questions and answers!

here they are! several of the questions that were submitted in the formsprings answered! i didnt answer all of them... i'll save a few for the next time around, etc.. but if you want to ask anything just visit the formsprings below and ask away. its anonymous. :) sorry the formatting on these are sloppy. i just copied & pasted from textEdit :)

How did becoming "popular" (I hate using that word, but I can't think of another word for this) on MySpace and being in Seventeen magazine affect you? What I really mean is, how did it all start?
man oh man what a good question. honestly, i don't know. it's really strange. i've had myspace for going on 6 years i think (december 03, holla!) so i've been around. back in the day in my tee-tiny town we had nothing better to do than sit on this awesome new website. i took it way too serious for far too long but i'd go to nashville and people would recognize me and be all "omg you're kaelah from myspace".. it got to where i just said "nope, i've heard of myspace but i don't have one" ha. i'm not sure how the whole seventeen thing came about. all i remember is that i had an email in my inbox at 3:30am one morning and i was getting ready to jet off to california saying i was a finalist. i was like "HUH?" and it went from there. its cool to get adds and emails from girls saying they've cut out my picture and it's hanging in their room or something, or that i'm some sort of inspiration. thats really all i've ever wanted.. not some crazy silly for-nothing internet fame. i don't consider myself e-popular or e-famous. i just do what i do and hope that people can enjoy it. if not, its just not your cup o' tea :D i'm inspired by normal every day girls just as much as the next person so its really flattering. but i wont lie, the "popularity" has its perks. lots of opportunities and doors open up that otherwise i'm not sure i'd have a chance at. so it balances itself out :)

what ever happened with that girl you were friends with/lived with who was getting married?
they got married at the end of july as planned, but i backed out of the wedding. i think everyone agreed it was for the best. the last i spoke to her was probably the end of august as we were finishing up details on our apartment but as far as i know, they're happily married and living in memphis. i sent them nothing but well wishes and i hope that married life is treating them well :)

i know you've always gotten good grades and seem to always be really on top of your work. how do you stay motivated in school?? i just started college at 23, i haaaaated highschool and refused to ever go to college but i realized i needed it...at fist i was doing really well but i'm feeling myself starting to slip.
this is definitely a topic for discussion currently. i've been faltering in my focus and motivation as of late. high school came easy to me. nothing was challenging really so i just kind of breezed through. college (at art school) is way different from a traditional college so i don't have to take classes i find incredibly boring, etc. i guess that helps. except for right now i'm in an advertising class that makes me want to scream bloody murder, so its impossible for me to do those projects apparently. i just try to keep in mind its something i'm going to be doing for the rest of my life so i might as well learn what i can while i can. at least before i'm thrown out on my butt and told to fend for myself :P

Why/how did you decided to be vegetarian and then vegan? Were there any foods that you liked that you had to give up? I personally am part time vegetarian, as in eat mostly veggies for health reasons and I'll eat meat every once in a while. What are your favorite vegan dishes?
i was vegetarian for like five years throughout high school and after, etc, but i'd be off and on and off again. my best friend shannon has been vegan for almost a year now and i've tried going vegan alone but i was totally ignorant in the matter so when she and i went on a long roadtrip at the beginning of august, it opened my eyes to a lot of things that are vegan and its not AS hard as one might think. (granted, its still insanely hard and less than convenient). it helps having someone thats a little more knowledgeable and informed to help you along the way. there were far too many things i hated to give up but by far the worst was my mom's chocolate gravy breakfast. you just don't even know :P and i love vegan pasta bakes so gimmie some pasta and some fresh veggies (zucchini, squash, red pepper) and i'm golden :D oh oh oh and also!!! Isa Chandra Moskowitz has a new article in every issue of BUST magazine (the mag i work for in NYC, it comes out every other month) and she's the author of SO many amazing vegan recipe books! you should look her up!

Have you traveled anywhere?
i have been to ten or eleven countries in europe (hungary, austria, switzerland, france, lichtenstein, germany, netherlands just to name a few) and all over the united states. i've lived in new york city and practically northern california apart from nashville. i love love love to travel.

