26th Birthday Q&A Celebration

FRIENDS!! This past Saturday was my birthday! I’m the big “26” now. I can’t believe it. I know that’s still young… but it feels so weird that I’m over 25 now. AH!

I totally wanted to get this post up last Friday but #lifehappened so you’re getting it today! Better late than never in this case. 😉 As I was writing this up last week, I realized that I probably shouldn’t be doing 26 questions and answers (or whatever I’m turning in amount). Why? Because it’s getting too long, haha. I’m going to think of something fresh for next year! Let’s dive right in.

26 Q&AS – BIRTHDAY EDITION!

1. When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? For most of my childhood years, I wanted to be a ballerina and to own my own dance studio when I grew up. I also wanted to be a storm chaser, haha.

2. What’s your guilty pleasure? Definitely, The Bachelor franchise. I’m not one for reality TV and “trash” TV but I will always be hooked on The Bachelor! Also, Nickelback is my guilty pleasure music choice, haha.

3. What’s your favorite boy band? So, truth be told, I was much more into solo artists growing up. I was a huge Aaron Carter fan LOL. Elementary school years = Aaron Carter. Junior High into High School = The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Through high school, I loved boy bands like Boys Like Girls, Cute Is What We Aim For, & A Rocket To The Moon. I’d say my favorite boy band today is lovelytheband.

4. What’s your favorite collab you’ve ever done? Such a TOUGH thing to choose because I genuinely love all of the brands I work with. I have to go with when I partnered with Aerie for their BTS season in the late summer of 2018.

5. Why did you decide to blog? I wanted to create a bit of a “safe place” for people to come to and feel invited and welcome. I wanted to share my heart and experiences in a raw and real way so that others could learn that they’re not alone.

6. What’s your birthday drink and/or dessert of choice? For sure, ice cream cake! Birthday drink? I love me a nicely mixed Long Island Iced Tea!

7. What is your favorite place to travel to? I will always have the travel bug… I’d have to say that Nashville, even though I’ve only been there once, is definitely the place I want to continue to visit over and over again. I love it there. As a New England girl, I’d have to say Block Island, RI is one of my favorite places to travel to, as well.

8. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned at this point in your life? The biggest lesson that I have learned so far is that I can’t get through life without God. God is my constant, He’s my anchor. He is always there for me through the joys and the dark struggles. I have gone through some really dark seasons in life but He has always been there to walk with me through them. It’s not always easy to reach out to Him but it’s the only way I can make it through each day. He is good and faithful.

9. Since you’re an INFJ and an introvert, how do you find balance and unity and alone time in your relationship? This is such a great question! One of the best parts of working from home is being able to schedule some “me” time during the day, even if it’s catching up on a show while responding to emails. When my husband gets home from work, that’s typically when I stop working for the day so that I can have time with him. I do let him have some time to himself, though. He’s worked all day so he’s going to want to unwind and watch some sports. I let him do that! On the weekends, we will do things together like grocery shopping, grab a coffee, etc. but we’ll also stay home. When we’re at home we’ll usually be spending time together in the same room, but we’ll be working on projects of our own. It’s working really well for us.

10. What is your all-time favorite song? Gosh, I have a ton of favorite songs, but I’m going to have to go with, “No Rain” by Blind Melon.

11. What was your favorite subject in high school? English (the creative aspect) or accounting. For creative subjects, I really loved my ceramics classes and in retrospect, I really loved band class. I played the flute from the 4th to 12th grade.

12. What is the biggest struggle you have with your Airbnb side hustle? Balancing time! I manage the bookings online, communication between guests, and I clean the home. Cleaning the home is the biggest time sucker because it’s a large house.

13. What’s your favorite social media platform? Twitter! Always has been! Follow me on there at @SummerTelban. 😉

14. How do you curl your hair? I am planning on doing a full tutorial for YouTube, hopefully soon. But! I do have a quick time-lapse video on IGTV until then.

15. What’s your all-time favorite mascara? Maybelline Lash Sensational!

16. What’s your favorite saying? “No season is ever wasted.”

17. Besides your career, what’s one thing you’re insanely proud of? Ooooo good question! I think I have to go with being a big sister. I’m the oldest and I have 2 younger sisters who I adore. We’ve had some rough family patches in life and I’m proud of myself to have always been a bit of an anchor for them. I’m so glad we’re all so close. 🙂

18. What’s one place you want to visit within the next 5 years? Iceland!!! I want to go so bad!

19. What’s your favorite restaurant? Outback!!!

20. What’s your preferred way to travel? It totally depends! I love flying so if I’m traveling far, that’ll always be my pick. I do love a road trip, too!

21. What getaway would you enjoy more? Tropical or wilderness? Considering I live in the mountains and have always lived in the Northeast, I’ll gladly take a tropical getaway!

22. How do you make graphics for your blog? I mainly use Canva! I use the free version but there’s also a business plan, too.

23. What are your favorite places to shop for clothes? I bounce around a lot but these are some of the stores I have the most luck at (as a petite, short woman): Hollister, Target, Kohl’s, Nordstrom Rack, and many more. I also love thrifting online at thredUP! I have scored so many deals from brands like Free People and Madewell on there.

24. Favorite candy? At the moment, Twizzlers pull ‘n’ peel!

25. Are you planning on getting more tattoos? YES. I already have a ton more ideas but they all cost $$$, haha. For those of you who don’t know, I have 10 tattoos so far.

26. Where do you see CWS in 5 years? Oh gosh. The sky is the limit, right? This is something I think of often. In 5 years, CWS will still be up and brewing. I’m hoping to continue to monetize my business by working with brands that I love and coaching new bloggers. I’m also hoping that I’ll have a course or two launched within 5 years, as well as more e-books.