I Got the Sun in the Morning...

This title is true, thanks to the time change.  I was getting super annoyed that my drive to work was basically in the dark.  Setting the clock back an hour truly has an impact on my mood in the morning, though, I still prefer to not have to get up until the sun is actually out and shining brightly.

ANYWAY....

Not long ago, Sarah from Life As Always, found my blog through a mutual blog friend, Susannah from Simple Moments Stick.  We've hit it off in the blogging world, but I was still surprised and flattered that she nominated me for the Sunshine Award! 

 

The idea of the award is to nominate bloggers whose posts brighten your day.

The Rules

 

1. Include the award logo in your post.

2. Link to the person who nominated you.

3. Answer 10 questions about yourself.

4. Nominate 10 bloggers to receive the award. Link the nominees to your post and notify them!

 

Now, since Susannah nominated me for a different Sunshine Award not too long ago, I'm going to skip #4 this time, but I'm still super excited to answer Sarah's questions! 

 

Sarah's Questions

 

1. What's the nicest thing someone else has done for you? About 7 years ago, I was in a car accident on my way to work.  It was the day after Christmas break, and we had a two-hour delay because of snow.  I was heading up the mountain, and I hit an icy spot.  I lost control of the vehicle (Scott's Chevy Blazer) went up an embankment and rolled.  I don't remember anyone being on the road behind me, but when I crawled out of the Blazer, a man was there and asked if I was ok.  He offered to let me use his cell phone (mine was clearly tossed around and stuck in an upside down vehicle) to call my parents and Scott.  I didn't know the number of the school because it was my first year teaching there, but he happened to know Lisa, the school secretary, and called her for me.  I was so thankful for this total stranger staying with me and helping me until my family arrived.

 

2. What is one thing you always wanted as a kid, but never got? A piano.  My nana plays, and I always wanted to play.  Eventually, in high school, I did take lessons from her, but I didn't have anything decent to practice on (I had a very small keyboard). 

 

3. What is your most impressive skill? Singing. 

 

    This is also the first YouTube video I have ever made.   4. What would you refuse to do for one million dollars?  I don't have anything specific for this question, but the first thing that came to mind is, "eat gross things."  I just couldn't manage to eat nasty foods or creepy bugs or something like that...not even for a million bucks.  YUCK.  :-p   5. If you were home on a rainy Sunday afternoon, what movie would you like to watch on TV? Oooh, this is a good one!  Right now, I'm all about Christmas movies.  So I would say White Christmas or It's a Wonderful Life.  Love, Actually would be pretty good, too! :)  

via

   

via

  6. If fat, calories, cholesterol, etc. were not an issue, what two foods would you feast on?  Really, Sarah, only TWO??  Gosh, what WOULDN'T I feast on???  Ok, I'm just going to share the first two I thought of....pecan pie and pizza.  I could always go for pizza, and since the only pie I really truly like is the most fattening of pies, I would totally pick it.  :)   7. Who is the most famous person you have ever met?  Davy Jones from the Monkees; The amusement park where I'm from has free summer concerts.  When I was 16 and working at the park, Davy Jones came for one of these concerts.  He even kissed me on the cheek!  It was the happiest moment ever in my 16-year-old life.  I was so sad when he passed away last year.  :(  

via

8. What is the greatest pain you have ever suffered?  I've been pretty fortunate in my life, and I haven't experienced much physical pain.  I would say anything involving my braces from 9th-11th grades or possibly the pain I was in after being tossed around in my car accident (see #1).  It hurt to move everything just a couple of hours after that accident.  Oh, and I had a sinus infection once that felt like my head was going to split open.  Yeah, not fun.   9. If you could be a member of any TV-sitcom family, which would it be?  Is it weird that the first show I thought of when I read this question was "The Brady Bunch"?  

via

Because it was.   And even though it's technically not a family, I would love to be on "Glee."  And I don't mean that in a "what if Glee were real life" way.  I mean it as in, please, let me really be an actor on Glee.  lol   10. How do you like to relax? PJs or lounge clothes, TV on, iPad in hand, blanket to cover up

 

Thanks again for nominating me, Sarah!  :) 

 

Feel free to share your answers to these questions with me!  Also, if you want to be featured in my upcoming post about readers' favorite Christmas songs, please fill out this form! 

