Mr. Sunshine Smiles

Well, folks. Spring has sprung in the world around us…and no, it is NOT an April Fool’s joke. Although I will admit these days with the back and forth of super warm weather to extreme coldness are really playing with my mind and I don’t like it. Make up your mind Mother Nature! The April showers have trickled their waters upon us and the May flowers that we all know and love are starting to emerge from the ground….and with them come the allergies. Who’s excited?! I know I am…well, not for the allergy part! 

And along with this beautiful Spring weather comes what I like to call a “renewal of life.” This is something that I look forward to each and every year at this time because it allows me to reflect on myself, life, and the world around me. Some of the renewal of life moments that I tend to enjoy the most are smelling the scent of fresh flowers, enjoying the company of family as we come together to celebrate a holiday meal, and running outside in the warmth of the sun to enjoy one-on-one time with nature. 

Those who know me realize that I’m always on the go. And I mean ALWAYS. Like, catch me if you can! That means, I must be intentional about my personal renewal of life and how I execute it.

How am I currently executing this? Well, read on and you will find the 3 specific ways that I will be enjoying this renewal of life over the next couple of weeks. 

1. Spring cleaning the house to declutter  
2. Coloring   
3. Watching a feel-good movie and journaling both feelings and reflection on how it relates to my life  

Spring cleaning and decluttering is (believe it or not) something that I absolutely love doing…and not just at Spring time. I don’t know what it is, but there is something so satisfying with decluttering a room, a closet, or a cabinet and making sure that trash bag is FULL. Yahssss. So satisfying. 

Another entity in my renewal of life is coloring. Yes, that’s right…coloring. There is something so relaxing about being creative with colors and making pictures come to life. And before you judge it, try it. Adult coloring books are all the rage. And trust me…it will relax you, de-stress you, and give your creative brain a workout. It will RENEW you. 

Finally, the last piece of my renewal of life is watching a “feel good” movie and journaling both my thoughts and reflections about how it relates to my personal life after it’s over. So therapeutic. Give it a try. The other night I watched Moana and the whole time I just smiled and sang along. Then, I took to my journal and wrote some personal reflections. It can work wonders, so I hope you take a moment to try it. 

Spring is a time for a refreshing, new start. It is a time to renew our lives with energy, passion, and love. During the next couple of weeks, remember to take moments to reflect on the many blessings you have been given in life, to appreciate the people in your life who mean the most, and to take in each moment for what it’s worth. 

Take time to enjoy this season for a renewal of life. 

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

War. Suicide. Shootings. Death. Stock market crashes. Government tensions. Divorce. Abusive relationships. Political tensions.

No matter what way you slice the cake, it seems that the negativity of our communities, our Nation, our world–is bearing its ugly face right in front of our eyes…day after day. And it seems to me that there are no signs of it slowing down.

For someone who was raised on the principles of love and kindness, it can be a hard pillow to swallow somedays when all the negativity engulfs you like an ocean wave of powerful force.

I don’t know about you, but there are times when it is draining. Absolutely draining.

In a society where it has now become the norm to see hatred between nations and terrorist attacks, I often ask myself where the love in people’s hearts and minds have fled to.

Why is it that we would rather stare at the stranger than embrace them with a smile or hug?

Why is it that we would rather talk with our fists rather than open our hearts to listen?

Why is it that we find it easier to attack with acts of violence and not acts of kindness?

Over the weekend, one evening before bed, I was listening to a song called “Louder Than Words” from the musical Tick, Tick…Boom! The lyrics are pasted below; however, they are ones that I really identified with and felt fit perfectly for this week’s topic.

Why do we play with fire?
Why do we run our finger through the flame?
Why do we leave our hand on the stove
Although we know we’re in for some pain?

In case you haven’t heard this song, I’ve included the link below. It gives me chills and I hope if you truly listen to the lyrics as they are sung, it will give you those very same chills.

https://youtu.be/dHBMxhxMYIg

This week, my challenge to you–my readers, my fellow sunshine followers, the world–is to display acts of kindness throughout your daily lives at least once a day. Actions truly speak louder than words, so I’m begging you to make those actions prominent day in and day out.

Our world is in dire need of some positivity and we all have the power inside us to make the vision and love and kindness a reality. Look inside yourself. Truly look inside. Dig deep.

