Mr. Sunshine Smiles

Happy Monday, folks.

We are almost at the end of March.

Easter is literally like tomorrow.

And I’m still searching for that Spring weather.

So, if you find it, please send it my way.

I’m getting tired of the wind and the cold.

Give me the sun.

I needed it like yesterday.

I know I went a bit rough last week with my blog post.

Not the typical words you expect to hear from me, but all thoughts that needed to be expressed.

No regrets.

This week, I will go easy on you.

Because I’m tired.

Below are some things that I encourage you to check out this week.

1. Our food pantry at St. Paul Penryn is always looking for volunteers! Lititz Chooses Love is a HUGE help in staffing and making sure things are going well; however, new faces and blood are always welcome. Food pantry hours are Wednesdays from 5-8pm and Saturdays from 9am-12pm. No need to sign up…just show up! 1258 Newport Road in Penryn, PA!
2. With this being Holy Week, there are several church services that we offer. I know religion isn’t everyone’s thing, but I truly promise that we are different. We have a Maundy Thursday service at 7pm along with a sunrise service at the Penryn Cemetery on Sunday at 6:45am and our traditional morning worship with special music at 10:30am!
3. Our faith community’s annual community egg hunt will take place on Saturday at 10am (rain or shine) in The Backyward space beside the church!
4. Rock of Ages of Ephrata Performing Arts Center is a good time that you don’t want to miss! You can purchase tickets online at https://epactheatre.org/. We’ve got shows on Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday at 8pm, and Saturday at 2pm and 8pm.
5. Watch your favorite Disney movie.

Well, folks.

That’s all I’ve got this week for you.

Keep looking for that Spring weather.

And remember that the flower will always grow through the cracks no matter how neglected it is from sunshine, water, or love.

It always prevails and finds a way.

True story.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Hi folks.

It’s Monday.

It’s almost Spring.

It’s almost Easter.

Let’s get down to business.

We are wasting NO time.

I’m also wasting NO time in eating an entire pack of SweetTarts ropes.

Cherry flavor of course.

Literally my sugar fix for the entire week.

And now I’m snacking on salty pretzels.

Anyone else have after 10pm snack cravings?

Just me?

I hope not.

I digress.

Shocker.

I smile.

A lot.

But have you ever wondered what is behind the smile?

I was just recently watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show because you know I LOVE my classic TV shows.

And the lyrics to the theme song go like this:

Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?
Well it’s you girl, and you should know it
With each glance and every little movement you show it

Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have the town, why don’t you take it
You’re gonna make it after all
You’re gonna make it after all!

How will you make it on your own?
This world is awfully big, girl this time you’re all alone
But it’s time you started living
It’s time you let someone else do some giving

The lyrics tell me I can turn the world on with my smile.

CHECK.

The lyrics tell me I’m going to make it after all.

CHECK.

The lyrics tell me it’s time to let someone else do some giving.

CHECK.

But the song doesn’t tell me about all the shit I have to encounter on the daily and keep at bay.

What the heck Mary Tyler Moore?!

Why didn’t you warn me?!

What is behind the smile that all of you see each and every week.

Well, let me tell you.

Behind the smile is a frustration with people at my church who are trying to knock it down off its feet.

There are SO many people who are working their asses (pardon my language) off to keep the ministries alive and well for ALL to appreciate in our community, yet there are stubborn butt nugget people whose asshole and stick up their butt energy really does a good job to deflate the positive energy and smile at times.

KNOCK IT OFF.

I’m honestly sick of it.

Take your tumor infecting energy somewhere else.

Seriously.

It is exhausting.

And you know what else?

The state of this world.

It honestly makes me sick.

And the journey to November is not going to be one that I will enjoy.

And there are going to be several individuals in my life who I will not agree with.

And it will be deflating to try and keep a smile on my face.

Nope.

Not done yet.

Honestly, there are days when I feel like I’m living inside the script of a Lifetime romantic comedy movie.

And it is hard for me to remember to guard the heart above all else.

My friends at work are probably reading this very sentence and saying, “I told you so.”

It’s hard.

I get carried away, excited, and the imagination takes flight to the fairytale ending.

I know.

This isn’t Disney Princess land.

You ask what another song is that I’m feeling right now in life?

Well, here it is:

Just change the HAZEL line to BLUE.

