Today’s post is slightly different to my usual. I have been nominated for a Sunshine Bloggers Award!
First things first: Huge thanks to Clarissa over at AdventureFitForLife, one of my favourite bloggers, for the nomination. Make sure you check out her awesome blog and tips for living a happy, healthy life.
What is the Sunshine Bloggers Award
It’s a way of bringing the blogging community together. Non-bloggers may not be aware, but the blogging community is huge; they support you and mentor you through your blogging journey, giving tips and encouragement along the way.
The Sunshine Bloggers Award gives bloggers an opportunity to get to know each other. Often, our blogs are about one subject in particular, and this award asks random questions which means you get to know a little more about me which may not ordinarily come out in my blog!
What are the rules of the Sunshine Bloggers Award
- Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
- List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award image in your post.
- Answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you.
- Nominate 11 people and ask them 11 questions.
- Notify the nominees by commenting on one of their posts.
Questions from Clarissa at Adventure Fit For Life
1. What is one goal/project that you’re excited about working on right now?
As well as working on bringing my blog to the next level and monetising it, I’m looking at a few e-commerce projects at the moment, which is pretty exciting! My long-term goal is to have various types of online income streams.
Watch this space!
2. If you had to pick just one, would you choose the mountains or the ocean?
It would have to be the mountains (as you’ll see from the next question!). While I do love the ocean, and I’m lucky to have lived close to the ocean for the past 5 years, there is something special about reaping the rewards of an incredible view after hiking a mountain.
3. What is the biggest thing on your bucket list?
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro! I’ve had this on my bucket list for the past 3 years. I decided I was going to do it and booked my trip. Unfortunately, I tore my meniscus while doing rigorous exercise…..ok I was walking slowly, turned around and forgot my knee. I ended up having knee surgery and having months of physio. I had to cancel my trip, but luckily I could reschedule it to the following year. Which was this year….
I have now had to reschedule the trip a total of four times and it’s currently set to happen in January 2021. Of course, given the current situation this could change again but either way it will be done at some point!
4. What did you want to be as a kid?
I wanted to be a school teacher or a singer. I think I held onto part of the teacher dream, just not the same kind of teacher as what I wanted back then. As for singing, I still dabble in that a bit but will stick to group singing for now!
5. What do you hope to achieve with your blog?
I’d love to inspire people and teach people that you can achieve your dreams and goals. Too often we hear people say ‘I wish I had done that’ as though they have already given up on it. I believe that most dreams can be achieved at any stage of your life, and don’t have a timeline.
6. Where is your happy place?
I’ve recently taken to sitting out on the swing chair on my balcony, which is 33 floors up in a high rise building in Dubai, watching the sunset and reading or just listening to music. Although there’s a hum of traffic below, it feels peaceful out there and it’s become my happy place.
7. What inspires you?
Ooh this is a tough one! There are so many things that inspire me. Sunsets and sunrises, kindness, other people’s stories of determination.
8. What is your absolute favorite meal?
Bacon and cabbage and spuds (potatoes)! It’s an Irish thing haha. And you absolutely must have the white sauce. I’m not really meant to eat red meat anymore, but my mum is going to have a plate full ready when I get to go home next.
9. What is your all time favorite quote?
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
10. Who do you look up to or admire
My mum! She only really started travelling at the age of 65. She’s now 76 and has travelled to the States, various places in Europe, Asia and has been to see me numerous times in Dubai. And she still has plans to travel more.
Oh, and she just started to learn how to play the piano!
11. What is something that you think everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime?
Solo travel. I know it can seem daunting travelling to an unknown country by yourself, and honestly, I wasn’t sure about it either. But when I was forced to either go travel on my own or wait for someone to be available to travel with me, I chose to go rather than missing out. And now, even when I have someone to travel with, sometimes I will choose a solo trip instead. It’s a different type of experience I feel everyone should try at least once in their life.
My Sunshine Bloggers Award Nominees
Choosing who to nominate was difficult! I’m sure some of you have already been nominated or will be in the future, but nonetheless, here are my 11 nominees.
- Della – Della Loves Nutella
- Eleanor – Not So Modern Girl
- Emma – Invincible Woman On Wheels
- Kirstin – Lets Go Somewhere Else
- Katie – The Katie Show Blog
- Nicole – Nicole Stepping Out
- Em – Em Going Places
- Twishaa – Five Magpies
- Ming – Ming Writes
- Jaya – Nin Chronicles
- Hayley – Happily Ever Homebody
My questions for the nominees
- What inspired you start blogging
- What kind of traveller are you? Adventure/relaxation/budget/luxury/don’t like to travel?
- If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?
- What’s the most beautiful place you’ve been to?
- If you could uninvent one thing, what would it be?
- What is the most useful app you have on your phone?
- Who is your hero?
- What’s your favourite holiday?
- What’s your karaoke song?
- If you were stranded on a desert island and could have 3 things with you, what would you choose?
Thanks again to Clarissa at AdventureFitForLife for the nomination! Don’t forget to check out her blog.
Looking forward to learning more about my nominees from their answers to my questions. Let me know if you choose to participate, I’ll be happy to share your post!
Congrats on this award 🥳 and I love that quote for #9✨
Thank you Cherryl 🙂
I am so delighted and thankful to be included in your nominees list! Thank you. I look forward to thinking on your hard questions and coming up with some thoughtful answers.
I love that quote from Mark Twain and sitting on your balcony looking down at the city sounds like a lovely experience!
I also love that you still hold onto your teaching dream. It is curious how much dreams change and still stay the same.
Thanks Jaya! I can’t wait to read your answers and get to you know more about you 🙂
It is so funny that I held onto teaching, just in a different way. I guess that’s how you know it’s meant to be right?
Yaaaaaaay, this definitely made my morning Ellie, thank you for humoring me by answering my questions! ☺️ It is nice to learn a little more about you!
I am definitely a mountains person too although I love the ocean as well. I am sorry to hear about the knee! I’ve had that surgery too, and unfortunately know all about injuries delaying big goals. :-/
I am so excited to hear about your Mount Kilimanjaro trip when you do finally get to make it though. Really crossing my fingers for you for this January! I absolutely love your resilience and determination to achieve this goal. It’s going to be all the more amazing for all the hoops you had to jump through!
I also love your answer about the solo travelling. This is not something I have ever done, and it is definitely out of my comfort zone, but I would love to take your advice and try it some day!
Thanks so much for playing along Ellie, 🤞🤞🤞 for January!
Aw thank you Clarissa! I’ve loved seeing everyone’s answers to their questions and getting to know all my blogger buddies. It’s such a lovely way to bring us together.
It’s not looking too great for January right now but nevertheless I will just postpone and work towards the new date. It will get done (albeit two years after booking haha).
I hope you do try solo travelling once. It can definitely be hard to get into, especially when part of a couple who like to travel together. But it does give you a little push outside your comfort zone.