The Bucket List Project is presented the Sunshine Blogger Award

At the end of September last year, while Darcee & I were travelling around Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein, I received a wonderful surprise email. Amanda Hill of My Sweet Beautiful Life notified me that she had nominated The Bucket List Project for the Sunshine Blogger Award. If you don’t now Amanda, she is a mother of 3, a wife, and a Navy vet who has a passion for travel. I love reading her blog because she shares great stories, along with tips and tricks on how she travels with a family.

Then in June, while we were exploring the beauty of Darcee’s home state of Wyoming, I received another email from one of my favorite book bloggers Margaret Gamble of Novel Blondes! She too had nominated us for the Sunshine Blogger Award. At first I politely declined her nomination to allow others a chance to be nominated. But Margaret is highly literate, opinionated, goal setting, book bushing blonde, so who was I to say no!

So what is the Sunshine Blogger Award?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is a recognition award given to bloggers by fellow bloggers. Essentially, the award is given to a blogger who is creative, positive, and inspiring, while spreading sunshine to the blogging community.

How does it work?

Once nominated for the award, in order to accept you need to write a post where you:

• Thank the person(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog
• Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you
• Nominate 10 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions
• List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post and/or on your blog
• Bask in the winning of your award with bubbly!

Bust out the Bubbly, The Bucket List Project was nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award! #SunshineBloggerAward #bucketlist #TheBucketListProject
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My Sunshine Award Questions & Answers

Amanda Hill of My Sweet Beautiful Life, with her nomination, asked me the following 11 questions and here are my responses:

1. What made you start to blog?

   I had decided to start The Bucket List Project blog For 3 Reasons, First I needed everyone’s help in pursuing my own bucket list. I figured posting my story online would keep me accountable. Second, I wanted to help others with their own Bucket List Items. Thirdly, I wanted to Inspire People to Dream & then to GO OUT & COMPLETE THEIR BUCKET LIST!

2. How long have you been blogging?

   I started dabbling with a version of The Bucket List Project blog in March of 2013. However, I became 100% invested in the version of The Bucket List Project you see currently around April of 2016. So as a full time blogger it has been 2.5 years as of October 2018.

3. What are the goals that you set for yourself each day?

   I am a check list kind of person because without a check list I get very distracted and nothing gets finished. Therefore, my goal for the day is to scratch everything off that list for the day. My daily list usually includes going to the gym, eating healthy, completing my daily marketing, and usually a couple of other errands.

4. What are your passions?

   If you ask anyone, I am the Bucket List Guy and I Love it! I will talk to anyone about my actual hand written Bucket List notebook, all the things I have completed thus far, and all the things remaining in the notebook. Obviously I can get passionate about my Adventure Travel Bucket List items and Adventure Activities & Experiences Bucket List items. But recently I have been getting more passionate about items on my Helping Others Bucket List.

5. How many states have you visited?

   As of August 2018, I have been to 28 of 50 states and Washington, DC.

6. If you could pick one place to travel, where would that be?

   This is a hard question for me. I would love to go to Myanmar or Morroco. Also, I love Spain and need to return so that I can discover the Southwest areas. But if you told me that I could only travel to one more place, then I would choose Cuba. I would want spend several weeks exploring my family heritage and see my mother’s childhood home in Havana.

7. What motivates you in the morning?

   Well, I am going to be honest and say that I am not the biggest morning person. I don’t set an alarm and just wait for the sun to kiss my face before I jump out of bed. With that said though, once I am awake I am awake and ready to go. I think this is because I don’t want to waist any of my life or time.

8. What is one strength you have in blogging?

   I think one of my strengths in blogging is I love story telling and painting the picture. To me describing a Bucket List item that I completed comes easy. This is because I imagine a reader actually taking one of my posts and using it to go out and chase down their own bucket list items.

9. Name one of your top bloggers?

   I personally love following Matthew Karsten of the Expert Vagabond. He keeps providing up to date inspirational stories, photography, and tips from around the world.

10. Name one person that inspires you?

    There are so many people that inspire me for different reasons. But if I had to choose one, I would have to say my friend Mike Poissenot inspires me quite often. I have always admired his joy for life, adventurous yet weird spirit, and his persistence to always find a way to succeed.

11. If you can leave one thing people would remember you by, what would that be?

    I would want people to remember me by the motto, “It is better to live 1 day as a Lion, than a 1,000 years as a sheep!”

