Hiiiii you guyssss!
(Do you have any idea how many times autocorrect just changed that? My new Mac better start understanding my intentional extra letters soon :P)
What’s new? How’s life? I’m feeling rather blabbery right now, so a here’s what post seems just about right.
1. Completely unrelated to anything, how terrifying is this GIF of me?
2. That’s one of about five million Martina and I took at last week’s Phhhoto #FutureSelfie party. Phhhoto is a sick app - definitely recommend downloading it! You can follow me there @alagracie.
3. Due to feeling inadequate for not being a part of the Serial craze, I decided to start listening to it. Almost 5 days later and I’m only halfway through the first episode so…it’s not going so well.
4. This article made me feel better about having multiple jobs. HOWEVER, narrowing down my many gigs is definitely a goal I have for 2015.
5. Christmastime in New York. Would ya look at that…
6. BUT. I’m not in the Christmas spirit as much as I normally am by now, and it’s sort of pissing me off. I think the culprit is that I haven’t watched a single Christmas movie yet, so that will have to change ASAP (specifically Elf, Love Actually, The Holiday, I’m comin’ for ya).
7. I’m planning a little getaway (or three) for next year. One in particular is going to be more work-related, but I’m pretty excited about it.
8. I’ve been on a major sushi kick lately. It’s like, all I ever want to eat. I’m especially loving Beyond Sushi right now - it’s all vegan sushi, but somehow I don’t miss the fish at all. I think I’m all protein-ed out ever since doing Whole30, ha. They also have these killer rice wraps that are flavorful yet refreshing at the same time.
(Their Nutty Buddy wrap + Sweet Tree roll)
9. Rachel and I renewed our apartment lease! It’s the first apartment I’ve stayed in for more than a year in NYC, and it feels soooo good to not have to pack up and move again. Not to mention it’s my first apartment that actually feels like home. We barely have it decorated, though, so that’s going to be a fun little project for January.
10. Last but not least, every once and a while I like to reevaluate what I(‘ve been) blogging about. What do you guys think? Do you like fashion related posts? What would you like to see more/less of? I’ve been feeling more domesticated lately, maybe I’ll start experimenting more with recipes again…
Would love to know your thoughts! xoxo
I’m so glad you get to stay in your apt! I hate moving every year, I can’t wait to settle into one spot! But then again, I do love moving around!
I personally LOVE the random tidbits posts, kind of like this one! Day in the life videos/posts are always cool. Besides…I really just love any post you do!
And I think that may be the direction of my life — office assistant right now, but aspiring blogger/life+health coach/CrossFit coach, with the latter becoming my full-time gig in the (hopeful) future! We will see where my journey takes me!
Thanks! I’m planning on making more videos in the new year 😉
Your plans for the future sound so exciting! Best of luck :))
As someone who dreams of living in NYC, I vicariously live through any NYC related post of yours lol. Plus you know I will never turn down some more cake batter recipes!
I like your fashion posts (I bought that wrap you posted about recently, can’t wait for it to arrive!) and posts on dating, because I can wholeheartedly relate. Most of my friends are married so it’s fun to hear from someone else who shares in the woes of Tinder, etc lol.
Oh, yay! You’re going to love the wrap! I’m going to be posting about dating more in the new year too 🙂
Isnt it nice knowing you don’t have to pack everything up and haul it somewhere new? We just bought a house and moved last month so I’m glad we won’t have to move for a very long time!
I like your dating posts best! You are the best so anything you write is awesome
love you!
hehe thanks Jessi 🙂 🙂 maybe we can do another dating series soon
I like your NYC posts (because I <3 NYC but do not live there), your fashion posts and your here's what/day in the life. It would be cool if you would do more posts about exploring NYC, as I haven't seen those in awhile! 🙂
Keep up the good work.
http://www.callahanicus.com
Hahahah that GIF is awesome. I have multiple jobs as well, and I kind of like it! It’s definitely not too boring. Try being in Florida around Christmas time.. its sooo hard to get into the spirit!
Where are you in Florida? I’ll be in the Ft Lauderdale area in February I believe! my sis lives there 🙂
mmm that vegan sushi looks right up my alley! have to check that out. glad to hear you girls are in an apt that feels like home! and ps — i still want to get together with you two! i know we’re all crazy busy but please let’s make it happen in 2015. xo
yesss we must!! we have a girls’ night every wednesday - you should definitely join us 🙂
I understand that sponsored posts are part of how you earn money on this blog, but lately I haven’t been checking your blog as often because I don’t want to see sponsored posts/products. I would love to see more recipes (including your gluten-free recipes!), fashion posts, and more random posts.
