Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Glenn 2.0 nominated me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award! I feel incredibly honored and humbled.

The rule for this award are:

• Thank and link the amazing person who nominated you.
• List the rules and display the award.
• Share seven facts about yourself.
• Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know they have been nominated.
• Optional: Proudly display the award logo on your blog and follow the blogger who nominated you.

Seven facts about me:

1. I am one of seven kids. I loved growing up in a large family. There was always someone to talk to and always someone to do things with. I have three sisters and three brothers, three older siblings and three younger siblings. No matter what I wanted to do, there was someone to do it with. We grew up camping and playing outdoors, we had family game nights on Fridays and played lots of board and card games growing up. We would have movie nights with popcorn. I can’t actually think of anything right off hand that I didn’t like about having a large family.
2. I went to college for sign language interpreting. I didn’t finish the degree (I have one year left) because my eating disorder made me too sick to continue. However, at some point, I’d like to go back and finish it. I love signing and I love the deaf community. I also have a deaf niece (born after I started my degree).
3. When I feel stuck in life, I have a tendency to cut my hair (myself, in the bathroom, with scissors). It makes me feel like I can make a positive change in my life. As a result, I’ve had every length of hair, including once when I shaved my head, and I even had a mohawk once.
4. Rice, popcorn, and potatoes are my three favorite foods in the world. However, I rarely eat popcorn because it’s painful to purge.
5. I’ve been in and out of hospitals and treatment since I was 16. That’s 14 years. Sometimes it’s been helpful, sometimes it hasn’t, but it definitely makes me feel “different” a lot of the time, abnormal and strange, and at times it’s very exhausting.
6. Very few people in my life know what I’m going through right now, and no one knows the extent. I hate talking about it with people, it feels awkward and strained. I also don’t like people worrying about me, plus most people in my life don’t understand any of it. I also feel like I let people down by struggling so much, or feel like a failure, and that’s not a feeling I want to share with most people.
7. My days right now are really, really boring because I’m so wrapped up in my eating disorder. It makes it hard for me to come up with 7 facts about myself. My days basically consist of binge, purge, laxatives, exercise, and repeat until bed.

Bonus: I hate shingles commercials. “The shingles virus is already inside you.” Thanks. I hate you now.

My nominations:

1. http://crystalbunneh.wordpress.com/ – This girl has been through a lot, and she’s just coping the best that she knows how. I hope that she is able to find healing and wholeness
2. http://thefatballerinablogs.wordpress.com/
3. http://right2recovered.wordpress.com/
4. http://ambivalencegirl.wordpress.com/ – Numbers 2, 3, and 4 have helped me so much during the last few months that I’ve had this blog (Ballerina even longer). They encourage me, they support me, they leave wonderful notes on my blog, and they struggle day in and day out but keep fighting. I consider these 3 wonderful ladies my WordPress support group.
5. http://letmeseemykids.wordpress.com/ – This guy lost his children and wife due to drug addiction and is now working hard to turn his life around, and the lives of his three precious boys. He inspires me to keep going when it doesn’t seem worth it, or possible.
6. http://glenn2point0.wordpress.com/ – He always has a word of encouragement or advice for me, and is one of my most active commenters. Don’t ever underestimate the power of a kind word to someone who is struggling.
7. http://seethebrightsideoflife.wordpress.com/ – This girl writes every post in two languages! I sometimes just struggle to post in a single language! I also enjoy her insights and humor, and I love to learn about life in a country I don’t usually hear much about.
8. http://recoverybound27.wordpress.com/
9. http://darlingimbroken.wordpress.com/
10. http://cagednomore.org/
11. http://maniccottoncandy.wordpress.com/
12. http://twirlybunny.wordpress.com/ – Numbers 8-12 are all blogs I frequent. They inspire me because they all struggle, but they all keep going. Sometimes, just knowing there’s someone out there who is also struggling but has the strength to continue is a huge help for me.
13. http://tracybrighton.wordpress.com/
14. http://tomagcro.com/
15. http://edhusband.wordpress.com/ – Numbers 13-15 are not always updated very often, but they each offer the unique perspective of someone who is trying to support an individual with an eating disorder: a mother, a father, and a husband, respectively.

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Liebster Award, Times 2!

I was nominated a long time ago for a Liebster Award. I started a post for it, intending to publish it, but got tired, saved it, and forgot about it. Then, recently, I was nominated for 2 other awards, so I thought I should pull this out of my drafts, dust it off, and start posting these awards.

The rules of this award are:

1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you.
2. Answer the 11 questions they gave you.
3. Nominate 11 other blogs.
4. Let those blogs know that you nominated them by leaving a comment on their blog.
5. Give your nominees 11 questions to answer.

