Well, folks happy Monday!
And on this Monday, we are officially CELEBRATING 100 blog posts!
How exciting that I’ve officially hit 100 posts since this endeavor began back on August 28, 2018!
I can’t thank each and every one of you enough for your continued support, love, kindness, and for also coming back week after week to relish in the sunshine that I work so hard to try and keep alive in this world. It means the world to me.
Truly.
So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining me on this journey and for continuing to walk with me as I continue navigating a path of sunshine, love, and kindness.
We continue to go through each day of our lives in what seems to be a never-ending dark world filled with opinions and polarization between people over an upcoming election, COVID-19, religion, politics, and just about every other topic in between that you can think of.
It still can be disheartening somedays.
And that is why for this week’s 100th blog post, I’m going for FUN and SMILES!
And the best way to do that is with fun facts about the one and only!
I know that several previous blog posts have involved these things I like to call rapid fire fun facts, but I promise by the end, you will hopefully be smiling from ear to ear and escaping from the dark world of uncertainty around you for just a few minutes.
So, grab your cheesecake, favorite beverage, and keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times because here we go…it could be a bumpy ride!
And before I forget, make sure you go over to both my Facebook page and Instagram (@mrsunshine827) to participate in the GIVEAWAY that is happening to celebrate 100 posts! There are four $25 Visa gift cards up for grabs! To find out how to enter, you must check out my Instagram/Facebook!
Okay, it’s time to start. And…inhale…exhale…
…Buckle up because HERE WE GO!
100. When I used to play Monopoly growing up, I always, ALWAYS wanted to buy the purple properties (Baltic and Mediterranean Avenue) because they only cost $60 each, which made it easy to build up the houses and hotels on them quickly to make those playing against me go bankrupt. Really Mr. Sunshine-esque isn’t it? Ha. Game of monopoly anyone?? You know how to reach me.
99. As I sit here writing this currently, I’m watching Shark Tank on Hulu, which I am mildly obsessed with. Seriously. LOVE that show.
98. Speaking of Shark Tank, I have a few clients who have pitched their ideas and have even gotten deals with the sharks!
97. My favorite color Sour Patch Kid to eat is blue.
96. My favorite type of fruit snacks to eat are the Welch’s mixed fruit ones that come in the blue box.
95. Earlier this year, right before Covid shut everything down, I threw out ALL of my CD’s that I had collected from over the years, which ended up being over 200 of them!
94. My favorite Real Housewives to watch on Bravo are the Orange County ones.
93. One of my first experiences on the stage was playing a character named Prof in an elementary school production that was called The Granny Awards.
92. Growing up when I was taking the bus to school, all I wanted to do was become a school bus driver because I was so obsessed with how the driver would push the buttons on the control panel to make the lights flash yellow and red.
91. My favorite game that is played on the Price is Right is Plinko.
90. I just submitted what I believe is my 5th audition video and application to Wheel of Fortune to be a contestant. Let’s hope it works out this time!
89. My very first car that I drove was a red, Chevrolet Prism.
88. When I help decorate the Christmas tree at my parents’ house, I become a little bit of Martha Stewart and get super particular with how the garland is placed on the tree. It has to be perfect.
87. I call it garland and not tinsel. Come at me. Just like I call it soda and not pop.
86. A favorite childhood memory that I have growing up is having sleepovers at my grandma’s house at her cottage in United Zion and watching the Food Network.
85. Speaking of the food network, one of my favorite shows to watch was something called Ready, Set, Cook! I don’t think it exists anymore and that makes me sad.
84. I used to be OBSESSED with buying colored flip flops from Old Navy that matched my polo shirts. Needless to say, I grew out of that phase.
83. The current candle scent that is burning in my living room right now is called Cobblestone Paths. It is a Pennsylvania Soy candle from Divine Consign in Manheim. You should go there to explore all the scents. Just saying.
82. I’m terrible at wrapping gifts, so if you are lucky enough to ever get a gift from me actually wrapped and not in tissue paper or a bag, well then you should play the lottery because you are one of the lucky ones!
81. One of my favorite classic game reboots that ABC has brought back recently is Press Your Luck with Elizabeth Banks. It has the same energy and excitement that I remember from the original 80’s version.
80. My favorite blanket to sleep with at night is one that my good friend, Liz (my Penn State twinny) gave to me as a morale gift right before leaving on one of my running treks for The Hope Express.
79. Speaking of Express, I love buying underwear from Express is all colors.
78. My favorite actor portrayal of Santa Claus is Ed Asner in Elf.
77. I no longer get 6 cream and 6 sugar in my coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts. And if you must know, my order now comes out as “vanilla coffee with cream.” Believe it.
76. The current body lotion that I’m using is called Bourbon by Bath & Body Works.
75. As an adult, my sweets preferences have changed and I now like dark chocolate more than milk chocolate.
74. At Easter time, my favorite candy to get is Cadbury Creme Eggs. I love nothing more than eating the center of gooey sweetness! I also love that their commercials still haven’t changed in forever.