Here I am, once again
I’m torn into pieces
Can’t deny it, can’t pretend
Just thought you were the one
Broken up, deep inside
But you won’t get to see the tears I cry
Behind these hazel eyes

Anyhoo, I will be here.

Like I always have been.

For as long as I can remember.

Here to support you.

Here to listen to you.

Here to be the punching bag.

Here to be the silent individual who sometimes gets by with saying zero words.

I’ll be here.

Just trying to live out my life with a smile on my face.

Despite the asshole energy/or pain that tries to engulf the world around me.

I’m tired of that shit.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Well, here we are.

Fresh off snow squalls and violent winds.

Mother Nature is off her rocker.

And this is post number 255!

And Easter is only 3 weeks away!

Which means Christmas 2024 is tomorrow!

KIDDING!

But it certainly feels like it could be tomorrow.

Anyhoo, on to this week’s post.

While I wouldn’t consider myself a “swiftie” by any means, I do like using the era language because it is trendy.

I’m in my get a summer bod era.

I’m in my eat ice cream from the tub era.

I’m in my cuddle in a blanket era.

I’m in my hang out with supportive, fun friends era.

I’m in my watching The Golden Girls era.

You get the picture.

Right now though, I feel like I’m in the most important era of my life.

I’m in my heart era.

Each week, when I have my video call with Ryan, he asks me the following question:

“How are matters of the heart?”

It’s not a question that I really gave much thought to before starting my work with Ryan, but now it is a question that I deeply think about constantly.

Where are my matters of the heart at the moment?

Currently, as I type this, the matters of my heart are feeling pretty happy as I sit here watching reruns of Who’s the Boss which make me smile and laugh.

When I look at the state of the world around us, the matters of my heart get sad.

It is an election year and I don’t care what political party you affiliate with, but the state of the Country and our Government is something that makes me sad, mad, and every other emotion in between.

Watching clips from the State of the Union and how people treat the individual in charge of our Country (again regardless of whether you support Biden or not) is embarrassing.

Embarrassing.

The full-time job has had some really busy moments recently and it has made matters of the heart stressful.

And when matters of the heart are stressful, I step back and listen to what my heart needs to become un-stressed.

This is where all my other eras come into play.

My get a summer bod era.

My eat ice cream from the tub era.

My cuddle in a blanket era.

My hang out with supportive, fun friends era.

My watching The Golden Girls era.

How are your matters of the heart?

Step back and ask yourself that question and give it some space to give it deep thought.

If your matters of the heart are not in a good spot, what will you do to help get them to a good spot?

How are your matters of the heart?

If we were on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, this would be the million dollar question.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Well, hi!

Welcome to Spring!

I mean welcome to another week of blogging with Mr. Sunshine!

Although it did feel like Spring in my neck of the woods with the sunshine that Mother Nature FINALLY gave us.

What a GLORIOUS moment.

And speaking of sunshine, I got the opportunity to see 9 to 5 at the Fulton Theater on Sunday.

Go see it.

You have until March 24th to do so.

You won’t regret it.

And what I write about today has to do with two particular musical numbers from the show that I would consider “power ballads.”

A power ballad for me is a song that makes me feel good, powerful, and ready to take on anything in my way.

I share those songs via YouTube links below, so please make sure you take time to listen.

“Shine Like The Sun”

“Get Out And Stay Out”

I won’t lie.

After seeing the show on Sunday, I listened to both of these songs on repeat in my car belting as loud as possible during my 30 minute drive home to Lititz.

And it felt great.

I felt determined.

I felt strong.

I felt worthy.

I felt like I’m the best damn thing in the world that does a DAMN good job being a single man in the world of what we call 2024.

And you know what?!

YOU TOO are worthy of a power ballad song to make you feel strong, determined, and powerful.

Because you are.

You are worthy.

You are strong.

You are determined.

And damn all those around you try to bring you down!

We’re going to shine like the sun.

We are going take back OUR lives.

And there ain’t nobody in this world that can dull that shine or stop us.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Hi all and happy Monday!

I bet you can’t guess what the title of my blog post means!

Well, if you keep reading you’ll find out!

Also, how is it almost the end of February?!

Say WHHHHHATTTTTTTTTTT?!

Also, in case you were wondering about the picture at the top of this post on the homepage, it is me laughing so hard that I had to spit my wine out into the glass.

Shout out to my friend, Ashlea Becker for capturing that gem.

We were laughing SO hard that night and it felt great.

Laughter is still the best medicine.

Period.

