The Sunshine Award!

I was so excited as soon as I saw Anne's email letting me know that she'd nominated me for The Sunshine Award! Made my day! I know these awards evidently float around a lot, but this one is my first, and I'm honored regardless! Huge thanks to Anne @ Love the Here and Now for this!

The rules are to:
~ Give 11 facts about yourself
~ Answer the 11 questions from the person who nominated you
~ Nominate 11 bloggers that you find freaking awesome
~ Give 11 questions for those 11 bloggers to answer

I have no idea who started this or why everything's in 11's, but my husband and I have a thing for that number, so it's fine by me. Can that count as 1 random fact? Okay, it won't...

11 (other) random facts about me:

~ I’ve never flown before. (Kinda crazy I guess, but I haven’t had a reason yet.)

~ I think a bowl of grapes, strawberries, and bananas is one of the tastiest things there is.

~ I’m from the South and yet hate all kinds of tea and brown beans and cornbread.

~ When I was in kindergarten, I won third place in a county-wide story writing contest for my grade. I found my story a few years ago and was rather appalled. Thankfully my writing (and spelling) has improved a bit since then.

~ My ears literally cannot handle wearing earrings of any kind. Just touching my ears makes them turn red.

~ I freaking love Roman numerals and have since elementary school, to the extent that I had the year on my high school class ring put in that form.

~ I find having my hair played with/styled and watching someone else’s hair be played with/styled almost equally ridiculously relaxing.

~ My husband was my first and only boyfriend. :)
~ I am obsessed with blog design right now. Luckily I recently started a business for that. ;)
~ I know the English language can get pretty ridiculous in its breaking of all rules, but I find the fact that seasons aren't capitalized one of the most ridiculous rules we have.

~ I wish I could live in Webster Springs,WV.

My answers to Anne's 11 questions: 

~ What does you ideal day look like? So, I totally misread this question and it registered as something along the lines of "typical" and not "ideal." Wow. (Sometimes I really am a blonde. Red though my hair may be.) So here's my new answer: Anything that involves being dressed up and going out with Daniel. Which we don't get to do a lot. Ooh! Or going to Webster Springs allll day! (How many times can I mention that in this post? ;)
 ~ What is your favorite flavor ice cream? Well, I haven’t had ice cream since last fall thanks to my gut repair diet (if I had an ice cream maker, I totally could have made some), but before that it would be a tie between cookies and cream and maple frozen custard. 
~ How did you come up with your blog name? If you've posted about this already share the link! My blog name pulls from my Etsy shop name, Katya Valera. When I began my quest for health, I realized this blog would be about a new kind of life, my journey to becoming "Katya Valera," which basically means a healthy version of me. I explain that a bit better here.
~ Favorite childhood memory? I'm not sure what would be my favorite, but one of the top is definitely going to Webster Springs, WV for their Woodchoppers Festival every year on Memorial Day weekend. I actually just posted about that very recently!
~ What is the best job you have had? My Katya Valera jewelry! 
~ What is the worst job you have had? I haven’t had many jobs, since my health got in the way of holding one. I was a freelance editor for about a year before I became so sick, and I was given a doozy of a project more than once. One involved dividing the whole manuscript into chapters where I felt it was appropriate and naming them. That is not the job of an editor, but of course I did it. ;) 
~ Favorite season and why? Spring! I love summer because it’s warm, but I dislike winter so much that the beautiful relief from the cold that comes with spring has to be my favorite. 
~ What is the best book you have read in the past year? Crazy as it sounds, I don’t think I’ve read one in the past year… I did start Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist but haven't finished it; I only have so much energy/attention to give every day, and reading books (you know, as opposed to blogs ;) isn’t a current priority. 
~ What is your favorite app that you can not live without? Instagram! Of course! :) 
~ Did you ever learn another language?  If so, which one(s)? Yes! How did you know this was a perfect question for me? I took a little French in high school… and hated it… Then I chose to take two years of Russian in college when I knew nothing about the language besides the fact that I love Russian names. I adore Russian, and it was one of my absolute favorite classes in four years of college. I know so little by now but hearing it or seeing it always makes me soo happy. I had to be Russian in a past life. ;) And of course it worked its way into my shop name.
~ You have the day to yourself. What is the first thing you choose to do? I would start out checking my email and social media and catching up on Bloglovin, like I do everyday. :) And I would turn up some music! Exciting huh?

The Lucky 11 bloggers I nominate:

(Let it be known that if someone besides Anne had nominated me, she so would be on this list. And some of these were also nominated by Anne, yes, but they're so awesome I had to nominate them too... )

~ Hayley @ A Beautiful Exchange

~ Elizabeth @ Army Ever After

~ Chantilly @ Chantilly

~ Mary @ Eat, Drink, and Be Mary

~ Emily @ Ember Grey

~ Katie @ Life Is...

~ Lauren @ Lot 48

~ Carylee @ More Pieces of Me

~ Neisha @ Neisha's View

~ Joanna @ To a Pretty Life

~ Lauren @ 34 Magnolia Street

11 questions for the bloggers I'm nominating:

(I always kinda hated the “and why” at the end of questions, 

so just feel free to expound without me prodding you, okay? ;)

~ Who was the first friend you made through blogland?

~ If you could only use one form of social media, which would it be?

~ What is one of your pet peeves?

~ If you could have any job, what would it be?

~ What was your favorite class in school (elementary or college, etc.)?

~ What is one thing about blogging that you had no idea about when you first became a blogger?

~ If you've shopped on Etsy, what is your favorite shop?
~ Who is your favorite musical artist?

~ What blog are you most eager to read every day?

~ What is your favorite blog post of yours?

~ Is this your first blog award? If not, what others have you been nominated for?

Congrats to you 11 bloggers--you're all very special to me. <3 And big thanks again to Anne!