Exciting news: I’ve been nominated for the Liebster Award by the Wardrobe Stylist.
Thank you, Rania, for nominating me for my first blogging award – the Liebster award!
First of all, I want to wish my beautiful wife a happy, HAPPY birthday. 
I love you, my darling.
Liebster Award Nomination
The rules for this Liebster award nomination are as follows:
Acknowledge and thank the blogger who nominated you and display the award. (don’t forget to link back to them!)
Answer the 10 questions posed by the blogger who nominated you.
Give 10 random facts about yourself.
Nominate up to 10 bloggers that you think deserve the award.
Tell the bloggers you have nominated them.
Provide them with 10 questions to answer. (or use the ones from the person who nominated you!)
Okay, you can also decline the Liebster award if you want, but I don’t know why you would.
Answer
So, now to complete the task at hand – here are my answers to Rania’s 10 Liebster award questions.
1.) Why and when did you start blogging?
I actually just started blogging recently. I began developing content in later September / early October for my blog, DIY Jahn, which went live on October 15, 2015. The reason I started blogging? Well, there are a couple.
First of all, I love writing. I graduated with a degree in English and an emphasis on Creative Writing. I suppose it’s because my mom was always a big writer. Anyway, I love writing.
Second, I have a shit-ton of debt and I’m working hard to pay it off. So, I am using my blog to help keep me accountable in paying off debt (and maybe even help me earn a little extra money in the process).
Finally, I’m hoping that my blog will help inspire people to pay off their debt and give them the motivation they need to get there.
2.) What inspires you to blog?
My wife. When we got married, I realized that I am now responsible for providing her with the life she has always dreamed of. While I know it isn’t all on me and we are a partnership, I still feel a responsibility to make sure she leads a wonderful life. I want her to have everything – even if that means sacrificing more of my time to make that happen. I hope she is always happy, always living life to the fullest, always able to do anything and everything she dreams.
3.) What are you most proud of?
Most proud of… It really depends on the area of my life you are referring to: my blog, my everyday life, my person, my journey, etc.
When it comes to my blog? I’m most proud of my ability to continually provide content – each and every day. I really think that this will end up being a huge help in the future of DIY Jahn.
In my everyday life? My ability to provide a home for my wife, food for our table, and enough extra money to have fun once in a while.
When it comes to my person? I’m proud of my ability to stay calm in stressful situations. This is especially important while working at a summer camp where there is inherent risk in everything.
My journey? I’m proud of how far I’ve come with paying off my debt in only two months. We’ve paid off almost $10,000 (which is only a start, but still). And I’ve been able to find some extra side jobs to make some extra cash, so I’m pretty proud of that too. You can read how we are saving money and paying off debt here and how we are trying to make extra money online here.
4.) What’s your favorite social media platform?
I enjoy utilizing Facebook for both personal and professional needs. I don’t go on Twitter, Instagram, or other platforms often, but I do have accounts on some of them. I’ll have to figure out how they work.
5.) What is one thing that you are thankful for?
One thing? Only one thing? Well, I’m thankful for the world we live in. It is such a beautiful and marvelous creation. You can read about 5 things I’m grateful for here or how I think we all need to just stop and smell the roses here.
6.) What brings you joy?
My dog, Sofi, brings me so much joy. I absolutely love her. She is funny, goofy, silly, and crazy, but she is also sweet, caring, and loving. She works as a camp staffer in the summer to help homesick campers. In the winter, we call her Snow-fi, because she loves to play in the snow. She’s so much fun!
7.) Where do you mostly go to get your blogging answers?
I am a part of some great Facebook blogger groups that have helped me a lot, but I am still in the process. Let me tell you, it is quite a journey. How the hell does SEO work? I have no idea, but I’m learning.
8.) Favorite hobbies or pass-times?
I guess I really enjoy the outdoors, whatever that may mean. I LOVE to sail, but rarely get to anymore. I love swimming and anything having to do with water. I love driving the Whaler (speed boat) around West Lake (a huge lake near us). I also love going on hikes, sitting in the grass, and watching the stars and lightening bugs impersonate each other.
That being said, I also really enjoy photography and would love to do more with it. I love art: painting, drawing, building, molding, crocheting, anything. I also play the cello and the guitar.
So, I guess I’m interested in a lot of things, but don’t have time to do most of them lately.
9.) Who’ve you been admiring lately?
Sarah Titus. She’s a rock star. She writes amazingly well, she gives great information, and she leaves you wanting more. She has taught me so much about budgeting, earning money, and paying off debt. I love reading her blog.
10.) Best book or blog you’ve ever read?
I’m going to go with book since I just talked about a blog in the previous question. My favorite book is Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist. It’s a book about a young man’s journey to finding his treasure, but it is so deep. If you are looking for a book that will change your life, I definitely encourage you to get this one. Check it out here:
Give
Alright, so the next section of the Liebster award is about giving. Specifically: it’s about giving ten random facts about yourself. So, here goes my ten random facts about me (that you may or may not already know).
