When did you choose a Paleo lifestyle? 

I went Paleo in 2011--almost four whole years ago! It really doesn't seem like that long ago. This post I wrote after my first year is actually one of my most read posts on Freckled Italian, if you're interested.

What did you and Rob do on your first date? 

We have talked about this at length and the truth is that we can't remember! He and I were friends for several months before we really started dating, so the whole thing is kind of cloudy looking back. I vividly remember stopping at Quizno's one night on our way from his dorm to my apartment and kind of feeling like we were on a date, but I guess our first "official" date might have been a Valentine's Day date party with his fraternity that he asked me to in 2009.

How strictly do you stick to Paleo on a day-to-day basis? Do you find it hard to stick to? 

I would say I stick to Paleo 90% of the time. If  I'm out at a restaurant or something I'm not asking for ingredients in salad dressing or anything, but I try really hard to stay away from gluten. I almost always say no to dairy, unless I have a Lactaid supplement on me. I feel so much better when I stick to Paleo, so it's really not hard for me to do.

In the first episode of our new podcast, Jenna and I talked about some non-Paleo things that we just never say no to and for me, they're popcorn, sushi, and Pad Thai. Life is too short to say no to Pad Thai, am I right?

Do you have any homemade detox recipes? Or do you know of any that are good for kickstarting a diet? 

I've never done a juice cleanse or a detox but I've definitely been tempted to in times when I feel like I'm eating too much crap. Usually I just try to drink a ton of water (with lemon!) and eat a lot of greens. If I eat Paleo 100% of the time, I don't feel like I need to start over or make a big change, so I guess I'd just say start there and see how you feel!

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A lot of the questions this time were specific to Paleo, but please feel free to leave your answers/thoughts in the comments! If you have a question that you'd like me to include in my next Q&A post, send me an email and I'll get it on the list!

Where do you see yourself in 10, 20, and 50 years?

In 10 years, I'd like to have two or three children, be living in a house with a yard and a garage and maybe even a garden (that's a big reach for me, who can barely keep a potted plant alive). I want to feel at home and settled wherever we are, and have a business/career that I am proud of--one that aligns with the vision I have for what I want my life to be.

In 20 years I want to be able to look back and be proud of where we are--I see myself in a happy marriage, everyone in good health and high spirits, hopefully with lots of friends and family in the same city.

And in 50 years I guess I could have grandchildren! What a strange thought. My greatest hope for 50 years from now is the health, happiness, and success of myself and everyone around me.

What are your travel dreams?

I've talked about this a bit before, but as of now my travel bucket list includes Ireland, Argentina, Norway, and Iceland. I would like to re-visit France, Italy, and England; and there are a great many states I haven't even been to.

Do you do anything in particular to keep your hormones balanced (other than a Paleo diet)? Your skin always looks perfect! Edited to include everyone reading: Tell us about your skin care/makeup routine!

Well first of all, thank you so much! I can assure you that my skin is definitely not perfect. But I do keep it in good shape because of my diet, I think. Any time I have too much dairy (more than one or two servings for a few days in a row), I usually end up breaking out. I used to have problem skin but have had really great results with Paleo--I'm actually embarrassed to admit that I don't really have much of a skin care system other than removing my makeup and using a gentle cleanser (right now I'm using this one). I also swear by this foundation (and the brush)--it makes my skin look really good!

As far as hormones go, I actually have very low progesterone, so I've been on a hormone replacement program for about three years now. I was not only breaking out a lot, but also (and more importantly) feeling super anxious and depressed more often than not, so I was lucky to have my mom introduce me to a doctor who specializes in hormone imbalances. After a quick blood test I was able to start getting on the right track again.

This last question is actually a combination of several, all pertaining to the topic of blogging as a career: How did you get started with sponsors? Can bloggers make a living simply by blogging and sponsorships? Do you have a traditional day job?

 I think blogging for a living and being self-employed in any creative field are really touchy subjects that people don't always like to be super transparent about. I'll do my best, though--I got started with sponsors by working for free a lot. A brand would reach out to me and ask if they could send me an item of clothing, and I'd blog about it in exchange for the free skirt or shoes or whatever it may have been at the time. After a while, I was able to start charging for sponsored posts. I also sold ad space (and still do, although the majority of my income is from sponsored posts). Blogging has been such a great option for me over the past few years as we've moved around a bit and I haven't had to jump from job to job each time. I'm really thankful for that.

