Good morning from Iceland! We are day three into our Icelandic adventures and it is every bit as beautiful as Google Images told me it would be. I love when the internet doesn’t lie. I can’t wait to share our full travels with you once we’re home complete with our itinerary, dining recommendations, what to wear and so much more, but until then it’s time for Q&A time!

While my husband is still sound asleep [jet lag is no joke] I thought I’d hop on here and answer a few questions that rolled in a few weeks ago from Instagram Stories. I had put out an “ask me anything” and several of you were up for the challenge and asked away! This will most likely be an ongoing series to keep this blog post an acceptable length [nobody needs to spend the first several hours of their day learning everything you never needed to know about LIY]. Today I pulled a few personal questions to answer while next go around will be more focused on questions around my job. If you have any questions you’d like to see answered, drop ’em in the comments and I’ll get them added in for a future post! Let’s get this party started…

“Where did you and Shawn meet?”

We met in high school! I was a freshman and he was a junior. He was exactly the kid that no parent would want their innocent daughter dating, but like any high school girl, I had no interest in taking her parents advice at the time. Fast forward 16 years and I’m convinced my parents would choose him over me any day of the week 😉 Funny how things change. In all of these years, we never stopped dating and I can’t believe we’ve been together more of my life than apart. We’ve definitely experienced challenging times and our life together hasn’t been all rainbows, but I wouldn’t want anybody else by my side to experience it all with. For our full love story [ignore the quality of the post, I wrote it in my first month of blogging back in 2011] see this post. And in the meantime, enjoy this baby pic of us circa prom 2003. 

“Is where you live now your hometown? Would you ever move away?”

I live in small town Indiana, born and raised! The furthest I’ve moved away from the home I grew up in is 20 minutes and more than likely, I’ll never leave. There is just something so wonderful about living in the place I’ve always been – my family is all here, my friends are mostly all here and I love the quaint, slow pace lifestyle that Indiana offers. The only traffic issues are when I’m stuck behind a horse and buggy and the cost of living could win a limbo contest due to how low it is. Would I love to have a home in some warm client to be whisked off to occasionally during the freezing months? Absolutely. Do I see that happening anytime soon? Only if I play the lottery right.

“What does a day in the life look like?”

This is a dangerous question to ask somebody who suffers majorly from ADD. Are you ready to feel like you got thrown into a pinball machine? Awesome, let’s get started. While no day looks identical, I’ll do my best to summarize. My wakeup time is typically around 7:30 which means my first cup of coffee is on its way down my throat by 7:40. During coffee, I typically open up my planner and write down my list of all the things that need accomplished that day [which will absolutely end up on the next day and the next day and the next day’s list]. By 8 am my laptop is open and I’ve begun slacking [Slack – the app my team and I use to communicate when not in the office together] with the LIY team. The morning is my most productive time and as odd as it sounds, I get the most work done when I’m in my pajamas and un-showered. I try to utilize 8-11 or so to knock out as many computer tasks as possible: writing blog posts, posting to social media, tending to questions the team has or needs, emails, conference calls, meetings, etc. By 11 or 12 my goal is to shower, mostly so that I can look presentable when venturing out of the house to pick up lunch [and maybe snap an outfit photo or two]. The early afternoon gets a little dicey for me as this is when my inability to focus likes to kick in full force. From 12-3 I do Lord knows what [laundry, pick up the house, go to Target and whatever else my heart desires]. By 3 my “oh crap, you still have a lot to get done” instinct kicks back in and I hop back on the computer to knock out a few more hours of work. Come 6:00, my stomach is hungry which typically means a Hello Fresh meal will be cooked up [side note: click here to try Hello Fresh and get $40 off your first box]. Shawn and I will then do whatever is needed that evening until 9 or 10 when I typically settle into the couch or bed and more than likely hop back on the computer to try to wrap up the day. Lights out by 11 or so to repeat it all the next day. *If it is a Tuesday or a Thursday I am at the office with the team and my day looks a lot more structured without the shower part. Who’s got time to do that every day? Exactly.

“What is your go to breakfast?”

I’ve recently become obsessed with the Cracker Barrel Cheese Pairing Plates [especially the one with Vermont sharp white cheddar, crackers and blackberry jam] with a side of flavored coffee. OH MY GOSH THEY ARE GOOD. I know this is probably not the smartest breakfast of choice, but smart is one thing I’ve never been when it comes to my diet. Come 10:00 am or so I’m most likely microwaving chips with shredded cheese all over them. Unfortunately, I’m not kidding. To summarize: cheese. That’s my go-to breakfast [lunch, dinner, snack, you name it].

“Where do you see yourself in 20 years?”

Oh boy, wouldn’t I like to know? I always struggle with these questions because to be honest, I don’t even know where I see myself tomorrow. Life changes so quickly and 100% of the time it’s not in the direction I would have guessed, so I’ve given up trying to figure it all out. If I had to answer this though, here’s what I’d guess: I’ll be 52 [wow, life goes fast] and will hopefully have a child or two by this point in time. Dogs will most likely be in the picture because hi, I’m obsessed with cuddly creatures. Assuming the internet is still going strong, I’d like to think I’ll still be hanging out around here but maybe on a scaled back schedule. By then I’ll have hopefully experienced more travel and most importantly – still have a very strong relationship with my family and friends and be just as full of joy as I am today. As long as those last two things happen, life will be good.