I was so honored to be nominated for the sunshine award by the beautiful ladies from The Attic. I began writing (and continue to write) this blog solely as a creative and fun outlet for myself so it's pretty cool when I find out that other people actually read it. And even more humbling to hear they enjoy what they read! So a big thank you to Lynn-Holly, for making my day! Her blog is so uplifting, be sure to check it out!
So what is the sunshine award? I understand it as a way that bloggers can show appreciation and support for their blog crushes. Blogs that they feel deserve to be commended for their hard work, positivity, and inspiration. So thank you, Lynn-Holly, it is truly an honor to be noticed (especially when I thought my mom and brother were the only ones who read my posts!)
The rules of the sunshine award...
- Display the award on your blog.
- Announce your win with a post and thank the blog who nominated you.
- Post 10 interesting things about yourself.
- Nominate some other deserving bloggers.
- Link your nominees in a post and let them know with a comment.
I don't think that I'm really that interesting, but here goes...
1. I am all about balance. For me, the ultimate importance is to create a balance between work (or school), family, friends, significant other, self, spirituality, health and all the other factions of life. I truly believe that this is the main factor that creates ultimate happiness in this life.
2. I thrive off of change. Moving to college hours from the life I knew to a place where I didn't know a soul barely phased me. Spending four months on a ship where I knew no one and traveled to countries I had never dreamed of (or heard of, in some cases) was the most amazing experience of my life. Moving across the country (WI to AZ) in the midst of a huge post grad transition has been inspiring. I crave change. Scaring the hell out of myself and being in uncomfortable situations are what inspire, motivate, and push me to grow. I can only attribute this to my solid foundation of family and friends, some experiences in my youth (mostly: my summer home from ages 9 to 20), and a thirst for new experiences.
3. I circumnavigated the world on a ship
when I was 20 years old. I spent time in thirteen countries in a span of four months with some amazing people. It was unbelievable (sometimes, I think it was just a dream) and if I'm lucky there will only be
a few other moments in my life that will be able to live up to the
epicness of those four months. I rarely discuss it because very few
people understand and I miss it every day. Luckily, I made some
amazing friends that I know I will have forever.
4. I am a traveler (for life). My parents got me hooked when they strapped my three month old self in the car and drove from Wisconsin to Utah for my very first road trip. Countless states and over twenty countries later, I haven't stopped... and I don't plan to.
5. My family is pretty awesome. I grew up with the best parents who valued respecting and supporting one another, family dinners, sports we would do together (mostly sailing and skiing), traveling together.... the list could go on. They had (and still have) the parenting thing down and I only hope I can be as good to my kids as they have been to us. Us includes me and my two older brothers who are the most brilliant, creative, and hardworking people I know (each in their own very different ways). I like to think that, because I grew up with them as role models, I am made up of little pieces of each of them.
6. I really love to cook. I love to experiment with new flavors and use the freshest, 'realest' foods that are available to me. I aspire to have my own garden one day (I'm starting tomorrow with lavender).
7. I have some great people in my life (aside from my aforementioned awesome family). I made amazing friends while at camp, semester at sea, high school, and college who I know will be there for a very long time. I don't make my friendships easy with my constant moving and changes. It's not easy staying close friends with someone when you go over a year without seeing one another but that's how I know these people are here for the long run.
8. I grew up in an amazing state. Wisconsin is home to the nicest and most humble people, beautiful landscapes, and amazing seasons. But I have fallen in love with the west.... the mountains, the weather, the open sky. I am so greatful I grew up in the Midwest but I love it here and I never want to leave.
9. I majored in Sociology in college because I loved my classes and my professors. The content of my classes was so meaningful and inspiring. I would read my textbooks for fun, voluntarily spent a year and a half writing an honors thesis solely because I enjoyed it, and still keep in touch with my professors (I still had a social life, I swear). I am hoping to achieve a masters in social work in the next two years and still have no idea what exactly I want to do but I know that my knowledge gained in college will be a foundation of that and will travel with me through life.
10. Speaking of college, I went to a great one. UD was the best combination of intimate classes, amazing people, and a supportive and thriving community. UD students have mastered the art of work hard, play hard (again, going back to balance).
And finally, I don't follow many blogs (my everyday reads are at the bottom of my page) but a couple that I know to be inspirational and deserving....
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