Your Questions; My Answers Part I

USCEmily asked: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? How about 10 years?
- Growing up, I loved playing House and picturing my life in the future, so this one fits in well. In 5 years I'll be 27, and I would love to be married and well on my way to starting a family. I hope to still be working, but I would love to be a senior account manager and in charge of my own accounts instead of just supplementing them, which is what I do now. In 10 years I would like to be settled with a family in a house that my husband and I have built - preferably with three kids (2 girls and a boy, please), 2 dogs and the most breathtaking kitchen you've ever seen (kitchens are my weakness, and the lifeblood of a house, in my opinion). At that point professionally, I would love to be running the PR department, but still balancing my family and homelife. I'm too much of a Suzy Homemaker not to nest while I work.

Emily asked: What is your favorite kind of food? Favorite color? Favorite item of clothing?
- I always struggle with "favorite" questions because I have about 291024 favorites of everything. I'll try to narrow these down, though. Favorite food: for a dinner meal give me seafood, and I'll devour it. For lunch, obviously peanut butter & banana sandwiches. Breakfast: protein bars, and for dessert: does it have sugar in it? Okay, I'll eat it. My favorite color is pink, but I'm picky about the shade and its usage. My favorite item of clothing would have to be dresses in general. There isn't one in my closet that I could pick out as my favorite because for different occasions I would pick something different. For colder days I've been loving my sweater dress with leggings; for an afternoon summer wedding I'd pull my favorite Lilly dress; for something fancier I have a to-die-for BCBG in silver blue; for work, I have about a million options, and I love them all. I adore Banana Republic jeans, and headbands in general. See, Emily? You asked for one thing and I gave you lots and lots!

QueenBeeSwain asked: What was your favorite show on Nickelodeon when you were growing up?
- Queen Bee, I am thrilled that you asked me this. I'm such a TV whore (which I'm not proud of, but it's true), and I logged many an hour in front of Nickelodeon as a mini polka dot. My brother LOVED Pete & Pete, so we watched a lot of that, but my personal favorite was Clarissa Explains It All. Melissa Joan Hart was so spunky with such eclectic style. I dreamed of being able to make my own computer games, have a pet alligator named Elvis, and live in a house where my best friend could climb up a ladder to get into my room. The Darling family had it all. If I was feeling naughty and wanted to watch something that wasn't parent-approved, I would check out the hijinks of Donkey Lips and Camp Counselor Ugg of Salute Your Shorts. I wish all of those shows were still on the air!

SNCal17 asked: What advice can you give to a fellow 22 year old gal who's unhappy with her fresh-out-of-college job?
- Well, this is tricky. Luckily for me, I'm in a field that I love and is a perfect match for me. I love my company, as well. Do I love my job every day? Absolutely not. For the moment I'm stuck in the doldrums of an entry level position doing work that I'm overqualified for and making an embarrassingly low salary. Sure, I'm learning a lot, and my boss has acknowledged that I'm ready for a promotion and a raise, but thanks to the economy I'll have to continue toiling. I'm thrilled to be employed and receiving a paycheck, but I do get discouraged. Thankfully, I see the potential to move up thanks to the structure of our agency. So I guess my question for you would be: are you happy in the field you're in and just unhappy with your job role? Or are you unhappy with your chosen field? If it's the first one, hang tough, pay your dues, I promise it will pay off. If number 2, know that you're still young enough to go back to school and explore other options. The time to find out is now. I hope that helps! I don't know that I'm qualified to give advice, but I'm always willing to try!

Pink Bliss asked: You are so dedicated to fitness, as someone struggling with trying to lose 15lbs and being healthier, do you have any advice?
- I'm dedicated to fitness because I have to be. Sadly, I am not a girl that is blessed with a fast metabolism. If I don't workout and eat poorly, it shows. Immediately. I used to hate that, but now I feel lucky that at such a young age I've had to learn how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I don't want to be a textbook reguritating "calories in-calories out." For me, I have to mix up my workouts. It's easy to hop on an elliptical everyday, and I have terribly bad knees, so I have to limit my treadmill time, so I try to alternate between elliptical, treadmill, rowing maching, stairmaster, bike/cycle classes, athletic conditioning classes, and swimming laps. I also lift weights at home to save time in the gym and allow more time for cardio. I don't get bored that way, and my body is constantly challenged and my joints aren't beaten endlessly. Also, there are many days that I can't devote an hour or more to working out, so I squeeze in what I can. That usually amounts to 25 minutes of cardio at lunch paired with weights, squats, lunges and running my staircase at home after work. I like healthy food, too, so even when I overeat, it's usually on foods that don't do all that much manage. I try to be realistic about my health/weight/workout routine. I would hate to be 40 and feel like I spent all of my 20's abusing my body. Good luck with your journey! Please let me know if you ever have questions about my diet and fitness routine!

Thank you all for such wonderful questions! I'll post part II later this afternoon or tomorrow. If you have any more, send them my way!