Hug the stranger rather than stare.

Talk to those around you without judgment.

Tell someone in your life why you appreciate them.

Hug those you love.

It’s time to come together and make our actions louder than words.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Well, hello friends!

Yet another Monday has decided to grace us with its presence. I hope that you were all able to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and spring-like weather (minus the rain) that Mother Nature decided to throw our way over the past couple of days.

Last week, I celebrated my 30th blog post with 30 fun facts about myself that some of you may (or may not) have known. Hope it was an exciting learning experience for you as you learned about Mr. Sunshine on a more intimate level. 

I moved to the City of Lancaster back in October of 2016. I have never been (and I’m still not) someone who needs fancy things in a home to keep me happy. For those of you who might remember, when I wrote my blog post about my house many weeks ago, I specifically stated that there is dust on the floors, cracks in the walls, and other imperfections that I’m totally OK with. In my viewpoint, it is just a few of the entities that make a house beautiful.

But…it seems as though I have caved just a bit to the trend of house remodeling. It has been something that has always been in the back of my mind, but this year, was the year to make it happen. When I wrote my goals for 2019 in the front of my daily planner, one of them was to complete 3 house projects.

And after all the hours of time invested in Property Brothers and Fixer Upper on HGTV…well, you can guess the rest.   

Today, Sunshine Cottage becomes the latest “war zone” for dust and debris on North Plum Street in Lancaster. 

This is obviously a facet of my life that I don’t have much expertise in, so figuring it all out has been a bit of a challenge. Where did I begin? As the famous song in Sound of Music tells us, “let’s start at the very beginning…a very good place to start.” 

What are my tips for tackling a project like this?! Well, here you go.

1.       Determining A Budget 

2.       Figuring Out The Projects 

3.       Finding A Contractor  

4. Breathe

The most important aspect for me was figuring out a budget and how much resources to put into the project. I did a lot of research as far as how to go about getting the $$ for this project and finally after a lot of digging and crunching numbers, I landed on a good deal with a personal loan through Discover. I’ve laid out the final numbers and have a payment plan in place for the next several years to make sure it is all paid off effectively and on time.

Next, after the money situation was all lined up, it was time to figure out the projects to tackle. Now, I’m sure a lot of you homeowners have experienced moments here and there of wanting to demolish everything around you and start from scratch. I’m not someone who needs the big, the fancy, and the most expensive luxuries.

After a lot of looking at images on the Internet and embracing my HGTV love, I’ve gone with the projects of gutting the bathroom, painting the living room, doing a minor remodel of the kitchen, and re-decking the front porch. And those of you who know me…know I’m NOT a handy man at all, so that is where the next facet of remodeling Sunshine Cottage comes in…

Finding a contractor to do the work. For this part, I went to Facebook and put out feelers about who to use. And after several leads, I went with Campbell Cub Construction. I had attentive communication with the owner, Aaron, and he was incredibly articulate with my needs and helping me figure out exactly what to do since I’ve never done this before. Aaron came over to my house one night to take a look at my ideas (or lack there of…haha), take pictures and measurements, and discuss a timeline. He made me feel at ease right away and I knew that I was in good hands. I can’t even wait for him to begin!

Lastly, through all of this, I’ve had to remember to breathe. One of the most important aspects of the entire process. This is a HUGE undertaking, especially for me because I’m always on the move and have never really put time or money into my home like this (or anything for that matter), so breathing is a must. Throughout the process, I’m sure there will be moments of panic and stress; however, the light at the end of the tunnel will be incredibly good for me.

So, there you have it. How I’ve gotten to this point of remodeling Sunshine Cottage in order to make it just a little bit brighter.

Come back in a few months when it’s all done to see the results!

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Well, Monday greetings everyone! It is the start to a beautiful new week! And what’s even more exciting is that this week marks my official 30th post! Where is the time going?! It has been quite the adventure thus far writing for an audience and releasing new material each Monday with topics of all shapes and sizes. I hope that each and every one of you has been enjoying the reads week after week and will only continue to come back for more sunshine, kindness, and positive energy!

