For this first round, I randomly picked five of your questions to answer that were all across the board and addressed everything from food and beauty to weddings and dogs. I initially wanted to include 10 questions but I was quite long-winded with my answers (as you will see below) and figured you guys didn’t want to read a novel from me today. (I saved the other questions I received for the future, so if I didn’t get to yours today, I hope to soon!)
Let’s get to it!
Instagram Stories Q&A
- I’d love to know your hair care routine. I think we have similar hair but I feel like I have to wash mine everyday. I do use dry shampoo but by the end of the day I feel so gross I just have to wash it! How do you style your loose waves?
I typically wash my hair twice a week but almost always let it air dry one of the days (usually my mid-week wash since I don’t really care to style my hair as much during the week since I’m usually just out and about with Chase and working from home). I spend a little more time on my hair on Friday or Saturday when I wash it and then spray it with a heat protectant. (I’ve been using a combination of Nexxus Promend Heat Protecting Mist and Premiun Nature Argan Oil Hair Protector Spray <— A more natural alternative.) I then blow dry it with by BaByliss hair dryer which I think really does reduce frizz and makes my hair look silkier.
If I’m going to curl it, I will then hairspray the heck out of my hair with Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray which I absolutely swear by for adding texture and volume to my waves. I then wrap my hair around the outside of my curling iron away from my face and leave the ends out for a beachy look. (A wand would probably work better than a curling iron for this but I still haven’t bought one.) I then hairspray my hair again and try not to touch it while I do my makeup. (At this point my hair looks like Medusa.) Once my hair feels cool and my makeup is done, I brush it out again and hairspray the heck out of it. I will also sometimes run my straightener over my bangs and the tips of my hair if they look a little too fluffy or kinky and spray my roots and waves with Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray .
As for how I go for days in between washes, I really do swear by Living Proof dry shampoo! The more I use it, the more I notice almost a build-up at my roots (which I know sounds disgusting) but since my hair is so fine and flat, I don’t really mind it and almost prefer it since I feel like it adds a little bit of volume. I also tend to change up my hairstyles to allow myself to go longer between shampoos. I will often wear my hair down right after I wash and style it and then go for a half-up/pulled back style a day or two later and then progress to ponytails and hats (see above!) when it’s almost time to wash it again.
- Now that it’s been a little while since the crazy wedding years for you guys, what one piece of advice would you have for a couple planning a wedding soon? I feel like it’s so easy to get caught up in all the planning and comparison with all of your friends getting married around the same time.
I cannot believe it has been almost seven years since our wedding! I definitely feel out of the wedding game at the moment but absolutely LOVED that time in our lives. Looking back on all of the weddings we attended, I can say that the most memorable weddings we attended were the ones that were less traditional and more unique and really felt like the couple. (For the perfect example of what I mean, please check out Kaitlyn and Kailon’s wedding recap. Their wedding was beautiful and SO MUCH FUN.)
I’d definitely talk with your fiancé about what you both feel is most important and go from there. If you can figure out a way to do something original and true to who you are as a couple, I’d say go for it! For example, Ryan and I LOVE a cappella music and I think somehow incorporating a local a cappella group into our wedding (possibly for the ceremony music or something!) would’ve been really neat but of course I didn’t think of that idea at the time (and also have no idea if that would’ve totally killed our budget).
Another thing to keep in mind is that people just really want YOU to love your day. If the bride and groom look like they are in love and having the time of their lives, I think that really translates to the guests and makes everyone feel happier and more excited about celebrating such a special day. And maybe I’m a total sap, but don’t underestimate your vows. They were my favorite part of my wedding and something I definitely look forward to hearing during every wedding I’ve attended.
- I would love to know how you shop healthfully on a budget!
Meal planning is SO huge for me when it comes to sticking to a grocery budget. When I actually take the time to plan out my meals, we definitely cut down on food waste and eliminate superfluous purchases. (Here’s a little peek into my meal planning/food prep process: Prepping 5 Healthy Dinners.)
