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Why Sunny Side Up With Siri?

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To me, people are a lot like eggs. Every person is different, just like the different preparations for eggs. For example, some people are tough on the outside, but once you break that “shell” they can be soft and caring. Others appear soft on the outside, but can be really tough on the inside. Some are delicate and find it hard to stay together without letting it all “ooze” out. For me, I think I’m a lot like a sunny side up egg. I lay all my cards out on the table, and there is a fine line between what I appear like and what I am actually like. I’m a big softy, but if you mess with me it’s going to be hard to clean up. Through this blog, just like a sunny side up egg, I will give you the whole truth and nothing but the truth. No hidden meanings or interpretations necessary.

I challenge all of you to think of what type of egg you are like. Are you a sunny side up like me, or are you something else entirely?

Current Favorites: March 2026

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Hello Sunny Siders! We are long overdue for an updated current favorites and hyper fixations, so that is what we will be discussing today!

Drinking hot water

I tried this in a whim because one of the artists I enjoy watching said this is one of her favorites and I completely get why. I love coming into work in the morning and having a cup of hot water to start the day. It’s like having a “fun” beverage without the added caffeine or jitters. According to the internet, drinking hot water can help to aid in digestion and improves circulation. I have no idea if that is true at this point, but I’m going to keep drinking hot water regardless.

Sudoku

With my work of the year being “think” I’ve been trying to do a lot more brain exercises to keep my mind sharp. One of my favorite activities has been sudoku. I got into this at the start of the year and it’s my favorite replacement for scrolling on my phone. My fiancé and I went on a cruise in February and anytime we were chilling in our room we were playing sudoku.

Julianne Doodles, Sundrop Studios, Spilled Ink, and RT Game

While I’m rarely on social media outside of posting for Sunny Sider Crafts, I do still love putting on YouTube videos. My favorite channels have mostly been art focused, and I love putting them on in the background while I’m working on products for Sunny Sider Crafts. It’s almost like having an accountability partner when I see other artists working on projects. My favorites have been Julianne Doodles, Sundrop Studios and Spilled Ink. Not art related, but RTGame has been putting out some fantastic gaming content, especially around Minecraft. My fiancé and I have been loving watching his lets plays while we have dinner or dessert on work nights.

Walks Outside

I’ve been doing a lot of these lately as it’s the few months of the year where the weather isn’t unbearable where I live. I am especially enjoying walks during my lunch break at work. It’s a great way to get up and away from my desk, and I always feel energized when I come back from one. My fiancé and I also try to do “Walking Wednesdays” as we call it, where we go for a walk after work and chat.

Jasmine Matcha Latte

I’ve gradually shifted from being a coffee drinker to preferring matcha and tea. My favorite drink of the moment is a matcha latte that uses Jasmine tea as the base. It is so floral and refreshing and the perfect beverage for spring and summer!

Scrapbook Journaling

Scrapbook journaling combines two of my favorite things: scrapbooking and journaling. I love having a way to utilize stickers and papers I accumulate from events I go to. Instead of throwing away tickets to the movies, I take them and build a journal spread around them. It has been such a fun way to get creative while also exploring my current thoughts and feelings.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I shred this recipe that I found on social media with the blog a while ago and it is still my favorite cookie of all time. I make a batch of dough every few weeks and freeze them in balls. Then, when my fiancé and I want a sweet treat, which is almost every day, we pull out the amount we want and bake them fresh. Nothing beats a hot and gooey cookie with a glass of milk for dessert. Probably the reason we haven’t gotten tired of this recipe after making it consistently for over a year!

Minecraft

As a Gen-Z I’ve grown up with Minecraft and have gone through phases of playing it or completely ignoring the game. Well, I’m in a phase where it’s my current favorite game to play. My fiancé, my brother, and I all play together and we are having a blast exploring all the biomes and building our bases. I really enjoy getting to spend time with the both of them playing such a relaxing feel good game.

Driving in Silence

This has been my go to for mornings when I’m driving to work. I spend my drive in silence, or with the windows rolled down so I can hear the birds chirping and leaves rustling. It’s a very calming way to start my day and give me time to be alone with my thoughts. I find myself enjoying it the more I do it.

An Update on My First Set of Goals for the Year

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Hello Sunny Siders, I hope you have all been well during my extended break!

After Blogmas, I wanted a long hiatus to ensure I felt refreshed and inspired to blog and that time has finally arrived!

I thought it would be fitting to start off with a check in on how my initial goals for the year are going.

In Blogmas day 22 I set some goals for the year and focused on 2-3 goals per quarter to really ensure I could focus on them. Since we are well into the first quarter of the year a check in on how I am doing is due.

