It’s no secret that I am all over and “live” in many places online, especially with two blogs.

I’ve been meaning to launch a homepage where everything can live and it took a long time to take that leap. Mostly because I knew I wanted the creative direction in place and I had to find someone I trusted to turn it into fruition.

I connected with Jamie and knew she would be a great fit, especially as she is local and we could meet in person if need be.

Once we began the creative process it unfolded with ease. I wanted something bright and vibrant that reflects my personality, yet straightforward to find all the resources and projects I’ve been working on over the last 5 years.

I couldn’t be happier with it and I wanted to share it with everyone here. The photo is of me in Mexico on a rooftop, sipping on margs, facing the ocean with some of my favorite girlfriends. If you’re curious what I’m up to or want to follow me on the social networks I frequent the most, you can find all the deets at graceboyle.com. Big thanks again to Jamie! 

Recently, I was asked by my friend Courtney O’Rourke to participate in their ZenziAsks video interview series. I happily obliged and the interview recently went live.

We focused on my role at Kapost over the last year and a half, my “jobbies” of blogging and food writing and how I see the industry of content marketing evolving. I pulled an excerpt of the interview / questions below but to see the full interview and watch me live on video follow this link to their blog.

The interview portion below:

Zenzi: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Grace: I feel like we really fill a need. I sort of describe it as a wave, and when it crashes its not a bad thing, but everyone will be running towards content marketing, and because its somewhat nascent in that way, even though its not that new, people need a place and a source to help manage everything. And some people have such a high volume! It’s really rewarding to hear people say ‘I love this, or this is just what I needed’ and it’s exciting to help fuel their marketing. Because the whole thing of content marketing is generating leads, and if you can tie it back to that, it’s a great thing.

Zenzi: Professionally speaking, where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Grace: Tough question! I’d love to evolve my understanding of technology and food. Both my parents are entrepreneurs, so maybe I’ll own my own business, and I’d love to keep expanding the Grace (full) Plate brand in some way.

Zenzi: You are so ingratiated in what you do, from being the Sales Director here at Kapost to running two successful blogs, and being a content creator/curator, in your own right. What is the biggest lesson that you’ve learned from all of your experience?
Grace: I was meeting with someone today and they were looking to get into writing more. I told her that blogging was one of the best things I’ve ever done. I started in 2008, and really only thought my mom would read the blog, like ‘today I went for a hike.’ It has evolved a lot since then: essentially I met my boyfriend through my blog, I got my first job through my blog, I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities, and it’s helped me to have this digital resume. I really own Grace Boyle when you Google it. I don’t know if that’s a lesson, but I believe strongly in that for non-profits, to tech, to food -it doesn’t matter if you’re in social media or not, but it’s important to understand it because it is shaping what we do so much. Blogging for me is very powerful, and whether you share everything or have a small little niche, I am so grateful for it. I had no idea all of these things would come of it. So I encourage people to blog more, and if you can offer services to people, put it out there, otherwise, how else would they know?

Zenzi: If you had to pick three companies that are doing content marketing really well, which examples would you use?
Grace: American Express Open Forum is one; I think people turn to them as an age-old example. But what they’re doing is compiling a lot of small business owners, and they just answer questions, like how to get a loan, what it means to start a business, etc…they post a lot throughout the day, and there’s very little branding. General Mills has one that is tablespoon.com. It’s neat because it has its own URL, and its all recipes. There’s very little mention of General Mills, which shows that they’re there to educate, and they incorporate food bloggers a lot, which is great for supporting the community. Another one I like is Intel, which uses Kapost so I’ve gotten to work with them closely. They have a community called IQ, which focuses on three components, life, media, and planet. They do a lot of curation through different publications. They do a lot of YouTube videos, original content, and stories. It’s really fun, and the sites very unique looking, and they’re able to create a sustainable community around it, and tie it all together.

Zenzi: What’s the biggest lesson that you’ve learned in your role at Kapost, and being a content creator yourself?
Grace: I think it’s important that I’ve understood that we should never be calcified. That we should be able to shift quickly or adjust our plan and know that nothing is set in stone. That’s a general one but it relates to creating content as well. So in the beginning we tried a lot of types of content. We’ve done white papers, webinars, and blog posts. We’ve launched our own publication called The Content Marketeer where we do content marketing on content marketing! That has all helped us finally understand what works best for our audience and that’s what’s really important. I think a lot of people don’t want to put in that time with content, because not every avenue will work with your audience.

Zenzi: What are your favorite blog content news sources?
Grace: I read copyblogger” a lot; they’re a pioneer in content marketing but they’ll often talk about tools or tips and its very digestible. Also the Content Marketing Institute, which Joe Pulizzi runs. We call him the Godfather of content marketing and he has a whole team of people that write for him as well, even our CEO sometimes contributes, so its truly a crowd source operation but its really one of the best resources for all things content marketing. Another one is the communitymanager.com, they have great tips and community managers I know and respect write there.

Zenzi: What are your three favorite blogs?
Grace: For food, I really like Gluten Free Girl and the Chef, she’s been blogging for a really long time and it’s her full-time job. But she has great stories and really wonderful recipes. I’m not even gluten-free, but her stories are really beautiful and moving. She takes everyday life and turns it into a story. I really like my friend Nicole’s blog, its NicoleIsBetter.com and she talks about life in a very really honest way. For example she just went sober, and is starting to run, and she shares her transformation and I really appreciate that, and I think a lot of people can relate. I also like Danielle Laporte, hers is White Hot Truth + Other Sermons On Life. Its self-help, transformational, and every blog post hits it on the nail.

