Did you know I once dated someone with the last name “Sunshine”? Could you imagine if I had gone through life with the name Fadra Sunshine? Surely somebody would have thought I was a hippie child and I am so not a hippie child. Although I used to listen to the Grateful Dead and would actually wear flowers in my hair.
But today, sunshine is not about ex-boyfriends or old contemporary Christian songs (my sister will understand that one) or even the weather. It’s about a MAJOR AWARD.
When I first start blogging waaaay back in 2009, blogging awards were all the rage. The first award I got was called the Honest Scrap Award and I knew so few bloggers that I passed the torch on to some pretty random people (whose blogs are pretty much all defunct now).
But they’re fun because it’s nothing more than Q&A.
Here’s a secret I’ll let you in on. I’m a sucker for Q&A! As long as the Q is directed at me and the A is coming from me. Seriously, it’s not that I love to talk about myself. But I love answering questions, especially if they’re fun ones like Carolyn came up with.
Carolyn is the lovely blog hostess over at This Talk Ain’t Cheap. I’ve met Carolyn several times in real life and although she confesses she’s painfully shy, I would have never known it. I’m sure we’ve taken a picture together but I swear I couldn’t find one in all my scattered blogging photos from conferences over the years.
Anyway, visit Carolyn and tell her thank you for my award. In order to accept this award, I have to answer Carolyn’s 10 questions and then bestow the honor on ten other bloggers. I’ll see how I feel when I get to end of these questions…
1. If you couldn’t blog anymore, what would your “outlet” be?
If I couldn’t blog anymore, I’ll assume that it’s because my fingers were frostbitten on an Arctic exploration and had to be amputated. But then I guess I could still use voice dictation.. Okay, so I can’t blog. My outlet would be photography. I think I could be really amazing at photography if I had the patience to learn and practice. But instead, I bought a really kickass point & shoot (Sony NEX-F3) which makes my photographs way better than they should be. And then there’s Instagram.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I think the right picture can speak volumes more.
2. If you could go to a spa and get any treatment they provided, what would you get?
I’ve been to many spas, both on my own and for reviews. Yes, I do consider myself a lucky gal. I love all things about spas but hands down, the one thing that should be a necessity for everyone is a full body massage. It’s like heaven on a table, as long as you have the right massage therapist.
3. If you could go back in time, would you have followed a different career path than you did? What would it be?
I wouldn’t change where I am. I love what I’m doing and it’s taken many career paths just to get to this point in my life. But if I had to do a complete do-over, I think I’d become an archaeologist. I had an interest in it at a fairly young age and I took some anthropology courses in college but never even considered following that as a career path. I know it’s not as glamorous as Indiana Jones makes it out to be but I’d find a way to keep it interesting.
4. You can plan any type of vacation you want. Would you want relaxing or adventurous?
Absolutely adventurous. I don’t have to go cliff diving or hang gliding but when I’m traveling to another part of the country (or the world, for that matter), I want to get out and explore! As my mother-in-law says, you can sleep when you’re dead. Plus, I can get a massage at a spa any time I want, right?
5. What food do you hide from your kids and sneak after they go to bed?
Probably popcorn. It’s not that I’m depriving my son of popcorn but if I’m snacking late at night, so is he. It’s only fair (in his mind). So on my best nights, I get him to bed early, pop some popcorn, and sip on chilled white wine.
6. What TV show (that is currently on) are you addicted to?
I haven’t watched TV in years. Literally. I stopped after Evan got old enough to interfere with my evening schedule. And then when I did actually have time, I was right here on my computer. We don’t even have cable TV anymore. But when we started traveling a bit more and I found myself staring at that big shiny box in the hotel room, I realized I missed watching it. My latest favorite show is Under the Dome. I’m a Stephen King fan anyway so sci-fi and mystery is right up my alley.
7. What was the best book you’ve ever read?
I have so many favorite books. In fact, you should check out my profile on Goodreads where I try to rate every book I’ve read (or am reading lately). But if I had to pick just one, I’d say it was Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, simply because I never in a million years thought I would like it. My husband’s aunt told me it was a book about building a cathedral in medieval times and I immediately yawned. But I took a chance on this very thick book and fell in love. I even missed the characters when I was finished reading – a sure sign of a good book.
8. Do you play a musical instrument? If not, what would you play if you could?
I know how to read music so that makes it pretty easy to teach yourself how to play anything. I actually play the piano but not very well. I’ve never formally studied. But on my bucket list I’ve vowed to teach myself how to play the ukelele.
9. What was the first and last concert you’ve been to?
First: The Thompson Twins with my brother, in the snow, at George Mason University.
Last: I can’t remember. I guess it’s been a while. I was supposed to go see Imagine Dragons with my husband but I’ll have to miss that because I’ll be traveling.
10. What is your favorite holiday?
Thanksgiving! I love Christmas too but Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that hasn’t been commercialized. It’s simply about food and family, two of my favorite things.
***
Well, that was more fun than I remember. And I liked Carolyn’s questions so I’ll keep them the same because I’d love to read your answers. Tell me some in the comments or better yet, download the award yourself and tell me more in a full post. I can’t pick just ten bloggers because I think you’re all beautiful people!
10 comments
Thanks for playing along. I wish I had the time to learn more about photography. I took a pretty extensive class once, but not a whole lot has stuck with me.
I took an old school photography class in college. We studied SLR techniques, shot in B&W, and developed our own film. That’s where I fell in love with photography. But with the modern technology, I’ve let all of that slip out of my brain 🙁
One of my favorite things is getting to know people through the answers to questions like these. That, and answering these questions myself. 🙂 Pillars of the Earth was absolutely a great book.
Right? I don’t even think about these things until I have to stop and think about these things. I think it’s why I love Q&A. I discover new stuff about myself.
Thanks for sharing this and allowing us to give ourselves the award. It was fun to play along and I like learning a little but more about you.
Did you post somewhere? I’d love to read it. Leave me a link if you did!
Did you read any other Follett books? I’ve read most and love them. If I couldn’t blog, I’d play piano because I’d still be moving my fingers and producing a different kind of art. We have a piano and I realized I no longer want to play it.
I also read World Without End and loved it just as much. I was thinking about Fall of the Giants (I think that’s what it’s called) but I’m in a book club now and usually have assigned reading for the month. I can’t handle much more than 1 book a month!
I go through phases with the piano. I have a Yamaha digital piano so it doesn’t take up much room and sounds and feels like a real piano. It’s so relaxing and a good mental break for me but I don’t like to play when it gets too hard (story of my life!)
This was fun. My husband was teaching our oldest to play uke, but it’s the 5 year old who struts around plucking. If I wasn’t blogging I’d be training for a triathalon, as it is, my life sometimes feels like one.
I’ve taught myself to play the first 3 strings of a guitar but then my fingers are too short or my nails are too long to go any further. I’m hoping a Ukelele might be more feasible for me. And triathalon? DO IT! And BLOG ABOUT IT!!!