speak?
8. If asked randomly on the street, “Can you point where Azerbaijan is on a map?” Can you do it?
9. What is your most played song in iTunes or any other music application?
10. If offered Fugu, would you eat it?
11. What were you worrying about one year ago from today?

Well, I finally made it. Again I want to thank Kerbey for nominating me and I am more than happy to pass the baton on to other fellow WordPress bloggers.