Goal 1. Drink daily recommended amount of water

I have continually set the goal of drinking more water every year and this year I made it my mission to actually do that. Because I am so bad at remembering to drink water, I wanted to break this one out into smaller more realistic goals so I could actually stick with it.

To get my daily recommended amount of water, I needed to be drinking 3 of my reusable water bottles a day. I set the goal to finish one before lunch, another before the end of my workday, and the final one by dinner time, that way I had plenty of time to space it out.

So far I can’t say it’s been perfect, but I’m definitely drinking more water per day than I was which is definitely a huge win. I am going to keep working to improve my consistency on this one, but I’m proud of the progress I’ve made.

Goal 2. Really start learning Japanese

I’ve been doing Japanese on Duolingo for 4 years and don’t really have much to show for it. This year I wanted to change that. For this goal I’ve started practicing for longer durations each day, aiming for 30 minutes of Japanese a day. I’ve also been supplementing my Duolingo practice with other language learning platforms to see if that helps some of the lessons to stick.

I’m only 2 months in, but I’m seeing improvements in my ability to read all the symbols which is exciting. I’m still not really good at forming sentences, but all progress is good progress!

Goal 3. Replace my screen time with hobbies that challenge my brain

If you’ve been a follower of this blog for a while you know I’ve been working to reduce my screen time and social media presence. I’ve made a lot of progress over the years and wanted to build off of that momentum in 2026.

This is definitely the goal I’ve seen the most improvement with since the start of the year. To make this work I created a new evening routine, carving out my time to use my brain instead of scrolling online.

I’ve delete apps from my phone and even blocked websites like YouTube to keep distractions at a minimum.

So far, I’ve spent the most time learning Sudoku and expanding my mental math capabilities, but I have a ton of activities in my toolkit so things stay fresh and exciting.

Outside of posting for my business, I really haven’t been online at all this year and it’s truly an incredible feeling!

I’m excited to see how the last month for these goals play out before I start implementing my next round of habits!

Blogmas Day 25: Merry Christmas

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Hello Sunny Siders, we’ve made it to the final day of Blogmas!

I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a wonderful start to the new year.

I love how Blogmas always helps to get me in the festive spirit and I hope these daily blogs help to make this time of year a little more joyful for you too!

Keeping this one short and simple, hoping you all have a great time focusing on what matters most this time of year, the people in your life who bring you joy and happiness.

Take care everyone and I will be back with more blogs in the new year!

Blogmas Day24: What I Do When I am Under the Weather

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Hello Sunny Siders, it’s Blogmas day 24 so wishing you all a Merry Christmas Eve!

I initially planned to share what I was gifting for Christmas, but I actually came down with a cold and we decided to postpone gifts until the weekend. Because of that I didn’t want to spoil anything for the people I gifted for.

So instead I thought I’d share what I do to get better when I’m feeling sick.

I am not a doctor so please don’t use this in place of real medical advice, these are just things I do that help me to feel better.

First, I’m big on taking vitamins all year round but especially when I’m feeling under the weather. I like to drink EmergenC daily immune boost just about every day and sporadically I also like ginger cayenne immunity shots.

When I’m sick, on top of my usual vitamins, I like to supplement with Zinc, D3, Iron, a B complex and Quercetin. I also tend to take ibuprofen to help with inflammation and swelling.

One of my favorite things that my fiancé and I make when we’re sick is a homemade ginger and lemon tonic. We get huge hunks of ginger that we peel and cut alongside lemon wedges and a ton of honey. We add water and boil that on the stove for about 10 minutes for everything to simmer together. It’s so incredibly spicy from the ginger, but it really does work to get the nasal passages open again.

If I don’t want to make the ginger lemon tonic myself, a good cup of chamomile tea with honey and lemon always works wonders to soothe the throat.

Another big thing I try to do when I’m sick is get lots and lots of sleep. I struggle to take naps even when I’m sick, but I still try to lay in bed and get as much rest as I can to help with recovery.

When I’m feeling really under the weather, I love a vapo shower. I get the Vicks tablets that dissolve in water and those help to open everything up and make me feel very refreshed. I’ll also sometimes do an iodine rinse or a netty pot to help get rid of congestion.

If I’m not feeling too depleted of energy, I always try to get in some light exercise, preferably outside, just to get my body moving. I’m talking a leisurely bike ride or a walk in the sunshine to soak up that vitamin D.

The biggest thing I try to focus on when I’m sick is still eating well. Often when I’m sick I don’t want to eat much, but I try to eat some nourishing foods to help give me the energy I need to fight whatever sickness I have. Chicken noodle soup is a staple, alongside oranges for that vitamin C.

