interview with Brianna

Today I am bringing you an interview with girl who has been in the blog-o-sphere for quite some time. She is a very talented graphic designer and photographer, and her blog is pretty much awesome. Folks, I present to you, Brianna from By the Way.

1. Hey Brianna! I'm so excited to feature you here on "beautiful". Tell us a little about yourself:

Hi, there! I'm Brianna of "by the way" or Näna as I'm better known. I am 16 years old (days away from 17), love everything posh, classic and technological (and no, that is not an oxymoron) and am about to start by 12th year of school. I love my family to death and am pretty sure I couldn't get on without them. I am a perfectionist, I read Martha Stewart Living religiously and nothing makes me happy like a cup of coffee and a hoagies. I live in central Maryland and love the northeast US to death. My favorite movies range from Star Wars to Pride and Prejudice to Oceans 11 to The Count of Monte Cristo. There are many other things I could say that would give you a little insight into who I am, but the one vital key to understanding me is to know that I am a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. He came to earth and suffered death on the cross for the express purpose of having a relationship with me. That is a beautiful thought but it's even better than a thought because it is a reality. 

2. How many people are in your family? What are your sibling's ages?

My family is made up of ten fabulous, loud, extremely Italian, crazy, people. We amuse ourselves :) My siblings are Kaitlin (20), *insert me here*, Emma (12 soon to be 13), Nathaniel (10), Aedan (9), Samuel (7), Ellie (4) and Carmella (or Winnie as she is more often referred to on my blog, 1)

 
3. You seem very devoted to your faith. Were you raised to be so, or was it your own decision?

While I was raised in a Christian home, everything I believe was 100% my own decision. One of the things I appreciate most about my parents is that, while they do teach us about the Bible and train us in godly character, they encourage us to study things out for ourselves and at the end of the day what we believe is our own.  

4. What are some of your hobbies?

I blog (obviously), read, dabble in web and graphic design, play piano badly, knit even worse (which is odd because knitting is so not a me thing :P), bake probably even worse than I knit and try out diys.  

5. Have you ever thought about what you would like your career to be?

Oh yeah. It's something I've given quite a lot of thought over the years. Until I was 12 or 13 I wanted to be an OB/GYN. Ambitious, no? :) And then  I decided that 10 years of schooling and the amount of debt that would bring around and then Maryland is notorious for lawsuits against doctors that maybe that wasn't the best path. After that I started praying what is it that God would have me pursue as a career. I've tossed around many idea: web design, software programming and party planning (among others thing) but none of those seemed to be right. Above all else (the salary, location, etc.) I want whatever I do to be something that will help people. I don't want to just talk about the thing I am passionate about I want to be devoted everyday to resolving them and doing them and making a difference. God has been laying a few things on my heart this summer and we'll see how they pan out. Thankfully, I still have one year until graduation and the time I'll have to start making decisions.    

6. Do you have any pets?

I do not personally but my family has several. A cat (Noel) who adopted us (it's a long story), a turtle(Zipper), and two parakeets (Cocoa and Ginger).

7. What are your absolute favorite and least favorite foods?

Absolute favorite food: A hoagie and a cup of coffee. It's my Italian/Jersey roots showing :) Absolute least favorite: fast foods. Really processed and fast foods are the only things I won't eat (oh, and organs...those are just...yeah). My mom always taught us to eat everything we were severed and pretend we liked it even if we didn't and after 16 years of that I'll eat pretty much anything and genuinely enjoy it.   

8. What do you enjoy doing on a rainy day?

I enjoy reading and blogging on rainy days but one thing a little more unique is making bagels. They take a long time to rise rise and such so slow paced rainy days are the best time. And they are just too good.

9. What inspired you to start blogging?

My mom started a blog and it looked like fun. lol. I created a Blogger profile so I could comment on her blog and one thing led to another and here I am today a full fledged blogger :) Not very clever...I know :P

10. Do you see yourself blogging throughout your life?

Yes, I do. I love blogging and "By the Way" has become a close friend. There have been many times I've looked through old posts and thought "what the heck was I thinking!" I've come so close to deleting them but I can never bring myself to do it. I can't help but think that years down the road I will look back and love those first posts. So I keep them.

Hannah, thanks you so much for hosting me on "beautiful"! It was a pleasure to get to know you better.

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Be sure to check out Brianna's blog, By the Way! Also, she interviewed me over there, so be sure to check it out!

xo,

hannah

p.s. Don't forget to enter the giveaway! I'll announce the winner tomorrow, so get your entries in tonight!