your questions answered

Back on my birthday I opened my blog up to questions. Read about it here.

I was shocked by the overwhelming amount of questions I received on that post, in private emails and in other posts.

If you posed a question, I wish I could have added links to your blog but I started to do that it and was just way too time consuming.

So if you want to know who asked what questions just click on the link above, although some questions were private, most are there.

This was so fun for me! Thank you for participating!!

How did you get the courage to leave your family and move cross country?
For me, it didn't take courage. I'm someone who makes my mind up pretty easily. I'm very decisive. Once I make a decision, I follow through. I don't know why I'm like that and I find it to be more of a male quality than female, but none-the-less, it's me. And Bryan and I both knew that we wanted to move. We were torn between Nashville and Charlotte. I can tell you that it was easier to move knowing that my parents had an apartment in North Carolina. My dad's company is headquartered in Durham and they had an apartment their for about 7 years. My dad spends a lot of time in NC and I knew that I'd get to see him a lot. Moving away from the rest of my family though? Well, my mom has taught me that I have to live life for myself. Not for others.

I want to know what makeup you use, because your skin looks flawless.

So I've been asked this question more than once and I'm finally going to answer it. BTW - my skin is not flawless by any means. Unfortunitely I still break out. As does my 60 year old mother here and there, so I think I'm going to have zits for-ev-er, bleck!
Face Primer: I rarely use this, but when I do I use MAC Prep + Prime
Powder: MAC Studio Fix 95% of the time, but in the summer when it's humid and I'm really tan I use use MAC pressed powder
Under Eye Concealer: MAC Moisturecover wand
Eyelid Primer: MAC Paint Pot in Painterly
Blush: NARS in Orgasm or Lovejoy applied with MAC powder brush
Bronzer: MAC Bronzing Powder in Golden applied with MAC blush brush
Brow Filler: MAC eye shadow in Wedge applied with a tiny angle brush from Target
Brow Bone Highlighting Eyeshadow: LANCOME Filigree shimmer
Tear Duct Highlighting Eyeshadow: LANCOME Daylight matte
Eyeshadow: I rarely wear eyeshadow on my lid, but when I do I only put it on the outside edge of my eyelid and I use MAC Carbon or Mystery and blend it with my Wedge brow filler shadow
Eyeliner: either MAC Chestnut pencil or MAC Graphicblack technakohl liner, and sometimes I wear them at the same time... with a thicker line of Chestnut on the upper lid and a thin line of Graphicblack on the upper lid and lower lid
Eyelash Curler: REVLON
Mascara: KEVYN AUCOIN "The Mascara"
Lipstick: MAC in Brave
Lipgloss: MILANI Buzz Worthy in C4-Buzz Off
Colored chapstick: BURTS BEE'S Lip Shimmer in Watermelon (I wear this all of the time and use it especially for touch ups when out in public and I don't want to break out a tube of lipstick in a restaurant. It's hydrating, soothing and has a great tint to it! And since it's Burt's Bee's I feel like it's okay to apply in public :)Who is more sensitive you or Bryan?
Bryan and I are sensitive in different ways, and although I am sensitive, I'd say that Bryan is more sensitive than I am. He's so tender. No one would ever describe me as tender!

Being that you travel everywhere... What is your dream vacation?
You know, I've thought hard about this question and I just don't think I have a dream vacation. Or maybe it's that I've already been on my dream vacation. I think that may be it! I do really love everywhere though. And as much as I love to travel outside of this country, I really love traveling within the United States even more.

Are you planning to have babies?
At some point we will probably try, but not this year!

How long have you and your husband been together? How did you meet?
Bryan and I met in early December 2008 and we met through friends while I was living in San Diego and he was living in Orange County. We did the long distance thing (we were 2 hours apart) for 6 months. To read more about the beginning of "us," click here.

