Q&A.

1. What are your favorite TV shows?

Law & Order: SVU (although I can't watch it without Stabler...it's just not the same), Big Bang Theory, One Tree Hill, Teen Mom (I know, I'm ashamed), Criminal Minds (though it terrifies me so much I can't watch it very often anymore) and so many more. I'm a serious TV junkie.

2. When are you getting Yoshi a friend?

As soon as Ryan permits it. I secretly surf Craigslist often in search of a black pug between the ages of 2 and 4 years old to adopt, because I need a little black pug to be the yin to Yoshi's yang. And old man Yoshi can't handle energetic puppies, so we need an adult doggy friend.

P.S. Jes, Ryan's mad at you for asking this question.

3. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Europe! It's a bit cliche, but I've just got to visit me some Europe.
There are so many beautiful and diverse things to see in each country there.

4. How many little ones do you want and 
do you have a girl and boy name already picked out?

We'd love to have three, but word on the street is that children are expensive. And California is expensive. So we'll see if that number changes...but I think I need a boy and a girl.

I've got my boy names picked out! Girl names are trickier, and I go back and forth a lot.

5. Where do you get the inspiration for your outfits?

 Everywhere...Pinterest. Magazines. TV. People I see on the streets.
Celebrities like Whitney Port and Ashley Tisdale. And fabulous bloggers.
For example: The Daybook, Pandora's Box and Running on Happiness, just to name a few.

6. What do you miss the most about Missouri (besides family)?

Frozen custard. And queso dip. But not the two mixed together.

7. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Cake batter, hands down. If you can't find it, go buy a carton of ice cream (any kind with a vanilla base) and a box of instant yellow cake mix. Sprinkle the cake mix onto your ice cream.
Stir it up and devour it. You'll thank me. 

8. What is your favorite part about being a California girl?

Besides the obvious benefit of living near the beach, I really love the "vibe" here,
if that makes any sense. People just seem so relaxed, friendly and happy
and I love being surrounded by that feeling.

9. What are you studying and what is your novel about?

I got my Bachelors degree in English and I'm now working on a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. I've actually finished two (unpublished) novels. The first I wrote as the thesis for my Bachelors degree and it was a crime novel about a serial rapist and murderer (charming, right?).
My second novel, the one I just recently finished, is 1000% different.
It's a "coming-of-age" story about two best friends in high school.

10. What skin care and makeup products do you use?

First of all, to the anonymous person who complimented me on my skin,
I think that may be the best compliment I've ever received considering how many
redonkulous issues I've had with acne.
So, thank you. For real.

Skin care: Neutrogena Clear Pore cleanser/mask, Clean&Clear dual action moisturizer and 5% Benzoyl Peroxide cream. Morning and night, without fail.

Makeup: I switch around a lot, always looking for products that work better with acne prone skin.
I think my favorite foundation thus far has been Merle Norman Luxiva flawless effect liquid foundation. And my best makeup tip for oily skin is to apply Boots expert instant matte to your eyelids and oil-prone areas before you apply makeup. It really helps keep my face from looking shiny and it does wonders to prevent my eyeshadow from creasing on my eyelids. 

11. What brand were your wedding shoes?

Badgley Mischka. I spent too much money on them, but when I saw them online it was love at first sight. And after wearing them all day long, my feet were numb for an entire WEEK.
Literally. I thought I might have to go to the doctor.

12. If you could plan your wedding over again, 
what would you change?

Hmm...really, there's little I'd change. If I could plan it all again, I think I would either keep it almost exactly the same or I would go with a completely different style. I loved the rustic-y feel of our wedding, but I think other themes would have been amazing, too.  

13. What were your thoughts behind starting a blog?

When we moved, I knew I wanted to start a blog to share our lives with our families back in Missouri. My parents haven't jumped on the Facebook trend, so this is the best way for me to
share our pictures with them, and I know when we (eventually, years and years from now)
start a family it'll be even more important to be able to share the daily happenings
with our family and friends.

14. What is the first thing you wash in the shower?

I died laughing at this. This should be an ice breaker question for meetings and conferences (how incredibly awkward would that be?). And I had to think about this because my routine is so engrained I just go on auto-pilot when I get in the shower. But it's definitely shampoo first.

15. If you could go on a date with any celebrity, who would it be?

Right now, Ryan Gosling's winning. And he'd better fly me to Missouri in his private jet
for frozen custard, since he's rich and can do things like that.
16. What's been the biggest hurdle in your marriage?

I spent a lot of time thinking about this question. I even used one of my lifelines and asked Ryan about it, and I still don't have a complete answer. Truthfully, I'm not sure we've tackled any hurdles just yet. I think we've been well-prepared for most of the changes we've encountered thus far, so we've handled them easily. We haven't had many surprise issues pop up to throw us off, but I imagine we will some day (kids...job changes...you know, "adult" things)
and I hope we can conquer them with teamwork.

Coming up: My super lame hair tutorial.