10 Things You Never Guessed About Me

Welcome to my cyber “home”. If your new to Crate and Cottage this is a good place to start. This will give you a general idea of who I am and where I started. Here are 10 things you never guessed about Me…

1. I am a born and raised Nashvillian.

It is very rare to hear that these days. Our city is full of newcomers and has grown astronomically over the past 33 years of me living here.

2. I was brought up in a suburban middle-class home with a loving childhood. I do not take it for granted. 

I am very fortunate to have two parents who worked hard and provided for myself and my sister. I grew up in the same middle-class neighborhood until my parents recently sold their home of the 30+ year. I attended both private and public schools and was always encouraged to follow my dreams. My parents are both still married, and I do not take for granted my childhood and their commitments to one another.

3. I am such an introverted nerd.

I was never considered a dork but never considered popular. I was terrified at even 13 to spend the night away from home and was always an anxious home body. I also always did well in school. So well that I was made fun of for only caring about academics. I wasn’t a sports girl and neither am I musically inclined. I fell in the middle of things but loved school. I still consider myself introverted and have always been an old soul. I finally feel like I’m reaching the age where I’ve always been in my mind if that makes sense. I’d rather sit quietly than listen to anything (except

John Mayer) and I think the most relaxing places are the library or somewhere out in nature. Yep…DORK is sounding about right.

4. I always get asked about my ethnicity.

My grandmother was from Florence and my dad’s genetics have some sort of European in them but both of my parents have dark hair and dark eyes and can tan pretty easily. With that being said, I have always been asked if I was Hispanic or Spanish and sometimes Italian. I’ve learned to embrace it and appreciate it.

5. I’ve never broken a bone.

Again insert DORK. I was always safe. I did trip at 4 and cut open my forehead walking with my pants down to the bathroom :). That has been, knock on wood, the only ER injury of my entire life.

6. I met my husband at 14.

We met at church. He doesn’t love to hear this but at first, I was in love with his cousin and hey, at 13 that can happen. Once his cousins moved away, I started to notice his FINE self at 17. He is three years older and boy did we get the “ROB THE CRADLE” line, one thousand times. It’s only 3 years people. We dated for 6 years, and I got married just two months after my 21st birthday.

7. I have experienced much loss.

Life doesn’t come without loss. To date, I have lost 4 grandparents, a brother-in-law, one sister friend, a close father and son friend to a drunk driver and watched 6 mothers bury their children. Death has been familiar to me since childhood. What has it taught me? Life isn’t always what you expect. Love the people you have while you have them. Be thankful that this life isn’t all we have. They are but a breath away.

8. I don’t have a degree in design.

I went to school to simply get a degree. Remember DORK here, I went to school online when online wasn’t cool. I got a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, aka a bachelor of arts in journalism and English. My passion, writing. Magnum cum laude graduate here! Home design is something I have always been around because of my mothers passion for decor. It’s in my blood I suppose. Would I like to go to interior design school, maybe? But I don’t think you need a degree to pursue dreams.

9. I had a terrible time transitioning to motherhood.

Let me preface by saying ALL I ever wanted in life was to be a mother. I’m the person who still runs to babies in malls and cradles them in church nurseries. It was to complete my existence to be a mother. My bubble burst when I became one. I had a terrible time post delivery with hemorrhaging and then fell into depression after the first two years of motherhood. Which in turn hurt my marriage, and I had to pick myself off the ground for years, and I love to share how I have battled and fought for positivity each day in hopes to encourage other mothers. Our second sweet guy came almost 6 years after the first and although it was much easier than the first experience, it still challenges me daily. Podcast coming soon. 

10. We built our own business.

My husband and I both had odd end jobs. He was always in sales and we saved and saved until we took a leap of faith and started our own real estate company. Its grown tenfold the past ten years and has presented us with wonderful opportunities. one being this entire design feed after moving to our farmhouse.

So there are ten random facts I bet you didn’t know about me 🙂 I have many more but maybe a few will surprise you and make you come back for more. Yes, within the blog, you’ll find tips tricks and design ideas, but also a lot of heart. I hope you stick around.