Well, laughter and chocolate.

Anyhoo, short post this week.

That is something I promise you.

On Saturday, I finally got to enjoy watching “Wonka.”

We LOVE a good movie musical that is colorful and this certainly delivered.

Well…at least it did for me.

But the part that I enjoyed the most about the movie came at the very end.

When Wonka opened up the chocolate bar his mom had given him.

The golden ticket inside reads this: (And I promise I’m not runing the movie…which you should watch).

“It’s not the chocolate the matters, it’s the people you share it with.”

This quote really resonated with me.

And I think as I grow older and more particular about my life, I think it is something that I identify with even more so.

Who are you going to break the bar of chocolate with?

Who are the people who support you in life, love you, appreciate you, bring the best out of you, assist you in chasing your dreams, and knows the type of pizza toppings you like?

They are the ones that you should be sharing that chocolate with.

They are the ones that deserve the breaking of the bar.

Think hard.

As we get older, it becomes more important to think about those in your life that mean the most.

So, break the bar.

And share that chocolate with the individuals who deserve it.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

It’s currently 10:48pm, which means it is the peak time for Mr. Sunshine blog writing. 

Are you ready? 

Let’s take a moment to be honest with ourselves. 

At some point in our lives, we’ve all dreamed of our lives being a romantic comedy.

I mean…who doesn’t want Zac Efron, Ryan Reynolds, or Bradley Cooper to suddenly step in your life and sweep you off your feet with the highest degree of swooning possible?! 

Or more recently Gregg Sulkin…because he is my newest romantic crush.

Count me in. 

Sadly, as much as society pushes for us to believe by sticking it in our faces that life is its own romantic comedy or “like a box of chocolates”…it’s not. 

Well…not for me at least.

And this week we get to experience all the sweetness of little chocolate hearts, scents of fragrant roses, the cuteness of stuffed animals, sappy social media posts, and the luxurious five-star dinners as the world celebrates the Hallmark holiday acclaimed to be the day of love…more commonly known as Valentine’s Day.

Excuse me while I go puke little chocolate hearts. (Shout out to my former college roommate Jolie who used to always use this phrase around this time of year.)

And even more than a decade later, I’m still using that phrase. Thank you, Jolie!

While I’m not one to really enjoy this holiday that much, there are a few loves that I’m very excited to share with you all today in my post.

And that, my friends, is what I’m calling:

The Love 14.

I’m going to share 14 songs that I love, 14 foods that I love, 14 reasons I love being single, 14 things I do to self love myself, and 14 random facts I hope will just help you love Mr. Sunshine.

But first, let’s give you some background.

Time for a little trip down memory lane…

Growing up through the years in elementary school, middle school, and even high school I was the one who was poked fun at for being skinny. The one who was looked at as being different because I acted more feminine and enjoyed hanging out with girls more often than not. I was the one who enjoyed theater and music. I was the one who wanted to watch Wheel of Fortune or classic TV shows like I Love Lucy, Mary Tyler Moore, and The Golden Girls instead of sports or thriller movies that were considered to be “masculine.” 

I went through the days, weeks, and months of the school year learning to ignore the remarks from those that decided to pick on me, but I still have flashbacks every now and then of those moments that bring up extreme feelings of insecurity. 

When I came out of the closet in 11th grade, it was a huge moment for me in life that was greeted with joy and relief and released an energy of excitement and self-discovery inside my soul. To some people, it was a moment that was supported and loved whole-heartedly while for others, it was just another aspect of life that made it an easy target for being made fun of. 

I’ve been through the bullying. I’ve been through the name calling. I’ve been through the stares that people give because of being considered or viewed as “different.” 

These are the moments from my life that have helped me to become intentional about embracing my single status and learning to love myself.

For me, one of the greatest joys with being single is having the power to involve myself in things that make me feel fulfilled and happy on the inside. Whether it is working with customers to help their businesses grow bigger and better, helping fellow colleagues to improve their personal growth, running 50 marathons to raise money for a local nonprofit close to my heart, or working front of house at the theater that I love with my cohort Jamie, my heart seems to constantly be overflowing with love and compassion to fuel my drive to push forward with the greatest of energy.

These days, more than ever, society tells us (or at least influences us) that we must have a partner by our side in order to be happy. It feels like a social stigma that is pushed on us from all different angles as we live out our daily lives. Whether it is that latest story line arc happening on TV’s most popular show, the plot from the hit movie currently playing at the movie theaters, or the damn advertisements for the next great romantic comedy on The Hallmark Channel, it just seems to be around every corner…something that we can’t escape from no matter how hard we try.

