How have you balanced life and work while writing a book on such a short timeline?

I really haven't. I thought I could do it all but the blog has definitely been put on the back burner these past four or five weeks. Luckily the editing is almost done and I think I'm going to be able to get back into the swing of things. Of course the move from apartment to house threw me for a loop, and I've barely unpacked. Sometimes you just have to do your best and be okay with it when it's not enough. The only thing I've actually kept up with this past month is working out, and that's because it happens so early that it's still dark out. 

Will you talk a little bit about your hair color and going lighter?

Yes! For a few years I was getting a semi-permanent color every two to three months that was several shades darker than my natural color. I really liked that but about a year ago I started getting the itch to go lighter. With the help of a stylist, I've gone lighter three times now, and plan to lift some color again at my next appointment in June. My hair was super dark and I don't want to damage it, so I've taken a super slow journey toward blonder ends (I'm into the balayage + ombre vibe). It's expensive and takes time, but I think if you want to go lighter, it's worth doing it right.

What does your morning routine look like? 

This is a good question with a boring answer, but it has changed since moving so I'll answer it! I wake up at 5:30 or 6:00, depending on what time my class is at the gym that day, and after I work out sometimes I go next door and get an almond milk cortado (although I try to do that once a week or less, it usually happens at least twice).

Then I drive home, usually listening to a podcast episode (right now I'm really into The Tim Ferriss Show). When I get home I let Ender out and make coffee if I didn't pick one up on my way home. Usually I'll throw a ball for him for 10 or 15 minutes so he's ready for a nap when I'm ready to start working. Then I make breakfast and work until Rob is ready to go to the office. We have one car and live close by so I drive him.

Do you have any tips on eating healthy for people who don't have a lot of time to cook?

Cooking for yourself is definitely the easiest way to eat healthy, but if you don't have time for it I still think it can be done--you just have to make great choices when you're out! My go-tos are usually salads and bun-less burgers without cheese. If you can spend an hour prepping food on Sunday night, you might find that cooking throughout the week is a lot easier. I like to chop all my veggies and even cook all my meat so I can combine things and just reheat as needed.

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Do you have another question for me to include in my next Q&A post? Let me know! And I want to hear your morning routines as well, so leave a comment and tell me how you start your day.

Photo by Oguz Uygur.

I've had this dress for years and continue to find new ways to wear it. When I worked in an office it was often part of my weekly rotation, since the shape of it is so classic. Even now, I still prefer to dress it up with a statement necklace and some heels or wedges. Definitely a gem in my ever evolving capsule wardrobe.

Dress: c/o Jigsaw London | Necklace: thrifted | Shoes: J.Crew | Bracelet (similar): Banana Republic

Photos by Andi Perullo for Freckled Italian.

I had my first MRI last week and I walked away from that experience feeling overwhelmed with new things on my mind.

 First things first: if you have to get an IV, drink a ton of water a few days before. Maybe you're working on a big project with an approaching deadline and forgot or were even too hopeful that they wouldn't be giving you contrast dye for your MRI, so you accidentally spent the day before drinking coffee and Dr. Pepper and can't remember the last time you had a sip of water. If that's the case, they're going to have trouble finding a vein and you're going to walk out of there with so many little bandages on your arms that it looks like you got in a fight.

So far in my BRCA journey, the procedures have scared me more than the results. Maybe it's because I'm only 27 and still relatively healthy, or maybe it's because I have a bit of a needle phobia, but when I was getting the gene test all I could think about was getting blood drawn. And then I freaked out about how uncomfortable a mammogram was going to be (PSA: they aren't--don't be scared, go get your mammogram). And even when the radiologist told me he wanted to do a biopsy on something that looked a little suspicious, at the time I was more afraid of the numbing injection/biopsy itself than the possibility that I had breast cancer. All of this is to say that I freak myself out about things and they are never as bad as I imagine.

This MRI, though, was the one thing I wasn't afraid of, and it just so happened that I had a pretty terrible experience. And yet, it was over in an hour and I didn't waste any time before then worrying about it. That has really stuck with me these past few days (along with the bruises I have from the four tries it took them to get an IV in me).

“Don’t worry about the future
Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind
The kind that blindsides you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday”

— Baz Luhrmann, Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)

I can make myself sick worrying about something that will never actually be as bad as I make it out to be. Or I can take things in smaller doses and worry about the things worth worrying about only when they are actually presented to me. 

Easier said than done, as usual; but always worth remembering.