I appreciate this comment, Jackie! I will definitely take it into consideration. I definitely have more recipe posts planned - will aim for gluten free ones 😉
I cannot wait to decorate!!! I love your day in the life posts and NYC posts 🙂
Christmas in NYC is just the best- I love how festive the city becomes! I haven’t watched a holiday movie yet this year either! I feel like I’ve been too busy and just haven’t had time even though I love to do that! And yay for staying in your apt- moving is the worst and how nice that this place feels like home.
I just watched Love Actually! Definitely a mood enhancer. 🙂 I’ve also been watching a lot of cheesy Christmas movies on Netflix and writing reviews on my blog to get in the spirit.
Hey Gracie,
As a long time reader I have to be honest and say I have been tuning out of the sponsored posts of late as they seem to be increasing in frequency.
As to the positives - in line with the other commenters my favorite posts of yours are those featuring NYC and day in the life. I would love to see more fitness and health related posts since you seem to have a balanced approach to incorporating this in your life and the different seasons 🙂 While respecting your privacy it would also be great to see more of your life outside of the blog - family, friends etc as these things obviously mean a lot to you but we see very little on the blog.
Hope that helps 🙂
X
Thanks so much for this thoughtful comment, Shelly! I appreciate your honesty as well as the posts you’d like to see more of. Going into the near year I will try to incorporate more of those things for sure.
Gracie, I am a long time reader of your blog, and I love your fashion & NYC life posts. As a big city girl who moved to a relatively small city, I love that I can come to your blog to see how New York is doing.
I agree with both Jackie and Shelly regarding the sponsored posts. I think they take away from the heart of your blog and what I’ve appreciated about it since I started reading back when it was girlmeetshealth! What concerns me is that in both your responses to their comments, you said you would take it into consideration, but you certainly didn’t say that you would be reducing the frequency of sponsored posts. I am sure you are very intentional about the companies you work with, but to be honest, some of them are really random, so it comes off as if your sole reason for writing the post is just compensation. Obviously this is your blog and you are entitled to make money off of it as you please, but it does seem to take away from (my perspective of) your mission for Girl Meets Life.
I hope you do not mind my honesty! Happy holidays and have a great New Year!
Hi Karen,
This comment is also very much appreciated, so thank you for your honesty 🙂 And thank you for being such a long time reader!! Trust me…I totally get it. Just to give you an idea of where I’m coming from - having been blogging for almost 5 years, it’s gotten a bit difficult keeping up with something that takes up a great deal of my life and time without taking opportunities to be compensated for that time. Does that make sense? 🙂 Especially living here in NYC where it’s not exactly cheap, and I could be devoting the time I spend blogging to other job opportunities. Not to be dramatic, but the alternative to sponsored posts here and there would be to pretty much stop blogging all together, which I definitely don’t want to do.
I do think that there is a middle ground, though, where I can work with brands that I do genuinely love and am happy to integrate into my posts without seeming *too* sponsored. As a reader, is that something that you would be understanding of/okay with?
With all that being said, even if/when I continue to work with brands (and get more “picky” about them), I do want to make it a point to implement more life-related posts as that’s what most of my readers seem to enjoy.
Let me know your thoughts. Thanks again for your honesty and constructive criticism - greatly appreciated! xo
Thank you for taking the time to really think about what some of us have been saying!
As readers, we all expect some sponsored posts. Speaking for myself, what you said in this reply sounds perfect. Some sponsorship posts are great and I can see how the products or services fit seamlessly into your life and I can see how they might fit into mine. Of course you should continue sponsorships, but I think being more selective and accepting things that truly fit into your lifestyle would make me keep reading and be more open to the products or services you’re reviewing and recommending.
Gracie,
Thanks for taking the time to respond so quickly. 🙂 I completely understood your rationale and respect what you are doing to keep Girl Meets Life alive and well. I think that given the right partnerships with brands that seamlessly align with your lifestyle, sponsored posts wouldn’t be a big deal. I would argue that I even enjoy sponsored posts when the products being advertised are actually things that your core reader demographic would enjoy. For example, you recently did a semi-sponsored post for Ben Amun, which was awesome because it gave me a chance to check out a new jewelry company I wouldn’t have otherwise come across.
As a reader, I have always appreciated how receptive you are to feedback. Thanks for being awesome!
I would love to see more beauty related posts as I love you do your makeup!