Ok. I realize posts have been pretty sparse around the AZ DIY Guy's Projects of late. I've been doing projects and writing, but I've been far less prolific. Life's been super busy.

Despite a flagging blogging momentum, I have been honored to receive a nomination for the Liebster Award from one of my blogging buddies. Jessica, the outstanding blogger behind Cape of Dreams.

The Liebster Award is an honor bloggers give to other bloggers to expose readers to new blogs that they enjoy. I understand the word "Liebster" is German for "favorite", or something like that. I thought it would be fun set down the power tools and answer Jessica's challenge. Here are the rules:

• Write 11 Facts about Yourself
• Link back to the person who tagged you
• Come up with 10 questions to ask your nominees
• Tag 11 other bloggers with under 200 followers
• Let the person who tagged you know when you answer their questions
• Have fun with it, and get to know some new people

So here we go. I'll start with...

Jessica's questions:

Why do you blog?

I blog because I enjoy it and I get to interact with some great people that I'd not otherwise meet. It's a stress release and a creative outlet. I actually started after posting a day by day  account of one of my projects on my personal Facebook page for my family (who all live about 3,000 miles away). It just sort of took off from there. If I can help someone through one of my experiences, then I'm happy.

What advice would you give someone who is starting a blog?

Find your niche and your own style. Stick with it, but let it evolve over time. Do it because you want to, because you enjoy it, or because you are driven to share. If the business side of blogging takes off for you, it's a bonus, but don't let it become your sole reason to blog. Have fun and make new friends.

What is your favorite childhood memory?

I have many memories of going to airshows and sports car races with my dad. Long, loud, hot, and sometimes boring, but I sure do remember them fondly.

I'm the short one, dressed like Pugsley Adams. 

Where do you go when you need inspiration?

Luckily, my genre is well represented on television. A couple HGTV, DIY Network shows, or some This Old House, and I'm primed for action. Reading blogs, wandering through the home center, and even touring real estate open houses in our area also helps. 

What makes you happiest?

Spending quality time with my beautiful wife and kids. Honestly, sitting at home with them, on the couch enjoying a movie with a pizza and a beer is the tops.

What is your favorite book? (or books if you are like me and could never pick just one.)

I do love books of all sorts. If I had to boil it down to a handful I'd choose the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and the Horatio Hornblower books by C.S. Forrester. Both are older historical fiction, I never would have predicted that back in my younger SciFi days.

What was the most influential moment in your life?

Too tough to answer. Lots of big moments shape you. The marriage to my lovely wife, the birth of our children, agreeing to move across country, the souring of my first career, the sudden passing of my brother, and many other moments have been hugely influential. 

Who inspires you?

I'm inspired by those who are defined by what they do, when it counts. Tough actions or tough choices. Captain Sullenberger, who landed an airliner safely on the Hudson River comes to mind. 

What would you do if you won a million dollars? 

Not make a huge change probably. I'd keep working, I'd secure the future of my family, contribute more to charity, and I'd probably finish a lot more projects (or at least start a lot more). 

Where do you hope to go next year?

We hope to take a trip back to Michigan and see our family. 

What do you want to be when you grow up?

If I'm not grown up now, I'm never going to be.  Maybe I can blow up the Death Star...

11 Facts About Myself: Oh boy. Tough one.

• Years ago, I did get some experience with masonry work, on patio stones to be precise. I didn't use one of those fancy saws and the belt sure wasn't there to hold tools.
• Setting some patio stones, without my work boots.
• I was seriously injured on a construction site during my brief career as a construction electrician. It involved scaffolding, 5/8" rebar, my posterior, and surgery. I could have died, but I was back in action in about a month, No, I'm not going to show you the scar, I will show you this little dog statue, including the band-aid, that the plumbers gave me, when they visited me in the hospital.
• Plumbers. They always think they're so damn funny.
• Although I still work in the construction industry, I haven't wielded tools professionally for many years. I'm in human resources.
• I went to college for graphic design for advertising. I never did it for a living, but it's always come in helpful. 
• I once ate an entire box of Little Debby Oatmeal Cream Pies to win a $10 bet. About 20 years later, I still can't even see them on a billboard without feeling sick
• I'm originally from Michigan. We've relocated several times: Michigan to Arizona, to Texas, and back to Arizona. This is our third home. A car has never been parked in any of the garages. Bless my sweet wife for understanding.
•  I'm a hopeless lover of gadgets, tools, and technology. 
•  I struggle with finishing DIY projects. That last little % always stymies me. I lose my steam and start looking for the next project. It's terrible.
•  I love DIY and home renovation projects. I hate painting. Go figure. 

Now that we know each other better, on to the nominees! I don't know how many followers these blogs actually have. Heck, I really don't know how many followers I actually have.

This process is meant to celebrate and elevate smaller blogs so I'm going to add some good ones that I believe are in the small to medium size category. 200 followers? Who knows? Won already? Dunno. But I read and these folks regularly.

My Nominees: 

1. John at Our Home From Scratch
2. Meryl at Picardy Project
3. Vickiann at My Crappy House
4. Doug at Thumb and Hammer
5. Mayfair Mistress at Queen Anne's Revenge

Regrettably, I'm going to stop at those five. I went through my reading list and was dismayed to find that many of the good small / medium sized blogs I used to read have gone dormant for many months. Gone? Hibernating? Let me know in the comments if there are some more that you think I'd enjoy. There are plenty of outstanding/ inspiring / funny blogs I read, that are much larger than my handy little corner of the internet.

The Questions:

Have fun with it if you wish! (Or skip it, no pressure; it's not a chain letter) Here are my questions, if you choose to accept them:

1. Why do you blog?
2. What advice to you have for new bloggers?
3. What is your favorite social media to support your blog and why?
4. What are your favorite tools?
5. What is the oldest tool you still use?
6. What was your biggest DIY success?
7. What was your biggest DIY failure?
8. What is(are) your favorite book(s)?
9. Light Sabers, Hobbits, Defense Against the Dark Arts or the fortune and glory of beating the Nazis to supernatural antiquities? 
10. What are your three favorite movie quotes?

There it is, the Leibster award / challenge / thing, with more personal stuff than I've ever shared. Back to regularly scheduled programming next time!