Currently, in my life, I I don’t feel it necessary to have someone by my side to make myself feel “whole” or “complete.” I am my own person who gets to have control over my entire life–from setting the wake-up time on the alarm for those early mornings to determining my own bed time every single night. It’s glorious. And what’s even better is that I don’t have anyone around to judge me on those nights when I want to eat raw cookie dough from the container or the ice cream without putting it in the bowl…that’s right…I do that.

And I embrace it 150%.

And here are some other things that I embrace 150% in The Love 14 that I share with you now!

14 Songs I Love

1. Firework” by Katy Perry

2. “This Ones For The Girls” by Martina McBride

3. “That’s The Way It Is” by Celine Dion

4. “Roar” by Katy Perry

5. “America’s Sweetheart” by Elle King

6. “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga

7. A Moment Like This” by Kelly Clarkson

8. “Starships” by Nicki Minaj

9. “Road Less Traveled” by Lauren Alaina

10. “This is Me” by Keala Seattle from The Greatest Showman

11. “You Can’t Get A Man With A Gun” from Annie Get Your Gun

12. “Try Everything” by Shakira

13. “Lullaby” by Sigala and Paloma Faith

14. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston

14 Foods I Love

1. Meatloaf (my mom makes a special recipe called ‘Penn State meatloaf and it is SO good)

2. Mashed potatoes (preferably the Bob Evans brand or if you have the time to make them, homemade)

3. Cabot Triple Cream Vanilla Bean Yogurt

4. Weis signature whole chocolate milk (it’s a beverage, but come at me)

5. Welch’s fruit snacks (the blue pouch)

6. Cheez its

7. Turkey Hilly black raspberry ice cream

8. Skillet queso from Chili’s

9. Cabot Vermont Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

10. Cheese pizza (preferably Papa John’s or Domino’s)

11. Salmon (with some mayo on it)

12. Shepherd’s pie

13. Sunkist orange soda (I know it is another beverage…sorry not sorry)

14. Peach rings

14 Reasons I Love Being Single

1. I can sprawl out on the bed as much as I want.

2. I can cuddle all the blankets I want without the worry of hogging too much.

3. I can do what I want, when I want, on my own terms.

4. I can go #2 without the fear of someone using the bathroom right after me.

5. I can eat whatever I want without anyone watching.

6. I can have the freedom to stay up as late as I want without worry.

7. I can involve myself in things I’m passionate about without the stress of not being able to provide enough time to a significant other.

8. This might be TMI, but I’m sorry, I have to say it. I can pass gas without a care.

9. I can take as much time as you need to find yourself.

10. You can have fun nights with your friends, which make life great.

11. I don’t have to deal with any type of drama.

12. This might sound silly, but you don’t have to compromise on the million dollar question of “what’s for dinner?”

13. I don’t have to worry about heartbreak.

14. I can have fun and just flirt even if the waiters that I leave my phone number for don’t text me.

14 Things I Do To Self Love Myself And De-Stress

1. I will put on a Disney movie.

2. I color in the lines…but also out of the lines every once in awhile.

3. I will take time to involved myself in a good dishwashing moment–it is therapeutic.

4. I will take a hot shower.

5. I will watch The Golden Girls for pure laughs because laughter is the best medicine.

6. I will eat ice cream direct from the container.

7. I will listen to Katy Perry’s “Firework” if I need an instant burst of energy.

8. I will put my phone on Do Not Disturb every night to give myself quiet time.

9. I will play some Wizard of Oz slots on my phone (not for real money). This is also such a fun game app.

10. I will take out some of the extra aggression from a long day with a good pump at the gym.

11. I will light a candle, lay on the couch, and close my eyes for 15 minutes.

12. I will look at myself in the mirror and give myself three compliments.

13. I will give myself a big bear hug.

14. I will clean the house with some good tunes playing in my ears.

14 Things I Hope You Will Learn To Love About Mr. Sunshine

1. My love language is words of affirmation.

2. Airplanes give me anxiety…even just thinking about them. And when I have dreams about them, I usually wake up sweating profusely.

