Questions Answered!

Where do you see yourself and your family in 5 years?

I, of course, have hopes of where we will be or "plans" of where I would like us to be in 5 years.....but then I got to thinking about how much really can take place in 5 years. I mean....I am about to turn 25.....so where was I when I was 20 and how much has happened? WOW! I was in college, graduated at 21, moved back home to Atlanta, met Zach, engaged by 22, moved to Gulf Shores, married by 23, preggo and a Mommy by 24, moved into our first house! What more could happen! Hopefully the next 5 years are a little bit calmer.....but then again, I don't think so!

So where do I hope to be in 5 years:

• I hope to have at least 2 more children.
• I hope to still be in our house, but if we have to move, I hope we can rent it!
• I hope to still be living in GA but we will see with Zach's job.
• I hope Zach is a Superintendent at a super great course.
• I hope Zoe is attending a great Catholic school, starting her Kindergarten year.
• I hope to be a stay-at-home Mom.
• I hope my Mom is retired so she can be a full time Grammy and help me with my then 3 kids :)
• I hope to be still running and have run my 2nd marathon.
• I hope Zach and I are more in love then we had ever been!

Have you picked out your future kids names? And if so, what are they?

We have picked out our names for the next baby! Since we won't be finding out the gender for the next one either (I know Zach's family is groaning right now....haha), we chose two names now. If we have a girl, her name will be Ryan Mackenzie. And if we have a boy, his name will be Oliver James.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why? And what would you see there?

I really, really want to travel to Ireland because it is IRELAND! And really I would be happy seeing anything there....just being there would make me so happy. But I would love to see the coastlines, the sheep, the castles.....a true Irish pub!

I would also like to go to Italy and see Rome, The Vatican City because it is so rich in culture and religion....I feel as a Catholic....it is just necessary to visit there!

If you had 3 wishes to make what would you wish?

1. I wish the toilet, and for that matter, the whole bathroom, would clean itself!
2. I wish I didn't love chocolate so much, but I do!
3. I wish I had a vineyard in my backyard. And someone to pick the grapes and make them into a wonderful Cab.

Is it Zoe like Joe or Zoe like Joey?

It is Zoe like Joey.....I know we should have put those symbols over her "e" to be grammatically correct....but we didn't like them.

What is your favorite thing to do in New York, besides a play?

O how I love NYC! I have been quite a few times since my family lives there and love it more and more every time. And yes, Broadway is probably one of my favorite things to experience while visiting, but there are so many things I love. My favorite thing to do there, right up there with plays, is EAT!!!!!!

I have a check list of things I have to eat before I leave the city.....they include Bagels, Pizza, A dessert of some kind (whether cannolis, cheesecake, or anything), Italian cuisine, and last but not least, A Dirty Water Dog! Yum!

I have a feeling though the next time we go, it will be quite a different experience with a child. I have a feeling I will love the Zoo in Central Park and I can't wait to go to FAO Schwarz!

How many kids are you planning on having and how close together do you want them?

Zach and I are truly open to whatever God has in store for us and our family! He already has it planned out :) But if we were to get to have some sort of say...ideally what we want is to have 4....the first 2 being close in age....then a gap of 3 or 4 years and 2 more. But we will see (I know I will probably look back at this and laugh!)

Why did you choose to go to school at UA?

The guy I dated in High School and his older brother attended UA. So, for 2 years before I attended college, I visited Tuscaloosa often. And I fell in love with it! No, I did not follow the boy down there....he transferred to UGA the same year I started and I knew this was happening ahead of time.

I loved the historic buildings and the air of the town. I loved that it was a BIG school. I love college football and wanted to be a part of an SEC school. I have forever loved design and I graduated with a BS in Interior Design. And the only other schools that had Interior Design were Auburn (would not attend there if my life depended on it ...haha...but seriously) and UGA....and to be honest, I wanted to get away from everyone and start new!

Everyone I knew from high school either went to UGA, a Georgia school, or Auburn. I was the only person from my graduating class to attend UA and I loved it for that!

And boy am I glad I did attend UA....I loved EVERY moment of college! I loved the people I met, the degree I received, and the experience I had! Loved it all!

How did your husband propose?

Zach and I had a very odd dating experience, if you want to call it that. We met casually in July and I was dating someone else at the time. We met again in September.... and fell madly in love. I booked the wedding reception before we were engaged (I wasn't a psyco or anything....we had seriously discussed it before hand) in December and he proposed in February, the 15th. I knew it was coming, I knew almost to the weekend because we were long distance. He did it on the beach in Gulf Shores. At times I wish it was a romantic, sappy proposal, where he told me how he couldn't live without me and he had dreamt of me his entire life.....but that is just not Zach....and not really me either.

What has been the hardest thing that you have experienced being a mother? Was this something that you had expected to be difficult or did it take you by surprise?
I am not going to lie to you on this one because I feel soon to be moms or people thinking about wanting to start a family need to know this type of stuff. But, everything having to do with Zoe Jane has been a piece of cake....LOVED EVERY MOMENT OF IT! I read lots of books, had lots of experience with children and if you just stay positive and relaxed....things work great. Being stress free and having a good attitude really does affect your baby!