I’m also not sure if you live close to an ALDI, but you must check it out if you do! I cannot tell you how impressed I’ve been with the prices of their organic produce (cheaper than conventional produce at many grocery stores) and their SimplyNature line of products.
I also regularly purchase pantry staples from Thrive Market which I absolutely recommend for healthy and organic shelf-stable products like coconut oil, quality salad dressings, healthy snacks and bars, collagen, nut butter, honey, sauces, etc. There’s an upfront membership fee but I’ve easily made the cost of my membership back in savings.
We also really try to limit how much we eat out. Part of that is simply because we now have an energetic toddler and sitting down to eat out at a restaurant with Chase right now is not my idea of a good time, but making it a point to eat meals at home most days seems to really help with overall monthly food expenditures.
- When you were doing long runs with Sadie, did you work up to them? Did you ever have any issues with her pulling when you ran? I have a very energetic dog here in Texas and was wondering how y’all got started!
When I began training for half marathons, I did a decent amount of research about running long distances with Sadie and found that vizslas are a breed that can absolutely handle (and LOVE) long distance running. For the most part what I read was to include Sadie in most of my training runs and these runs would basically work as her training runs, too, allowing her to work up to the longer distances we tackled on my long run days. For some of my longer runs, I’d loop back by our house for a water break for Sadie or plan routes around town where I knew we’d have access to water. The heat seemed to bother her more than the distances when we lived in Florida, so planning my runs early in the morning before the heat of the day set in was key!
As for pulling, I feel for you on that one! For a long time, walking or running with Sadie was kind of miserable because she’d pull so much. Once we bought a Gentle Leader harness, everything improved dramatically! If your dog tries to pull, the harness basically makes them walk around in a circle so if they want to get anywhere, they know to walk or run with a little slack in the leash. Total game changer!
- Do you have any healthy meal ideas for one?
I think a great way to address this question is to look at my lunches! I am usually only feeding myself for lunch and will often eat dinner leftovers because I don’t want to have to cook a billion times a day. (So, in this instance, making recipes that feed 2-4 people with the intention of eating leftovers is great for one person!) I will also often cook up a bunch of roasted vegetables for myself for lunches and then pair them with a grain of some kind (I’ve been loving wheat berries and barley lately), a source of protein (chicken thighs, salmon, etc.) and some avocado slices for creaminess and healthy fats. Salads and breakfast-for-dinner are both go-tos for me when I’m doing my own thing for dinner.
Questions of the Day
- What is one piece of advice you’d give to a newly engaged couple who are in the middle of planning their wedding?
- What is one thing you do to help save money on healthy food?
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My advice would be to be in the moment and not get caught up in the idea of the wedding. I’m with you, thrive market is fantastic!
Love this Q&A style! And very thankful for your hair tips! I don’t do my hair often and snuggle with how to take care of it when I do. The heat protectant spray is now on my list!
Great post!!! My husband and I eloped haha, so no advice on planning!! As far as sticking to a budget and eating healthy, go simple!! We love chicken and sweet potatoes, or chicken sausage with peppers and onions, etc. There’s no need for four courses or using unique ingredients if you’re on a tight budget!
-Sarah http://www.thefrugalmillionaireblog.com
I got married about a month ago and I 100% agree with your post! We wrote our own vows which made it so special & we got a ton of compliments on them. We didn’t do anything way out of the ordinary, but we did a lot of little things to make the night “ours”, We had non-traditional songs played during the processional and recessional (string covers of The Pixies, The Smiths, & Depeche Mode), we played our favorite Thunder Struck drinking game, & we had some nerdy details like a TARDIS card box (from Doctor Who). Again, most of the compliments were on the things that were uniquely us. I also got a ton of compliments on how happy I looked! I made it a point to focus on the most important part of all- marrying the love of my life <3 That made me the happiest person in the world. I'd really recommend focusing on the actual marriage part and remembering that everything else is just extra. I'd also recommend getting a lot of the big decisions out the way early in the planning process. Also, always say yes to help! A few people commented on how calm of a bride I was, which is ironic because I have an anxiety disorder. A big reason why I felt so calm is because of how much help I had. My cousin designed & made the invitations and envelopes; my maid of honor stuffed & mailed the invitations, made our card box, made a sign for the wedding, made our guest book canvas, & probably more that I can't remember; my husband's aunt did all our flowers; my mother-in-law made our favors & a poster with pictures our family members on their wedding day. Take all the help you can get!
