Mr. Sunshine Smiles

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!

Well, hi folks!

Here we are celebrating another Monday of January!

And what a bugger Mother Nature has been throwing to everyone all over the world!

Throwing big balls of snow that is with a side of crazy, gusty wind!

Over the past couple of weeks since we rang in 2024, I’ve been seeing lots of people answer “this or that” type questions on social media.

And honestly, it seemed like fun, so that’s what you’re getting this week.

Enjoy!

Morning person or night owl? 
I can be both! But more of a night owl lately!

Cats or dogs?
Dogs

Cruise or resort vacation? 
Resort vacation

Cable or streaming? 
Streaming…Hulu, Paramount+, Netflix, Disney+ to be exact

Read the book or see the movie? 
See the movie

Coke or Pepsi?
Coke, but Cherry Pepsi

Sweet or salty? 
Sweet…but give me something salty right after

Apples or oranges?
Apples

French fries or onion rings? 
French fries

Beer or wine?
Wine

Beach or mountains? 
Beach

Scary movie or comedy?
Scary…but you better have a comedy movie in queue once that scary picture is done

Pie or cake?
Cake

Board games or video games?
Board games

Steak or seafood?
Steak…unless you’ve got some salmon

Fly or drive? 
Drive…flying makes me super anxious

Android or iPhone?
Iphone

Ketchup or mustard?
Neither…I want MAYO!

Walk or run? 
Run

East coast or west coast? 
East Coast

Zoo or aquarium? 
Aquarium

Mashed or baked potatoes? 
Mashed potatoes…MY FAVE!

Lego builds or jigsaw puzzles?
Jigsaw puzzles

Water ski or snow ski? 
I’ve actually done neither…so I’ll take water ski?

Game night or movie night? 
Game night

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? 
Dark chocolate

Stay in or go out? 
Stay in! Going out has to be planned way in advance these days as an adult.

Coffee or tea?
Coffee…give me ALL the Dunkin’

Fruit or vegetables? 
Fruit

Cookout or BBQ?
Cookout

Staycation or vacation? 
Vacation…but a staycation has good energy too!

Watch a movie at home or at the theater?
At home with a blanket!

Modern or traditional?
Traditional

Bright colors or neutrals? 
Bright colors

Pizza night or Taco Tuesday? 
Pizza

Hot dog or hamburger? 
Honestly…both!

Selfie or ask someone to take the picture?
Selfie

Designer splurge or bargain buy?
Designer splurge

Print books or audio books?
Print books

Plan ahead or live in the moment?
Plan ahead…but you can catch me living in the moment too just not as often

Summer or winter?
Summer

Sunbathe or swim?
Sunbathe

Camping or luxury resort? 
Luxury resort

Homemade or store-bought?
Store-bought…but homemade is something I want to continue trying for more of

City or country? 
City

Save or spend?
Spend…but 2024 goal is to put at least $100 into my savings every month

Mac or PC?
PC

Clutter or neat freak?
Neat freak…sorry not sorry

Lake or ocean? 
Ocean

Chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal raisin cookies?
Chocolate chip cookies

Hope you learned something new about me!

Cheers to your week ahead!

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Well, here we are.

Starting off the second week of 2024.

Last week, I was relishing in the fact that I didn’t make it past midnight on NYE (even though all other nights I can).

This week, I’m enjoying some episodes of The Price is Right and my squishmallow named Rocky who is currently sitting beside me on the couch as I write these words.

Also, welcome to blog post #246!

This past week during my video call with my fitness trainer Ryan, we talked about energy that I have been outputting in certain facets of life (mainly in the dating world) that just haven’t appeared to align for me recently.

And honestly, I couldn’t agree more.

I have been the person who has chased others in the past and I should be the one that is getting chased.

With me, what you see is what you get.

I don’t hide anything and I’m honest and upfront.

I’ve always been that way.

So, I’m being honest and upfront in that my energy is not going to be exerted in the dating world during 2024.

A relationship takes work, energy, and lots of focus–and frankly, with the life I live currently, they are just not entities that I have time to invest in.

I need quality time with people that I love.

And, if the spirits allow for some fun, no strings attached moments on the side, I wouldn’t be opposed.

With that being said, I feel it necessary to re-introduce myself to the world with 10 fun facts about Mr. Sunshine.

1. After reviewing how much money I spent on DoorDash food delivery during 2023, I decided it was time to make a change. Therefore, I am now adding $50 more to my weekly offering at church to support our faith community because food delivery service is NOT something I should be spending so much money on…and our faith community IS.
2. I secretly want to be a male model on The Price is Right.
3. I LOVE ranch dressing, but Hidden Valley Ranch is the best. All the other brands just don’t cut it…at least for me.
4. Washing dishes continues to be something that I enjoy doing as a method of therapeutic relaxation.
5. Since moving back to Lititz and living the single life on my own in Sunshine Studio, I burn candles EVERY night. (That means, if you ever need to get me gifts, candles are a definite YES).
6. One of my personal goals for 2024 is to read 3 professional development books. One of those books will be Dare to Lead by Brene Brown. If you have other suggestions, please send them my way!
7. I have to sleep my head on two pillows at night.
8. Whiff Roasters coffee is currently my favorite brand to drink. SO many great flavors! You can buy online at https://www.whiffroasters.com/.
9. I just discovered non-alcoholic adult beverages called De Soi! Katy Perry is one of their CEO’s and they are super tasty! You can buy them online at https://drinkdesoi.com/.
10. My voice is the one you will hear if you call The Ephrata Performing Arts Center and get their voicemail message.