Well, shall we dig right in to this week’s post?! I thought I would do something a bit different this week and share 30 “fun” facts about myself in honor of this 30th post. Hopefully, these facts will give an even more intimate glimpse at the one and only, Mr. Sunshine!

So grab your cheesecake, your favorite beverage, and keep all arms and legs inside the car at all times because here we go…it could be a bumpy ride!

1. My favorite roller coaster at HersheyPark is The Great Bear. I literally could ride it over and over again. ALL DAY.

2. My least favorite aisle to go down at the grocery store is the cereal aisle. Why, you ask? It’s because there are just too many choices and all of the boxes that surround me feel like they are invading my personal space and closing in on me–taunting me with their colorful branding and mascots on the front of the box.

3. I’ve never broken a bone in my life. I now feel like I should go knock on wood about 750,000 times because I probably jinxed myself.

4. Elevators scare me…a lot. I do not like being in them and I really dislike when they move incredibly fast. One of the reasons I’m so scared of them is because of a storyline that took place on my favorite soap opera from YEARS ago called “Passions.” Literally was my favorite to watch because it was so campy. Anyway, there was an ongoing storyline with an elevator and each day for like 18 weeks (what felt like 18 weeks), it feel down like 2 flights of a tall building and it has paralyzed me ever since. 

5. I’m terrified of flying in a plane. So, if you ever have to travel with me on one, please make sure that you bring me a sleeping pill, Xanax, or all the wine. Or all three just to be safe.

6. My favorite condiment is Mayo. Literally…LOVE mayo. SO much.

7. I feel asleep when I went to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway because I was so tired from walking around the city. It was such an ugly, wintry day and I was not wearing the proper attire at all.

8. I’ve applied and sent audition videos to be a contestant on Wheel of Fortune multiple times. To go along with this, I also used to pretend to be Vanna White in my basement and “touch” the wall like it was the puzzle board and clapping as imaginary contestants played the game with me and shouted out letters and spun the wheel. I still need to get on this show because I literally am so goo at it–and I’m not just saying that. Often times when I watch at home, I know the answers because any of the actual humans playing do. 

9. I used to love going around the house during the summer when I was younger pretending to be a model on The Price is Right showcasing off items from my house as I announced them to the imaginary audience. “It’s a new dining room and piano!” (And cue fancy hand gestures that the models on the show do–I was always really good at it…and I still am if I do say so myself).

10. I don’t like to sleep in sheets. Most nights, I lay on top of my bed/comforter with a blanket.

11. I had to perform the Heimlich on my dad once, which I will never forget because I was the one in the family who stayed calm.

12. I have to shave my face in the morning every day; otherwise, something just doesn’t feel right about my day. 

13. I must leave the house wearing make-up. I wear Cover Girl liquid in a natural beige in case you were wondering.

14. I really want to learn how to perfectly twist soft serve ice cream into a cone. Literally, I see people do it and it amazes me. 

15. Growing up, I used to LOVE getting Dairy Queen cakes with Barney on them. I still LOVE Dairy Queen cakes, but I’ve grown out of getting the purple dinosaur on them.

16. I prefer Wawa coffee over Sheetz coffee, but Sheetz sandwiches over Wawa sandwiches. Hazelnut is my FAVE coffee flavor and a toasted chicken sub with spinach, cheddar cheese, tomato, mustard, and TONS of mayo is my FAVE sanwich.

17. I love fun socks and have 70+ pairs currently.

18. A big struggle for me is learning how to accept compliments. It is something I’ve never been good at and I’m still evolving learning how to do so.

19. Cranberry vodka is my go to drink at the bar. Otherwise, if I forget how to ask for one (because I’ve had too many), I usually just ask for “something fruity.”

20. My least favorite household chore is a tie between laundry and dusting.

21. Sweatpants are not something I will leave the house in unless absolutely necessary.

22. The legs are my favorite part of the body–on myself and others. I’m a leg man. It is also my favorite muscle to work at the gym. CARRIE LEGS all the way. #carrielegs

23. I do not enjoy ferris wheels. Two years ago, during Memorial weekend, I was in one with my friend Missy down at Wildwood and we got stopped at the very top while they unloaded people at the bottom. It was such a windy night and I literally think I peed myself and gripped the seat so tightly because I was terrified out of my mind.