This was a long comment but hopefully someone finds it helpful <3
I love this! Your wedding sounds wonderful. And BIG congratulations to you!!!
Oh yes saving this post, I’ve always wanted to know your hair routine. And meal planning all meals really helps me keep our grocery bill down. And I try to make some granola bars, snacks, and breads myself.
Love this, fun idea! Regarding grocery budgets, I think it helps to make your own salad dressings and sauces – so easy and they’re so much more expensive to buy premade.
This was fun! I may have to try Living Proof dry shampoo, I usually use batiste, but I feel like it only really helps the day after washing my hair. My wedding prep tip would be to enjoy the moments and not worry as much about the wedding itself, it’s easy to get caught up (and stressed) with wedding prep. But some of the hubs and my happiest moments were goofing of while looking at wedding stuff and hanging with our bridal party in the days before.
My wedding advice builds on a part of yours – figure out the 1-3 things you as a couple care about the most and focus on those. For us it was good food and great music (–> for dancing)…and we nailed it. For everything else, don’t stress about it….which is easier said than done, but my strategy (4.5 long years ago now) was to either pay someone to handle it for me (like my flowers) or just not do it…..because the truth is you don’t HAVE to do everything that anyone else does or that’s considered “standard” for weddings. I’m pretty sure no one noticed we didn’t have monogrammed napkins, for example 🙂
I love this Q&A post! Would definitely like to see more of these on the blog. I think it’s fun to have you talk about some things you normally don’t talk about, like your hair routine for example.
P.S I’m the college student who did the final project for my social media class on you. I hope you enjoyed it!
Love the Q&A! so fun! I may have to try the gentle lead harness. my dogs are terrible at pulling and trying to walk them and push a stroller is just chaos.
Another tip on the healthy food – when in season – I always go to the local fresh markets around the town on the weekends. You can always find great deals on fresh local produce!
Please do more of these! I love learning more about my favorite bloggers- especially those Ive been reading for 7 years like you!!
Wedding prep tip is to remember that at the end of the day you will be married to your love. Don’t let the little things set you off. Our wedding was pretty traditional, but we had the little elements that made it our own.
I have been shopping at Aldi’s for years! The first time I went stressed me out b/c they move so fast, but now I’m a pro! I go to Aldi’s first, then I go to the bigger grocery store to get the items that I couldn’t find or prefer. Coupons are a huge help to!
I really like this type of post – keep them coming!
I agree with your wedding advice completely – it should represent you as individuals and a couple and be a celebration.
I recently moved from Charlotte to Tallahassee and am pretty sad about not having an Aldi anymore.
I second the gentle leader! We had one for our cocker spaniel, and the first time we used it, it was like walking a completely different dog. He stopped pulling and walks were a lot more fun for both of us.
I love this q and a! And your wedding was stunning, I can’t believe it’s been almost 7 years. I remember when you guys got engaged!
As for advice on planning a wedding, I would say don’t let the industry put pressure on you to do it their way. Do it the way YOU want it. And if you and your fiancé disagree (my husband and I could not agree on ANYTHING, ha!) then listen to each other and compromise. At the end of the day, you will be happy that you got married, and nothing else really matters.
https://jonandaudadventure.wordpress.com/
Thanks for reading my blog for so long, Audrey! And I love your wedding advice! <3
What Shampoo and conditioner do you use when you do wash your hair?
I’ve been switching things up a lot lately between Pureology, Marc Anthony Instantly Thick, The Honest Company and OGX shampoos/conditioners! I also still love my Lee Stafford hair lengthening treatment (I get it at Ulta or on Amazon –> http://bit.ly/2pUsahw ) and use it once a week or so!