Here are the questions I was given by I am my own island:

1. What was your best year and why? 2011 because I got to spend all summer with my nieces and nephew.
2. How did you decide the name of your blog? I looked up synonyms of abstinence and found “abstemious” which means
   “sparing or moderate in eating and drinking; temperate in diet. characterized by abstinence”. I started this blog before I started treatment for bulimia and it was basically my way of saying I didn’t want to have to eat ever again. (I actually still don’t want to.)
   
3. What book would you recommend to read or a movie to watch? And why? Movie: The Princess Bride and Oscar. Book: Howl’s moving Castle (the movie is also good), the Artemis Fowl series.
4. Do you believe recovery is possible? It really depends on the day.
5. When you have trouble falling asleep what do you do? Usually play games or read blogs on my phone. I also watch Netflix on my tablet. (I’m looking for a new series, so if you have suggestions, leave them in the comments!)
6. Do you have a hobby and how did you decide on it? I like to craft and I like to play games, does that count?
7. Do you have social media you’d like people to follow? Nope. I only have Facebook and I try to keep it separate from my blog life. I am able to blog honestly because of the anonymity it affords me.
8. If you could meet anyone on the planet who would it be? Nicola Tesla. He’s on the planet, so he counts, right?
9. Last meal you ate what did you have? Ughhh, pizza.
10. Do you have any pets? I have a wonderful kitty named Narcissa Neapolitan Hallow.
11. Do  you have a favorite commercial? I don’t think so. I hate the Sonic commercials, though. And probably every car insurance commercial.

I was also nominated by Right2Recover, and here are her questions:

1. What is one thing in life that you could never regret doing, and why? Standing up for someone else, especially when they are being hurt, harmed, or their rights are being impinged upon.
2. Who in your life makes the most effort to understand you? My friend Lea. She used to struggle with anorexia, and she is great about supporting and listening and just understanding without ever judging.
3. If you could switch genders for a day, would you take the opportunity? I’ve actually thought about this before. I’m not sure. Maybe, just to see if I was treated differently by people, but I do like being female. I like wearing dresses and doing my nails and all that. I’m fine with being a lady. Though, the ability to urinate standing up does seem appealing…
4. What relaxes you? Nothing healthy, that I’ve found… Mostly purging and cutting…
5. If you had to pick one thing to bring you out of a really dark place or deep depression, what would it be? I’m not sure I understand this question…
6. Are you more comfortable in a group of people or by yourself? Uh…it just depends. Sometimes I definitely prefer to be alone, but sometimes I don’t handle being alone very well. Sometimes I really like being around others, and sometimes I hate it. I’m inconsistent.
7. What is your favourite outfit to put on, and why does it make you feel more confident? The one I’m currently wearing. It’s a black maxi dress with a pretty pattern in white. I like it because it’s flowy, so it doesn’t show off or accentuate my body, and because it’s suuuper comfortable. It’s like wearing a socially acceptable blanket (as far as comfort goes).
8. Are you religious? If so, what are your basic beliefs about humanity, morality, and evil? (Big question, I know!) Yes, I consider myself a Christian. Yes, this is, indeed a big question! I think it’s a little too open-ended for me for when I’m feverish. Perhaps I’ll try to come back to this topic at a later date.
9. Are you daring or more risk averse? Hahaha, ohhh, it depends on the day. There are times when I am VERY risk-avoidant, and others when I take risks without much thought to the consequences.
10. In general, which is the more honest sex? (M or F) Psshh, I think it’s more of a person-by-person thing.
11. Have you remembered that you’re beautiful yet, today? No, I hadn’t.

And that’s all 22 questions! Now to nominate some blogs! My nominations are:

1. The Fat Ballerina
2. Right2Recover
3. Ambivalence Girl
4. Let Me See My Kids
5. Recovery Bound
6. See the Bright Side of Life
7. The Sound of Ed’s Voice
8. Twirly Bunny
9. Caged No More
10. Manic Cotton Candy
11. Glenn 2.0

And now, I shall attempt to come up with 11 questions…

1. Why did you start your blog?
2. What is one of your favorite things in the world?
3. What is your favorite tv series or book series? (You can share both if you want.)
4. Do you have any pets? If so, tell me about them! If not, why, and what would you get if you got a pet?
5. What is your favorite vegetable?
6. Do you have any mildly embarrassing hobbies or obsessions that you’re willing to share?
7. Do you ever have trouble coming up with blog post topics?
8. Do you prefer to be hot or cold, and why?
9. Do you have a favorite flower or plant?
10. What is one piece of advise you would want to pass on to the next generation?
11. Is there anything you wish you could tell yourself and get yourself to believe it that you currently don’t?

Annnd, end scene!