Pop goes the challenge...and a little sunshine!

Honestly, the first part of that title doesn't really make too much sense to me, but I thought it was moderately funny...

So, um, hey. I've been unintentionally gone lately, and I'm sorry about that. I'm going to blame everything on planning my wedding, even though that's not really the reason I've been gone. It just sounds better than laziness!

I've been enjoying reading everyone's 30 x 30 submissions. Unfortunately, my challenge fell apart for a couple of reasons. First, as I said here, there were a couple of items that didn't fit well or just weren't a good fit for this challenge. Second, as I wore a few things, namely my red cowl neck shirt and gray jeans, I realized that they were just plain worn out. The shirt had a hole in it, and since it's a thin cotton knit, it wasn't even repairable (at least not with my subpar sewing skills). My gray jeans had shrunk a good 2 inches and looked so sad and tired that even my fiance, who always has something complimentary to say about me, said they needed to be put into the donation bag.

I have at least one more 30 x 30 outfit that I photographed and need to post, and then that's it for that. I definitely want to try this again...maybe in June/July leading up to when I turn 30 (30 x 30 for turning 30...hmm...). To all of you still participating, I commend you and can't wait to see how you wrap it up over the next few days!

In other news, Sam from Sam ipsa Loquitur nominated me for a Sunshine Award! This is my very first blogger award, and it makes me feel like a real blogger...albeit one who hasn't posted in a while and crashed and burned on 30 x 30 a couple of times but a real one nonetheless (actually, that may be what all bloggers do ha ha). If you don't know what a Sunshine Award is, here's the gist:

"The Sunshine Award is an award given by bloggers to other bloggers. The recipients of the Sunshine Award are: 'Bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.' The way the award works is this: Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them. Answer questions about yourself. Select 10 of your favorite bloggers, link their blogs to your post and let them know they have been awarded the Sunshine Award!"

Since Sam tagged all of the 30 x 30 participants, I'm skipping the part where I award 10 of my favorite bloggers (since I'm not sure if anyone else even reads this!), but I'm answering the questions!

Who is your favorite philosopher? I'm going with Jesus on this one. I'm really working on becoming a better Christian, and man, Jesus has it going on (philosophically)...does that sound weird?

What is your favorite number? 42. I don't know why. I think it's the answer to the ultimate question of life and the universe and everything, but I liked it before it was cool...

What is your favorite animal? I've never been a huge animal person, but I'm marrying a dog fanatic, so I'll go with that! =)

What is your favorite time of day? Evenings, after work until bedtime. The work day is over and the time is all mine!

What is your favorite holiday? Gotta go with Christmas on this one! Lots of days off work, spending time with family and friends, presents, and Jesus' birthday!

What is your favorite physical activity? I go to a GREAT gym that has functional movement training classes (I guess it's kind of like CrossFit). The classes are an hour long and TOUGH, but I'd rather do that than slog it out on the treadmill or elliptical!

What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink? Coffee!! And chocolate milk!! Or a mocha coffee with milk...ooh...fancy!

What is your passion? I'm actually doing some soul-searching right now to try to figure that out. I've felt kind of blah lately, and I think it's because I don't really have anything that I'm just oh my stars passionate about. I'll get back to you on this one...

What is your favorite flower? Tulips. I'm not sure why, but I've always just really liked them!