What is your favorite place to travel to? Why?
Hmmm, my favorite place to travel to? This too, is a toughy for me! I love the Caribbean because I can just go and lay on the beach, but I get so bored after about 2-3 days of it. I need some action in a place. I also need good food and some culture as well. If all I did was sit on the beach, I feel guilty, as if I didn't get the most out of the place I traveled to. I really love St. Thomas, Ireland, Barcelona, New Orleans and Newport RI, but my favorite country is Italy. I felt an overwhelming sense of calm and romantazism while in Venice and Florence and definitely feel that those were my favorites. What was it like leaving the west coast for the east coast? Emotions? Do you wish you could go back?
Leaving the west coast was the easy part. Admitting to myself that I now live on the east coast is hard. Coming to the realization that my kids won't have a similar childhood to mine or be Californian's is hard. Knowing that I can't see my parents or Bryan's parents tomorrow or this weekend is the hardest part! The south and the west are so different. Everything is different, yet we feel comfortable in both places. And I can go back if Bryan and I want to. We can always move back. We didn't move back east for a job. We moved because we wanted to. We can go back at anytime, but we don't plan to. We feel that we made the best decision for us in moving. We feel that we'll have the best life, a life we can afford, quality of life... outside of California. It's just so expensive out there and the competition for jobs is insane. We now have the best vacation spot in the world to visit... a place we consider home..... where we're from and where our family and friends are... southern California. We think that's pretty cool!

If a movie was being made about your life, who would you want to play you and Bryan?
Although we don't look alike, I think I'd want Lauren Conrad to play me because she from my hometown area and because I like her style. Plus she has long hair that's kind of my same color. Without question, Bryan would definitely be played by Scott Caan. Scott's a dead ringer for Bryan's long lost older brother!
Appetizer to dessert ... what is your hands-down favorite meal?
Appetizer: Fried Pickles or Crab Cakes
Salad: Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes, Pine Nuts with Vinegrette Dressing
Entree: Linguini with Clam Sauce or Chilean Sea Bass with Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus
Dessert: Creme Brulee If you could have one Do Over moment in your life, what would you fix?
Oh brother -- I have many! I know most people don't believe in regrets, but I do. I think that I still could have become the person I am today or even a better person had I done some things differently. Although I believe that I am living out God's plan, I contradictory believe in regrets and have several Do Over moments. My biggest Do Over moment would probably be where I went to college. Although I loved Cal State Long Beach and loved living in Huntington Beach while away at college, I also got into San Diego State. I have such a deep love for San Diego and all of my friends went to 1 of the 3 colleges down there. All of my friends still live in San Diego. I could have majored in the same thing down there, but had I gone to SDSU I wouldn't be in the career I'm in because my college roommate at CSULB introduced me to the industry. Regardless, I wish I would have accepted the offer to SDSU! Oh, and without going into detail, I also wish I could just wipe out Fall 2008 from my life. Yep, Fall 2008 be gone!

Do you feel any different being 30?
Nope. I don't feel any different. I still feel like I'm 27 or 28, which wasn't too long ago anyway. What I do notice is that I look different than I did even just a couple years ago. Within the past year I've noticed that my metabolism has changed and that it's harder to get/keep weight off. I also notice a large wrinkle smack across the middle of my forehead and 1 more wrinkle on my forehead making it's dent. Lord help me. I'm too vain for this whole aging thing to start happening already! Botox please, LOL!! (see the wrinkle ----> boo!) Is there a habit that Bryan has that you aren't particularly fond of: ie -- nail biting, chews with his mouth open, leaves his laundry on the floor?
Bryan is so polite, organized and has amazing manners, but what bugs me most is how organized he is. If I leave anything out, he puts it away. The kicker is that he doesn't tell me where he put it because he doesn't think to. Then I have to ask him where my nail polish is. Where the new vase is. Etc. I hate asking where things are in my.own.home. Hate it.