The Bucket List Project nominates the following bloggers for the Sunshine Blogger Award:

1. Amy Hurst of Life Coming Alive – Amy doesn’t write about bucket list items in maybe the standard format. But a really important bucket list item for her family is serving others together with her kids. Read one of my favorite posts about how she participated in the Flag for Every Hero Family Service Project.
2. Yeshi of HelloYeshi – Yeshi has a really fun & inspiring blog! She shares her passions for travel & food through her blog, and hopes for others to see the world the way she does – with love, compassion, hope and a hunger for learning. Read one of my favorite posts about how she left South Africa to spend a year in the United States of America in I’m Going International!
3. Portia Yates of PorshBritt – After soul-searching, Portia remembered what she loved doing as a kid, being creative and it shows in her beautiful blog. Her stories bring guidance, inspiration and maybe even a couple of laughs. But don’t take my word for it. Check out her amazing Bucket List Adventure Explore Arizona in 4 Days! Her pictures alone will make you add Arizona to your Bucket List immediately!
4. Dara of LikeSaraWithAD – Dara is a full-time wife and mother of two and part-time blogger living in the Queen City, North Carolina. I love reading about all of her adventures with her family! One of my favorite posts she recently shared a great bucket list adventure: White Water Rafting at The U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
5. Ingrid Rizzolo of IngridRozzolo: My Write Blog– Ingrid is a wife of a loving husband and mother to two adult children. I love her story because not all bucket list items are about Travel! Not only is she is also an educator but she is an emerging writer of lyrical verse as penned in a book: Splendor from Ashes. Read a short exposition of her poetry with “The Returning Soldier“
6. Marjie Mar of Marjie’s Simple World – Margie is passionate about life and it is evident in how she combines dedication, love, and enthusiasm in her writing. One of my favorite posts on her blog is We Are Enough! In this post she reminds us that We are enough to do whatever we set our mind to, enough to break any barriers and enough to achieve our goals and make our dreams come true!
7. Srijanya Tummeda of She Be Girly!! – Srijanya may be “a simple girl from India” but she has many dreams & ideas about life. I love reading her many things like tips & tricks, lifestyle, fashion, relationships, & most of all inspirational ideas. One of my favorite posts of her’s is “QUOTES THAT INSPIRED MY LIFE!!” because she isn’t afraid to admit that she got in situations where she got stuck and had no solution. However, she searched for quotes to overcome them in a positive way.
8. Dinesh Ramakrishnan of BlogTom – So if you know me, you know I am not very tech savvy! That is why I love Dinesh’s blog because he created a useful tool for all the Internet users to improve their quality of Life through Technology. If becoming a Blogger is on your bucket list, but you are struggling, then you will want to read his post, “5 Proven Strategies to Overcome the Barriers to Blogging“.
9. Sarbjit Singh of HikingSingh – If you have a passion for travelling especially trekking then you will love the HikingSingh. His blog is amazing because he inspires others to get out of their comfort zone and see the beauty of nature. I loved his post about how he got out of his own comfort zone to take a solo trek up one the highest point in Narkanda region: Hatu Peak!
10. Preeti Gaur of Scenario of Life – Preeti considers herself a lifelong learner, a career woman and a dreamer. She fully believes that in order to reach the top, she has to start from the bottom. However, that doesn’t stop her from sharing great ideas to improve your health, experiences, or relationships. I personally love her post, “My Papa – My Inspiration!” She talks about how her Papa inspired her to chase her bucket list dream of becoming a writer and blogger!

Look who The Bucket List Project nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award! If you are looking for inspiring bloggers then check out his nominees! #SunshineBloggerAward #TravelBlogger #blogger #BloggerAward
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Questions for my Nominees:

1. How did you get started with blogging?
2. What is your favorite post that you’ve written?
3. What is the #1 travel destination item on your Bucket List and why?
4. What is the #1 Non-travel item on your Bucket list and why?
5. What’s your favorite season and why?
6. What are you most looking forward to in 2018?
7. You’re allowed to choose a superpower! What would it be?
8. How did you choose the name of your blog?
9. If you could be in anyone else’s shoes for a day, whose would it be and why?
10. What is your favorite inspirational quote?
11. What cartoon character are you most like?

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Favorite Bucket List Board!

