virtual hugs

Ever since I started blogging, I've been amazed at the power that blogging has to build connections between people.  Last week, I discovered a new type of connection when Valerie gave me the "Liebster" award.

I love the heart on the badge!  It feels just like a virtual hug!

When I Googled the Liebster to find out more about it, I found lots of different versions with myriad variations.  However, they all seemed to agree on a few important points:

• You can give it to blogs who have less than 200 followers.  
• The name comes from the German "Liebe", which means love.  (That's my favorite part!) 
• You have to post some fun facts about yourself.  (From what I saw, the number varies from 5 to 11!)  In some versions, you also have to post questions for other people.
• You have to pass it on to some other blogs that you love. (Again, the number varies widely!)

Since I don't exactly have copious free time right now, I'm going to go for the light end of the rules. So, here are my answers to 5 of the questions Valerie wrote for me:

• Favorite book: A Tale of Two Cities... or The Velveteen Rabbit... or In the Time of the Butterflies... or Make Way for Ducklings... or To Kill a Mockingbird... or... well, I can't really choose just one book!
• Friday evening ritual: Blog in Spanish for Spanish Friday if I can, then out to dinner with Husband, come back and relax to some recorded TV shows.
• Heels or sneakers: SNEAKERS!!! (Although I call them "tennies".)  Definitely.  I hate dressing up and would wear sweats and tennies every single day if I could!  I hate wearing heels and have a very hard time finding shoes to teach in, partially because I have weird feet.
• Morning person or night owl: Night owl, if I had my choice.  I HATE mornings.  And I really, really like to sleep.  Since I have to get up so early for school, I'm actually neither because I go to bed early in a somewhat futile attempt to make the morning more bearable!
• A person I admire: my mom.  She has so much energy and is so passionate about helping her students.  (She's a high school principal.)  She's also really positive and loves to have fun.  People think she's way younger than she is because that's how she lives.

And here are my 5 nominees, a few blogs that I LOVE! (Remember, "Liebster" comes from "Liebe"!)  I think it would be nice to share WHY I love each blog:

• Dana at She Writes Because (I love the way she shares celebrations of student learning.)
• Deb at Coffee With Chloe (I love the way her blog shows her passion for her students.)
• Elsie at Elsie Tries Writing (I love her unique descriptions of life and her ability to transform ANYTHING into a magically delightful writing topic.)
• Linda at TeacherDance (I love her honesty, wisdom, and the caring she shows through her comments.)
• Christy at Living (I love her deep reflections that always leave me thinking.)

Finally, here are 5 questions I'd love to know about my nominees (and anyone else who wants to answer them!)

1. Favorite book(s)?
2. Dream vacation?
3. Favorite thing about teaching?
4. Most memorable moment with a student?
5. Favorite quotation?

It's so much fun getting to know each other through all of these "slices" of our lives.  I'm glad you all are with me on this crazy journey of teaching!  (Some days, I don't know how I'd do it without it!)

Even if you think little blog "awards" are silly, I hope you think of it as a virtual hug. We certainly all could use more hugs!