3. I still struggle accepting compliments from others. I’ve never been good at it and even at 36, it is still hard.

4. My least favorite exercise at the gym is pull ups.

5. My least favorite aisle to go down in the grocery store is a tie between the cereal aisle and toothpaste aisle because there are too many choices. I usually end up picking plain old Life cereal and some version of Crest Whitening toothpaste.

6. I’ve started to really enjoy blueberry coffee.

7. I do not like using the bathroom at work. I try to avoid it all costs as much as possible. It is like being “pee shy.”

8. I enjoy hitting up the casino with Marissa and playing penny slot machines.

9. I embrace the principles of love and kindness and always look for way to display them.

10. I have a wonderful fitness coach Ryan who has helped me so much in the past year with spiritual wellness, emotional embracing, and fitness fun.

11. I have really gotten into “Who’s The Boss?” recently, which I know I mentioned the other week in a blog post. But honestly, the chemistry between Judith Light and Tony Danza is just unlike other couples I’ve watched on TV. They are just…well, you need to watch.

12. I can’t start my day until I shave my face with classic shaving cream and a razor.

13. I love getting hugs and giving them.

14. Cool Whip is better than Redi-Whip.

Are there days where I wish I could come home to that special someone ready to greet me with a hug when I walk in the front door after a really rough day at work? Absolutely.

Are there days where I wish that I could have that special someone on the couch to cuddle with me as I watch The Golden Girls for the 1000th time? I mean, duh.

Do I wish that Shawn Mendes would serenade me to sleep every night?

Is that even a question?

But, then I wonder if these thoughts are the ones that society wants me to create in my mind.

Are these the images that society wants me thinking? Will having someone by my side really make everything happy-go-lucky and perfect?

It’s the million dollar question that I will continue to explore the answer for as I live out life.

The Valentine’s Day holiday has become so commercialized and dare I even say that we have learned to love dubbing it “Singles Awareness Day.”

But for now, it is all about The Love 14 for me.

Please, I urge you to love yourself first because at the end of the day, if you can’t love yourself, you will never be able to love others.

And please don’t forget…love should be happening ALL days of the year, not just one.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Hi all!

Happy new week and Monday!

As I sit here writing these words, I’m currently watching an episode of Who’s The Boss? and I keep screaming at the TV because I have never wanted a couple in a TV show to get together more than Tony and Angela (more commonly known as Tony Danza and Judith Light).

Gosh, their chemistry is STUNNING.

Anyhoo, I digress.

But, also, you should go watch Who’s The Boss? on Hulu because it is such a great sitcom from the 80’s. Not as good as The Golden Girls but right up there.

Anyhoo, I digress again.

This past week was another hellish one.

It seems to be pretty on brand with the rest of February thus far.

Which is why I have really tried to find little moments in life to experience that level of joy that brings out the best in our soul.

I share them with you this week.

1. At church last Sunday, Jelani, a down syndrome handicap individual came up after church while I was playing piano and hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. His energy that he gives off to everyone in the congregation is so lovable and wonderful.
2. On Monday evening as I was walking into work at the pharmacy, Margee, our delivery lady was coming out and telling me about her dog not being well. And while she mentioned that her furry friend wasn’t doing the best, she embraced me with a hug in the parking lot. It was exactly what was needed in the moment.
3. At family dinner on Tuesday evening, Ellie came into my lap with her blanket and let me read to her which is something she hasn’t let me do for a long time (if ever if my memory serves me correctly).
4. On Thursday evening, after the Council meeting where I shared some explicit words, one of the members, Deb stopped me in the hallway and gave me a hug and well wishes for a better day at work.
5. On Friday night at the theater I found a little gift from our Box Office Manager, Kristen that included a card with encouraging words and a fun tea towel to add to my collection at Sunshine Studio.

And as we start another week in February, I can only hope that more of these moments of joy will make their way into my life around here.

And I hope that they will make it into yours too.

We need the sunshine and good vibes to keep our souls rejuvenated.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Happy Monday, folks!

We finally got to enjoy some sun here in PA after what was a very gloomy and grey week.

And to go along with that, the past two weeks have been quite…

…quite…

What’s the word I’m looking for?

Oh yes.

Hellish.

That’s it. There it is.

HELLISH.

And here we are with blog post 250!

WOO!

On Sunday, at church, the kids and I talked about how important it is to recharge and that God’s love is something that helps charge us all.

And with how hellish the past two weeks have been for me mentally, physically, and emotionally, a RECHARGE was something that I definitely needed.