The post The Sunshine Blogger Award appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

The Liebster Award!

Recently, I received an email informing me that the Bucket List Project was nominated for Liebster Award by Andreea of 10TravellingTips. If you don’t know Andreea, she’s a Romanian ex-flight attendant that shares her traveling experience, after visiting more than 60 countries, by adding 10 easy travel tips for each place visited.

So what is the Liebster Award?

The Liebster Award exists only on the internet, and is given to bloggers by other bloggers. Earliest cases of the award go as far back as 2011. It is a way to be discovered, but also to connect and support the blogging community.

“In German, Liebster means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.”

If you have been nominated for the Liebster Award and choose to accept it, you are required to follow these rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and post a link to their site.
2. List the rules of the award in your blog post & display an image of the award. Then write a post about your nomination on your blog.
3. Answer the questions your nominee has asked in their blog post.
4. Nominate 5-10 other deserving new bloggers for the award and ask them 10 questions of your choice.
5. Revel in the winning of the Liebster Award!

The Bucket List Project won the #Liebster Award! Break out the Bubbly & read all about it!
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My Liebster Award Questions & Answers

Andreea of 10TravellingTips, with her nomination, asked me 11 questions and here are my responses:

1. Which country left the biggest impression on you and why?

   So far I love everything about Spain. My first trip there was to Barcelona and then to Run with the Bulls in Pamplona. Though very different in personality, both were filled with history, culture, and great food! My second trip to Spain was to walk the entire Camino de Santiago from the Pyrenees to the Atlantic Ocean. Again, I was amazed by the culture and kindness of all the people in all the northern regions of Spain. Plus the physical scenery was often breath taking!

2. Show us your most beautiful travel photo.

   

3. Do you prefer to travel alone or accompanied?

   I think Andreea of 10TravellingTips is trying to get me beat up because this is a loaded question! To be honest, I don’t know. For the majority of my life until 2012, I, like most people always traveled with others.  There wasn’t another option in my mind and I always enjoyed the company of others. However, if people couldn’t or didn’t want to travel where I wanted to go, I often missed out and never went. Then in 2013, I decided I didn’t want to wait on others and their schedules and took my first solo trip to Spain. I loved it. For the next several years, any big international trip I took was always solo. There is just something about traveling on your own schedule without having to worry about the needs or feelings or cost of another person. Plus, when you travel alone, if you want, you can always make new friends. Now with that said, I did take a major trip with Darcee to India for nearly 4 weeks and it was great. Her company reminded me of how special it can be to share experiences with someone and that even when traveling with others, you can still make friends.

4. What is your no. 1 dream destination?

   Everyone always asks me this question and it is so hard! Currently, I am enamored with Morocco, Antarctica, China, Argentina, Mongolia, and Myanmar. However, I would have to say if I had to choose one dream destination it would be to spend several weeks exploring my family heritagein Cuba.

5. Where are you planning to travel this year?

   Planning where to travel is always fun for me as seen in my 2017 Bucket List Hopes and Goals. 2017 already started off with a bang, as Darcee and I were in India racing an auto-rickshaw for several weeks and then visited the Taj Mahal. As for the rest of the year, we have a list of places. First the plan is to travel to Scotland, England, and Wales in April and May. Then we hope to explore the national parks of Northern California at the end of Spring.  Near the end of July, we will be exploring Alberta, Canada and Banff National Park. Then come the end of September, we are flying to Germany to celebrate Oktoberfest with the possibility of a side trip to Morocco!

6. What is your biggest fear while travelling?

   Tough question. I don’t know if I have any major fears while travelling because I am usually happiest being nomadic. I guess if I am travelling with Darcee, I worry about her safety since I often find myself in fun but “risky” situations.

7. What are the 3 items that always go in your suitcase?

   First and foremost, I always pack several cigars. There is just something about sitting at a café or an outdoor area in a foreign country with a cigar as I relax and ponder my day of exploration. Secondly, it may be the Eagle Scout in me, but I never travel without a pocketknife. It’s not that I always seem to need it, but as they say in the scouts, “Always Be Prepared!” Third, I would have to say, a notebook and pens. Even in this day and age of social media instant posting, I find handwriting notes, travel plans, or even memories of the day in my notebook, help me to remember things better.

