I know you will find this hard to believe but I’ve received yet another award! Please do not alert the press as I am a very private person…yeah, ok, so back to the real me and this very cool blogging “award!”
Spread some sunshine all over the place, and put on a happy BLOG!
The Sunshine Award is one circulated among bloggers to let them know they brighten their day. That’s right kids – I brighten other people’s days!! Here in the blogosphere, there are many, many, many fabulous women (and a few men!) whom I’ve met and truly can’t wait to read their latest posts. Some make me think, others make me laugh, some are scary or depressing and others are uplifting and motivating. No matter what, I’ve yet to meet a mean blogger so I hang out in this world a lot because, with all this going on, why wouldn’t I? One of those women is Brittany from My Own Balance. She’s a lawyer. That’s right, so don’t mess with her. She’s also a fitness and dance lover and just an all around smart and cool chick. She nominated me for this award and I’m truly grateful!
So, here’s how we play…
1.) Include the award logo in your blog post. See above.
2.) Link to the person who nominated you.
3.) Answer 10 questions about yourself.
4.) Nominate 5 other bloggers and let them know by leaving a comment on their blogs.
Easy right? Here’s the questions from Brittany:
1.) Where is the best place you’ve ever traveled?
To the hospital to deliver the twins! As you can imagine, as a fitness enthusiast, I did not enjoy being pregnant. With twins. At all. The beginning was ok I guess but the rest sucked big time. I carried them to 37 weeks, went through 20 hours of labor just to have a c-section! They were 5 pounds each when they were born and came right home with me 4 days later. Carrying them to term and having them be healthy and not spend a single second in the NICU is the greatest accomplishment of my life.
Some days I still can’t believe there’s two of them! Miles is on the left if you’re guessing.
2.) If you could only eat one thing for an entire week, what would it be?
Wine. Oh, eat? Um…cheese. I love cheese and it has a ton of protein. Plus, if I eat that much cheese I won’t have to use the bathroom and I’ll have more time to do other things like catch up on Breaking Bad and running!
3.) What’s your favorite book?
This is an easy one – A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. I read it every Christmas so I’ve read it A LOT. I refuse to get it on my Nook b/c I have pages dogeared and certain parts underlined. It’s my Christmas present to myself.
4.) What’s your favorite form of exercise?
This is tough. Let me see. RUNNING!!!!!
5.) If you could live in any city in the world, where would you live?
Probably Boston. I know, it’s so boring but you asked!!!
Great shopping, eating and really amazing places to run. Is this paradise?
6.) What’s your favorite kind of flower?
I don’t give much thought to flowers. Is that horrible? Probably. I guess sunflowers b/c they match most of my decor.
7.) Atlantic or Pacific?
Atlantic baby!!!
8.) What would you do if you won the lottery?
I would buy healthy food for anyone who can’t afford it. Seriously. I would open my own healthy fast food chain with a “dollar menu” and everything on it would be fresh and healthy!
9.) Why did you start blogging?
To do something I’m afraid of…and I love to write. It was VERY hard for me to sort of put myself out here and be judged. But I did it and I’m SO glad I did!
10.) What would your perfect day look like?
Somewhere near the ocean with my entire family and a few close friends. Long morning run on the beach with an equally long massage afterward! Breakfast on the water…maybe on a boat. Swim and relax all day…eat, drink and be merry all night while listening to live music. Perfection.
This was actually taken in Vegas but that’s no place for children!
So those are my answers for better or worse. My next step is to nominate 5 other bloggers so here goes:
Answer my questions on your blog…GO!
What would YOU do with a million dollars?
With a million dollars, I would help the ones in need – children who need food and shelter, pregnant mothers who need prenatal and postnatal care, babies who need homes.
Good to read more about you. 🙂
Well damn THAT is a good answer! I guess shelter comes before food. Maybe we need to get together on this one!? Thanks Alison.
Hi Allie, Love what you said about buying people healthy food. My husband and I have been trying to clean up our eating and finding that things like quinoa and flax seed are expensive! *sigh* We’re trying! We also know it sets a good example to our 3 children.