It definitely is possible to make a living off of a blog--once you have the traffic, you can charge more for everything. Unfortunately, a blog is a community with an aesthetic, so it's not like freelancing where you can take on as much as possible. I actually lost readers last year because I took on too much sponsored content, so this year I'm taking a step back and being more selective with the collaborations I accept.

Having said that, I still don't have a traditional day job--I love blogging, and Rob and I made the decision to continue to make Freckled Italian a priority in 2015. I would sometimes take on part-time temp positions here and there, but the blog always suffered. Right now I do a lot of freelance recipe development and photography to supplement my income. I still get to work for myself and decide how much to take on, but I get to spend time on different projects; and everything kind of falls under the umbrella of Freckled Italian. I have some really big goals, but I'm trying to learn to be content with where I am right now instead of stretching myself too thin and doing my readers a disservice.

If blogging full-time is something you want to do, just keep at it! It's been a year and a half and I still don't feel like I've "made it." But I get a little closer to where I want to be every day.

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Thank you all so much for reading (and asking these questions)! If you feel like it, please feel free to answer some or all of them below in the comments--I absolutely love hearing from you. If you have something you'd like me to include in v.8, let me know!

Photo by V.A. Photography.

If you could pick one city in the world to live in for a year, where would that be and why?

I'm torn on this one--a big part of me feels like I'd do well somewhere in Scandinavia, like Norway. Another part of me really wants to see Ireland. But I think if I had to pick a specific city and live there, I'd head to Argentina and call Buenos Aires home. My mom was born there, I've never been, and it would be the perfect way to regain my Spanish fluency. I'd actually really love Argentina to be the destination of our next big trip sometime in the next two years.

Do you ever struggle with time management? What do you do when you're short of time for something important?

The sweet person who asked this questions said that if I do struggle with time management, they couldn't tell, and that was just so nice of them. But yes, I am the worst with time management. I'm a big proponent of to-do lists (I use Trello and absolutely love it), but I'm not always great at completing them. Working from home can be wonderful, but sometimes I really have to motivate myself to get things done.

In my dreams, I would have a schedule that is specific to the hour. Wake up, go running, make breakfast, eat breakfast, write this post, cook this recipe, take these photos, answer emails, stop for lunch, take a walk, make dinner ahead of time, etc. In reality, I am nowhere near that. 

I definitely think prioritizing things is important--what's due first is obviously significant, but sometimes I'll do the quickest thing first so that I can check something off my list immediately. That often propels me toward a more productive day. One thing I've found to improve my time management skills is visiting a coffee shop a couple times a week, because when I'm working in a public space, I'm less inclined to spend an hour on Pinterest. It's a work in progress.

What is your favorite home-cooked meal, Paleo or non-Paleo?

My absolute favorite meal growing up (and before going Paleo) was pasta with pesto. My mom makes the best pesto and my entire family loved it. Sometimes I'll make pesto and put it on chicken or veggies but let's be real, it's not the same. Now I think my favorite home-cooked meal is a really good flank steak or a beef tenderloin, sliced up really thinly, with roasted Brussels sprouts and a big salad on the side.

Do you come from a big or a small family? Tell me more about your childhood.

I come from an immediate family of just four (my mom, dad, brother and I), but both sides of my family are really huge. My dad is one of five and my mom has only one sister, but their extended family is really large. I visited Italy as a kid and could barely keep all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins straight (the language barrier didn't help)!

Rob comes from a big family as well. He has three brothers and both of his parents come from large families. I think we want to have three kids, maybe. I love the relationship I have with my brother so much, but I think having two siblings could be really fun.

I grew up in Roanoke and loved it--still do. I went to Catholic school from kindergarten through high school and I loved that, too; but I don't think Rob and I will send our future kids to a religious school. I was super active in student government, my church, swimming, cross country and track, and even a little cheerleading here and there.

I had a cat in California named JoJo (we gave him to one of my cousins when we moved) and also a pet rat named Zippity after the hamster in Barney. In Virginia I used to collect pet mice two at a time--it was sort of bizarre. They were the little white ones that you feed to snakes. They actually made really good pets, even if it means you're kind of a weirdo. And then of course there was Rocky, who we got when I was in seventh grade. He was seriously the best dog in the world.

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Now it's your turn--leave me a comment with your answers! I love hearing from you guys.