your questions answered

About a month ago I opened my blog up to questions. I was so thrilled to read each question as they came trickling in. Some were harder to answer than others, but overall I tried to be as honest and candid as possible. If you'd like to read who asked what questions, refer back to the comments left on this post.

Is it sometimes difficult for you and your husband to work together every day or do you cherish the time you get to spend together?

Truth be told, this is really all we know. We started working together after just 6 months of dating, so spending 24/7 with each other is norm. We literally stay in the same hotel room, eat breakfast together, drive to work together, work all day together, eat lunch together, drive back to the hotel together, run errands together, eat dinner together and go to sleep together. Just to repeat it all the next day. There was a time, several years ago, when we became "co-workers" and forgot how to be in a relationship with each other. Example: While working we are professional so you wouldn't know we are married. Outside of work, say when going out to dinner, we wouldn't hold hands, we wouldn't kiss, etc. We acted like co-workers in our free time. This was no good! We quickly identified this problem and figured out ways to ensure that he still felt like a man and I still felt like a woman all while doing the same job as each other. It's actually become very calculated. But we really love working together! We truly like each other enough to be able to spend all of that time together. It's all we know. What will be a major adjustment is when we both have a 9-5 job and don't work together. That is going to be so strange - the fact that I won't know the in's and out's of his day, his co-workers, etc. Right now everything is so blended and I love it that way!

Working our very 1st event together in Scottsdale, AZ - March 2008

How did you come to be in such an amazing job?!

It's a really long story that you can read all about here.

Do you ever plan to find a different line of work in order to have a family? 

I've asked myself this many times and am still undecided. There are many companies in my industry with offices here in Charlotte, so I could definitely stay in my line of work and have a family. The juries still out though. 

Do you ever get homesick? How do you cope with always being on the go?

I get homesick all of the time. Homesick for my actual home in North Carolina, that is. I never used to feel this way, but now that I have a house with an amazing closet it's different. I want to be in my house, with my dog. But the bills must get paid and thankfully I still love live events and traveling for a living. Oddly enough, I'd consider myself to be a homebody. When I'm home, I rarely leave the house. I don't run a crazy amount of errands throughout the week, we don't go out to many dinners or pack many social functions into our calendar. We do something "fun" about once a week, so I don't really feel on the go. But on the flip side, when we're out of town for work, I am an extremely on the go person -- Who wants to sit in their hotel room when they can be exploring a fun city? Not me, that's for sure!

Exploring Central Park for the 80th time... better than sitting in my hotel room!

You've mentioned what you do, but was that WHAT you went to school for? Or did you just find the job and love it.

I went to Cal State Long Beach and majored in Public Relations. While in my senior year we had to take an internship course. I interned at an event marketing agency in Manhattan Beach and loved every second of it. Thus, my career blossomed.

Where are your favorite places to shop?
H&M, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, Julie's Boutique, Forever 21, Banana Republic = I'm all over the place!

Would you ever do a vlog?
Meh, probably not. I'd feel lame sitting in front of my computer talking to it, with no one on the other end keeping conversation going. I also don't know how to edit footage, so until I know how to do that, a vlog would never happen. I'd consider doing one maybe with someone else, so we can at least keep conversation going. Don't hold your breathe though.

What would you do with 1 Million dollars?!?!

Unfortunitely $1 million doesn't get you that far these days... far, but not that far. I'm much more boring, traditional and fearful than I appear to be, so I'd probably pay off my mortgage, invest and save for my children's college education. Without a doubt I know that I would rent out the Sand Dollar Estate for 2 weeks and invite our familes and close friends down to St. Thomas to relive our wedding week with us, on us!

Girlfriends and family in St. Thomas at the Sand Dollar Estate

What is the ONE thing in the world that you cannot live without?

Counting the obvious answers out (those are so generic), I'd have to say my inhaler. I'm an asthmatic and have to have it with me at all times. I literally don't ever leave the house without it. If we're just going on a walk or to run a quick errand and I don't bring my purse, Bry will put my inhaler in his pocket. I literally have it with me at all times and cannot live without it.

What is your favorite restaurant in NC?

Nothing comes to mind as a favorite in the entire state, but I really like Magnolia Grille in Durham, Veranda Cafe in Black Mountain and Red Rocks in Huntersville. Out of all of the restaurants in Charlotte, I'd say that Fig Tree is my favorite!

I would love to know how you stay soooo organized, perfectly dressed and in great shape while you're traveling so much for work!? 

Hahaha! Now this question is just funny. I'm sure my mom is reading this laughing out loud and wondering how I'm going to answer this. To put it bluntly, I'm not always organized and perfectly dressed and I'm hardly in great shape! Funny... Out of all 3 of these things, I'd say that I can relate most to the organized point. Yes, I am fairly organized when I travel, but that's only because I pay all of my bills online and pack minimally. I have found, through much experience, that the less I pack, the less options I have when trying to figure out what to wear, therefore the easier the outfit is to put together. I don't bring a whole lot of shoes or accessories with me when I travel. If I'm going on a simple week long vacation, I tend to pack more accessories. But when I'm traveling for work, I dress and pack simply. And the great shape comment? Well, I don't even know what to say about that. Maybe I just take pictures at good angles? I'm definitely not in great shape, but I have found several ways to eat healthy while traveling! If you want more details than this, let me know and I'll devote an entire post to this question :)

Fave makeup and hair products?
See here for my make up breakdown and here for my favorite hair products.