Love that you’re a runner! I have 3 very active kids! BTW, found you from SITS! 🙂
Welcome fellow SITS Girl! It definitely upsets me how expensive healthy food is vs junk. I feel like there’s a pretty easy solution to the obesity epidemic in this country if we could reverse the food scale. I love that you have three active kids!! Keep them that way!! Thanks for the comment.
LOVE all of your answers Allie, especially #1! And I’d like to join you for #10! Thanks for the nomination. I’ll post my sunshine award when I get back from vacation. There are lots of things I’d do with a million dollars, but the first thing I’d do is retire at the ripe age of 32 and just do freelance work instead! Just enough work to keep the mind sharp but only things I love doing.
I would LOVE to have you join me for #10 and I want to hand off my healthy food biz after a few years and retire as well. And then we can tackle the IM with a coach and personal chef!
Your #10 sounds amazing! The ocean is so relaxing!
What would I do with a million dollars? I probably wouldn’t change my life too much. My husband and I both enjoy working. But it would take some of the day to day stress off, like where the college funds are going to come from. I’d also help some of my favorite charities. And get all the appliances in my house that are broken fixed, or replaced!
Yes! A million bucks would definitely alleviate some stress and wouldn’t that be enough? I agree! Thanks Michelle. You would definitely get an invite to the beach but you don’t have to run!! I may borrow one of your dogs though:-)
I love your million dollar answer! And I absolutely love A Prayer for Owen Meany as well. :)-Ashley
Thanks Ashley! I can’t believe you love that book too!! Obviously we’re soul mates:-)
Thanks for all your kind words Allie! I’m so glad you started blogging because your writing style is really amazing and a joy to read! I really love your answer to question1. Your twins are just too precious. Also your perfect day sounds amazing! It’s really funny but everyone I’ve nominated who has participated thus far has said their favorite flower is a sunflower. I wonder what that means!?
Thank you so much Brittany! You are too kind and I’m so glad to have *met* you. That IS interesting about the sunflower…hmmmm. Thanks for starting all this!!
Congrats! Your blog doesn’t brighten one’s day! I love your idea for a healthy fast food with a $1 menu…SWOON and I say go for that anyway:) I watch Annie with the little sister every Xmas when possible 🙂 I will check out this blogger that nominated you. She sounds pretty cool!
Maybe a joint venture? It’s really a dream of mine to be driving around with the kids and be able to go though a drive thru and get almond butter on sliced bananas or something equally nutritious and delicious. Annie is one of the best movies ever and I watch it with my boys too!! Absolutely check out Britt at My Own Balance – she’s super cool!!
I’m totally with you on the million dollars. Phil and I dream about opening a “fast food” smoothie cafe…actual good smoothies with veggies included (signature drink….tropiKALE). Kids menu including things like a yogurt bar…start with plain whole milk organic yogurt and add whatever fruits you want! Then reality sets back in when we see what people nowadays are really consuming and realize we’d be out of business before we even got started! At least we do all we can at our house to teach the value of a nutrient dense diet of whole foods.
I want a TropiKALE!!! Yes, please! I think about this often but after being at an amusement park for the better part of the summer, I was getting truly disgusted with the food there and some of the people who eat it! Thanks for your comments Amy!!
Great questions and answers! My million dollar answer has been tweaked over this past year. After taking care of what my family needs (pay off house/car/college funds, etc.) I would use my time to help the charities I’m passionate about – providing (healthy) food security for kids and families in the Greater Hartford area, help fight pediatric cancer by any means possible, and volunteering at CCMC. I will have to at Owen Meany to my book list. My mother just read it, and loved it!
Just amazing Megan! I would absolutely give any amount of “extras” to CCMC! They really are angels there and just thinking about the care they gave my son is giving me chills. You NEED to read Owen Meany. You will be glad you did and then you and your mom can discuss:-)
Exciting. I just have to say, I love learning more about you! I am in on the vacation and the ‘million dollars’, we can use the 6 kids between us, as testers. You are an amazing woman my friend and you help me remember to do something that scares me everyday…this blog is that for you and look at how unbelievable you are at it! Very proud friend!!!