Finally, I try to stay positive when I’m sick as your mental state really can affect your ability to fight back. I try to give myself compassion to rest and not do much, but also stay positive that I will get better in time.

Blogmas Day 23: My Word of The Year

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Hello Sunny Siders, happy Blogmas day 23! Today, I am back with a classic for Blogmas, the word of the year.

For new readers, every year since I’ve started Blogmas I have chosen a word to encompass and set the tone of my upcoming year.

In 2025, my word was courage, and my hope was to become more courageous. This was more than just trying things out of my comfort zone, but also sticking up for myself, having tough conversations, and even asking the hard questions to better myself.

I feel that I really did grow this year alongside my word of courage and I am excited to see how 2026 goes with my new word.

This upcoming year, my word will be think. I chose this word because I’d really like to challenge my brain to do more thinking and learning in 2026.

I work in a tech heavy field where AI is a big part of my job, and I fear I have is of losing my ability to think creatively because AI is an easy more efficient solution.

Spending countless hours on social media is another thing that I fear is ruining my cognitive function, and so I really want to prioritize finding other outlets that keep me creative and are healthy for my brain.

It’s a tall order for sure when technology is constantly in our faces, but I believe with my 2026 goals and my guiding word that this next year will be a positive one for my brain health.

Blogmas Day 22: My 2026 Goals

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Hello Sunny Siders, it’s Blogmas day 22. I can’t believe how close we are to the end of Blogmas!

As we get closer and closer to the new year, I always love taking this time to reflect and set some goals for the year.

In the few years that I’ve done this for Blogmas, I’ve shifted from setting a lot of goals to focusing in on a few to make it more manageable.

I’ve made this shift, as I read a book “The 5 Resets” that indicated that as humans we really cannot make more than 3 changes in our lives at a time even if they are positive. The brain struggles to adapt and keep up with more than three habits changes. The book recommends making 3 habit changes for 3 months before starting another set of habit shifts.

So you’ll see that while I have more than 3 goals, I won’t have more than 12 goals because it won’t be realistic to achieve them.

2026 Goals:

Phase 1: January – March

Drink my daily recommended amount of water.

I’ve had this as a goal for so many years now but it always seems to get pushed to the back. This year I’m starting with this goal and I’m going to stick to it!

Really start learning Japanese.

I’ve been doing Duolingo for almost 4 years and I don’t really feel that I’ve retained much or can even speak the language. In 2026 I want to expand my learning platforms so that by 2027 I can speak enough to get myself around Japan. Basically, I want to be able to order food, ask for directions, and get help if needed.

Replace my screen time with hobbies that challenge my brain.

I’ve been making a lot of progress towards limiting my screen time over the years. In 2026 I want to challenge myself to replace that screen time with tasks that require my brain to think and grow. I’m talking more puzzles, crosswords, and maybe I’ll finally learn to play sudoku.

Phase 2: April – June

Use the amenities I have available to me!

My apartment has a host of great amenities that I never use. I’d like to change that by taking advantage of the pool, the gym and my patio more often. I’d also like to try and attend some of the resident hosted events!

Re-learn how to do a press handstand.

I’ve been really enjoying getting back into old gymnastics skills and one that I’d really like to be able to do again is a press handstand. This will probably take longer than 3 months to learn, but this is the time of year that I’ll update my exercise program to start training it consistently.

Phase 3: July – September

Being okay with boredom.

This one has always been a challenge for me. I really struggle when I don’t have something to do. This year I want to learn to sit in silence and be okay with boredom.

Expand my art skills.

I run a small business sticker (and soon card) shop. I want to start expanding my digital art skills. Maybe I’ll take a class or maybe I’ll invest in a sketch book. All I know is I’d like to level up my art!

Phase 4: October – December

Spend and enjoy lots of time with family.

Some pretty big milestones will be happening in this final quarter of the year and I really want to make sure I am present in the moment to enjoy them.

Blogmas 2026!

My final goal will be to participate in Blogmas again for 2026! Since I’ve been doing it for a few years I’m sure some of the topics have gotten repetitive, so for 2026 I’d like to plan early so I can make some more unique content!

I’m looking forward to seeing how I manage to make these goals work for me in 2026!

Blogmas Day 21: 2025 Highlights!

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Hello Sunny Siders, it’s Blogmas day 21 and today I want to reflect and share some of my highlights of 2025!

Fiancé and I ended our long distance chapter and moved in together!

Attended Megacon and had fun meeting artists and buying art.

