Liebster Award

I am very pleased and grateful to have been nominated to receive a Liebster Award by the lovely Cindy who blogs at Piccolo Explorer. I love following her family’s outings around London and her travels throughout Europe and I’m so grateful that she has chosen Ashley Daley Photography as one of her nominated blogs.

Thanks again, Cindy! I really appreciate the nomination.

A Liebster is an award given by other award winners to fairly new bloggers to promote and recognize up and coming blogs. In German, ‘liebster’ means ‘dearest’ or ‘sweetest’. It’s a great way to welcome, celebrate and discover new blogs. I've been enjoying seeing other Liebster award nominees and discovering new blogs!

The Rules
Once you have been nominated you will need to write a blog post thanking the person who nominated you, with a link back to their website, and answer the questions they’ve asked you. Then you nominate up to 11 blogs of your choice (remembering to let them know that you’ve nominated them) and provide 11 questions for them to answer.

My Answers to Cindy's Questions:


How did you get into blogging?
I began doing a little photography in 2014 and started a blog as a place to showcase clients' photos. Last summer we moved to France from Southern California and I decided it would be nice to show photos of our time here in Europe while also writing about our adventures. Living in France is quite different from California and I thought the people from back home would enjoy learning more about living abroad and traveling with children.

What do you enjoy most about blogging?
I love that it keeps a record of our time here in France! It's something that I personally can go back through and enjoy reading again and again. I also like the idea of helping other young families who might want to travel. Hopefully this blog is a place where they can pick up a few travel tips and get ideas for new family-friendly places to visit.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
We've been enjoying our time here in Europe immensely. It's so amazing to have this opportunity to live in France, even if it's just until the end of my husband's MBA program. That said, while we love it here, I think at the end of the day our dream destination would be either the North Shore of Oahu (where my husband and I first met) or somewhere on the Big Island. We love Hawaii and would love to get back to the islands someday.

What is your favorite pastime besides traveling?
Photography! I've always loved taking pictures. I was that kid in school who was always taking photos and getting my little disposable Kodak cameras developed. Nowadays, I have an actual camera and continue to take photos of either our family or clients. Photos are a way to document our lives and relive memories. They're something that can be treasured forever and I love being a part of that.

What is the next book on your to-read list?
These days it is so hard to find any extra time to read! I wouldn't mind re-reading Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman though now that I'm raising two little girls here in France.

What is your favorite cuisine?
I was born and raised in Southern California so Mexican food will probably always be my favorite! That said, we've had some amazing food here in France too!

What are your top five travel essentials?
1. Camera and a lens or two
2. Double Stroller (it makes napping on the go so much easier!)
3. Tablet (for our toddler to play on any trains, planes, or in a car and to also for us to look up information when we reach our destination)
4. Diaper Bag
5. Free Rick Steves Audio Tours that we can listen to on our phones

What is your favorite travel memory?
This is a tough one! We have so many lately that I love. I think pre-children my favorite would be when my husband and I went to the Big Island and swam with dolphins in Kealakekua Bay. With our kids, my favorite might be when we climbed St. Peter's Dome. I carried our 1 year old and my husband carried our 2 year old (at the time) up over 200 stairs. When we got to the top, our 1 year old loved looking out at the view and was so excited pointing at everything. It was kind of crazy, but so amazing and a memory I'll never forget.

What was your worst travel experience?
That's an easy one. Going through TSA in San Francisco when we were moving here to France. Our toddler was already freaked out having to put all of our carry-ons (including her doll) on the x-ray machine and then a TSA agent decided that I needed to be patted down for some reason (because of course we should be concerned about the young mother traveling with a 5 month old and a 2 year old...). So then our toddler freaked out even more as I got led away to a private room to get uncomfortably patted down leaving my husband to deal with our two crying children and all of our carry-ons (which was a lot since we were moving). It was absolutely horrible.

What is at the top of your travel bucket list?
I think right now I'd have to say the South of France or Ireland. Both are places we definitely want to check out sooner rather than later.

What is your favorite blog post on your blog (hyperlink)?
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte - A beautiful Château right outside Paris that we visited around Christmas time.

And now, here are my nominated blogs:
Let's Do Some Good Today
Erstwhile
Carmen Ottens
La Vy En Rose
Dutch, Dutch, Goose
Simply Learning 

My 11 Questions:
Where are you originally from and where are you located now?

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

Why did you start blogging?

Would you rather vacation at a beach or in the mountains?

What is your favorite travel memory?

What has been your worst travel experience?

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Underpacker or overpacker?

What other hobbies do you enjoy besides blogging?

Name three of your favorite books.

What is your favorite blog post that you've written (hyperlink)?

I hope you choose to accept and I look forward to reading your answers! 

Thank you again Piccolo Explorer for the nomination!