nyc | Girl Meets Life | a lifestyle blog by Gracie Gordon

cake batter blondies, things christian girls say, and awkward selfies.

28 August, 2014 by Gracie 19 Comments

Something I’ve always found humorous is what people search to find GML. You guys…I get some WEIRD ones. And raunchy ones. And ones where I can totally tell who searched it 😉

Anyway, I recently saw Brittany’s post addressing some of her most searched terms, and I thought it was such a fun post idea!

So here are some of the most searched terms that lead to GML + my commentary.

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life in nyc blog – nailed it.

how to get a job in new york – It’s not easy, but not impossible either. People get jobs here every day! Here are some of my tips.

cake batter blondies – my most popular post ever! For good reason. Also – my most ripped off recipe :/ But we won’t go there.

make brownies with cake mix – what initially led to the Cake Batter Blondies idea. Just follow same steps but with chocolate cake mix.

red velvet brownies from cake mix – are you noticing a trend here? Sorry for all the link ups, but here’s that recipe!

how to wear clothes that do not flatter me – but why…? I can’t bring myself to give suggestions for this.

things christian girls say – hahaha - “I’ll pray about it,” “I just had revelation,” “#blessed,” “my body is temple,” “I need to journal about this” … (this guy nails it)

living in new york pros and cons – they’re always changing depending on the season of life you’re in, but here are some of mine. Right now I’d say the biggest pro is the endless possibilities, and just how magical it is (yes – it still feels that way 3.5 years later!). The biggest con is that I miss having a car.

why is there so much pressure for girls to settle down – is there? I think it depends on where you live and your upbringing/social circles, but either way I wouldn’t give in to it. Do what makes you happy, and do what’s best for your future life/family – not what you think you’re “supposed” to do.

i’ve never asked my self about why life is like this – like what? I’d say keep asking those questions and see where it leads you.

how to make girl friends in ny – been there, I can relate! My #1 tip would be to just keep putting yourself out there and embrace any opportunity to meet new people. Here’s a post I did with tips on making friends in New York, and one on making girl friends in general.

wise words to say to a girlfriend – that she’s beautiful, duh! And tell her the truth about whether you really like her outfit or not. She may not like it at first, but she’ll appreciate it later.

i never wear heels so difficult – the struggle is real. Practice makes perfect! Investing a higher quality shoe helps too. Or just embrace that sassy little height of yours.

tapas restaurants in west village – there are SO many, but I love me some Alta.

best girl blogger – oh shucks, stop it.

awkward selfie – (s) are the best selfies.

i just cant help myself not to love them cupcakes – I feel you.

buffalo stuffed avocados – it’s not actual buffalo buuut here ya go.

so hard not to text him – so maybe you should just text him? Unless he did something horrible…then don’t. Or if he’s dating someone else. Or if he’s in prison. Ugh there needs to be a texting manual.

how to chat with a new girl you met last night – just be yourself! Girls dig that. Maybe even make a phone call out of it.

girl who lives a full life – what I aspire to every day.

why is finding work in new york so hard for Australians – is it? I know/meet a ton of Aussies here! We like you

something amazing is about to happen – I couldn’t agree more.

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Just out of curiosity, how did you stumble upon GML?

darling magazine + liberty sisterhood | september 5th in nyc.

27 August, 2014 by Gracie 4 Comments

LADIES OF NYC!!!!

I just have to let you in on this exciting event happening next week – the creator of DARLING MAGAZINE Sarah Dubbeldam will be joining us at Liberty Sisterhood, for a very #DarlingSisterhood!

If you haven’t heard of Darling Magazine, you absolutely must check it out. Their mission of essentially redefining what womanhood means is so inspiring and SO needed in today’s culture.

We’ll be hearing Sarah’s story about how she came to create and launch Darling Magazine, AND there will be a huge announcement from Andi Andrew. I happen to know what it is, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it!

If you’re a girl in New York (or even within travel distance), I really think you’d love this night. Feel free to email me so we can meet! gracie(at)girlmeetslife(dot)com

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The event is taking place on September 5th, 7:30 at Scholastic Theater, 557 Broadway.

Hope to see you there!

snapshots | 8.25.14.

25 August, 2014 by Gracie 7 Comments

So I tried to do a little health kick when I got back from Vegas. That ended as soon as burrata was placed in front of me.

Up until then, though, I enjoyed a bunch of big ass smoothies and a veggie/quinoa feast from Blossom.

I slept my life away Thursday – Friday, so by the time Saturday rolled around I was ready to hit the town again.

OOTN.

(Is the scallop trend still a thing?)

Adventures in Little Italy.

Chicks 😀

A promised GML shout out 😉 RC & SB!

Sunday OOTD.

Brooklyn rendezvous.

Chelsea greenery.

Popcorn in bed…on a plate. AKA maturity.

This outfit, just because I want to be wearing it.

And this quote, just because I want to be living it.

What’s been a life highlight for you lately? Do anything fun over the weekend?

what happens in vegas…goes on GML.

22 August, 2014 by Gracie 14 Comments

If you follow me on Instagram you probably noticed that I was away in VEGAS for a few days!

Jessi and I were there to work with Succara Showroom representing their incredible brands at the ENK Show.

Our booth:

Who do you know does 6am mornings for work in Vegas? 😛

Even though we were working, the show itself was so much fun. I loved learning more about the brands and the industry as a whole. And, what girl doesn’t want to play dress up?!

Gypsies and Debutantes necklace:

Sisco Berluti bracelets:

We were definitely able to squeeze some fun in outside of the show too.

…except that time we missed the Tiesto pool party by about an hour, ha.