24. My absolute favorite meal is meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

25. I’ve been out of the closet for 14 years and single for all of those except the period of about 2 months back in 2012.

26. I’m currently involved in my 23rd production at Ephrata Performing Arts Center since starting there in 2010. This includes on and off the stage.

27. My favorite movie of all time is The Wizard of Oz.

28. I’m a huge fan of quality time with people I love, especially my family and closest friends.

29. I’m not a big fan of traveling–the only time I’ve been out of the United States is Mexico for some mission trips.

30. I still hold my “v card” in the deck of cards of life.

…And that’s all she wrote, folks.

Well…that’s all I wrote…for you…this week.

Hope you enjoyed getting to know me a bit more with these facts.

Cheers to 30 and hopefully 30 more!

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Well, it is time for yet another week of sunshine and smiles! WOO! This is officially my 29th blog post since starting out, which is insane to think about! It feels like only yesterday when I was launching this official endeavor. Thank you to everyone who has come back week after week to enjoy the posts, offer support, and spread sprinkles of sunshine throughout their daily lives!

Last week, I gave you an exclusive look and taste into the current playlist of my go to tunes that keeps me moving and grooving on the daily. Those songs are a good source of energy and excitement when I need that extra jolt to get through!

So, what will I be discussing this week?! Well, a big shout out to my PB4L (porch buddy for life in case you were wondering), Rainer, for giving me this week’s topic!

May I have the drum roll please?!

::DRUM ROLL::

This week’s topic is inside the fantasy dream job of Mr. Sunshine!

:: Cue thunderous applause and cheers::

For as often as I can remember, Ellen DeGeneres has always been a huge role model for me in life. From her courage to coming out of the closet to express love freely–to her overwhelming compassion of performing acts of love and kindness and her crazy fun dance moves–I love it all…and can relate to it all.

This is why that it should come as no surprise that my fantasy dream job is to be Ellen DeGeneres with my own talk show.

This is something that has been on my mind for many years now and it all began senior year of high school when I was voted by my fellow classmates as the person to “most likely have a star on the walk of fame.” When writing some short reflections about the honor for my fellow high school classmates to read in the yearbook, I wrote that I wanted to be the “male version of Ellen.” Well, there you have it. That was in 2006. The rest is history.

Is there a part of me that secretly wishes I could dance on the stage, under the lights, and be on national television in front of a LIVE studio audience with the biggest smile on my face for households all across the world to watch? Absolutely.

Is there a part of me that wishes I could become a household name synonymous with the terms ‘love,’ ‘compassion,’ and ‘kindness?’ Most definitely.

Is there a part of me that wishes I could honor the heroes around me that embody stories of strength and courage with extreme praise, adoration, and surprises? 100%.

There is something about having my own national talk show where I can embody the principles of love, compassion, and kindness that gets me so fired up and excited. I mean…come on! Who wouldn’t love that?!

My dearest Ellen…are you thinking about retiring anytime soon? Well, let it be known that this 31 year-old from good old Lancaster, Pennsylvania is ready to take over whenever that day may come.

Please…and thank you.

And while there are no LIVE studio audiences, there is a part of me that looks around at my life and believes that I am already living out my dream job.

I was given the nickname of Mr. Sunshine from my Singing Lions show choir group during my freshman year of college in 2006. It is a nickname that has stuck with me ever since…even 13 years later. It has become a part of me.

On the daily, I try to always embody the principles of love, compassion, and kindness as I live out my life day in and day out. I smile at the stranger, I look for the good in all people, and I try to always see the bright side of life no matter how dark the world around us seems.

It is my deepest hope that how I live out my life is able to bring some type of joy and happiness to others and that it catches on and continues to flow throughout both the community and the world. The moments when I get communication from individuals that mention how much the positive energy or posts have inspired them, it brings warmth to my soul than I can’t even possibly begin to express.

The nickname of Mr. Sunshine is something that I truly try to embody 150% each and every day. Are there days when I want to scream? Yes. Are there moments when all I want to do is say every explicit word in the book? Um…yeah.

I know that it can seem my attitude toward life is all “sunshine, rainbows, and glitter”; however, I can tell you that there are moment where that isn’t my mentality. I have my moments of clouds and thunder. No matter what is happening life, I always try to figure out how I can personally encourage positive change and gets others around me to do the same.