What is your favorite candy?
I live for Hersheys Kisses... always have them around and pretty much can't live without them! But I do love me some Starburst Fave Reds too!
What do you love the most about your dog?
Her temperment. Cali's so sweet, calm and cuddley. She loves love. I call her a slinky because you can pick her up, move her, roll her over and she'll just go with the flow. She's a true lap dog and I love that. I never had a lap dog and always wanted one. Cal's also really funny and fun. She loves to play with her toys and run around out back like a wild woman! If you have an secrets to a happy marriage? I could SO use that inside info ha!My parents have been married for over 35 years and my mom continues to refuse to give out advice because she says there is no advice to give... marriage is never easy. I'm lucky to have such great role models though! And since I've been married less than a year I think I'll take her lead and keep my trap shut. Lord knows my newly married ass isn't qualified to give out advice!
What is your favorite memory?
Oh man, I have SO many favorite memories! I loved swimming in my grandparents pool in their apartment complex when I was little. I loved heading to Calafia beach with my mom and our tuna subs from Subway all the time after school and on weekends growing up. I loved kissing the Blarney Stone in Ireland. I loved chatting with my brother in his room when we were teens. I loved being at the hospital when my neice was born. I love Christmas in Pennsylvania with my family. I loved Bryan's and my engagement weekend in Napa. I loved the day we got Cali. I loved my dad walking me down the isle. I loved our wedding reception. Probably my most favorite memory ever was in Venice, Italy though. It was late at night and Bryan and I were listening to some live music on St Mark's Square when the land started to sink and ocean water began to come up through the ground. This is a common thing and happens often in St Marks Square. We grabbed our crappy point and shoot camera and took my most favorite picture of all time!
Is #30 hard for you?
Not at all. I honestly feel like my life has gotten better with each year. I've never had one of those really hard years that people have. I know I will, but I'm lucky to have gone 30 years without one. Plus, I did my 20s like you should - I focused on my friendships, my career and my finances. I traveled my heart out. I spent many nights out at bars and clubs. I dated and then met the love of my life. Therefore I'm ready for this next decade of goodness that has just commenced!

When are you wanting to have bbbaabbiess?!
No time soon. That's for sure! We have some big plans for later this year and we need to make sure we can afford everything. People tell me kids are expensive and our life will change drastically with them ;) Yep, I'm not ready for that quite yet... but my clock is a tickin'! Tick tock. Tick tock...

Why did you decide to move to NC?? I'm a California girl and my BF is from NC and always tries to convince me to move there. I'd love to know why you chose to!
In my opinion, the area we live in has it all. We have a large lake lined with multi-million dollar mansions. We have boating and kayaking and restaurants on the lake. We have the beach we can go to for the weekend. We have the mountains about 1.5 hours from us with no traffic ever! We have a city with restaurants, bars, sports teams, shopping and culture. We have wineries and vineyards. We have beautiful country roads and real farmers markets on the farmers land. We have mild seasons and warm nights and warmer days. People in the area we live in really take care of themselves, much like us Californians do. Everyone works out, dresses trendy and eats healthy. It's extremely dog friendly! Oh, and we have an international airport (very important to me) and are a short flight to the Caribbean, Yay!

Where did you get your dog? and how did you pick her name? Tell us the story about her, everything- or if you have a link about it, I'd love to read it! I think she is the most adorable thing I've ever seen!
Many of you won't like this, but we got our dog from a sweet breeder in Harmony, NC. I love that Cali's from a town called Harmony! Knowing that I always wanted to try to live somewhere other than CA, I always knew that when I had a dog of my own I would name her Cali after California. Once Bryan and I got serious, I let him know that if we ever got a dog together, it would be a girl and her name would be Cali. He had no say in it. Bry had a boy dog and was pretty partial to a boy, but I refuse to have boy dogs. Their red rockets scare the living ba-jeezus out of me! When we came across Cali's picture while browsing online, we knew she was special. I looked into adopting too, but when you find the 1 that is meant to be your fur-child, it's a God thing. And Cali was 1 of 5 in her litter and she was the only dog who had a colored coat. All of her 4 siblings were white, like their mom, who is a Bichon. Cali had Yorkie coloring like her dad. We went to see her the very next day and she was ours just a few days later! If you want to read more about her here, click on this link for my Cali post! (Here's Cali the day we brought her home ---->)
What is your favorite kind of cupcake?
Bryan's really the cupcake connoisseur in our relationship, but I have to say that I prefer red velvet with a cheesecake frosting. Isn't your mouth just watering thinking about it? Mine is! What exactly do you and your hubs do? I know you two travel alot for work and that is just amazing to me! I would LOVE to not have to sit in an office everyday from 9-5. I'm not very good at explaining our jobs because they're pretty confusing, but I tried in a post a loooooong time ago. Click here if you want to read about event marketing and promotional management (I promise it's not too boring or long!)

Love the dress/skirt/top from Easter? Where is it from? You can find it here and there's a complete breakdown of my entire outfit here.

Instead of 30 things you would like to do before your 30...how about 5 things you would like to do before you are 40?1) Accomplish my goal of going to all 50 states
2) Own a 3,000 square foot home with a rocking chair front porch, Pottery Barn furniture and a big backyard for Cali to run around in
3) Give Cali a sibling
4) Travel to Paris for get-away weekend
5) Celebrate a holiday in my home in North Carolina with both my parents and Bryan's parents