8. What do you love most about travelling?

   I recently realized I LOVE that nervous feeling in my stomach before a major adventure or experience! With traveling, I often get that feeling and it makes me feel alive. When you are exploring, you are often seeing things for the very first time and processing new information through all of your senses. To hear strange sounds, taste new flavors, see great works of art, or touch different environments offers me a great way to learn and grow that I would never have had back home.

9. Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?

   Hopefully, 46! But seriously, I don’t really make plans that far off. But I would hopefully have checked off over 100 items off my Bucket List Project and perhaps added 50 more!

10. Tell us your favourite travelling quote if you have one.

    

11. What motivated you to start your blog?

    Why post The Bucket List Project online? For 3 Reasons:

    1) I need everyone’s help…keep me accountable, help me find ways to accomplish my goals, or just cheer me on!!

    2) I want to help others with their own Bucket List Items.  #103 on my list is to Help anyone Complete an Item on their Bucket List within 1 year of them Helping me Complete one of Mine!!

    3) I want to Inspire People to Dream & then to GO OUT & COMPLETE THEIR BUCKET LIST!  If I can do this, then ANYONE CAN!  Too many people, my Friends & Family included, just go through life living a mediocre existence!

The Bucket List Project nominates the following bloggers for the Liebster Award:

1. Be|Esther – Esther give tips on how she has and continues to thrive and overcome good and bad experiences. In addition to this, she helps small business owners promote their businesses online!
2. World in Paris – World in Paris is a team of quirky explorers with a preference for the local side of Paris and its less known sights. I love how they are continuously looking for new ideas to enjoy the best of Paris.
3. Live Jennormously – Around mid-2015, Jennifer made a promise to herself to never stop having adventures or trying new things. She’s traveled overseas solo, hiked and camped in back-country, and scuba dived. I love her passion and her desire to share it with other adventurers.
4. Danay – Danay is a Latina entrepreneur, mom and wife. She loves to share stories of her family and write about her journeys, challenges, wins and some of the interesting things she discovers and divulges about being an entrepreneur, a mom, a traveler, a proud Latina and trying to be awesome.
5. Momming with Grace – Breeanna shares her story as a police wife, cancer killer, and God lover trying to make it through parenting our girl, Annabelle Grace, with a whole lot of Grace.
6. Wandering with MI – A CPA by profession, on Maria’s free time she’s a traveler, foodie, chef (to her family and friends, haha), adventure seeker and just now, a blogger. I love reading about places she’s been to, the food that she’s tried, her lifestyle, and her personal experiences and thoughts on everything.
7. A Baby Abroad – Dani is raising a baby while living abroad and making the most of it by travelling near and far. A Baby Abroad is about our journey into parenting, family life, and family travel because the world is too interesting and marvellous to miss out on it… even with a baby in tow. 
8. A Touch of Bliss – Mikaela is a lover of all things beauty, fashion and lifestyle! Her blog is filled with everything but you may also find some more personal posts. Here she talks about her struggles with body image, self esteem, anxiety and other ‘normal’ daily struggles and my quest to combat them.
9. Leave the Couch and Go – Anya and George created Leave The Couch And Go, because they’re passionate about happy and healthy living, and it’s high time they share their knowledge, talents and experiences with you.
10. Ivy & Sprig – Ivy and Sprig is meant to depict moms who are still growing themselves in their interests and passions while raising little sprigs too.  Stephanie seeks to encourage your faith, give you practical ideas for your family and give you a laugh sometimes.

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Look who The Bucket List Project nominated for the #Liebster Award! #blogger
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Questions for my Nominees:

1. Of these four Wizard of OZ characters, which do you most resemble in your own life & why?
   • The Protagonist (Problems just happen when you’re around.): Dorothy
   • The Brains (You think of ways to avoid/escape problems.): Scarecrow
   • The Heart (Everyone loves your spirit when problems occur.): Tin Woodman
   • The Hero (“Who’s a coward now that your problem just got REAL?”): Cowardly Lion
2. What is a scary moment you’ll never forget?
3. What is a Bucket List item you have already completed and why was it on your list?
4. What is the #1 travel destination item on your Bucket List and why?
5. What is the #1 Non-travel item on your Bucket list and why?
6. Pick one photo with a good story and tell it!
7. How do you find inspiration and get new ideas for your blog?
8. What is your favorite post that you’ve written?
9. What is the Craziest or most Extreme thing you have ever done?
10. What is your favorite and least favorite candy bar?

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