Blogger Award

 I am super excited and flattered to have received my first ever blogger award! This one is special because it is actually 7 in one:

I am new to the blogging world and have so much to learn, but I am already addicted and love the food/fitness blogging community so far! 

 My blog friend Kelly has nominated me, and I want to say a huge Thank You from the bottom of my heart to her! Although she is not a vegan (gasp) she has changed my mind about being open to reading non-vegan blogs. She is such a sweetheart, so be sure to check out her webpage!

 In keeping with the blogger award, I have to say 7 things about myself that you might not know:

1. I have wanted to be a nurse since I was three years old. I remember driving home from buying white shoes with my parents and my Dad saying, "They are white shoes, like nursing shoes," and the rest is history...
2. I was homeschooled until middle school. So now you can throw your preconceived notions of "weird homeschoolers" out the window. I always had lots of friends, lots of boyfriends, and later joined a sorority in college. Not all homeschoolers are socially awkward! 
3. I can't just "do okay" when it comes to school, I have to get straight A's and be perfect. In college, I decided I wanted to graduate Cum Laude with high honors in Nursing School, and I did!
4.  I've never been interested in photography but lately I can't seem to stop taking pictures and desiring a really nice camera
5. I know a lot of people say "I hate the cold", but I dislike winter sooo much that I moved down south to avoid cold weather all together. 
6. I don't like to be bored and prefer to take on lots of tasks at once. In college I worked full time, went to nursing school, logged hours at clinicals, sat on Executive Board with my sorority, and was part of fall recruitment for the entire campus, all at the same time!! Now that I'm just working it feels weird.
7. I used to smoke cigarettes (gasp!) See, people can change! 

So as a tradition, I must pass this award on to 15 other recipients who I believe deserve to be recognized. I have thought about this on the long drive to Chicago and decided that although there are so many great blogs out there, I wanted to recognize mostly new bloggers so they may have the chance to be seen and known. Personally, ever since I have been nominated my viewer stats have gone up, so I would like to return the favor. Some of the following 15 blogs are new, but they are great nontheless, and deserve to be recognized. We all had to start somewhere!

1. Diary of a vegan girl
2. Thin Thighs and Sweet Potato Fries
3. Curry and Comfort
4. Get Skinny, Go Vegan
5. The clean eating mama
6. My life as a raw vegan
7. Ginger is the new pink
8. Fruit and veggie tales
9. The Domestic Vegan
10. A plant-based, whole foods diet
11. Dairy free betty
12. Fresh and fit
13. Peas and Thank You <-- ok i know she's not new to the blogging world but so hilarious!
14. No meat athlete
15. Busy Vegan Mama

So there you have it! Congratulations ladies and gentleman!

  I apologize for not being around for the past 4 days, but I was traveling through 5 states and back in 3 days, and well, I was living life with my girlfriends! More posts to come! :)