I would have NEVER done this without your encouragement Shannon and you KNOW I mean it!!! Thank you a million times over for everything you do!
I sure hope you win a million dollars, because I love your plan. My husband is an avid gardener and the amount of healthy, local and NON-SPRAY produce we grow here is inspiring. Your twins – ah, so cute!! And “A Prayer for Owen Meany” is in my top ten. I heard there is a movie somewhat based on it but I haven’t seen it.
I live somewhat close to Boston. Same state, anyway.
Well hello neighbor! I think we should get together on this healthy food chain. Can your garden support that? Also, with your photography talent, I just may need to hire you to take some shots of the boys!
The movie version of Owen Meany is horrible. Don’t bother. It’s called “Simon Birch” and the story line is way off. I was totally bummed when I saw it. Why is the book version always so much better?
Hey!!! i just found your blog through Nicole @ work in sweats mom! Your boys are just so very very cute!!!! This is such a neat blog award idea!!!
I will have to read A Prayer for Own Meany…I had never heard of it but it sounds good!!!
A million dollars…..hmmmmm….I honestly think I would come up with something different every day. My husband is the Pastor of a church where we live in Iowa and I definitely know we could use some of that money to do a lot of things at our church!!! I would also buy some cool running stuff that I am always drooling over and just can’t justify spending the money on 🙂
Looking forward to reading more from your blog!!!
So glad you stopped by! I’m sure you could come up with a different way to “give back” every day with that kind of $$ and it would be well invested. Thanks for your comment and I’ll definitely be checking out your blog as well…
{Melinda} I love these kind of posts … it helps me to get to know other bloggers better! Fun to get a little more of a peek into your personality. 🙂 Those twins are just precious — worth it all!
Absolutely 100% worth it!
I could totally live on cheese! Yum! And of course the Atlantic Ocean wins 🙂
We are on the same wavelength Kate!
Love your answers. I’m a cheese person too.. Your perfect day looks just like mine. And your twins are so adorable. It must have sucked a little not a being able to be as active while pregnant with twins, but I’m guessing it was so worth it. Nice learning a bit about you.
Thanks Hope!! Sounds like we would be great friends:-)
You are SO AWESOME and so STRING for carrying these babies to term without one day in the NICU! That is super impressive and those babies are just scrumptious. I likey the cheese too 😉 Thank you so much for tagging me!!
Thanks Nellie!! I can’t wait to read your sunshine:-)
How cute! Your favorite trip was to the hospital?! 😀 Was it because you were just so uncomfortable after 9 months of carrying twins? LOL jk!! 😉
And if I had $1 million… I’d INVEST!
You just wait GiGi!!! ha ha!! Of course you have to invest the $1 million…then, what would you do? Eat more celebs? 🙂
My comment is only one word: OWEN!
Is there anything we *don’t* have in common? You’re the best!
This is great… i still need to do mine, but I love reading others! I bet that hospital trip was something else! And that is the BEST what i’d do with a million dollar answer I’ve EVER heard! Kudos to you! Hope you get it!
Thank you!!! I can’t wait to read yours!
Congrats on your Sunshine blog award. I always like to read what people have to say about themselves.
I’m with you on eating the cheese, with wine of course. Nothing wrong in having a good week and what a great idea about opening up a dollar store with fresh healthy food. I’d be there at least 4 times a day at those prices. Anyway, enjoy your award and have a lovely day mate.
Ha ha!! Thank you! Wine and cheese may be the perfect meal…
Thanks for stopping by!
I’m so with you on the wine (and I guess the cheese part, too)!!!
And the ocean – my perfect day is always on the beach!!!
Wine, cheese & the ocean are really all anyone needs!:-)
I agree with it all
Just wait until you get to do this all over again with your granddaughter! You’ll love every minute. Well, most of the minutes!!