Here Comes the Sun...

Last week, Susannah from Simple Moments Stick nominated me for the Sunshine Award!  :)  The award is for bloggers who bring sunshine to the blogging world.  I'm so honored that she thought of me!

Here are the rules for the award:
1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger
2. Answer 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you
3. List 11 bloggers that deserve the recognition and love
4. Post 11 questions for the nominated bloggers to answer. (They cannot nominate the blogger who nominated them)

These are my questions from Susannah:
1.  What's your most embarrassing story (yep, starting out with a hard one!)  When I was in 8th grade, our class got to do a lip sync contest.  Being totally above such things as a singer, I agreed to host the show along with my friend, Anissa.  We were totally the worst MC's ever.  I still cringe when I think about it.  We kept saying the same things, and we were totally boring.  I was so awkward at that age, too.  Ugh.  It may not be my MOST embarrassing story, but it still bugs me.

2.  Who (living or dead) do you admire most and why? My stepdaughter, Amber.  For those of you who don't know, she passed away 3 years ago from complications due to a severe form of epilepsy.  Amber was a fighter.  She was a happy, loving girl who loved shopping, Scooby Doo, jewelry, and purple.  I was and still am amazed how she managed to fight so hard and be so happy despite all of her hospital stays, surgeries, and difficulties.  I could only hope to fight with as much grace as she did. 

3.  If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why? Teleportation.  I hate being in the car.  I think I'm too impatient.  I just want to get where I'm going and be done with it.  At the very least, if I could fly like Superman, that would do.

4.  What is one quote that speaks to your heart?
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,  "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

5.  What is your favorite and least favorite chore?  My favorite chore is laundry.  I can do other things while I'm doing that chore.  My least favorite chore is dusting.....well, basically cleaning in general. :-P

6.  Where do you get blogging inspiration?  Sometimes it's from the types of posts others share, but it's often just random things that come to mind.  Hence, the "Random Thoughts" part of my blog title. 

7.  What is your dream job (that's AWESOME if it's the one you've got!)?  I would love to sing professionally as a recording artist or on Broadway.  Teaching is ok, but anyone can get a degree to do that! lol

8.  If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?  I desperately want to go to Europe: Ireland, England, Italy, Greece.....I've never been off of the continent of North America.  I want to see all of the things I've learned about and seen pictures of.

9.  What's your favorite TV show?  Oh heavens, there are so many.  Please see this post from Tuesday.  :)

10.  When and where do you blog?  I like to try to most of my posts written on the weekend.  Sometimes I sit at my dining room table, but most of the time, I grab the laptop and sit on my comfy reclining couch like I'm doing right now.

11.  What do you like most about my blog?  Haha.  Just kidding.  The real question is: What's your favorite thing about blogging?  Even though she was kidding, what I like most about Susannah's blog is that she is uplifting.  I admire her faith and that she shares it on her blog.  She genuinely cares about and encourages others.  For the "real" question, I do like writing.  So I like the chance to do that through blogging, but my favorite thing is reading others' blogs and interacting with them!  I've met people from all over the country through blogging.  It's great to have "friends" all over the place!

Here are the 11 bloggers I'm nominating for the Sunshine Award:

 

Ashley from Being Ashley

Amber from Brunch with Amber

Elizabeth from The Young Retiree

Casey from Everyday Adventures

Kristin from K. @ Life's an Adventure

Kristin from Kristin's kNook

Julie from Love, Julie Bug

Suzanne from Not Enough Chocolate

Tarole from One Haole Girl

Jane from The Pursuit of Poppiness

Chantal from Scattered Seashells

 



Now, the hard part.  Your 11 questions!

 

1. Why did you start blogging?

2. If you could relive any moment in your life, what would it be, and why?

3. What is your favorite movie?

4. What do you like best about fall?

5. What holiday do you like best?  Why?

6. If you could only have one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

7. What is your favorite book?  OR Who is your favorite author?

8. What kind of music do you most enjoy?

9. Where is the most interesting place you've visited? 

10. What is your guilty pleasure?

11. Name three things you can't live without.  (I know that's technically not a question, but I got tired of questions starting with "what".)