Sunshine Blogger Award 2018

Hey all! I got nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award 2018! This was super exciting to get a notification for!

I’m a little delayed in posting this (like 2 weeks late) because I’ve been traveling. I’m currently on a very, very hot train from Vienna to Budapest writing this. So it is the perfect time to sit down and put thought into my answers!

A really big thank you to Marcia at Trendy Simple Life for the nomination! I hope you head over to her blog to follow her journey when you can!

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The Sunshine Blogger Award is about recognizing bloggers for being positive, inspiring, and creative. This award is voted by bloggers to acknowledge their achievements and offer support. I’m super lucky to have found and to be a part of this community!!

What are the rules of the Sunshine Blogger Award?

• Thank the blogger who nominated you and link their blog so others can find them.
• Answer the 11 questions which the blogger who nominated you asked.
• Nominate 11 bloggers and ask them 11 different questions
• List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog site.

Here are the questions I was asked:

1) What do you expect to get out of blogging?

I can’t say I’m “expecting” anything. I hope that I am able to grow my own self, my creative side, and of course to make a dollar or two – in that order, actually. I’m doing this solely for me and for my own self. As long as I’m happy doing it, I’ve got everything I wanted.

2) What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from blogging?

Oh goodness. Don’t underestimate the value of human contact. You can promote the hell out of any post, but it’s those that you are always in contact with that grow your following. Keeping in conversation with others on Twitter has been invaluable in growing my network.

3) Best advice you’ve ever received?

In general? The cliché, you’ll always ask what would have happened if you would have tried, but will rarely ask what would have happened if you didn’t.

Since blogging? Everyone starts out being bad at something. You can’t get good at it unless you keep trying.

4) Recent milestone you have reached.

50 followers on my blog!

5) Tell us three things about yourself.

Lol. I do this when doing memory therapy with some of my patients.

1. I play the saxophone.
2. Red wine is my favorite.
3. My dog’s name is Rue and she’s a 40 pound lap dog.

6) What’s your daily blogging routine?

I can’t say that I really have a routine. I try to at least go through Twitter and Instagram to follow back or reply to comments. Other than that, my mind is constantly spinning for new content or ways to make my content better. I post new content on Tuesdays, typically, for #TravelTuesday and then on Sundays for #SubscriptionReviewSunday.

7) If you could sit down for a chat with someone (dead or alive), who would it be and why?

This is so hard because I’ve lost a lot of people close to me. I’d have to say my dad. The last few years of his life were rocky for us and I’d like to know that everything was resolved and all was forgiven.

8) How do you come up with content for your posts?

It’s all from personal experiences so far. I like writing about what I’ve done because I love reading about what others have done. I tend to put a lot of detail into it because I thrive when knowing exactly what is to be expected when doing something. I hope it helps even just one person who is the same way!

9) What is your favorite post of all time?

Oh! Easy! How I Adjusted to Living in a Big City (on my 4th anniversary in Chicago) This post where I talk about moving from a town of 400 to a city with over 3 million people. It is something that wasn’t super easy, but I’ve very proud of.

10) Favorite TV series (that you could watch anytime)?

OK, this is a two part question. Favorite series overall? Grey’s Anatomy. Hands down. Been watching it since the day it premiered.

Favorite series I could watch anytime? The Office and Friends.

11) If you could live anywhere, where would you live and why?

Uh oh. I think my ideal life would be spent on an island doing some sort of volunteer medical work or island work. So….a nice tropical place that isn’t too hot or too humid.

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Here are my 11 nominations:

1. Nicole at Navigating Darkness
2. Kat at Inevitably Fierce
3. Milano to Chicago
4. Molly Breeze at Easy Breezy Molly
5. Katie at Katie Lauren Blog
6. Rachel at Little Blog by Rach
7. Passport for Living
8. Meglio Vivere
9. Evie at Evie Jayne
10. Carlie at Carliediem
11. Tim at Tim Foolery

Here are my 11 questions:

1. What is the weirdest food you have tried?
2. What is one thing you have been surprised with (good or bad) since getting into blogging?
3. What is the worst experience traveling you have had?
4. What is the best experience traveling you have had?
5. If you could be any bird, which bird would you be and why?
6. What is your favorite topic to write about and why?
7. If you could quit whatever is bringing in money right now and do anything and be compensated enough to live quite well, what would you do?
8. What is your favorite mantra to live by?
9. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? What is your favorite and least favorite trait of whichever you are?
10. When you were a kid, what did you want to do when you “grew up?”
11. You can only choose one food and one drink for the next year – what would it be?

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I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this! And I hope those that were nominated enjoy completing it!

Thank you again, Marcia at Trendy Simple Life, for the nomination! This was fun to do and a good way to continue learning about myself. I can’t wait to read what the nominees above have to say!

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