What breed is Cali and how old is she?
Cali is a Yorkiechon - Yorkshire Terrier / Bichon Frise mix. She's 2.5 years old. Her birthday is January 29, 2010. You can read all about Cali here.

Totally thinking of making the move to Charlotte so if you could name three southern things you discovered and love what would they be. On the flip side what are three things you miss the most about living in Cali besides family.

Southern Things I Love

1. Driving distance to so many great places (beaches (Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah, Hilton Head, Outer Banks), mountains, Florida, Nashville, Washington DC, Pittsburgh) and I can fly to places like NYC and Chicago in a little over an hour

2. 4 manageable, but distinct seasons

3. Summer thunderstorms (but I hate the bugs!!)

Things I Miss Most About Living in California

1. Knowing the backroads, shortcuts and local spots without batting an eyelash

2. Being able to call up a friend who's known me for years and hang out with them in person, reminisce and laugh about old times
3. Having an annual pass to Disneyland

Renee and I clapping through It's A Small World

How do you stay in shape while always on the go, and always eating great foods.

I'm not in shape. Not even close. Pictures must be deceiving because currently, I actually weigh more than I've ever weighed. Maybe I should do a post about what I eat when on the road and how I balance great restaurants with health foods though???

How did ya'll decide to get married in St. Thomas? And was planning a wedding there hard?

Here was my exact thought process:  My parents gave me a budget I can't exceed.... I want a pretty wedding... With pretty scenery... It must happen in a Catholic church... I want my guests to have an insane amount of fun.... I want to have an insane amount of fun... I want everyone to have a memorable experience..... I want to get married in the US so I don't have to get married in a courthouse first.... US Virgin Islands are part of the US..... St. Thomas has a Catholic Cathedral... And the largest airport of any of the USVI's.... It has US area codes and postal codes (cheap communication and shipping)... Must have open bar..... Need private beach for pictures.......... Sand Dollar Estate = SOLD! Yes, it went something like that. Planning a destination wedding was not easy nor hard. We visited the island about 6 months prior to our wedding, so we met with our florist, wedding coordinator, cake baker, etc. I planned the entire wedding on my own, having just a day-of wedding coordinator at our recepetion. I dreamt up my colors, place settings, centerpieces, etc. And I bought/made everything from the table runners to the candles to the favors to the welcome bags/letters, and shipped everything "ground" to the island 1 month prior to our arrival. I did it all and loved every second of it. Remember, I work in event management, so planning and executing events is kind of my thing!

Our wedding reception at Sand Dollar Estate in St. Thomas, Magen's Bay

Do you plan on having kids anytime soon? If so, can you take time off of work?

I'm a firm believer in creating a solid foundation in a marriage before bringing kids into the mix. We want to have fun, be selfish and experience life as newlyweds. When we do have children, we're hoping to have that strong foundation because we’ve given our relationship time to grow. And a solid foundation is the basis for everything else. Once kids come, your priorities and responsibilities shift in a beautiful way, but things change... drastically. We want to be as prepared (in our marriage) for that shift as possible, but all in all... it's in Gods hands. And yes, to answer your 2nd question, I can definitely take time off of work. 

How bad do you wish we would have stayed longer in the theater after seeing Magic Mike and popped some bottles with those cougars?

Um, yes!! Why didn't we stay longer? Oh yeah, because we had already finished our bottle of theater wine!

What's your favorite thing to cook for a special meal?
I love to cook, mostly because I love being in my kitchen, but I'm not sure I cook anything in particular for a special meal. I'd say that if it's a special day that calls for a special meal we generally go out to a nice restaurant or pack a picnic, both of which require no real cooking.

What was the dumbest thing you ever fought about with Bryan and who usually apologizes first?
Without question the dumbest thing we ever fought about was actually a fight we had before we were even married. It's so insanely stupid that even as we were fighting we knew it was not worth it, but neither of us could drop it - we fought over future children and if we had girls would they play softball. Don't ask, but it was heated! So, so stupid. Haha!! Although we're both stubborn, we both apologize when we're wrong, when we've overreacted and when we're just being silly. We don't always apologize though, as some things are best left in the past and not brought back up again. And yes, we are the couple that goes to sleep mad. Not every time we argue by any means, but man... if a fight begins a night and I'm tired, I might just roll over and call it a night. And some arguments can't be solved before bed, so being the couple that 'never goes to bed mad' is just not reality for us. Thankfully we don't fight often. I like to think we're good communicators!

If you had two weeks for a vacation and could go anywhere, where would it be?
I'd head back to Italy and Greece and visit the historical cities again, but include more beaches and islands this time. It'd be the perfect mix of culture, romance and relaxation. 

Italy and Greece a few weeks after our wedding

Babies, when do y'all plan to have babies?

See above for the answer to this question.

What is your DREAM vacation?!
I feel like I've had several dream vacations and have been fortunate to actually go on them. So every few years I'm thinking up a new dream vacation - Accomplishing your dreams so amazing! So my newest dream vacation would be to fly to Paris for a long weekend. I dreamt this up a little over a year ago and have been attached to the idea ever since. I'd love to plan a last minute, spontaneous trip to Paris and fly there on a Thursday, have a world wind romantic few days and then fly back that Sunday. A long weekend in Paris... how dreamy......

Thanks to everyone who took the time to ask a question -- I had so much fun answering them all! If anyone who does not have a blogger/gmail account wants to ask me something, feel free to e-mail me directly at everymileamemory@yahoo.com. Until next time...