LIEBSTER LOVE

I've been blogging pretty much as long as I've been on the Internet, starting back in 1995 with a very random blog that had a giant picture of Calvin & Hobbes on it. Then when we were planning our wedding I found the message boards at the now-defunct WeddingChannel.com, where I had a blog dedicated to the planning of our wedding, and then life as a newlywed. Then I discovered LiveJournal.com, and started a more general blog about my life and moving from Pennsylvania to California and all of the adventures, ups, and downs that came with that. That blog eventually morphed into what you now know as casacaudill, which has obviously been a long time in the making.

I've been fortunate over the last twelve years or so to meet some incredibly wonderful women via blogging, including Linda from In the Making, who passed the Liebster Award on to me. Linda is one of the ladies I met back when we were both planning our weddings over a decade ago. She has a great sense of style, takes beautiful photos, and is a talented graphic designer. Thanks Linda, for your kind words about me and my little slice of the internet!

I did some research to see if I could find the origin of the Liebster Blog award, but it goes so far back, with so many hundreds (thousands?) of bloggers receiving the honor, that this research was akin to untangling the world's biggest ball of twine. I was never going to get there. What I did learn is that Liebster means favorite or beloved in German, and so the award is to be given to five of your favorite blogs who have less than 200 followers. The idea is that in doing this, you are showcasing new and interesting blogs to your readers. The honored blogs then "pay it forward" by awarding the honor to their five favorite blogs. And on and on and on.

Several of my favorite new bloggers have already received the Liebster Blog award, but I'm super lazy and don't want to go back and figure out which ones and when so instead I'll just go with whoever I want. I'm not really one to follow the rules exactly anyhow. Some of these ladies I've been reading for a long while, others are very new to me but I'm hooked! Read on and you'll see why these blogs are among my favorites in Google Reader.

The Stucco Bungalow - I first met Erin through ... you know, I don't really know. It had to have been one of the home improvement networks. Then we started chatting on Twitter and Instagram. And then she started Blue Door Blogs, a blog network dedicated to those smaller blogs focused on home design, renovation, and life. I've met several wonderful people through this network - we all owe a huge thanks to Erin. Plus she's hilarious. I mean, laugh out loud funny.

House Bella - Sara (and her husband and two dogs) lives in Idaho and spends her time turning her house into a great modern abode. When she's not working on house projects she's taking fantastic pictures of her mountain biking adventures, including a recent trip to Moab.

House Four - This is a relatively new find for me. Janet is another blogger I came across from Blue Door Blogs, and right away I knew she was someone I could get along with when I saw a post about her love of Tofino. With a background in public relations, and a love of travel, she's obviously a lady after my own heart.

Hernando House - Cait is yet another blogger I connected with via BDBs. Her and her husband live in an ever-evolving house with the best ceiling and great eclectic style. She also loves bourbon as much as I do.

Reading Everywhere - Allison is another WeddingChannel.com alum. She's also my go-to source for all things related to YA literature and I blame her implicitly for my addiction to Twilight.

I'm sure there are many more people/blogs that I could have profiled, but like I said at the beginning of this post - I'm lazy. And I'm not such a rule breaker that I would go outside the recommended five blogs. If you want to know who else I read, check out my blog roll on the right side of this blog.

Now that I've told you who I read ... who do you read?