1.) I can speak Norwegain. Or could… when I was going to school I decided to get a minor in Scandinavian Studies. They took away the classes in my final semester so I couldn’t actually finish the minor (and then brought them back a semester later). Anyway, I learned a lot about Norwegian and spoke Norwegian fairly fluently. It’s a struggle now, but I bet I could pick it back up if I tried.
2.) I have a work husband. I work at a summer camp and one of my best friends is one of our only full-time employees. He is my work husband. We spend ten hours a day together, we are jokingly referred to as the mom and dad of staff, and we go on trips together. Don’t worry, my wife isn’t jealous.
3.) I enjoy the snow. Now wait, before you think I’ve spoken blasphemy let me explain. I like the snow for the first two months (November and December). When the weather is above 5 degrees and the snow is still white and beautiful. Once January hits, the snow gets brown and gross, and the temp goes below 0 its definitely not an enjoyable time.
4.) I love cooking. In fact, I just got Julia Child’s cookbook for my birthday and I am beyond thrilled. I have such grand ideas of meals that I will be cooking. Of course, it will take a while to get there because budgeting and all. But I certainly do love to cook and experiment in the kitchen.
5.) I don’t know what my passion is. I wish that I could say that I have a dream job or career in mind, and I used to be able to, but now I have no idea. I love my job as a camp Program Director, but know that I won’t be in this position for the next 60 years. I would like to be an Executive Director at a camp for a while. Perhaps that will even be where I spend the rest of my life, but I’m not sure. I have a passion for SO MANY things: camp, art, photography, crocheting, traveling, writing… The list goes on… Anyway, I hope to find my passion someday, but until then: I think I’m a multipotentialite.
6.) I suck at Adulting. I want to be an adult and I certainly try to be an adult, but I often feel like I am failing. I look in the mirror and realize that I’m 24 and still have no idea what I’m doing with my life. I suppose that’s why I’m working my way through the Adulting book. You can read about my journey to Adulting here. And you can follow along by purchasing this amazing book here:
7.) I love plants, but I kill them often. I read a short, hilarious book recently called All My Friends are Dead. It’s so funny and a great gift if you are unsure what to get someone. Anyway, the plant states something like “Stop buying my friends if you’re just going to slowly kill them.” And it’s hilarious and sad because it’s totally true, as much as I hate to admit it. I’m terrible at owning plants. I definitely did not get my dad’s green thumb.
8.) I am listening to Christmas music right now. I know, I know. It’s not even Thanksgiving, but I’m not going to be ashamed. You know why? I read this great post by an awesome blogger recently about the Christmas shaming that goes on. It was so inspiring. If I remember her blog, I’ll link it here. Until then: I’m listening to Christmas music and I’m okay with it!
9.) I lost 40 pounds recently. Over the course of 2015 I’ve lost over 40 pounds and gained 15 back. Which kind of sucks, but it’s because weddings are stressful and I let myself go. Anyway, I’m going to hop back on the train soon! I won’t be gaining 15 pounds this holiday season (the average American does though!). I’ve got some great healthy recipes and meal planning in mind.
10.) I have hope for the future. I have hope that things will get better. I have hope to get out of debt, build a savings, and move into a house that is nice. I have hope that I will be able to have children and stay at home with them for their first year. I have hope that we will live the life we dream of, even if it’s a hard journey to get there. This is our life and we will be living it to the fullest.
Nominate & Tell
So, now that I’ve finished the 10 Liebster award questions provided to me and told you 10 things about myself, it’s time to nominate others for the Liebster award!
My Liebster award nominees include:
#Beth @ The Spice Girl Blog
#Christina @ The Blissful Balance
#Caitlyn @ Live Sweat Sleep Repeat
#Melanie @ See Mommy Race
#Eline @ Heart of a Traveler
#Rachel @ A Healthful Heart
#Taylor @ Another Situation
#Kristin @ Kristin Longacre
ALRIGHT! You have all been nominated for the Liebster award. Follow the instructions above and answer the questions below if you accept the challenge (and I hope you do).
Provide
Here are my ten questions for the Liebster award nominees:
Why and when did you start blogging?
What inspires you to blog?
What is the most beautiful thing you have seen today?
How best do you advertise your blog?
What do you hope your blog will become in the future?
What brings you the most joy & what are you grateful for?
Where do you go to get your blogging questions answered?
What do you do when you’re not blogging?
What is the best blog you have read recently?
What do you hope your life will be like in 5 years?
There you go, ladies! Good luck. To all those who stuck around and read my Liebster award post, THANK YOU! I truly appreciate it.
Leave a comment below!
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