Heavenstobetty Receives the Real Neat Blog Award!

Thank you so much for nominating me for the Real Neat Blog Award! This is such a huge compliment coming from one of my favorite bloggers, National Parks with T. Be sure to go over to her blog for a visit. When you do, you will be delightfully transported somewhere beautiful, amazing and inspiring!

Real Neat Blog Award Rules
1. Display the blog award logo on your post.
2. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
3. Please link back to their blog.
4. Answer the questions they have given you.
5. Nominate 7 to 10 bloggers of your choice.
6. Ask them 7 questions.

The answers to the 7 questions that National Parks with T asked me are:

1. What do you envision as the mission statement or purpose of your blog? My mission is to share my story in an authentic way that others may find helpful, inspiring, or at least mildly interesting.

2. How has that purpose evolved since you first started your blog? My first attempt at blogging was sharing craft ideas. After the Paradise Camp Fire, my blog suddenly and unexpectedly had a bigger purpose. I didn’t re-start blogging until about 5 months after the fire when I met RR on the road in Desert Hot Springs, CA. She was blogging at Rookie Roadsters and she inspired me to pick it up again. At around the same time, I met a gentleman at the hot springs who said I should write a book about my experience and then my Aunt Nancy said the same thing. After the encouragement from these 3 different individuals, and the support of my husband, I started blogging about our Camp Fire displacement adventure. My first post was Surviving the Camp Fire.

3. What impact has the global pandemic had on your blogging? While we were living in our RV, I would say that I was a travel/lifestyle/homeschool blogger. The pandemic has ceased the travel component of my blog. The shelter-at-home order coincidentally coincided with our decision to buy and house and remodel it so we’ve been staying local lately and are knee deep in new paint, new floors, packing, and extending our lease. I’m not sure my blog would be much different right now even without the pandemic.

4. Do you watch your blog stats and obsess over the numbers or do you publish for the sheer enjoyment of expression? Haha! Both, I find blogging immensely therapeutic and enjoyable! I highly recommend it to everyone as a wonderful hobby. I also like to see how the numbers are doing. I enjoy seeing how others respond to the different topics that I write about.

5. Are you active on other social media outlets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc…) and which do you like best? Why?No, I’m not on any other social media outlets. I think it would be too time consuming for me.

6. What is the farthest you’ve ever traveled from your home? I spent a year studying abroad in England my junior year of college. I was able to travel to Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Switzerland and Austria. So, I think Iceland is the farthest I’ve traveled from home.

7. Tell us about an unexpectedly awesome, off-the-beaten path attraction you’ve enjoyed during your travels. The Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. On the day of our visit, the elderly owner came to start our tour with theses words, “I love salt and pepper shakers because of how much thought, love, creativity, artistry, and work people have put into such small containers that hold the simplest of ingredients; merely for salt and pepper.” She was the sweetest lady and the museum was amazing. Salt and pepper shakers come in almost every conceivable shape. I started my own collection after visiting the museum and about 6 of them were among the very few things that survived the super-hot firestorm in the Paradise Camp Fire. Though these are charred and no longer food safe, ceramic has already been fired!

This is the hard part because I want to nominate everyone! Since I’m limited to 10, here are my nominees for the Real Neat Blog Award. I’m nominating these bloggers for various reasons. The blogs in this list are all quite different. One thing that they all have in common, is that they are all written by very interesting, authentic people and they are “real neat”! I hope you are able to visit them sometime soon.

Vova Zinger’s Photography

Of Progress and Purpose

Chambers on the Road

In Other Words

Flannel with Faith

Returning to Paradise

Rookie Roadsters

Brawnerology

Made of Still

Dave and Laura’s Dream

I agree with National Parks with T, this post took longer to write than I thought it would, so no pressure to participate! Just take my nomination as a compliment, smile, and go on with your day! If you would like to participate, follow the steps above and answer the following questions:

1. What is your favorite type of cookie?
2. Do you have a collection of anything? If so, what do you collect?
3. If you are married, where did you get engaged? If you’re single, where is your favorite place to go for a nice view?
4. What is your favorite book that has been made into a movie?
5. What was the last thing you did to try and make someone else happy?
6. What was the last thing someone else did for you that made you happy?
7. If you knew your house was going to burn down, what one thing (besides people & pets) would you take with you?

Thanks again, to National Parks with T for this award!

😊 What about you? Do you have a collection of something? If so, what do you collect?