Blogging is one of those activities that requires regular time and effort, so I’m especially grateful to all the readers and bloggers who continued to keep in touch even when I was so distant through the whole sponsorship application process. And a very special thanks to Catherine Alexandra, a network marketer I truly look up to, for granting me the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award even during my blogging silence. Warm gratitude your way, Catherine!
Excited to be a Sisterhood of the World Blogger!
- I need to share the love and the award with 7 other women bloggers I respect and let them know about the nominations.
- I also need to share 7 things about myself. Let me try to come up with facts that I haven’t already shared in my Kreativ Blogger, Versatile Blogger, and Sunshine Award posts.
Seven More Lovely Women Bloggers You Should Follow
- Carolyn at Wonder of Tech — My source for all things tech in an easy-to-understand, straightforward way.
- Cathy at Just My Thoughts — I absolutely love Cathy’s creativity and insights into life through anecdotes of her family.
- Lalia at Skank Rattle and Roll — Under her pseudonym, I really respect how Lalia is able to be so frank and honest in her posts.
- Joy at Catharsis — Inspiring, thoughtful, and beautiful writing on motherhood, love, and life.
- Marie at Rock the Kasbah — After living with her family in Africa for a couple years, Marie’s now transitioning back to life in the US.
- Kaarina at KaarinaDillabough.com — Kaarina was an Olympic coach and is now a phenomenal and ever-motivating business coach.
- Lucy at Life Through Lucylastica’s Lense — Lucy has tons of personality and I especially admire her unceasingly positive outlook on life.
Seven Tidbits About This Sisterhood Blogger
- I attribute my problem solving skills to how my dad would give me free reign with his DOS computer when I was a child and how he encouraged me to self-learn future computer systems, do my own research into immunology and World War II in Asia, teach myself how to ride a bicycle, you name it.
- What I value most about my experiences as an expat in Peru is being forced to learn to live a simple life.
- Since central heating is virtually non-existent in Huancayo and our landlord won’t let us use any machine that eats up too much electricity, I keep warm with a hot water bottle that I refill every few hours or so.
- The fastest time I’ve been able to solve a Rubik’s cube is 1 minute and 41 seconds.
- I’m desperately in need of an ergonomic workplace set-up or a daily massage. My shoulders tend to creep up on their own in the current position I’m in and they hurt more and more each day.
- I suffer from severe writer’s blog.
- I took a stint of sewing classes for a few months this year and made a full tracksuit set. It didn’t fit properly and there were tons of sewing mistakes that I tried to hide, but I made it all by myself with three different sewing machines. =)
My dad encouraged me to problem solve and learn things on my own, so I learned to ride a bicycle in my living room and later in my backyard.
What made your day this week?
I’m very impressed to read what an independent and multifaceted person you are,and a super nice one to boot! I’m sure that your parents are very proud of your accomplishments, and I think that you are a tribute to their loving and intelligent influence. Finally, Congratulations on your award!
Aww, thanks for such kind words, Vinny! =) I sure hope my parents are proud of me. I think they’ll be happier when I get back to Canada. =)
Thanks again for everything!
Congrats, Sam, on your award and I hope this is the proverbial kick in the butt for you to write more! Joking!
Love your nominees, all of them quite well known to me, great choice!
And, of course, I loved to learn more about you: your dad teaching you your problem solving skills; sewing classes, I am impressed that you tackled a tracksuit set. Any new projects?
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Thanks, Barbara! Hehe! It’s definitely motivation to write more. In fact, this is the first time ever that I have a whole month of posts scheduled in advance already. I don’t know how that happened. =P
As for new projects, none in mind yet. =P Lately, things usually just happen to me as opposed to me seeking them out. =)
Congrats on the award! You are such a warm and engaging blogger, no one can forget you when you take a break from blogging to handle life! ;p I love the bloggers you have chosen, and I, too, am impressed that you made a tracksuit. Wow!
Aww! Thanks so much, Adriene! =) Don’t be too impressed about the tracksuit. It wasn’t that pretty. =P Hehe!
Hi Sam, Thanks so much for the Sisterhood award! I have missed reading your blog, but I know that you are very busy with that Real Life thing you have going on. When you’re ready to return to a regular blogging schedule, your readers will rejoice!
Wow, those are very interesting facts about yourself. I’ve had to live without heat once and it was very difficult. I admire your ingenuity in problem solving. Your father taught you well.
I love the picture of you on the bicycle. You are adorable and look pretty much the same as you do now!
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You bet, Carolyn! It was the least I could do with all the support you’ve given me.
Yeah, I think that I’ll always find a way to stay heated. =P Generally, my body is always really cold!
Thanks for everything, friend. =) Haha! I find it so weird that my face hasn’t changed much over the years.