What are some of your favourite websites? Not like social network sites, or tfln, but like blogs, and inspiration, and stuff. Do you have any favourites? or could you just link to some?
i just poke around tumblr a lot… ill go in the directory and click "quotes" or "love" or something and just jump from one tumblr to another. it's hands down the best go-to place. i also use ffffound.com and weheartit.com like no other. no specific blogs off the top of my head but also lookbook.nu :D

What is it like living in Tennesse? i've always wanted to go to the southern states ^_^
i love tennessee. its really unlike any other place. i realized it today in the plane when flying over. it just LOOKS different from other states you know? loveeeee. rolling hills, lots of trees, beautiful in the autumn. the weather can get you though! gah! hot then cold then humid and sticky sticky sticky! but i love just sitting in my room or on the twinkledeck with the doors ope and you can hear the bugs chirping. and the southern hospitality is one thing you grow oh so accustomed to.

What do you think was the best thing that you have ever done?
moving to new york city by myself. hands down. i learned so much about myself, my goals, my friends and family and just life outside of my little bubble here in tennessee. and as much as i hate to say it, it was the best thing ever that i did it while single. i wasn't attached to anyone back home. i was constantly relying on another person to pull me through my rough days. instead, i just dove head first into it. moved into an apartment in a part of town i'd never stepped foot in. never met my roommates prior… just did it. i wouldn't change a thing.

Do you have any phobias?
not really, although i'm PETRIFIED of spiders. a;dfjkals;dfjl;adsfj;aside. don't even get me started!

Who is your favourite charecter on the office?
andy probably. he's just…. andy. i love creed, too. and kevin. oh man don't make me choose!

would you judge someone with a skin condition?
oh my goodness, no. i realize it's almost impossible for any one person to be completely nonjudgmental and prejudice but i can safely say that i find nothing to judge in something like a skin condition. :) promise!

can we be bffs?
yes! but first you have to tell me who you are ;) i can't have an imaginary bff :P

are you a vegetarian?
no, i'm a vegan. i was vegetarian for 4 or 5 years through high school and after. i went back to eating meat for a little while after i had some health problems (i was a vegetarian but still wasn't eating healthy. i lacked a lot of essential nutrients and this made my immune system total crap.) i went vegan a few months back because my best friend shannon is also vegan. i find it to be much easier to transition into when you're not alone. it's very daunting and intimidating but she's been vegan for almost a year now so she's the go-to person for any of my questions :)

What do you hope to do once you graduate college?
this is a good question. it's one i've been playing around with a lot in my head recently. graduation is so close (december 2010!) and i feel like i'm totally unprepared for the world. the plan is to graduate with a bachelor of fine arts in visual communications (graphic design) and just basically go from there. i intern at BUST magazine in new york city during the summers so i'm crossing my fingers and praying that they may offer me a job after next summer (please cross yours for me! :D) because my heart is 110% in that publication. i love magazines and editorial layouts so i'd love to snag a job there as i've been doing for the summer. the women are amazing and new york city is my second (well, third) home city. however, if they just don't have room for me by january or may 2011, i've toyed with the idea of going back to college for a completely unrelated degree (marine biology!). granted if i were to do this i'd probably move to northern california to be with my boyfriend (he's in the bay area). i'm also looking at other magazines in new york city and san francisco to try and hit up :) BUT! my third choice is a quite exciting one… provided that the economy allots me the ability to do this, i may join the Peace Corps. it's something i've wanted to do since i was a tot and to have the ability to do humanitarian work and travel… it just sounds amazing. i'd have to commit 2+ years but i could always go through a different organization, too. we'll see! oh my, sorry for the long-winded answer! i just get so excited when i think about my future :D

How did you get into art?
funny story actually… in kindergarten i hated coloring… i mean i loathed coloring. my teacher actually spoke to my mom about it and my mom told her plain and simple "make her do her coloring sheets and make her do them right." sure enough i remember the day EXACTLY… i was coloring a christmas tree and ornaments and i just scribbled all over it, walked up to the teacher's desk and turned it in. she was not pleased. she sent me straight back to my seat to color in the lines perfectly and not bring it back until every inch of the picture was painted with a hue. my mom started working with me after classes in coloring books and drawing squirrels (silly!) but i started really taking to it and then all i ever wanted to do was draw and paint and make things pretty. i owe all of it to my dear mother and my awesome kindergarten teacher.

