Sunshine Award!

Hello, world! I hope life has been bringing you great adventures and wonder.

A dear reader and talented blogger, Envy, nominated me for the Sunshine Award last week. I actually nominated her for the Liebster Award a while ago, and one of my upcoming posts was also inspired by one of her comments, so this nomination truly means a lot to me.

Thank you so much, Envy!

The rules for the Sunshine Award are pretty simple:

• Thank the person who nominated you.
• Answer their questions.
• Nominate other bloggers.
• Contact them to let them know that they've been nominated.
• Put the award badge on your blog. 

So without further ado, here are my answers to Envy's questions!

1. What is your favorite book and why? My favorite book has got to be The Princess Bride by William Golding. It is just written so whimsically and describes love and friendship that lasts through many terrors, and it is the only book aside from The Bible that I can stand to read over and over again. It's just one of those books that inspires me every time I think about it. 
2. Do you have any hobbies that your friends think are ridiculous, but that you totally like? One weird hobby for me is probably being addicted to watching BubzBeauty and Bubzvlogz on YouTube. Bubz is an Asian beauty guru who grew up in Ireland and she's currently pregnant, so a lot of my friends kind of raise an eyebrow when they catch me watching (or if I make them watch with me) a pregnancy vlog or two. Anyhow, I started watching her videos while I was going through a breakup and stumbled upon her video "Secrets of Truly Happy People." It just warmed my heart to see such a genuinely happy person, and now she's the only YouTuber that I watch regularly.
3. What's the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you? This is a tough question for me because I don't really feel particularly "embarrassed" since I'm pretty awkward overall 24-7. But I remember one instance during Taekwondo when I was sparring with one of my friends. I saw that he was going to do a back kick (his back kicks are wickedly fast), so I faked and moved out of the way. For some reason, my brain froze and I suddenly didn't know what to do, so I just screamed and charged at him into a clinch. He looked pretty confused, and my teammates and coach all giggled. My bestie teased sarcastically, "That's a great technique. Next time you don't know what to do while you're sparring, just tackle the other guy and hope for the best."
4. What would you miss most about blogging if you had to stop? I would miss you guys, of course! I love sharing my thoughts and inspirations, and I love that you're reading Smiles No Matter and that it is still growing. If I quit blogging, it would be like quitting on a part of my heart. 
5. Who's your biggest inspiration? There is only one person under the "People Who Inspire Me" section of Facebook, and that is Jesus. No man who has or ever will walk this Earth will come close to experiencing and showing the amount of love that Jesus did. His life, death, and wisdom inspire me daily to try to love with my whole heart and to have faith in his plans.

Today, I'm nominating:

• Keys 2 Change
• The Fence of Stars
• This is Nymisha
• Leyla Writes

I have been following each of these blogs for quite a while now, and it is an honor for me to nominate them. 

I just wanted to take this opportunity again to thank you guys for your readership and support. It is my prayer every day that Smiles No Matter will bring somebody else as much joy as it brings to me. The lovely comments you leave are so kind and inspiring. And this is why I'm nominating all of your for the Sunshine Award today too! 

Here are my questions for you all:

1. What is your favorite quotation?
2. Name one song that you listen to when you need to relax!
3. What are your feelings about Snapchat?
4. Describe a person who has picked you up while you were feeling down. How did this person bring you comfort or condolence? 
5. What is an activity you love doing with your friends?
6. What is your preferred mode of communication?
7. Do you believe in love at first sight?
8. What is one thing you wish you did more?
9. How has your summer been going so far?

If you accept my nomination, please link your blog in the comments or send the URL to my email at smilesnomatter@gmail.com so that I can see your answers! 

Also, I've been thinking of changing up the look of my blog this summer while I have a bit of spare time on my hands, but I would really value your input. I added a poll Sunday night on the right sidebar, but if you haven't seen it yet, please give me your honest opinion and feedback. You can also let me know your thoughts on the blog's look in the comments or my email as well. If I were to change it, I would probably change it to have a more modern, clean look.

Much love to you all.

Smile on,

-Riley XO