So, here are just a few places where I got find some personal recharge from the past week.

1. The gym where I get to focus on myself and my physical fitness goals (and take the occasional selfie to keep myself accountable).
2. Family dinner night and games of Guess Who? with Mackenzie.
3. A Thirsty Thursday night with Devin that included a shot of tequila, food from 551 West, and some episodes of Who’s The Boss?
4. Coffee and cards with my trainer Ryan. We had such a lovely and beautiful time catching up and chatting about everything.
5. Having my first Queen Street Bistro and High Fever experience in Lancaster with Devin and some other fun friends!

Just remember that we all need time to recharge.

And with that, don’t forget that sometimes part of the recharge process is making sure that you are picking the proper people to be around to maximize the positive energy to get that recharge at its maximum potential and level.

Listen to your body.

Recharge as necessary.

And cheers to post 250!

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Good Monday morning, folks!

Hard to believe that there are only two more days until the end of the first month of 2024.

Time is already flying by too fast.

And yes, I do say that often.

Sorry not sorry.

Anyhow, this week’s post will be short and sweet.

Nothing serious because the amount of bandwidth I have currently is quite low.

It has been a LONG week and it seems like negative energy continues to creep into my life trying to put everything in shambles.

I know…I know…I’m being dramatic…but I’m trying to give you a visual.

It’s like the house of cards is falling down.

Or that you make it up 4 rungs of the ladder and get knocked down 5 right back to square one.

Anyhoo, because this week has taken so much emotional, physical, and spiritual energy from my body, I decided that this week would just be a post of me writing about places where I found joy this week.

1. Spending time at the homestead celebrating Mama Welliver’s birthday with some angel food cake and ice cream.
2. Laughing with coworkers in the cubicle over everything.
3. Performing a fitness test during my video call with Ryan and shouting a few obscenities about how much pain my quads were in during the wall sit portion.
4. Watching episodes of Who’s the Boss? on Hulu. Honestly, sitcoms from the 80’s make me laugh so hard.
5. Getting dinner with some girlfriends at the Belvedere and capping off the night with a drink at 401 Prime (my first time there).
6. Leaving my phone number for the cute bartender at 401 Prime even though (per the usual) it didn’t result in anything.
7. Enjoying dinner at Shogun (another first time experience for me) with my 2214 Convetry girls celebrating Missy’s birthday. This experience also included singing High School Musical 3 in the car ride to and from, walking around the mall doing some window shopping/browsing, and enjoying some delicious mini chocolate chip cookie sandwiches filled with icing and rainbow sprinkles.
8. Having fun with the kids during the children’s message at church that included transporting an egg on a spoon balanced in the mouth before dropping it off in a cup.
9. Having the opportunity to experience the celebration of life ceremony for Dean Sobon virtually via Zoom.
10. A can of Sunkist orange soda whilst wrapped in a blanket.

Well, folks.

That’s all I’ve got for you this week as my emotional, physical, and spiritual energy levels try to find their way to the recharge station.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Well, hi there folks!

Another happy Monday to all of you!

Mother Nature certainly has given us her wrath of Winter and snow this past week!

I hope everyone has stayed warm and safe amidst it all!

Anyhoo, not your typical blog post this week…

Because today we are celebrating…

THE BEAUTIFUL MAMA WELLIVER!!

It is her birthday!!!

30 years young!!

Mom,

You are as beautiful and graceful as ever. No matter what people know you as (Carol, Mom, Mama Welliver, Sister, Mrs. Welliver…whatever the case might be), they can feel your warmth and love from miles away.

Because that is the type of person you are.

You are someone who’s loving energy is shot through the universe to every living being.

You are always putting others first no matter what the case is and for that, I (or the countless others touched by your personality), will never be able to repay you.

We have fought out our differences and yelled at each other through the years, but the moments of laughter, rummy games, beach trips, and hugs (my personal favorite) after Sunday lunch/Tuesday dinner are the memories that I cherish most.

You’ve always loved me…even through the toughest of times.

You never stopped loving me.

You never stop loving.

Period.

And we share the same smile.

Which I think is pretty cool.

Today, we cheers to YOU!

And honestly, you deserve to get a cheers each and every day.

For now, here are some of the photos of us over the years…and also a great reminder that I need to take an updated selfie or two with you!

I hope you have the best day celebrating and that you feel all the love that you deserve.

With the greatest love,

JP (Son #2)

See you next week for another new post!

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!