73. I don’t separate colors when I do wash. I throw everything in together.
72. My favorite Tootsie Pop flavor is grape.
71. Speaking of Tootsie Pops, it confuses me greatly that the grape packaging looks more like blue than purple. Does anyone else ever think this thought???
70. I don’t own a rake, which means Fall is a great season for landscaping at Sunshine Cottage.
69. My favorite day at the gym is leg day. Literally, LOVE legs.
68. While I love The Golden Girls, my favorite TV show theme song is the one from The Brady Bunch.
67. My favorite title in the Harry Potter series is Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire.
66. My favorite version of “O Holy Night” is the one that is sung by Celine Dion.
65. Speaking of Christmas songs, my least favorite is “Last Christmas.”
64. No matter how many times I’ve seen the series finale of The Golden Girls, I still cry.
63. The below video is one that I’ve been watching over and over again for the past two weeks and I can’t get enough of it.
62. One vivid memory I have from college was going to West Commons and getting half-baked chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven with soft serve vanilla ice cream. There was always a sweet lady that would greet us with a smile and we always called her “The Cookie Lady.”
61. One of the reasons I’m so terrified of clowns is because during elementary school, I was walking through the halls and one jumped out at me from a doorway and it scared me so badly. I think I even peed myself a little. TMI? Oh well…mmmbyeee.
60. My favorite restaurant chain to get pizza from is Domino’s, but I like the breadsticks from Pizza Hut better.
59. I’ve started putting protein powder in my morning yogurt and it is the worst. The WORST.
58. I like Kraft Cheese Nips much better than Cheez Its, but I can’t find Cheese Nips in stores anymore. And it makes me really sad. If you find some, please send them my way.
57. Some of the skinny jeans I own are so tight that I have to do a little wiggle and dance to get them on in the morning.
56. The scene of Monsters, Inc where Boo gets scared by Sully breaks my heart and makes me cry every time I watch it.
55. Speaking of crying, I’m extremely sensitive and everything makes me cry. And if I see someone crying, I start to cry. It’s just like yawning.
54. Elmo is my favorite character on Sesame Street.
53. One of my favorite moments from high school was during my senior year after the annual Christmas concert. My parents surprised me by bringing my Grandma to see me perform and it brought the biggest smile to my face. The picture we got was the last one we got together before she passed away and it is one that I keep on my dresser.
52. I don’t use fabric softener when I do laundry, but I do use Downy Unstopables.
51. I was a Boy Scout growing up and I only made it to Life Scout, which was one step below the highest rank of Eagle Scout.
50. I’ve never been stung by a jellyfish.
49. I just had to look up jellyfish to see if it was one word or two words.
48. I just watched the movie Hocus Pocus for the first time this past Friday.
47. I’ve seen Carrie Underwood in concert 4 times and Katy Perry in concert two times.
46. I usually do lots of Christmas shopping on Black Friday, but end up buying more for myself than others. Oops. Maybe this year will be different.
45. As a child, I had Lion King flannel sheets that I absolutely loved.
44. Spearmint gum is my favorite no matter what brand.
43. The song “Defying Gravity” is one that left me speechless both times that I saw Wicked on Broadway.
42. During freshman year of high school, there was a huge food fight and I couldn’t get under the table quick enough so I ended up with tuna salad and chocolate milk on my shirt.
41. I used to love watching the soap opera Passions on NBC. Their storylines were crazy and out there, but it was so addicting.
40. “Firework” by Katy Perry is still my favorite song to jam out to, especially if I need to get myself out of a funk.
39. This scene from Zootopia kills me me with laughter and cracks me up. If you ever need a laugh, just watch this. It is hilarious.
38. When I can’t sleep at night, sometimes I search YouTube for game show or TV news bloopers. They are the best. Try it. You won’t regret it. Here’s one of my favorites that had me laughing hysterically last night on my bed (the best one starts at 4:09 and runs for about 2 minutes):
37. I was a huge fan of Glee when it was on TV and to this very day, one of my favorite covers of a song they did is “Don’t Stop Believing.”
36. Going off of that, one of my favorite original songs from Glee is “Loser Like Me.” Look it up and jam out to it. It is so fun.
35. If I had the opportunity to do a musical again that I already participated in, it would be a five-way tie between Spamalot, Hairspray, Ragtime, Legally Blonde, and Peter and the Starcatcher.
34. If there is one musical that I have not had the opportunity to do that I would love to be a part of, it would be Mamma Mia!
33. I just celebrated my 4th year living at Sunshine Cottage in Lancaster.
32. The wallflower scent that is currently in my bedroom is called Ocean Waves and it smells DIVINE.
31. I have an almost perfect credit score and I would like to keep it that way.
30. I love macaroni and cheese, but only with cheese sauce. I can’t do powder. Yuck!
29. Prior to all this COVID-19 crisis, I had tickets to see Frozen on Broadway with my bestie and my heart breaks that I will never be able to see that since it closed and will not reopen when Broadway comes back to life after this dark time.