When did you meet Adam?
i met adam 5 years ago when i was 16 or so. i was with shannon and our friend chris at the movies. we ran into him in the parking lot and he was with his friends. we ended up talking to them and we all decided to go to walmart (we were in a small town). we all just hung out and junk but the funny thing is i remember totally NOOOOTTTT liking adam at all. i didn't think he was cute, i thought he was immature, etc. he was spraying stuff on the floor and sliding around in walmart, etc. we became friends on myspace but rarely spoke to each other. 2 years later i moved to his town (he was an hour and a half away from my hometown) and we had a mutual best friend. he kept trying to hang out with me and i would just blow him off continually. i really had no desire to hang out with him. then one night i was going to hang out with our mutual friend johnny b and he was with him so one thing lead to another and we were all 3 hanging out at steak n shake, hanging out at my place and johnny b's, then going to the park. adam and i hit it off pretty immediately and that was almost 3 years ago to the day (november 3rd!)… now look at us. basically 3 years into a relationship, we've lived together for over a year, and now we're doing the long-distance thing. amazing.

Why do you enjoy traveling so much?
i don't have a real answer for this aside from the fact i just never want to look back on my life and say "i wish i would have done that when i had the chance"… once i graduate college and get a "real job" in the "real world" i'll have to sacrifice the 3+ months of summer vacation and trade it in for MAYBE 1 or 2 weeks of down-time… and if i'm living in new york city or san francisco, the likelihood that i'll even be able to afford it is fairly nonexistent. so i jump at every opportunity now. i like to be cultured (even though that sounds silly). i've been to many cities i could see myself living in. honestly, if i could learn hungarian, i'd pack up and move to budapest. such a beautiful place. but then again it'd be too hard to leave my mother that far behind. new york city is rough as it is. i can't imagine adding 3,000 miles to that.

Where do you shop for clothes?
all the same stores as everyone else, honest. therapy, urban outfitters, forever 21, charlotte russe, goodwill, salvation army, wasteland vintage in san francisco, promod when i'm in europe. :D


Is it tough living on your own? Do you pay your bills and stuff, like your phone, rent, car, etc? I was just wondering because you only work on the weekends it seems. I just dunno how I would be able to afford living on my own and bills when I do only work on weekends.
i'm very fortunate to have the job that i do. i only work 10 hours a week (friday & saturday nights 9pm till 2am) and its a 45 minute drive each way. i've been bartending for 3 and a half years now. crazy! it sucks to give up every single weekend but its so worth it because its balances school and i can still afford to live my kind of lifestyle off those 10 hours. i wont go into too much detail like how much i make, etc, but the job i currently have gives me more money per year that 75% of people that are starting out after graduating college (i'm still going to graduate college, and possibly go back for a second unrelated degree, but it sucks to know that one day i'll have to give up the job that allows me so much financial freedom. i don't know how i'll make the switch ha) but not only that, my parents are amazing. they don't pay my way by ANY means! i've paid absolutely EVERYTHING on my own since i was 16 and got my first job. thats just how i am. i could never take hand-outs from my parents. it just feels liberating to be able to pay for myself and to be an adult in teh world ya know? i pay my rent, my cellphones (both iphone and sidekick), i pay for all of my school books, all of my clothes, all of my plane tickets, etc. the only thing i DONT pay for is my car. i drive a 2006 solstice convertible and it was my graduation present for graduating from high school in '06. thats the only thing my parents pay for. i've offered to take over payments (so i can trade it in for a Land Rover LR3) but my parents wont let me haha they're always willing and eager to help me if i need it, but i've never asked them for help :)

What made you and Adam get back together?
honestly, i think there's more to adam and i than just bullshit fights and third-party encounters. we needed that break up last november more than anything. it was something that HAD to happen. he needed to experience life as a single party-goer boy and do all of his boy things just like i needed to experience life as a single girl from a small town moving to the big apple. i had to find myself and so did he. we both got lost in exboyfriends and girlfriends and partying and all of that rite-of-passage stuff you read about. but after it was all said and done, we realized that we didn't need those things anymore and we were really really in love, that the two of us together put any of that partying and drug stuff to shame. i'm genuinely grateful for our experiences both together and separate. all that matters now is if we can share our pasts with one another in hopes that it will make for a better present and future. no one understands me like he does, and vice versa. we've definitely picked up a lot of slack for our attempts at reuniting but at the end of the day all that matters is that he and i are happy. screw everything else. :) another thing that really contributed in the breaking up/making up was we were SO young when we started dating. 17 and 18 years old. he lived at home with his parents and i had lived on my own for just over a year when we decided to get an apartment together. our parents actually suggested it. so he moved out of his parents and we got a place in franklin where we lived together for over a year. if youv'e never lived with your significant other, let me be the one to tell you things age QUICK. just over a year felt like 5 because we were basically a married couple. we went to work together, went to sleep together, ate every meal together, etc. for over a year. the break let us get ahold of our own lives again. we're more comfortable than ever with each other, but it feels new again. its nice.