Some of my outfits during the trip looked a little bit like:

And of course, there was tons of great food! We hit just about every cuisine from Italian to Sushi, Mexican, and everything in between.

(Wolfgang Puck’s restaurants were definitely favorites of mine, especially Lupo in Mandalay Bay)

What made the trip especially awesome was that two of our other great friends were in town – Sunni (who is the VP of ENK) and Leah (who did videography for the show).

Not only was the trip clearly a lot of fun, but I’m so glad to have gotten the experience to build a new skill set (sales) and learn more about an industry that I should be well-versed in (fashion). Fashion trade shows are an entire world I didn’t even know existed until about a year ago, and to learn the ins and outs from some of the top players in the industry was an invaluable part of the trip.

(Not to mention how much I learned about the jewelry/accessory industry – HELLO future plans for Speakable!)

OH….and can you believe I won $415 on our last night there?! I am NOT normally a gambler, but Kitty Glitter and Siberian Storm just called my name…

HAHA!

Well I’m back in New York and excited to spend a whole day catching up on things before the busy weekend arrives.

Hope you had the best week ever!

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Ever been to Vegas? If so – favorite attraction?

i’m back! + life updates.

7 August, 2014 by Gracie 20 Comments

Hi!

HI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(insert a zillion celebratory emojis)

I’ve got to say I’m really, REALLY happy to be back. I definitely loved the time off, but over the past week or so I found myself counting down the days to return to GML. That was actually what I hoped would happen, so…mission accomplished.

I’m putting together a post to share what I learned/realized during my blogging break, but for now here’s a little update on what I’ve been up to.

I think I left off around 4th of July, which I spent out in Montauk.

It was so much fun! A huge group of my friends were there, and we got some great beach days and nights out.

Loved wearing my Flash Tattoos on the beach!

After Montauk I spent a few days back in the city before heading to my family’s shore house, where I stayed for almost two weeks.

While I was there I got to spend a ton of time with my family (cousins and all) AND my sister Katie even flew up from Florida for a few days!

It was the perfect summer getaway – I treated it almost like it was a retreat of sorts.

If I’m being completely honest, when my vacation was over I wasn’t fully ready to go back to NYC (which is rare). But as soon as I got back, I fell in love with the city all over again.

NYC skyline from the Top of the Standard:

Beautiful church in East Village:

Pretty red windows in West Village:

Movie in the park at South Street Seaport:

Saturday with my girl friends:

Washington Square Park:

Oh, and of course I enjoyed lots and lots of great food over the past month.

Brunch at Freemans:

(The biggest and best ever) Avocado Toast at St. Balmain:

Homemade Snickerdoodle Almond Flour Pancakes:

Big ol’ dinner at The Meatball Shop:

Above: chicken meatballs with pesto over polenta
Below: snickerdoodle cookies with brown sugar ice cream

SHAKE SHACK:

A few of many delicious dishes from ABC Kitchen – pizza with gold bar squash, cherry tomatoes, chorizo, garlic and stracciatella:

Sundae with salted caramel ice cream, candied peanuts and popcorn, whipped cream, chocolate sauce (image via Rachel):

…and some delicious DRINKS thanks to Nespresso!

Latte on the left, cappuccino on the right:

(Jessi and I went to their event hosted by Tim Gunn last week, and it was so much fun!)

Other than all of that there’s just been things like…

* spending a lot of time with friends
* working on Speakable
* leading Community Group on Wednesdays
* catching up on reading
* (trying to) catch up on movies I’ve wanted to see
* joining a new (closer) gym
* OH, and I found out I’ll be going on a work trip to Vegas later this month! I’ve never been, so I’m really excited about that.

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Soooo that’s what I’ve been up to! Like I said – I’m SO very happy to be back. While I was gone I got some ideas for blog posts that I’m excited to share, so stay tuned

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How has your summer been going? What have been the highlights?

scenes from the weekend.

29 June, 2014 by Gracie 15 Comments

Haven’t done one of these in a while!

This weekend was a great one – a perfect balance of productivity and fun.

Gotta rewind to Thursday because that’s where the weekend really starts, right? I headed down to Arrojo after work to get my blondes done by Nadia. If you’re looking for a colorist in NYC, I couldn’t recommend her more!

Afterward Rachel and I went to our standard evening spot, conveniently called The Standard.

Friday was a long work day, so I spent the night in eating brinner and watching TV.

It was perfection…as was this dessert I came up with – coconut butter sandwiched between two pieces of bacon dark chocolate. I know.

And then there was Saturday, which was pretty much the perfect NYC adventure day. I woke up super early and got a killer workout in, caught up on some work stuff, and then Rachel and I headed to Williamsburg for Smorgasburg.

Smorgasburg is one of my favorite things to do in the city during the summer. As much as I love brunch, there’s nothing like getting an assortment of different delicious and unique foods for lunch.

Rachel and I went halfsies on some Vietnamese summer rolls, a Red Hook Lobster Roll…

…and THEE best ice cream sandwich of all time. Ever. No exaggeration.

That’s The Good Batch’s Brown Butter Coffee Caramel Ice Cream Sandwich - Brown Butter Salty Cookie, espresso beans, caramel cream, and coffee ice cream. You have no idea.

After hanging with Jessi and some church friends at Smorgasburg for a bit, Rachel and I headed back to Manhattan for the rest of the afternoon. We stopped at STK rooftop and the Standard Biergarten before heading home to get ready for dinner.

Dinner was at Toro, which is definitely one of my favorite new restaurants. I’m a tapas girl, and their Spanish tapas were perfection…to the point that I forgot to take photos of them 😉

I did snap this shot of my first ever bone marrow. The texture threw me off when I first saw it, but it was SO good!