I used to be really good about meal planning, but now I find a flexible meal plan saves me a lot of money. If I am more flexible, then I buy the produce and meat that is the cheapest instead of what I need for my “meal plan”. Sometimes with meal planning I would be set on getting certain ingredients (that were expensive because they weren’t in season) or avoiding veggies that I didn’t recognize because I didn’t know what to do with them. Meal planning also took more effort than my current “throw things together” cooking style, but I think I am a better cook because I focus more on technique and flavor combinations that I enjoy.
So, I do a loose meal plan. We loosely have a pasta dish, a rice-ish dish, a taco dish, a soup/salad dish, a vegetarian dish, and a meat + veggies dish every week. I sort of know what’s in season, so I make a rough sketch in my mind of what that will look like, then I buy whatever is on the best sale and use that for the week. If I want to make a recipe with sweet potatoes in August (sweet potatoes are EXPENSIVE in August) I substitute for a similar vegetable that IS in season and cheap, like carrots or zucchini.
Making your own breads and tortillas saves a lot, tastes better, and gets fast with practice. Also, cooking grains like rice, beans, etc. from dry grains is yummier, healthier, and SO MUCH CHEAPER. And having an extra freezer if there is space is so nice because you can stock up a bit or cook things like rice/grains in large batches.
I am a fellow Aldi lover too! I do most of my shopping there and love the savings we can get from doing our main grocery hauls at Aldi. I also love Trader Joes for some more specialty things and am usually impressed with their prices too!
Great post! Always fun to see a behind the scenes look at where you are at! I did the same thing with my dog Nala and running but recently I bought a hydration pack and we are both able to drink from it. I just squirt the water and she drinks a little more.
My one piece of advice for planning a wedding would be to make a list of things that are non-negotiable musts, then don’t worry about everything else. At the end of the day, you’re only going to remember the key details and things that really mattered to you, not all of the nitty gritty little things 🙂 Also, STAY OFF OF PINTEREST!
I love these posts – please do keep them coming. Totally agree that restaurants with a toddler are not fun – it feels like a waste because it is the opposite of relaxing.
Exactly! It’s just stressful!
Hi Julie! I have a wand and a curling iron, but because my curling iron is thicker and makes looser curls, I also wrap my hair around that. It works! And I feel you on hair down when it’s clean, then it slowly works its way into a bun as it gets more dirty. As far as weddings — I went to my older sister-in-law’s wedding in San Diego this past weekend and they had the COOLEST feature. Their photographer did a slideshow at the beginning of the reception, and showed all the guests the pics of the bride and groom getting ready through the ceremony pictures too. I had never seen anything like it. If I hadn’t been married five years ago, I’d want to do it in my wedding! Just wanted to share! 🙂
That’s so neat!!!
I had never heard of those dog leashes before. I clicked over & ordered one before even finishing reading your post! 😛 My dog drives me CRAZY w/ her yanking & pulling on walks. Thank you!!!
I really hope it works for you! This may sound like overkill but I swear that thing brought joy back into our walks and runs with Sadie. It made a HUGE difference for us with her pulling!
I love this post! Keep em comin’! 🙂
Side note, did you see the Disney Wedding special on Freeform (aka ABC Family)? One of the weddings had Pentatonix sing hallelujah as the bride walked down the aisle – SO COOL!
This is such a throwback to vintage PBF! Love it!
Such great advice for couples about to get married – thank you! My fiance and I got engaged a few weeks ago and my mom and I went venue hunting today (and decided on one!) and it was such a nice, exciting day. We were really trying to go with a vibe that felt true to Chris and I, and I am so excited at what we settled on. You and Ryan are such a good example of a healthy relationship and I have loved reading about your journey for the last couple of years.
Loved this post!!
I love your hat in the pic you’ve posted. Can you share where it’s from?
Sure! It’s CALIA by Carrie Underwood and I got it at Dick’s Sporting Goods!
I would love to see more posts like this!
I can’t wait to try that dry shampoo. I had tried almost all the other brands you listed in the post where you talked about your top 10 favorites (I know, it’s been a while so I really need to crack down and buy it LOL). But I hate washing my hair on mornings I work (I work in a hospital), so I need to find a good one! Also love your meal ideas! That’s what I do, but I don’t have a problem eating leftovers!
