I have to wonder if many people use the word sunshiny… it’s probably not in dictionaries but it came to mind when I saw that Karen Goodman a fellow redhead and St. Louis blogger at Future Expat listed me as someone who brings sunshine her way. It’s funny as Karen is one of the earliest friends I made in St. Louis as I moved here. We both went to a meet up for folks who were interested in international travel, and immediately hit it off since we were both heavily into social media and travel.Karen did a pay it forward post.What is the Sunshine Blogger Award?
The Sunshine Blogger Award is a way for bloggers to get to know each other, share some of their favorite sunshiny blogger friends with the followers and promote blog connectivity.
By putting this post up, I’m agreeing to pay it forward too. To do that, I will:
- Share with you some info about the person that put my name in the hat — I’ve already checked off that task with the intro of Karen above.
- Answer 11 random questions Karen’s asked me and the other bloggers on her list.
- List 11 more bloggers who bring me lots of sunshine on a cloudy day and let them know I think they rock.
- Come up with a list of 11 questions for the bloggers I nominate to answer.
Questions Karen Asked
Its kind of cool that there aren’t some set list of questions that everyone answers. Karen created a list of things that she is most interested in and writes about most on Future Expat – travels, home improvement, food, health and pets. I am afraid that while some people will be giving really short answers…. some of these questions will have me waxing on!
Where is the favorite place you have gone on vacation?
That’s a really tough question because I truly love travel! I can’t get enough of it! There are just so many incredible places I’ve had the chance to see and experience (you can see some of them on my page of big trips). So for me to come up with a favorite place…. well that’s too broad of a category. This year’s vacations have included 1) a bit of time in my hometown of Memphis, which gives me a great time to visit with family & lifelong friends, 2) two weeks in Japan with my nephew seeing incredible sights like Buddhist temples to the sumo wrestling ring and most recently 3) a 10-day great American roadtrip to Wyoming and Montana and more.
Looking back on trips over time I have trouble deciding favorites because so many involved incredible experiences & great friends. Russia was my first vacation ex-US. I convinced my sister to go to Amsterdam with me years ago. Turkey was a totally unique environment. India, The Philippines, Malaysia, Israel, China…. they all stand out for incredible reasons as do each of the US vacations with nieces and nephews and last year’s Oregon-California Roadtrip. I just can’t pick! having seen the earliest churches in the world and the Great Wall… well, I just love taking vacations and seeing new sights!
Where was your favorite childhood vacation?
This one feels a lot easier! As a kid, my family spent time each summer at a campground that is so special to us, it continues to be part of our lives today. One year stands out for me though. It was the year we had two weeks or so vacation together. It started with a week at Bethany Hills and then we took out of there going south instead of our normal way home. We went to Florida. It was my one childhood visit to Disney World, since we had friends in Orlando we could afford a few days there. Then we went on down to Hialeah where an uncle lived and I saw the famous flamingos!
If you could live anywhere in the world other than where you currently live, where would it be?
I’d love to take a couple of years to live in a foreign country. From the travel experiences I have had, I think I could live in almost any part of Europe or Asia. But I have to say that I feel I could grow so much more by living in Africa or South America. Maybe I’ll find the perfect opportunity for that.
What do you wish you could change about your home?
If I could change anything by a wish, it would be to make my garage a foot wider! It is just so tight that I get nervous opening the car doors since I own a two-door.
What is the next home improvement project on your list?
I have a couple of projects on my list — redoing a flight of stairs (it has icky carpet on it right now) and maybe adding a bathroom in the basement. Not sure when I’ll tackle them but those are the two improvements I have most in mind. I love living in a house that doesn’t need to be gutted though…. I did a start-to-finish on my first house and it would be overwhelming to do that again!
What is the one recipe that you get asked to bring to family dinners or potlucks?
I have to admit, although I love great foods and getting together with family. Being single and traveling for so many holidays, I haven’t developed one specific recipe that I make for family traditions. The last couple of years though, for winter events the dish I have had folks ask for is a salad made with clementines, pomegranates and a little nutmeg. In summers, I make a tabouli recipe I got from a friend that really is a great salad, not a traditional tabouli. It’s always a hit.