Maybe the fantasy dream job of having my own national talk show and becoming the male version of Ellen DeGeneres will still happen. Who knows what the roads ahead hold in store?

However, I do know with 100% confidence that I will continue to dance through life with love in my heart, compassion in my eyes, and kindness running throughout my veins.

If there’s one thing I would like to leave you all with in this post, it’s this:

The world around us can be cold, cruel, and dark. There are people who want us to give up the faith more than anything. There are people who want us to fall down, falter, and give up.

But have heart. Have courage. Be strong. Keep the faith and let love and kindness enter inside your soul and fill you with the energy needed to invoke positive change in others.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

How is it that another week has come and gone already?! Like, we are already into the second week of March and less than 10 days away from the first day of Spring! Oh…and in case you didn’t already notice it on your own…there is Easter candy popping up in our faces at local grocery stores everywhere.

However, I must say that I’m quite excited for the fact that it ISN’T snowing this week as I write. In fact, it almost felt like Spring time today with the mild temperatures close to the 50’s and sprinkles of misty rain. Let’s just say I’m anxiously awaiting the sunshine!

Anyhoo enough about the weather…I’m no meteorologist and I’m not here to talk about Mother Nature and her bi-polar attitude.

What am I here to talk about this week?! Well…golly gee! I thought you would never ask!

Let’s read on! Shall we?!

Music is an integral part of our world. Of our culture. Of our lives. It is a universal language that can bring us together in times of distress and it can help us to feel the most real and most raw of emotions that are inside our souls. It can make us happy. It can make us sad. It can make us laugh. It can make us cry.

No matter what way we slice the cake, music is something we can all relate to on the daily.

We all have our favorite songs–our “go to” tunes when we need that quick jolt of happiness or want to belt out lyrics at the top of our lungs because of that douche canoe boy that just doesn’t get it.

I love and listen to music all the time. When I’m running, when I’m driving in the car, when I’m working out–there always seems to be a constant playing of tunes in my ear.

And the million dollar question is…what might be playing in my ear?! Well, I thought you would NEVER ask!

Below are the 20 songs right now that comprise my “Mr. Sunshine Go To Tunes” playlist. These are the songs that make me happy, allow me to belt at the top of my lungs without a care in the word, empower me to be better, inspire me, and just always seem to make everything a little bit better. So, happy reading…and hopefully happy listening as well!

1. Rainbow; Kacey Musgraves–literally heard this song for the first time when Kacey performed it at The 2019 Grammys and immediately fell in love with it. The lyrics are beautiful and it is one of those songs that makes me grateful for everything around me and to never take anything for granted.

Well, there you have it. The playlist of Mr. Sunshine. Anthems of empowerment, upbeat tunes of feel good sunshiney moments, and ballads to make you feel all the emotions.

What are the tunes that you find the most meaning in? What are your “go to” jams throughout the daily of your life when you need a moment to laugh or cry? I would love to hear your feedback and suggestions.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Well, hello there everyone and welcome to another week with Mr. Sunshine! This actually happens to be my 27th blog post, which is absolutely crazy to think! Before you know it, this adventure of blogging will be a year old! Hope you all are enjoying it each week!

I don’t know about you, but I must say that I am quite sick of Mother Nature and her white stuff piling up around us. I will admit that it is pretty to look at on trees and from behind the warmth of a window, but when it comes to shoveling it off the sidewalks of your city home and brushing it off your car…well that…that is where I say MMMBYEEE to Mother Nature and her Winter schemes!

Anyhoo…enough about Winter and this white stuff! We are just going to pretend that it doesn’t exist at the moment.

Back on December 10th, I wrote a blog post in regards to anxiety and how even someone like me…someone given the nickname of Mr. Sunshine can experience it throughout this crazy thing that we call life. And just to give you a quick recap, here are some statistics from the ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America):

• Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.
• Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment.
• People with an anxiety disorder are three to five times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than those who do not suffer from anxiety disorders.
• Anxiety disorders develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.

Now, let’s quickly switch gears, so buckle up your seat belt and stick with me!

Webster’s Dictionary defines the word extrovert as the following:

noun

2. A person characterized by extroversion; a person concerned primarily with thephysical and social environment.