Well, folks.

There you have it.

There are obviously a lot more fun facts that you can learn about me, but only if you chase me.

No more chasing on my part.

Cheers to 2024.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Well, hey there folks!

And a very happy 2024 to all of you!

Crazy to think that another year has come and gone already…the clock just doesn’t stop ticking or slowing down.

I hope all of your celebrations to say goodbye to 2023 and hello to 2024 were beautiful and wonderful!

This year, my NYE consisted of an evening in solitude at The Sunshine Studio with candles lit, comfy clothes, a blanket, watching Hairspray, and capping off the night with my favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz.

It was glorious. And for how busy and on the go, go, go I was during the month of December, it was the perfect way to end the year.

I hope each and every one of you (who I’m so thankful for coming back week after week to read these words) are able to look back on 2023 and find moments of JOY.

As I write this week’s words for you, I am extremely grateful for the fact that I have had so many JOY moments in 2023. This week, I get to reminisce and share some of the highlights from the past year that brought me energy of that very word above written in all caps.

January 2023:
-Celebrated my 200th blog post with some delicious cakes! One made by Cake and Cup in Lititz and the other by my amazing coworker, Sarah Katz.

-Took control of some moles that had been bothering me and made my first ever dermatologist appointment as an adult. (The moles came back benign! Yay!)

February 2023:
-Traveled to Florida for the NAFEM show with some great coworkers from Webstaurantstore.

-Got to experience Carrie Underwood and checkout my old college stomping grounds in the Happy Valley with Marissa.

March 2023:
-Kicked off a second year of house managing and bartending at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center with my partner-in-crime, Jamie.

April 2023:
-Got to experience an official Zoom audition for my favorite game show, Wheel of Fortune. Even though becoming an actual contestant didn’t come to fruition, it was still a super surreal and fun experience to have!

May 2023:
-Got to be a “celebrity scooper” at Greco’s in Lititz during the holiday weekend!

June 2023:
-Got to experience North Wildwood in the hot summer sun with Marissa and Missy.

-Officially put Sunshine Cottage on the market and sold it in 3 days!

July 2023:
-Traveled to Costa Rica with some handsome men (Paul, Adam, Jed, Jason, and Devin) to celebrate Jed’s 40th birthday! Got to see sloths in person and it was glorious!

-Officially moved into Sunshine Studio at The Apartments at Lititz Springs.

August 2023:
-Closed on Sunshine Cottage and signed it over to its new owner.

-Traveled to Chicago and experienced some fun times in The Windy City.

-Turned 36 and celebrated with a family picnic.

September 2023:
-Hit up the North Wildwoods for the second time of the year, but this time enjoying it with my parents and Devin.

-Enjoyed the first show of being an official subscriber at The Fulton and saw Something Rotten.

October 2023:
-Enjoyed my first time at Terrain Cafe with Sam, Abby, and Ally to celebrate Abby’s birthday.

-Enjoyed a Halloween themed Clark Party with Devin at Spooky Nook.

November 2023:
-Enjoyed Derek Hough and his dancing troupe command a stage in Hershey.

-Had my second holiday blog shoot at Historic Shady Lane with my incredibly talented coworker, Jessica.

-Enjoyed the second musical of The Fulton’s season and saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

December 2023:
-Witnessed sold out crowds for Ephrata Performing Arts Center’s young performers production of The Phantom of the Opera.

-Got to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for a second time with my fitness coach, Ryan.

-Got to plan, execute, and be a part of a beautiful Christmas Eve service at St. Paul Penryn.

-Experienced Christmas with family while opening gifts and enjoying time together.

-Watched Hairspray and Wizard of Oz during NYE in cozy solitude at The Sunshine Studio.

Of course, these are just highlights.

There are SO many other moments of JOY that took place this year including countless hours worked at all 4 of my jobs, episodes of The Golden Girls playing in the background as I wind down in the evenings, weights lifted at the gym that also included multiple selfies to hold myself accountable, and cups of Dunkin’ coffee that my body got to consume.

Here’s to 2024 and all the moments of JOY that await.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Well, hello folks!

Happy Monday!

Happy less than 7 days until Christmas!

Happy almost 2023 is over!

Happy post number 244!

WOO!

And it is currently a monsoon outside as I write this from the couch while The Price is Right plays in the background.

Yes, that’s right.

I’m NOT watching The Golden Girls.

Believe it.

Well, I guess I should get down to business before Santa heads down the chimney.

This week’s post is all about the world community.

When I looked up the word on dictionary.com, here is what I got:

Noun; a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

Guess what?!

I don’t like that definition.

I think community is so much for than that.

Community is loving each other and figuring out how support can be giving in all areas of life.