Started my small business and launched 29 sticker products.

Got a new job doing data analytics and love it!

Spent a lot of time with my family and friends.

Found a wedding venue and picked our wedding date!

Visited Boston and Salem for a fun couples trip.

Got back into gymnastics skills and learned some cool handstands.

Expanded my gallery wall and made my apartment a home.

Attended a pop up anime cafe!

Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie with my family!

Christmas candlelight processional and high tea with my family.

Kept up with my Duolingo Japanese streak!

Reflecting back and reminiscing in all the great things that happened this year is always a favorite thing for me as we round out the year.

Blogmas Day 20: Family Smiles

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Hello Sunny Siders, we are on Blogmas day 20! Today I wanted to share a really fun family moment from the day.

My family is visiting for Christmas and today we had a really fun day planned at Epcot.

A bucket list item for my mom has been to see Disney’s Candlelight Processional and today we made it happen!

The Candlelight Processional is a show hosted in the America pavilion where a special guest speaker (usually a famous actor or actress) narrates the story of Jesus. Alongside the narration, there is a choir made up of volunteer Cast members singing classic Christmas songs.

We were very excited because the guest speaker for our showing was Brendan Fraser, star of The Mummy.

The Candlelight Processional is a very popular event at Epcot this time of year and seating is limited. One way to guarantee seating is to book the dining package, which we decided to do today.

Our day started off like a normal park day where we went and rode our favorite coaster at Epcot, Guardians. Then we grabbed snacks before heading to ride Soarin Around the World.

We had an earlier dinner at the Garden Grill, which consisted of a family style meal of turkey, beef, Mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, and fresh vegetables from Epcot’s greenhouse. We were also surprised to see that our dinner was a character dining experience.

The meal was delicious and dessert was a scrumptious strawberry shortcake.

With full bellies we started making our walk over to the America Pavillion for the evenings main event.

My family loved the show, the music was fantastic, the singers were spectacular, and Brendan was such a marvelous host.

I definitely teared up a few times from how moving the experience was. But even more so, I was so happy I was able to make this dream come true for my mom and my family.

This to me is the best part about being an adult, getting to treat those that I love to wonderful experiences that we will remember and cherish forever.

Brendan ended his reading by saying that the spirit of the season is really about peace and goodwill towards all and that really rang true as I stood there alongside my loved ones this evening.

Blogmas Day 19: Daily Blog

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Hello Sunny Siders, we are back with another daily blog. Today, I wanted to share a day in my life when I am working during the day.

This was a work from home day so I got to wake up a little later than normal since I didn’t need to drive to work.

I made myself a cup of tea while I settled on my couch and got to work. I am a digital analyst so I spend a lot of my day looking at data and working on specific requests from the partners who use our data to evaluate their work.

I was locked in brainstorming a new project I am working on and that took most of my morning before I jumped on to my main meetings for the day.

After my meetings, I took my lunch break to do an at home weighted arm workout as well as to eat some pasta.

Once my lunch break was over, I got back to work doing some other analytics work.

I wrapped my day by writing out some holiday cards for my colleagues before logging off for the day.

With work done, I pivoted to taking care of chores around the house. I did laundry and cleaned the floors.

My fiancé and I looked at some cosplay costumes for our future convention while eating dinner which was more pasta.

Then, I drove to my friends house so we could watch Sailor Moon. I haven’t seen this particular friend in awhile and it was so nice catching up with her!

I wrapped my day by driving home and then hanging out with my family before heading to bed!

Blogmas Day 18: Hallmark Christmas Movies

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Hello Sunny Siders, happy Blogmas day 18! Today I wanted to write about Hallmark Christmas movies.

Hallmark Christmas movies are those cheesy romance/feel good holiday movies that have the most stereotypical plot you could imagine. Big city girl goes to the country to do some business deal that will ruin the town. Through meeting a small town boy who has been burned before she learns the spirit of Christmas and changes her ways just in time for December 25th. Oh and there’s always a furry friend, usually a dog.

Now, I am a sucker for a good corny Hallmark Christmas movie. I look forward to watching them every year just for the good laugh they bring.

A few years ago I got really into it and watched a ton of them in one holiday season. What I found hysterical was that the falling out happened with almost exactly 20 minutes left of the film in every single one I watched, to the point it would become a joke where I would say “Oh, looks like we have 20 minutes left” and be correct.

I don’t have any specifics to recommend, but it is always a fun way to celebrate the season when you have a Hallmark Christmas movie playing and can cozy up on the couch with a beverage or sweet treat of your choice.

I am looking forward to doing so once I am on my holiday time off from work.