Sunshine Award

Guess what! - I have been nominated for a Sunshine Award by Hope at A Crack in Everything. Thank you, Hope!
I am so excited because I have never really been nominated for anything online. Oh boy, oh boy. 

The rules and new nominees can be found at the end of the post.

But first, I think I have to answer some questions now, so here we go:

1. Where do you feel the most at home (other than, you know, in your actual home)?

      It already starts out tricky. I knew it! Well, let`s see.... I actually have several homes. I currently live in the US, in the Midwest to be a little more specific, but originally, I am from Europe. I grew up there and my whole family still lives there. They are spread out all over the EU, some because of their careers and others because they got married.

      The place, where I grew up, the little town, where I know the names of almost everyone, where I know people`s life stories and who is related to whom even if just through a second cousin three generations removed, where I know who I can trust and who I can ask for help if I need anything and where I would drop everything to help others, the place where I feel safe – that is my real home. The place, I currently live in is also nice. I have cute little townhouse that I rent, nice colleagues I work with etc. but I barely know my neighbors’ names and I have never been in their houses or heard their stories. On some level, it is home, too, but it’s not quite the same as my real home.
       So, besides these “actual homes”, I feel most at home where I went to grad school. It was one of the best times, if not THE best time of my life. I know my way around in that town and still have some friends who live there. Going there for a visit feels a little bit like coming home...

2. What song brings back good memories?

     Maybe “The Space Between” by the Dave Matthews Band or Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why”. They remind me of grad school, sitting in coffee shops doing homework, they remind me of friends, being in love, having dreams and plans for the future and just being my true self.

3. When did you know that you were ready to have children?

     I have felt ready to have children for a long time. In fact, I cannot recall a time, when I did not feel ready to have children. I always wanted them. But the circumstances were not always right.

      I knew I was ready to get seriously started TTC last year. I had accepted a permanent position in a new town a year earlier. When I realized that I could potentially stay in this position for the rest of my career, but that I would probably not find a prince charming with whom I could start a new family in the near future, I decided it was time to look pull out plan B. My biological clock was ticking too loud and I knew it would not make sense to wait for something that might never happen, so I started to prepare for TTC.

4. What's your next big (non-child-related) goal?

     This is another tough question. At the moment all my thinking and doing is centered on getting pregnant. My other goals are dependent on when or if it will work out. The next big goal would be either to work on my career here and get promoted, or to go back to Europe and find a new career there. In any case, I don`t think life will get boring any time soon.

5. What's one of your pet peeves?

     When people do not take responsibility for their actions. Enough said...

6. What's one of your favorite keepsakes?

      I think my favorite keepsake is not an object but memories or feelings. Growing up, my family has taught me not to get too attached to material things or objects: “We love God and we love each other, but we do not get attached to things.” I still believe that to be a good rule to live by.

7. Cats or dogs?

     Neither one... or both??? I am not a big animal person. I like the idea of a cat, they are snuggly and soft, but in reality I am allergic. I always ended up with swollen eyes when I visited a friend who had a cat. In addition to that, I had a distant aunt who ended up being the stereotypical cat lady taking in any stray cat in a 50-mile radius. If you have ever stepped inside a house that was occupied by 500 cats and one old lady, your love for cats will be cured for quite some time. I also like the idea of a dog, of going for long walks and having a dog waiting for me when I get home. But in reality, I am probably also allergic...

8. If you could live in any other place or time, what would it be?

      I used to think I would like to be a pioneer woman. That I would have liked to immigrate to the Midwest in the 1850s and built a new life for my family here. I think it would have been a tough life, but also an adventure.

      But to be honest, even if I really had the choice, I think I would stay right here in this time. I like things like antibiotics, technology and of course I like the internet. So, I would not really like to go back in time. I think I would not last very long. And going into the future? No, I think I would rather not like to know what is ahead of me. If I had known how difficult certain things in life would be, I would have never started them. But it is a good thing that I did, so sometimes ignorance is bliss, I think.

9. If you had money to give away, who would receive it?

     I’m honestly not sure. I have never placed too much value on money. I have never been rich, nor really poor. I have always had what I needed and I have always been happy with what I had. But I never had so much money that I could easily give it away in big amounts. I think if I had that kind of money, then I would pick a cause or an organization that would benefit society. I would look for the first tiny domino that I could push over so that the entire game would start falling into place. So, for example, instead of paying for one cancer patient’s treatment, I would try to sponsor medical students or their research, because if I can help them be successful, they might help more than just one person. If I had money to give away, I would try to invest it in the future instead of trying to fix the present.

10. When was the last time you laughed really hard?

     The last time when I laughed really hard was probably when my aunt came to visit me. I cannot really recall what we laughed about. I just remember that we sat at the dinner table talking and laughing for hours. We laughed so hard that our tummies hurt and even the next day we were sore from laughing so much. That was almost 6 years ago. I miss it.

A Sunshine Award is given to bloggers whose posts brighten your day. The rules:

1. Include the Sunshine Award icon in your post.
2. Link to the person who nominated you.
3. Answer 10 questions about yourself.
4. Nominate 10 bloggers to receive the award.
5. Post 10 questions for your nominees. 
6. Link your nominees and let them know they've been nominated.

So here are my new nominees. Please feel free to answer my questions below. Everything is voluntary, but of course, I would like to learn more about you. 

1. Surly Mama from It's definitely possible
2. The mom from Expiring Eggs
3. Sarah from OMG There's Three
4. R from Searching for Mommyhood
5. Carla from The Bubblelush
6. Little One from The Clock Finally Started Ticking
7. Becky from Already in my Heart, Someday in my Arms...
8. Ali from A Planned Life
9. The mom from The Solo Mama Project
10. You! Yes, you - whoever is reading this and has not been named yet, but would like a little sunshine.

Here are my 10 questions for you:

1. We only know each other online, so let`s start getting to know each other a little better. Tell me one thing about yourself that you really, really like about yourself, e.g. a character trait, a physical trait, anything!
2. What is the nicest thing that anybody has ever said to you (besides "I love you")?
3. What do you do on a lazy Saturday or Sunday morning?
4. Where in the world would you like to travel if you could go anywhere?
5. If you had to summarize your life (so far) in one sentence or a headline, what would it be?
6. What is your favorite movie and why do you like it so much?
7. How have you dealt with in the past or do you deal with disappointments in your TTC journey? (In other words: Do you have some advice for others how to make them feel better after a disappointment?)
8. If you have any routines in your life, name the one you enjoy most (working out, your morning cup of joe etc.).
9. Is there anything that you would have differently on your TTC journey if you had known from the start what you know now?
10. Is a split question:
a. If you TTC-ed with an anonymous donor: What would you do if by accident or chance you suddenly found out the identity of your donor?
b. If you TTC-ed with a known donor or your husband: Please make up your own question, because I am running out of creativity and 10 questions was really all I could handle. :) 

I'm looking forward to your answers!