and the answers are...

Before I get to the answers of all the questions you asked, I wanted to share this super sweet gift I received today. Micaela surprised me with the sweetest book, and I can't wait to curl up with it while the snow comes down (hopefully) tomorrow afternoon!

-How did you and Mr. D-toes meet? This is pretty embarrassing. When I was 17, my step mom blocked me from sending and receiving IM's, so a friend from work and I decided that we'd meet in the Roanoke, VA chat room on AOL because we had things to talk about. Who knows how Chris and I started talking, but we did, and he was actually kind of rude to begin with, but we ended up discovering that our families knew each other, and things moved right on from there!

-What is the difference in age between you and your brother, and who's older? My brother Derek and I are 4 years and 356 days apart in age (to be exact), and I'm the oldest. Although he's almost 23, I'll always think of him as a little boy!

-Are you from this area? if not, where are you from and what brought you here? I'm from Lynchburg, but I moved to Pennsylvania when my parents divorced. I couldn't get used to it and I was REALLY homesick, so I moved back down to VA to live with my dad. Unless I have the opportunity to move to SF, I'll stay in VA.

-Favourite excerpt from a novel? I don't have one favorite, but I always love when Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic Series says that she did things, "accidentally on purpose." It always makes me laugh!

-What is your favourite book? At the risk of sounding like a nerd, I really love Beowulf. I also love The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, and every book in the Shopaholic series.

-How did you begin making such unusual and beautiful jewellery? I never thought I'd end up making jewelry since I don't wear much of it, but I really started to love metal after Chris taught me how to weld and use the torch, so I guess jewelry is sort of a toned down version of what I originally started doing. I always thought I'd do something more along the lines of fine art as I really love drawing.

-Hey, how old is Flojo? She'll be 5 on Valentine's Day.

-When did you first know you were in love with Mr. D? When I was moving out of my dad's house and in with my grandparents, my grandpa asked, "Would you marry him?" That was the first time I really, truly thought about it, and I knew that I would!

-If you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it be? That one is easy! Skinny jeans, a t-shirt, sandals, sunglasses and a messenger bag.

-Do you have a secret talent nobody knows about? I wouldn't exactly call this a talent, but I've never been beat in a burping contest. ;) I've also played several instruments and was invited to play with the Lynchburg Symphony when I was in middle school, so I think I used to be musically inclined. I'm not as good now that I'm old.

-What's the one makeup item you could not live without? The only type of makeup I wear is eyeshadow (because my skin is pale and my eyelids look purple due to the veins), so that would be it!

-Can you tell us more about you bird? How old is she? How did you decide to get a bird? How old was he when you got her? Flojo will be 5 on Valentine's Day. When I was younger, we had a parrot named E.T. that lived with us, so I've loved their beauty and personalities for a long time! Chris surprised me and drove me 9 hours to South Carolina to meet my new baby. She was only a few weeks old, and she was completely bald! We hand raised her for a couple months until she was weened and would eat on her own. She's owned me since then!

-When did you get married and how long have you been married for? Chris and I got married on September 30th, and we'll celebrate our 10 year anniversary this year!

-Any kids in the near future? Hmmm, I'm not sure. Chris is ready, but I'm still not sure if I am. I know we will one day. People give me a pretty hard time because I'm nearly 28 and haven't had any, but I try to ignore it.

-What is your favourite piece of art in your house? My favorite piece of art is this Sharpie drawing done of Chris and I at my high school prom. Chris says it's weird to have a picture of us hanging in our den, but I told him that unless we've commissioned a large masterpiece of ourselves wearing fine furs and silks, it isn't weird.