and the nominees are.

my lovely life long best friend tagged me in something called the liebster award. the purpose of it is for connection and to build community with fellow bloggers, which I think is pretty rad. so here are the rules:

•each person must post eleven things about themselves by answering the questions that the nominator has set for you.

•create eleven questions for the people you’ve nominated to answer.

•choose eleven people and link to them in your post.

•go to their page and let them know.

•no tag backs. 

the questions for those i tag:

01| what's the best advice you've ever got?

02| where would you travel if you had all the money to do so?

03| if you could listen to only one song for the next three years what would it be?

04| what made you want to start blogging?

05| what is your favorite picture? (please share)

06| who is your best friend?

07| what's your most embarrassing moment?

08| can you tie a cherry stem in a knot with your tongue?

09| what is a quote, lyric, or saying you live by?

10| do you have a hidden talent? what is it?

11| what is your favorite memory? 

the questions I was tagged in:

what is the inspiration behind your blog title:

-well I'm barefoot ninety percent of the time, & I live in the woods. ;)

what are your biggest dreams for your blog:

-I guess just to be able to always have something on there someone wants to read or look at. & to share my life on here for as long as I can. which leads me to my following answer..

why did you start your blog:

-I want a place to tell my stories (even if they may not be that cool or exciting to others) and share my pictures. a place where I can always go to look back on my life. basically just an online journal, but then I discovered this whole community and fell in love.

what is the craziest thing you've ever done:

-thinking about this question makes me feel like I have a boring life. I once got a ticket for unlawfully towing my brother up a hill on a tricycle. i've done a front hand spring in barnes and noble.. oh and one time me and my cousin tried to shoot a live snake out of a potato launcher.   

what is one thing you are really proud to have overcome in your life:

-I used to have really bad anxiety, there were times I barely slept for weeks on end because of it. I didn't do a lot in that (five year) period of my life. one day I realized I was stronger than it, that feeling that way wasn't healthy and it was my choice to rise above it. & that's what I did, it definitely wasn't easy but I did it. & I haven't had a panic attack in six years.  

what music makes you feel at home:

-country music. that's all that we ever had on while I was growing up, it still is the only thing. even though there's a lot of songs about drinking and riding in trucks. but country music usually always tells a story and it has the most songs about family, love, and having a good time. 

when you were little where did you see your life going? how does it differ from now:

-I saw myself married young to my first love with four kids living in the town I grew up in on a ranch with a big yard (which doesn't even exist in my town). a house with creaky floors and big windows, a front porch to sit on a screen door with our shoes sitting beside it. maybe some chickens, a barn with an american flag on the side of it, and a treehouse. (my eight year old self clearly gave this a lot of thought) now I won't be married to my first love, I think I only want two kids (both boys, like I can choose), I probably won't end up living in my (beloved) home town (I'm planning on leaving it quite soon.. I want to travel the world more than I ever thought I would), and as for my dream of an old farm house that is still very much alive and I think about it everyday. 

what is your favorite type of cup to drink out of:

-any type with a straw. 

what book could you read over and over:

-to kill a mockingbird. & the autobiography of santa claus ;)

if you were a crayon what color would you be:

-royal blue. or black.

what sight makes your heart soar:

-christmas morning, actually just all of christmas time. & the picture in my head of my future home and family. it makes me giddy to think about. 

& my nominees: more to be announced. ;)

McKynzie at tisabeautifulmess.blogspot.com

Samantha at samsamcherie@blogspot.com

let me tell you 'bout my best friend.

this is my aunt (the one I'm visiting), she's been my best friend since the day I was born. growing up she was always around, she braided my hair, rubbed my arm, fell asleep with me on the couch (or anywhere else), she swung with me on our swings, watched disney movies on repeat, she was always making me laugh, & telling me I'm beautiful.. I've always had an affinity for her. I was the flower girl in her wedding and right before the ceremony she tucked a tissue under the flowers and told me if she reached her hand out to me that meant she needed the tissue. I remember watching her walk down the isle, (she was so pretty) then at one point she secretly reached her hand back, I felt so special to be able to hand her that tissue. I had her back, we were best buds. I was only five when she got married and I don't remember much from that day but I will never forget that feeling. later down the road she moved to new york, then to florida, in between that she had two kids and we saw each other much less. but despite the distance she remained my best friend, and now our time together is cherished even more than it would be if she lived closer and it's never taken for granted. I don't know what I would do without her in my life, I'll always be her number one fan.

reconnecting.

my friend Hannah and I have been friends since we were little, for a long while we were really close, then life happened and we sort of grew apart but we've started getting close again and I couldn't be happier. don't you love reconnecting with an old friend? I sure do. we went on a drive a week or so ago to go visit my brother, it was a real nice day.