Sharing Some Sunshine

Let the sun shine!
Well it is officially fall in Missouri. We have been having our fair share of cold gloomy days. Not that I am upset about the fall weather, I am NOT complaining. I feel the need to make that perfectly clear for all of you that are still stuck in summer. However, Missouri's fall switch seems to be broken. We often seem to go from summer straight to winter and I could use a little sunshine. 
Lucky for me Desiree from Macke Monologues nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Desiree is awesome and if you aren't following along with her blog you are seriously missing out. Added bonus her little guy Marcus is completely adorable. Go say hello today, you won't be sorry.    
As for the award it's nothing formal or fancy. Just a fun way to share some blog love with a quick and painless Q&A. I love these kind of posts. They are one of my favorite ways to get to know and learn about someone. 
Desiree asked me:
1. For purely selfish reasons, what is your favorite go-to dinner dish? I've long since run out of new, easy, good recipes, and looking to add to our weekly staple rotation! A longtime staple at the Newman house is pizza, we make pizza once a week. That is a weekly tradition we have kept for well over a year now. We love pizza night.  Other favorites here are Dragon Noodles (with extra eggs, and sauce), Chicken Enchilada Pasta, Sweet Fire Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas.
2. When someone asks for a book recommendation, what is the one book you always suggest? Most of my reading is either done in the children's department of the library or it is a book that I am reading for church. So here is one of both.
Kids- Anything Jan Thomas. We discovered her books when Marissa was a baby and we have been laughing at them for years now. 
   
Adults- Usually I recommend the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. That book has had a huge impact on me and it continues to speak to me every time I pick it up.
3. Name a talent you have that others probably don't know about. I used to be pretty musical. I played the flute for years, I once owned 6 guitars (now I only have 2) and I am really enjoying teaching Marissa to play the piano because I am learning to. Although I secretly worry that she may quickly become better than I am. 
4. Sunsets or sunrises?

Sunrises, always and forever. There is just something so great about being out on a run and watching the sunrise. It is one of those moments that always makes me feel exceedingly blessed. 

Haha, this picture makes me laugh. We have so much fun together on our runs. 

5. The best way to unwind after a long day is... In silence. Seriously I really enjoy just sitting in the quiet. Usually I am busy catching up on my Bible study, a book I am reading, email or Pinterest. But after a very long and usually loud day the silence is priceless. 
6. Any guilty pleasures? My insane love of eating all things sweet and a few T.V. shows such as House of Cards and Breaking Bad.
7. What is a character trait you hope people associate with you?  I would love for people to see me as a positive person, an optimist. The glass really is always half full. I am not always quick to have an optimistic outlook but I would like to. And if others could see that in me, that would be awesome. 
Favorite words to live by? Words to live by: Grace changes everything. Words to run by: The faster you run, the faster your done.
9. If you could go to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased) who would it be, and what are two questions you would be sure to ask them? I would probably choose a relative that immigrated to America. I don't know a lot about my family history but I would love to. I would ask them why the chose to come to America and what life in their home country was like. 
10. The last concert you attended that you insist others must see, too? My concert experiences aren't much to brag about. However, I did see Coldplay in 2005 and that show to this day still feels like a dream. I would love to see them again some day they put on an AMAZING show. 
11. Your favorite blog post- be it yours, or a post written by someone else. The favorite blog post I have wrote so far was one that took me years to be able to write. The journey that we went through after the Joplin tornado was long and hard. But God was faithful.  May 22nd 3 Years Later, Oh How He Loves Us
It's time to pass a little sunshine along... Amanda- Tickled Pink Jenny- The Chronicles Of We
Courtney- A+ Life Ashley- Life On The Parsons Farm Heidi- All Things A
If you see don't see your name and want to play along you still can. If you see your name and choose to decline that is fine to.
If you would please answer my questions in your own post and then send some sunshine onto your readers with your own nominees and questions.
My Questions for you:
1. Name 3 bloggers that you would love to meet. 2.What is your all time favorite movie that you could watch over and over and never get tired of? 3. If you could go on vacation anywhere where would you go? 4. Your craving something sweet, what do you get? 5. What is your favorite holiday and why? 6. List one thing that you would love to do before you die. 7. Favorite book? 8. Early bird or Night owl? 9. What make-up staple could you not live without? 10. What is one thing about you that most people do not know? 11. Blog post that you are most proud of?
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