Community is banding together and showing up for each other.

Community is welcoming each other and setting aside differences to help make the world a better place.

Where have I experienced community?

Where can you experience community?

Well, read on and you will find out!

On Friday night, I was informed that a former individual that I got to work during my high school show choir and musical days had been diagnosed with cancer and the outlook was not good.

At the time I had donated, the goal was $20,000.

On Saturday, I woke up to that original being crushed and a new goal of $50,000.

That.

Is.

Community.

Seeing individuals of all walks of life come together help another individual/family.

It is beautiful to see and brings tears to my eyes.

While the outlook still does not look great, Dean and his family could use your love, prayers, good vibes, and support. The link to donate is below.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-help-and-support-dean-and-his-family-now

Where else have I seen community?

In the pews at my church in Penryn.

I see people of all ages and all walks of life come together weekly to worship together in fellowship.

It is a community of love, warmth, and kindness.

And while I know religion is not everyone’s thing, I can promise you that our faith community is different.

And if you want to experience for yourself, I would encourage you to worship with us on Christmas Eve at 6:30pm.

Our service will include music, scripture, Holy Communion, and candlelight.

I promise you will experience community.

Where else have I experienced community?

In the young adults at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center who are currently performing The Phantom of the Opera.

The talent. The passion. The chemistry between the actors and actresses onstage.

It.

Is.

INCREDIBLE.

You MUST get tickets to see it before it is too late.

https://epactheatre.org/tickets/

Community is all around us.

Find yours to experience.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Happy Monday, all!

We are now just two weeks away from Christmas!

Like…AHHH!

You might not be able to see my panic face, but it is definitely there.

Anyone else wearing that panic face??

Just me?

Guess I need another peppermint mocha.

Before I move on to this week’s post, I must sidetrack for a hot second.

Yesterday, I got the opportunity to watch the new animated Netflix movie, “Leo.”

It was SO good.

You just watch it immediately.

Anyhoo, do you have your sugar cookie, peppermint mocha, and egg nog in hand?

I won’t keep you long this week.

I’m also writing this at 3:09am.

True story.

Before December slips away, here are 3 things that you MUST do!

1. Go see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The Fulton Theater. I’ve already seen it twice and want to see it again. The costumes, the music, the sets, the talent on the stage. It is insane. Beautiful. Magical. All the things. It runs through December 30th!

https://thefulton.org/

2. Go see The Phantom of the Opera at The Ephrata Performing Arts Center. It is young performers who will BLOW you away. Truly. My jaw dropped when I heard the singing. And the sets, lights, choreography, costumes—everything just brings everything to the next level. This also runs through December 30th with limited performances so don’t delay to purchase tickets!

https://www.epactheatre.org/

3. Whole religion might not be your thing, I would still highly encourage you to worship with our church faith community on Christmas Eve at 6:30pm. There will be music, Holy Communion, and candlelight. This year’s theme, “Christmas for All” will center around how the birth of Jesus doesn’t exclude anyone. I hope to see you there.

Well, folks.

That’s all I’ve got this week.

I have to get to wrapping presents and more Christmas Eve music practicing.

I hope all of you will have the opportunity to participate in one, two, or all three of these amazing events this December.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Happy Monday!

It is only 21 days until the Christmas season.

It might be even less days for you depending on what season you might celebrate.

Honestly, I need a personal assistant for the month of December.

Any takers?

You’ll most likely need to respond to emails, wrap Christmas presents, address Christmas cards, clean the apartment, respond to text messages…you know…the basics.

Just kidding…

Kind of.

Not really.

Anyhoo.

Let’s get down to business.

There were things this week that just didn’t seem to align well for me.

The stories in my head were making their chants louder this week.

And the stress of the season was really bringing its A game.

But amongst all the crap, the level of energy to keep shining was telling me to turn it up another notch.

So, let’s back track to this past Friday.

It was the day where things that were planned decided to not work out for me and the stars just weren’t aligning.

One thing after another.

And, on my way to the Fulton to meet my fitness trainer Ryan and see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, I drove past and accident and the immediate energy of anxiety kicked in.

Seeing those types of things immediately start the stories in my mind thinking it was my family and friends that are involved. And shutting those thoughts off is hard.

Needless to say, that threw off the rest of my drive into Lancaster and focusing was incredibly difficult.

And then, the spiritual Gods were on my side.

I was standing outside the theater looking at the show advertisements in the window and a woman slowly walked by while I was admiring the cast pictures.

And a few moments later, the woman came back and asked me…

“Are you Mr. Sunshine?”

I was so taken aback and humbled by the recognition and immediately smiled.

The woman went on to tell me that she discovered and started following me through Ryan (my fitness trainer) and that she had been working with him on and off for several years.

It was a beautiful moment.

One that was meant to happen that the spiritual Gods knew I needed because of the way the rest of the day had worked out.

And it was in that moment where I felt so humbled and energized by someone who had been inspired by my words and Mr. Sunshine personality that I told myself I must keep shining.

Don’t let anyone or anything dull your sparkle.

I hope that you find your shine and continue to let it be bright to all those around you.

Because there is someone out there who is loving and appreciate your shine.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!