But lack of sleep is a tough one, but that is part of the territory and nothing I didn't expect.

The hardest thing I went through was trying to develop an effective way for Zach and I to communicate without wanting to kill each other....and believe me....there were many times I wanted to! I would also not support anyone wanting to move into a house the same month as having your first child....especially one that needs work, like ours did. Fighting so much because of all the hormones, lack of sleep, my motherly instincts, was just horrible. Zach and I had never fought like this before. We had never really seen this side of each and it was really hard to. But, we eventually found out how it would be best to talk to one another.....after I think about 2 months. And we have never been better now! What doesn't kill your marriage, will make it sooo much stronger!

What is the best thing you learned from your mother that you are learning in this stage of life?

Oh man....I have learned so much from my mom.....good and bad! If any of you have met my mom, we are exactly alike. Yes, I said it and I know it....I am not in denial! To make matters worse...we look alike, too! I love her so much! She was an amazing mom to me and instilled a lot of wonderful values in me that have really helped me now!

My mom stayed home with me for majority of my upbringing. In the very beginning she didn't, but quickly realized how important it was to her to be a stay at home mom and raise her children herself. This has definitely been instilled in me and she supports us and helps us whenever she can.

My parents made many sacrifices to raise my sisters and me the way they did. I have learned that these sacrifices are so worth it even though at the time they may have been really hard. I am willing to make the same sacrifices for my family. My mom taught me young that I had to save, earn things I wanted, that she wasn't going to just give me things. That has helped me a lot right now!

And it has really helped that my mom is CRAZY crafty! I love that I got these traits from her. I love making things for my home and for Zoe Jane!

What was a standout memory, heartwarming or hilarious, from delivery day of sweet Zoe?

This may be TMI....but I thought it was really funny. I had Zoe naturally. So....as I am sure you can imagine....I was in a little bit of pain...and I made sure everyone knew how I was feeling. After being in labor for almost 20 hours....I HAD TO PUSH! And I would scream at the nurse that I could not stop after she continually told me it was not time.....SERIOUSLY....get a new line. Well, I had a lot of fluids pumped into to me and I really had to push and we all know what happens to a woman's bladder due to pregnancy....so almost every time I pushed before I was supposed to.....I peed everywhere. Whooops....you may be so grossed out right now....but I think it is funny. That is what you get for telling a woman 40 weeks pregnant and 20 hours into labor not to push!

But I must say the most heartwarming moment was hearing Zach announce to me "It's Zoe Jane!" over and over....It is making me cry now. We both just held each other and her and cried. It was beautiful!

Favorite foods, may be different depending on where you are, at home, eating in the city, with your parents, or in greater, greater Berry at Zelda's! :)

Favorites foods definitely do depend on where you are....I love nothing I make because I don't like to cook. But, I love Zelda's biscuits in the morning....if she ever offers I quickly say YES! I love Japanese food and Italian food though.....and Ice cream and chocolate.....oh it could go on and on....

Biggest change from being single-to-married, from being a couple-to-a family. All of which are life altering moments, but to me they mesh in such a way, molding us to be what we really are....

I think the biggest change from being single to married was that I would always have this other person with me, not matter what......good and bad. Before married, I loved my alone time...and I still do. So having another person around ALL THE TIME...was a transition and having to ask for my alone time. But then on the flip side....It is so comforting to know that I have this man I can depend on and love and spend the rest of my life with....a best friend for ever. A truly beautiful thing! I love being married....would never trade it to be single again....EVER!

Going from Couple to Family has been great other than the fighting.....It is just supposed to be this way. Seeing Zach as a father makes me fall more and more in love with him! God giving us Zoe has made me and Zach better people....Family is the best!

How did you meet Zach?

Okay.....

• I went to UA where I met Crystal at work.
• Crystal is from the great town of Berry, AL, same as Zach.
• Crystal introduced me to Ashley...another Berrian (is that what you call yourselves?)
• Ashley lived in the same apartment complex as Zach's brother, Cory.
• Cory and I became friends my junior year of college.
• Cory met and fell in love with my friend Kimberly and they moved to Atlanta.
• I graduated and I moved back to Atlanta and lived 5 minutes from Cory and Kimberly.
• Crystal invited all of us down to Fairhope in July 2007 and we celebrated her engagement.
• Zach was living in Gulf Shores, 30 minutes from Fairhope, and played golf with Cory that weekend when we went down to celebrate.
• Cory invited Zach to dinner after golf and he CAME!
• Zach and I sat next to each other at dinner, but I didn't really pay attention because I was dating someone else....but I thought he was so cute!
• I broke it off with the guy I was dating and messaged Zach on myspace.
• Zach visited Atlanta (he said it was to see Cory but it was really to see me) in September.
• We fell madly in love that weekend!
• We said we loved each other that weekend!
• We talked about how we wanted a big family that weekend!
• We knew we didn't want to spend another day apart after that weekend!

Love is such a beautiful thing!

Thanks everyone for the questions! I hope you enjoyed the answers and getting to know me and my family a little bit better!