Samantha, how kind of you to include me, and how great to learn some more things about you:)
About those shoulders…be sure to take frequent breaks, consciously lower your shoulders while stretching your neck to the right, then to the left, clasp your fingers behind your back and pull downward, do some shoulder rolls fwd and back…a few tips to unkink. Do this regularly. Be aware of your posture. Take frequent breaks to get the knots out. And if I could send you my special athletic trainer cyber massage, I would! Cheers! Kaarina
Kaarina Dillabough recently posted… Is Procrastination Killing your Productivity and Profits?
Of course, Kaarina! I’m just so glad we’re a part of each others’ blogging worlds. =)
Ooh! Good point! Sometimes I get too carried away with my work. That’s precisely why my shoulders creep and up and precisely why I should take breaks more often. Maybe I should set a timer. =P
I tried those stretches and exercises, and they were really helpful! I’m working those into my daily worklife for sure. Thanks SOO much for everything, Kaarina!!
Thanks so much for the award Sam and great to have you back. I know how hard it can be to be a constant presence in the blogging world when ‘real life’ gets in the way. Now go get that hot water bottle filled…I don’t want you losing your fingertips to frost bite…I’m looking forward to more future posts!
xx
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You are SOO welcome, Lucy! =) You are definitely someone I look up to who’s able to find that balance. =)
Heading over to the kettle now. =) Glad we’re back in touch! =)
I didn’t know about the sisterhood of bloggers and I think it’s so cool. I will try to read the blogs of your sisters. I find it hard to find time to read others work after making video & photos and putting them on Youtube, my blog and then Facebook and Twitter plus looking after my daughter. I really want to, and try but there is always something to do. Especially now in Mexico as I have a whole new set of time consumers such as doing hand laundry and grocery runs into the next big town which is 45 minutes away by camioneta. We have take camionetas as the taxi is too fast and the road to curvy and my kid gets sick. Plus there’s all the fun stuff like walking the beach and swimming in the ocean. Still I appreciate good links to good blogs and definitely will try to check them out. Soon though I hope to start painting again, just trying to locate some canvases. Anyways I wanted to thank you for your lovely tweet and I will try to read your blog more often. Have a great day! You really brightened mine. Gracias! P.S. I’m super impressed your so fast with a Rubiks cube, I’ve never figured it out!
Tina Winterlik recently posted… SAVE THE COWICHAN RIVER!
Oh, I so know what you mean! I have a hard enough time keeping up with social media and I’ve really had to cut a lot of my involvement this past year. Considering how your freelancing work involves social media, I can only imagine that it must be even more difficult for you to find free time.
Yikes! I can relate to doing laundry by hand (which I procrastinate on), but being 45 minutes away from the city by camioneta is totally new to me. I’m glad you still find time to relax and enjoy life with that busy schedule of yours. =) I really hope you start painting again soon too! Sounds like it’s a passion of yours. I really admire artists. =)
Thanks for stopping by and for leaving such a heartwarming comment, Tina! =)
P.S. You can learn to solve a Rubik’s cube with YouTube videos. =) It’s all about patterns.
I completely understand how real-life commitments can cut into your blogging and social media time. I still have plenty to say on my blog, even after four years, but not much time to say it! I wish you and Roy luck with the sponsorship application. At 200 pages, the application sounds like a real monster.
I just got a brand new office chair (after using a hard wooden chair for the last three years), and I feel like I died and went to heaven. Do treat yourself if you can, because it will make a huge difference in how you feel (I’m sure it would help those tight shoulders).
And, lastly, I’m super impressed that you sewed a track suit! I’m a complete disaster when it comes to sewing. I did learn how to crochet this year though, and it’s a lot of fun.
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You really do get it, Katie! I so wish I had more time to post more regularly. I have this draft blog post of accumulating notes on what I’d like to reflect on and write about, but I barely get to it. =P
Thanks soo much for the luck! =)
You know, maybe I will invest in that office chair. I know how it made all the difference in a past office job. Now that I think about it… I really should invest in an iMac too. Haha! =)
Ooh! Me too! =) I can only crochet hats, but it’s a super fun pastime! =)
Hi Samantha,
Congratulations on your award! You are so accomplished and I love learning so much about you.
Great that you try new things, like sewing, and feel it was an accomplishment, even through the mistakes you claimed you made. But you did it anyway and that builds character, confidence and courage.
And, I love learning how you adjust to the situation and make the best of it. You are awesome!
Cindy
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Thanks SOO much, Cindy! =)
I’m all about continually learning new things, although I know that there are always opportunities for me to challenge myself and step way outside of my comfort zone even more than I already have. I think those would be the most beneficial.
You are awesome too! =) I always learn even more from the awesome people around me. =) Thanks for being a part of my world!