What is the last meal you cooked at home?
Well, I’m writing this Saturday, mid-day so I’m going to be low on this totem pole. Had a bowl of oatmeal and a fruit smoothie for breakfast. On the other hand, I did fix some yummy Tex-Mex burritos the other day and am thinking I’ll be pulling out those fixins here shortly for a late lunch. Next up will be red beans and rice ready to go on this week… I love fixing meals that I can eat a few days.
What is your favorite thing to order at a restaurant?
I love ordering paella if the place has a good one because I haven’t quite figured out how to do the complex flavors.
Share one of your favorite getting healthy tips.
Drink more water. A lot more water. Seems with all the caffeine options we have today, it’s really easy to forget how badly our bodies need water. I have quite a few tips that have helped as I get myself healthier.
Do you have pets? If so, tell us about them.
No. I travel so much that having pets would be selfish.
Share a blog post you wrote that meant a lot to you and tell us why you picked that one.
I have to say that writing a blog post about the unexpected death of a dear friend is probably the blog post that has meant the most to me. I wrote it as I was still trying to process what was happening and it really helped me work through the emotion of the day. But what meant even more was how much it helped others connect and how many people felt it spoke for them too. The comments show some of that but the number of conversations I had in the days and weeks that followed where people mentioned the post and the words I used to describe Kevin.
Bloggers Who Bring Me a Little Sunshine
I have to admit, that I have a lot of bloggers I enjoy reading. Some I read because they give me good information or ideas and others simply because I enjoy the read. Some are friends some St. Louis and others are down seemingly deserted farm roads. You should check them all out!
- Val Wagner — Wagfarms
- Kitty Bradshaw
- Judi Graff — Farm’n Wife
- Cheryl Spangenberg — That’s What Che Says
- Leah Beyer — Beyer Beware
- Sadie Lankford — SlapDashMom
- Ryan Goodman — Agriculture Proud
- Julie Kay — Sleuth 4 Health
- Susi Kleiman — BocaFrau
- Christina Bailey — Homemade Ocean
- Deanie Humphreys-Dunne — Deanie Blog
What I’d Like to Know
Love that I can make up any 11 questions I want these folks to answer and I hope Karen doesn’t mind if I use a few of the ones she had! It is a great chance for me to learn some of what I want to know about them. I’d also love to have your take on a question or two… heck all 11 if you are willing to take the time! Hopefully the folks above will answer these questions on the blog, you can take whatever course you want to in the comments section.
- What’s your favorite city in the US & what makes it your favorite?
- What’s an international trip you are burning to take?
- What is your most unique travel memory?
- If you were to take a trip with your parents & siblings, where would you want to go?
- What’s your favorite mode of transportation when you are traveling?
- Tell me about a favorite small town experience you’ve had.
- What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of cotton?
- What’s your single favorite piece of cotton clothing and why?
- Tell me about the first time you visited a farm. If you never have been to one, just tell me what kind of farm you’d like to see.
- What’s something you’ve done where you surprised yourself by doing it well?
- What song, album or artist do you never get tired of listening to?
I think I’ll be writing some blog posts after I see these answers!
Thank you so much for the blogging nomination, Janice! It was a lovely surprise for me.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
You are welcome! Hope you have a great weekend too!
I love your answers to my questions. If you ever get the opportunity to live abroad and want someone to join you, I’m in. Of course, Milo would come with too but I have a feeling you both would be fast friends.
My first farm experience was when I was in college. I got a job at a summer camp in Lesterville, MO. The camp doesn’t have access to the highway, but there is an access road cutting through a dairy farm for about 1/4 mile. A gate at the highway, and a gate at the camp entrance. I’ll never forget sitting in my car surrounded by cows (that were taller than the car) and trying to figure out how to get them to move so I could get out to open the 2nd gate. We were told to never honk…they would think it was the dinner bell and come surround the car!
LOL! I have to say, that would be an experience! Especially if it was your first time on a farm! Cows are so dang curious…. they just had to be all up in your business!
I’d love to live abroad and remind folks at my office of that fairly often. Never know when a window will open. 🙂