Grits in the City - discounts and faves

Hope you enjoy all these as much as I do!

our first home!

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After months of negotiations, packing, paperwork and waiting it all finally happened. We have our first house! To say we are excited would be an understatement. And along the way, I think we were so worried something unexpected would go wrong that would mean this would somehow fall through.

But it didn’t! And we are in. It was a soggy weekend for a move, but we didn’t let that dampen our spirits in the least bit. We celebrated Friday night at one of our favorite spots, Trap Rock. We managed to get last minute movers and the damp ground made it easier for us to get everything quickly planted on the front and side of the house. Life is good! [Read more…]

presents for mama

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With my recent change in status, you could say I see all things mom all the time these days. If you haven’t already found that perfect gift for your mom (or for the mom figures of various natures) in your life, there’s still time. And if one of these is perfect and won’t make it here by May 14, maybe it’s worth a temporary IOU to treat them right. These are some things I found particularly fun. Hopefully you’re able to glean some inspiration for your gift hunt!

 

Pizza yoga mat
I have to say, my mind has likely wandered to pizza a number of times during shavasana over the classes I’ve taken in the past year. I wish I had this super cute ban.do mat to take to both my prenatal and mommy and me yoga classes as nothing could have been more perfect. Just because you’re a fit mom doesn’t mean you can’t be a foodie. Love that this gift manages to straddle appropriateness for both and owns it. [Read more…]

why being assertive in your career matters

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When I was in college at Mississippi State University, I majored in international business. The program was a big part of why I chose Mississippi State, as it gave me the opportunity to graduate with both a business degree (B.B.A. in International Business with a marketing emphasis) and a degree in a foreign language (B.A. in Spanish.) One of the final requirements for the program was to take a special class the semester before my internship. It was focused mostly on how to prepare for an interview, resume writing skills and the art of the thank you letter. It was tremendously helpful in providing guidance on some of those subtle things that can help make you stand out from other applicants – and ultimately get you hired. [Read more…]

finding my way back to “me”

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Hi, I’m Lara, and I used to be a writer. Three Novembers, I clocked countless hours at coffee shops and bakeries across New York City – writing as a part of NaNoWriMo. I’ve completed a memoir and a novel, and have another idea I’m noodling on.

I also used to be super active with some nontraditional exercise programs – back in 2008 it was ballet but for the last seven years, you could find me swinging once a week 25 feet in the air from the flying trapeze. Yes, in the class taught by a veteran of Ringling Brothers there was little me – along with a number of folks in their professional circus arts training program. I look at clips like this and go man, was I strong! [Read more…]

road trip to yardley inn

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A definite upside to living outside of the city is access to a car and the ability to easily explore outlying areas on the weekend. Even though it is wasn’t the most gorgeous of spring days, we still took advantage of the opportunity to do so this Saturday and drove the 50 miles to Yardley, Pennsylvania for a nice bite at The Yardley Inn.

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comfortably still

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I found this old post sitting in my drafts the other day – and it was pretty appropriate for last night and all the wake ups that came with it. Sharing now as it still rings true regardless of the age of your little one…

The pace of New York City is pretty much two speeds – on or off. When you’re fully connected into the pulse of the city, the fast pace can be energizing. It’s go, go, go – from wake up until that moment where your head meets the pillow. It’s the reason why locals can easily keep up with their tourist guests without blinking an eye, happily traipsing across boroughs and not tire.
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spring forward with jord (giveaway)

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It’s funny how having a son has made me think more about things a touch retro that I’ve always loved that I want him to know about too. Like how important I’ve decided the art of cursive is. I absolutely love it, and it makes me sad he may never be taught how to do it in school. Or how it pains me that he will never know the era of handwritten letters, an art that seems to have all but disappeared. With all of us so inseparable from our phones, I’ll admit I sometimes have thought this about watches – until now!
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anniversary celebration at the james beard house

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I guess once you’re married you are supposed to let go of that original anniversary you’ve had all those years. With our originally anniversary so close to Valentine’s Day, it’s hard not to continue to celebrate. We had an added reason to do so this year since it’s our last celebration living in the city.

I’d always wanted to check out the James Beard House. A friend of ours photographs there often and I’d heard so many great things about their dinners. We ended up getting seats to attend their February 1st dinner with Tory McPhail celebrating Miss Ella of New Orleans’ Commander’s Palace. We’ve been saying a trip to eat our way through New Orleans has to happen at some point, so we figured this was New Orleans coming to us!

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ttfn, manhattan

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I never thought I wanted to live in a big city. Come to think of it, I never gave much thought to where I’d even want to live after college. Not that it wasn’t important, but because I never thought of just how many options. My senior year of college I was much more focused on types of jobs than cities. Anything other than Southern cities like Nashville, Birmingham and Atlanta never even crossed my mind.

My unexpected journey has been pretty amazing. Along the way, I’ve had the chance to live in Madrid, Miami, Washington DC and New York City. Not bad for a girl who never planned on leaving the south, right? I always knew though that as much as I love it, living in Manhattan wasn’t something I wanted to do once we started a family. Enter Q!

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