28. One of my favorite jams to pump me up for a run or workout at the gym is Katy Perry’s “Roar.”
27. I am a fan of a good power ballad to belt out and this is one of my favorites to watch and sing to. Celine Dion is also my favorite, power vocal diva (and also the classiest).
26. Speaking of this song, anytime I watch the movie Titanic, I have nightmares that I was on the boat with my family.
25. At Hollywood Casino, my favorite slot machine to play is one that is a penny machine and involves mermaids. It is so fun and I can spend hours sitting there without moving. Well, not hours, actually. The smoke gets to me after about an hour.
24. I just watched this below clip for about the 500,000th time and it cracks me up just as much as it did the first time. Ellen’s laugh is my favorite. You’re welcome.
23. Speaking of Five Second Rule, I bought this game and wanted it to be more like the version Ellen plays on her show, so I bought a buzzer box on Amazon to press similar to the one in the video clip above.
22. I don’t know how to change a flat tire, so if I ever get one, I’ll be calling Triple AAA.
21. My top 3 male celebrity crushes are Zac Efron, Ryan Reynolds, and Matt Bomer.
20. My favorite milkshake flavor at Sonic is hot fudge.
19. One of my favorite college professors at Penn State was Dr. Barbara Wade who taught CAS 100A, which was a Public Speaking class. At the end of the semester, she gave a few students books and the one she gave me was a Tony Bennett book, which I still have on my coffee table in the living room. She was an AWESOME professor.
18. The top thing on my “Things To Do” list that is kept on my Iphone is ‘tattoo ideas.’ This list was made at the beginning of the year and hasn’t changed since that original creation. A tattoo was something I wanted to do in 2020, but Covid kind of messed that up. I still intend to get one, but not sure when that will happen or what exactly it will be.
17. I have never seen the movie Miracle on 34th Street.
16. I haven’t played the organ for a church service since the beginning of Covid in March. I can’t wait to play it again once we have some in person worship services.
15. I really struggle wearing sweatpants. In fact, I had them on to start my work day on Saturday and didn’t even make it an hour before changing into skinny jeans. Like, I can’t do it.
14. I still do not like using a dishwasher. Handwashing is always first choice for me, especially with a farmhouse sink.
13. I love getting appetizers from restaurant menus as my actual meal/entrée.
12. I’m sitting on the couch writing this and drinking chocolate milk with some 100 proof peppermint schnapps in it that I’ve had for about 5+ years…maybe longer. True story.
11. I prefer Charmin toilet paper over Kleenex Cottonelle. Don’t ask me why. I just do. I’m a brand snob I guess you could say.
10. In the 4 years that I’ve lived at Sunshine Cottage, I have yet to decorate for Christmas with a tree–real or fake.
9. I’ve used Stitch Fix clothing boxes for the past 3 years and in those 3 years, I’ve had the same stylist named Brooke and have never returned any items I’ve received and there have been hundreds. Well played, Brooke.
8. The two women celebrities that I look up to as role models for my Mr. Sunshine personality are Ellen DeGeneres and Betty White.
7. I don’t like cheese on sandwiches unless it is melted.
6. Don’t ask me to ride a ferris wheel or airplane unless you have a Xanax to give me.
5. I’ve never understood why dentists will ask you questions that require answering when they have instruments in your mouth (that is wide open mind you) and prevents you from being able to answer.
4. As we come closer to Halloween (which is a holiday that I’m not a fan of), I have to say my favorite costumes from the past is a tie between Tim Gunn from Project Runway and Bob The Builder.
3. One of my favorite Super Bowl halftime shows was the one done by Katy Perry. 13 minutes of all her catchy tunes complete with pyrotechnics, dancing, bright colors, costume changes, and dancing sharks. And of course, my favorite moment was at the very end when she sang “Firework.”
2. I loved the episode of Saturday Night Live when Betty White hosted (because she was brilliant and didn’t miss a beat), but my favorite two skits from that episode were these:
It’s here…rapid fire fun fact #1! Are you ready?!
Can I get a drum roll?!
::DRUM ROLL::
1. 2021 is going to be my BIGGEST year yet with the release and start of my newest mission and project that will be aimed at trying to spread some of the much-needed sunshine, positive energy, love, and kindness that this world so desperately needs right now. I hope you are as EXCITED as I am!
Well, there you have it.
100 rapid fire fun facts about yours truly, Mr. Sunshine. I hope that some of these got you smiling from ear to ear and brought you some joy to help you get through your day.
And please don’t forget to head over to my Facebook page and Instagram (@mrsunshine827) to follow the steps to enter the giveaway because we are CELEBRATING 100!
So, cheers to 100 posts and to hopefully 100 more!
Thankful for all of YOU who have given me constant support and for coming back week after week to join me on this journey.
Sprinkle sunshine always,
JP!
Mr. Sunshine Smiles 