Sunshine Nomination

As the weather is getting colder by the minute, Sunshine Awards are bringing much needed SUNSHIINE to bloggers everywhere. Thank you Terje at Just For a Month for nominating me! I feel like a box of shine arrived in the mail just for me!

The Sunshine award is an opportunity to learn more about me as well as 11 other bloggers, recommended by yours truly.  Here are the "official" rules:

1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger. 
2. Share 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
4. List 11 bloggers. They should be bloggers you believe deserve some recognition and a little blogging love!
5. Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated. (You cannot nominate the blogger who nominated you.)

11 Random facts about me:

1. I have lived in three different continents: Europe, Asia and North America

2. I think Finnish chocolate is the best there is--Fazer milk chocolate all the way!

3. I love this Chinese idiom: 馬馬虎虎 (ma ma hu hu) It literally translated means: horse  horse tiger tiger. In practice it means okay. Ex. The movie was ma ma hu hu! It is a phrase that I teach my students when they ask if I could teach them some Chinese.

4. I love snow, sunshine and green plants! (Talk about an oxymoron....) 

5. I love cooking when I have people coming over. If I am by myself, cold cereal or toast is just fine for dinner.

6. There are always a few staples in my kitchen, Trader Joe's frozen chicken dumplings, good coffee, milk for coffee, cereal, bread and berries in the freezer.

7. I love singing even though I am not very good. Singing in the car, at church or in my living room makes me happy!

8. I am really hoping for a snowday on Monday (maybe even Tuesday) as there are so many things I would like to do (that have nothing or very little to do with school).

9. I can't draw, but as an ESL/ELL teacher I am always drawing for and with my students. Maybe I am getting better??

10. One day I want to travel more. Maybe I need to buy that lottery ticket that I have been thinking about....

11. My first summer job in high school was cleaning hospital wards. sanitizing bed pans etc.Then later on I worked as an LPN in a nursing home. I learned so much working with the old people.

Here are Terje's questions for me:

1.  One thing you wish adults would have told you about growing up?

"Write down what I tell because otherwise you will forget these things when you get older."

2. If you could travel in time, would you go to the past or the future? Why?

I would choose not to travel in time. I don't even like reading time travel fiction.

4. How would you describe yourself as a child?

I was an old soul. I spent lot of time with older people and thus tended to think like older people.

5. What is your happiest childhood memory?

Spending summer days with my dad and mom too when she was on vocation. Travelling with my parents around Finland. And SWIMMING! I could have lived in a lake when I was a child.

6. How have you surprised yourself?

By learning languages and being pretty good at it!

7. What are you avoiding?

Salads and vegetables. Eating them is really work for me unless someone else prepares them.

8. What are the advantages of getting older?

In a few years, (plus few more) I get into the movies cheaper! Hopefully I will get to hold grandchildren, and at school, I can look at my high schoolers and tell that I am old enough to know which behaviors will turn out well and which don't. Plus, I have learned that I don't take it personally when students act up.

9. What is one habit you would like to learn this year?

I think I would like to re-learn to do my devotions in the morning consistently.

10. What inspirational things did you read, see or hear last week?

I read Holley's blog about her encouragement challenge in 2014! I am hoping to participate at least 1-2 times a month. Check out Holley's blog here.

11.  How much is your life like to what you dreamed it would be?

I dreamed of being a mother and a teacher. I am both!

Here are the bloggers that I would like to nominate for Sunshine Award. Thanks for brightening my day:

Anita at Learning To Be Writers and Readers: In The 21st Century

Judy at My Reading Blog

Kim at Learning Tour Writing Stop

Carol at Carol's Corner

Elsie at elsie tries writing

Leigh Anne at A Day in the Life

Stephanie at Word Paint

Ramona at Pleasures from the Page

Jennifer at I hablo espanglish

Pamela at i paint i write

Julie at Raising Readers and Writers

Here are my question to you (from me and gathered from other bloggers):

1. What was the best surprise you had last year?
2. How did you start blogging?
3. When and where do you like to do your writing?
4. What drives your life?
5. If money was no issue, where would you like to travel and why?
6. What is your favorite love story (film or print)?
7. You have four days; no need to do school work or house work. What would you do?
8. What is the best thing about twitter and other social media?
9. What is your next challenge?
10. What creative thing are you planning to do next?
11. What is the favorite place that you have lived and why?

Thank you for taking the time to read and respond. I look forward to reading your posts in the future. Wishing you SUNSHINE during the darkest part of the year!