My wedding advice is two-fold.
1. MAKE SURE THT YOU CAN WALK IN YOUR DRESS — I had a horrible time and thanked god that our 11 person wedding didn’t have a dance.
2. It’s not about the day — it is about the MARRIAGE.
Your wedding is just one day in the thousands you will spend as a couple — make yourself happy on that day and do what feels right to you.
My mother would have loved to have had a huge wedding but 11 guests worked for me..and her, in the end.
Don’t freak out if something is not going your way or isnt prfect — you can look back on it and laugh.
…………………………. it may take me a few years to laugh at the fact that the van full of 8 of my 11 guests was 2 hours late as my brother orks on “his own clock” (and like ALL MY FAMILY doesn’t give a crap if he is late as he knew we wouldn’t start without him)
Saving money on healthy food? I get a CSA basket every week and it saves up a tonne of money — I know what is going to be in the basket in advance as I get to choose amongst several options three days before so I plan my meals around that.
Siden note:
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I SWEAR BY AVON MEGA VOLME NEXT DAY SPRAY … unlike most dry shampoos this one is not “powder” based but has mositurizing alcohols in it … I have a dry scalp and it doesn’t dry mine out or leave any residue. It is the in MARK MAGALOG and I can often go 2-3 more after use before shampooing.
Love your tips!! Thank you for sharing!
Love these Q&A type posts! I’m a newer reader but got engaged a few weeks ago, so I just read all of your wedding posts (like seriously, all of them). Your excitement and love for Ryan is so clear in all your posts, and your wedding looked beautiful! We’re looking at venues next week, I can’t wait to get the planning started!
YAYYY! Big congratulations to you, Diana! I’m also go glad you found me and took the time to comment. <3 Hope to see more of you around here!!
Just wanted to pop in and say that I read this yesterday but didn’t have time to comment – just wanted to toss an “I love Q&A posts!” your way. I do! So much fun. I always enjoy reading your blog, and I really enjoy the posts that are your favorites to write. So…win win!
Also loved hearing your hair routine – would love a tutorial video (that is, if anything has changed since your first tutorial video from years ago.) I have the EXACT same hair texture as you, so I want to learn to do to mine what you do to yours! So pretty!
Advice to newly engaged couple planning their wedding: it’s never too early to start checking things off your list. If you let tasks pile up, you’ll get overwhelmed right before the big day. And shamelessly enlist as much help as you can. If someone offers help – take it! Speaking as a person who has done wedding flowers professionally on the side, and worked in a flower shop for years, I still ended up sitting on the floor of my office, the Wednesday 3 days before my wedding, with friends I had begged to come over and help me finish my flowers. Gah! That would be 9 years ago for me, in the next two weeks!
One thing to save money on healthy food: buy foods I KNOW I’ll eat, and pay attention when I keep throwing stuff out, to NOT buy that thing the next time I go, just because it “looks good”. I was on a streak of throwing out perfectly good green beans (that I actually love!) because I was just never in the mood for them, but kept buying them. Don’t do it!
What a great post! These were honestly questions I had myself! I have to say I’m recently engaged and I loved reading about your wedding. Your wedding and marriage is so inspiring. I’ve actually read your wedding post a couple time because they’re such a great reminder to keep true to who you as a couple while planning! Can’t wait to see more post like this!
Congratulations to you, Olivia!! <3
Love these questions! Oh my gosh it’s been two years since we got married and it’s the first time I’ll be attending a wedding as a married woman next weekend! This summer appears to be the summer of weddings for my friends! haha can’t wait!
And definitely agree with your advice on cooking for one. I don’t see how people have the time (or energy) to cook something new for each meal. Left overs are where it’s at! Since it’s just the two of us, we like to cook two big meals that will last us a few days and alternate them for lunch and dinner. Makes life so much easier that way!
Loved this Q&A style post!! Definitely keep ’em coming. Loved the info on weddings- heading into “the wedding years” including mine soon enough and really enjoy the perspective.
Congratulations to you, Elle!!