I’ve Been Nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Awards!

I’m slowly getting back into the groove after enjoying a long weekend, and I think being nominated for something is a great way to go into a Tuesday with a smile. Someone recently nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award, and if I’m being honest, I don’t know how to describe how I’m feeling. It’s a cross between being grateful for the recognition, but my impostor syndrome kind of kicks in. To be honest, I’ve been meaning to redesign the site for a while, and I have been kind of afraid to really put myself out here.

Being nominated for this award kind of reminds me that I already chose to put myself out here, in the blogging world. Obviously, the reaction hasn’t been so bad, if I’ve gotten this far. Going forward, I’m going to do a better job about promoting myself and slowly work on redesigning this space.

What Is the Sunshine Blogger Award?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is a community driven award. Nominated bloggers nominate 11 of their favorite bloggers based on inspiring, creative, and motivational blog content. It’s a great way to build each other up, especially in such a saturated area.

Here are the rules for accepting the Sunshine Blogger Award Nomination:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you for this award and link back to their blog.
2. Answer the 11 questions you’ve been asked.
3. Nominated 11 new bloggers and ask them 11 questions.
4. Inform your nominees through social media.
5. Display the rules and the Sunshine Blogger Award Logo on your post.

I’m so excited to be accepting the nomination, so here we go.

Diya’s Daring Blog

I was nominated for this award by DiyaS, who writes Diya’s Daring Blog. Diya started her blog so that she could share things that are helpful, that make her happy, and even some crafty things will be shared. After exploring her blog, I have to say that I have some serious respect for her. She’s 11 years old and has been working on her blog for 3 years. At 11, I was an awkward middle school kid struggling with who I was. Diya is putting herself out into the world, growing with the world, and sharing her growth, progress, and discoveries.

Thank you for reading my blog and nominating me, DiyaS. Hopefully you appreciate my answers to your questions.

My Answers to Diya’s Questions

1. What is your favorite food and why?

I am a sucker for grandma’s home cooking. It might be because she basically raised me, which means I was raised on her cooking. The result is that I was raised to love food, and I love it so much that I also started a food blog.

If you want a more specific answer, I love banh xeo. Banh xeo is a Vietnamese crepe that is crispy and savory, filled with meat and veggies. Usually, it’s served with fish sauce, and sometimes I’ll tear mine up and make a lettuce wrap with it.

2. What inspired you to start blogging?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved writing and the power of the written word. I remember reading a book when I was in third grade called Click Here! It was a book all about a girl, and what happens when everyone finds out about her secret blog. I remember thinking and feeling like I hadn’t lived enough life, or had enough opinions, to share so much of my life.

What really changed it for me was getting older, and learning about how hard it is getting published. In the end, I started blogging because it was something I could do for myself. I love the power of words, and I hope that my words will impact someone someday. This blog is a place for me to open up and share my words without waiting for someone else’s permission. No one should have to give me permission to be who I am.

3. If you could travel to any place in the world, what would it be?

I’ve been saying for a while now that i would want to go to Iceland. The attraction for me is that there’s an experience where you can stay in a bubble-like hotel pod for the night, and it’s completely transparent all around. The reason that you would want your hotel room this clear is because the northern lights aren’t predictable, and this way you can see them without getting out of bed.

4. If you become famous one day, what do you think it would be for?

I wish I had an ounce of talent, because then I would say for being a Broadway star, or something of similar recognition. More realistically speaking, I’d like to be famous for my writing, or I’d like to be remembered for how I made other people feel and my impact on others.

5. Do you speak languages other than English?

Yes, I took 4 years of French in high school and have retained an ounce of it. More seriously, I grew up speaking Vietnamese, which is the native language of my family.

6. Who is your hero or inspiration?

I’ve found this to be my least favorite question to answer, just because I can never pick just one hero. Inspiration, on the other hand, is all around if you look for it. I’m inspired by people who work hard and find hope during the hardest times of their lives. I’m inspired by people who have made careers out of their passions. It’s inspiring to see people fighting for the things that they believe in, especially during these turbulent times.

7. What would you change about yourself if you could?

My answer used to be that I wish I could care less about what other people thought of me. However, the more I think about it, the more I’ve accepted that it’s a part of my personality and how I was raised. The result is that it’s going to have to be something I work on overtime, like some of the other things that I want to change. Self-awareness and the desire to change go a long way.

If I could change something right away, I might wish for more athletic ability, or perfect vision. I also would like straight teeth so I’m not so self-conscious about my smile, but I could also get braces for that.

8. What is your biggest fear?

I actually overcame it these past couple of years, and I’m so grateful that I have. My biggest fear for the longest time was that I was unlovable and undeserving of love. That’s because I never thought I would find someone who would accept me for all that I am. I would shower others in love and affection and found that I still had to hide parts of myself because I could physically see them draw away when I showed them a little bit.

Now, I’m in this loving relationship with this man who took a chance on a girl who was afraid of being unlovable. I’m so grateful for all the love he’s brought into my life. We see eye to eye when it comes to who I am, accepting the good parts, and agree with me on what I need to approve on (he’s trying to push for me to be a little more selfish and a little less considerate).

9. What’s your favorite childhood dish?

There’s something to be said about the simple things in life. The favorite childhood dish that I remember and still go back to from time to time is a simple bowl of warm noodles with soy sauce. Growing up, my family didn’t have much, but I was very fortunate to have all the advantages that I did and still do. That includes the perk of eating warm noodles.

10. What is your proudest accomplishment?

Back in 2015, I was a writing resident at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. To this day, its one of my favorite things that I’ve done for myself. I look back on that time with nothing but fond memories, and even keep in touch with some of the people I met.

11. Would you rather win the lottery or work at the perfect job? Why?

I would rather work at the perfect job, because I would rather have the feeling of fulfillment and earn all of the things I have. Plus, people who typically have won the lottery in the past have ended up bankrupt, or dying of a drug overdose, and I have no intention of going down those paths.

My 11 Nominees

1. Alex Farbie of Always, Alex
2. Cristian Mihai
3. Turtle Quotes
4. #MillenialLifeCrisis
5. The Storyteller
6. bhavyas creative corner
7. Beauty Beyond Bones
8. La Petite Ari
9. The Gastronomy Girl
10. Our Crossings Blog
11. Frank Solanki

My 11 Questions for My Nominees

1. What are you passionate about?
2. If you could live out any movie/TV show/book, what would you live out and who would you be? Why?
3. What has been your favorite blog to write/content that you created?
4. What is your greatest extravagance?
5. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
6. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
7. What is your most treasured possession?
8. What do you most value in your friends?
9. What is your greatest regret?
10. When and where were you happiest?
11. What do you wish your audience knew about you?

How are my readers feeling about this award? Do you want to answer any of the questions I’ve asked my nominees? What changes do you want to see going forward? Tell me in the comments below!

As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog. If you enjoyed what you read, feel free to let me know by liking this post and sharing it with your friends. You can also make my day by subscribing to the blog, which will updated you when I publish more things like this.

Love Always,

Kristi My