Zenzi: Who are your top three recommendations to follow on Twitter?
Grace: I really like Ellen … DeGeneres.
Zenzi: (laughter) Who doesn’t love Ellen!
Grace: Yeah, you need something light! A lot of people sort of share the same stuff. This was hard. I also like Lena Dunham from Girls, she’s young, she’s a screenwriter, and she always has really funny, quippy things to say. For content marketing, I really like Joe Pulizzi, he’s @juntajoe and he’s always sharing the latest in content marketing. For food, I really like Food52, and from a technical perspective, there is a lot of information but I usually follow TechCrunch. There’s a lot of information, but that’s usually where the breaking news happens. Conan’s funny too.

Please note: A few responses have been abridged, and are not direct quotes.

Mistakes happen.

In the startup world, mentors will say they don’t trust an entrepreneur who hasn’t failed or hasn’t actively learned from their mistakes.

It puts hair on your chest.

I cringe thinking of the mistakes I’ve made. Sometimes the little ones are the worst. You know? The little slip-ups, the casual breeze over something that really was important or the lack of awareness so you messed up. I feel like such an amateur when I make a mistake.

But I’ve come to notice that it’s not so much about what the mistake is, but how you deal with the mistake after that really counts and speaks volumes.

In an interview I recently did on Eater with famed Sommelier and Co-owner of Frasca, Bobby Stuckey, (king of elevated, personalized service) he wisely shared with me that a mistake is “one of the greatest gifts of our craft.”

He elaborates: “Look, I’m a hospitality craftsman—that’s my deal. If I wasn’t so into that I wouldn’t be here every night. I’d have someone else do it. When you have a problematic misunderstanding or service flaw, that is one of the greatest chances to build a relationship with someone.”

His philosophy makes so much sense. It’s a true way to connect with someone and turn it into service gold. Knowledge is power and opening up the airways to communicate and right a situation, is a blessing.

That’s why when I when I’m on the receiving end of someone else’s mistake, albeit irritating, it’s jumbled over, treated poorly, lacks tact or a basic apology then I’m really hot and bothered over it. Service and respect, no matter the industry, is absolutely my number one priority and I pay close attention to it wherever I go.

I’ve learned that after the mistake…

It’s about the follow through.

Be honest. Own up to what you did. Apologize. I mean, this is the bare minimum.

Be genuine. We are after all, human.

Come up with ways you can rectify the mistake, offer solutions and workarounds.

Make an exception for something that maybe isn’t normally done or allowed because you messed up when you weren’t supposed to.

Remember loyalty and context of who this person/customer/client, etc. is and think of the big picture. How the will this mistake affect the future? They will remember it. Listen to them. Keep the relationship.

Don’t be defensive. That gets you nowhere.

If it’s a business environment, connect with your boss or colleagues about what they might do and what you can offer in exchange for your mistake. Advice doesn’t hurt. They’ve all been there.

Finally, after all the above and you’ve done everything possible, brush it off and move on. Understand sometimes people are angry at other things in their life and although you made a silly mistake, you may not be the only reason they’re directing their anger at you. If you tried your best then don’t hang onto it. But be sure, you really do try your best.

Then, just continue to kick-ass, smile, do your best and enjoy.

It’s all we can ever really do.

Note: This is Version 2 of Blogger Outreach. This time around, I’m showing real examples and real words from my experience as a blogger. This isn’t meant to bash brands or their agencies, but rather an educational place where we can learn what might have been a wrong turn and how to correct your outreach and tactics. Side note – My degree is in Public Relations, I’ve worked at two PR agencies, I get it. I’ve been on your side too.

You can read the first post of this series on general blogger outreach guidelines.

I have a Label in my Gmail called “PR Soliciting” and I purposely save the email if it’s atrocious or equally fabulous. Let me preface and say that we all make mistakes. I am not faulting people for making mistakes, I am faulting them for not doing the research to at least spend a little time at their job and/or rectify a mistake.

I’ll start with a few unfortunate examples:

• “Palermo’s Pizza adds “healthy flavor” to local freezer aisle” was the subject line. If you know my food blog, frozen food is not really my thing. Nonetheless, we talked back and forth and learning about the “healthy” toppings I said I would take a look. This was in the early days of my food blog and I was getting my feet and figuring out what I wanted to represent. I noted that I don’t eat red meat and would prefer a vegetarian, margarita pizza, chicken, etc. She agreed. On my door the next week? Meat lovers pizza and a pepperoni. I responded telling them that and I wasn’t going to be able to write anything and I didn’t even hear back. Not an apology. Nothing. Lame all around.

• One campaign involving vending machines / the vending industry sent FOUR of the exact same email to me. That’s not that big of a deal, a tiny mistake and it happens. But it was a cut and paste press release then one of the emails actually came from someone (not a companyname@prnewswire.com) but it just said “Hello” and then pasted the press release. BOTH times I responded, just giving them the heads up that I kept getting a few varieties of this email and I didn’t think I would be part of the campaign. I never heard back from anyone. Not a peep. I think this shows that responding is key whether it’s a “thank you,” or a follow up.

• I received a pitch talking about since I’m an entrepreneur I should be part of this entrepreneur contest. Well, I’m not an entrepreneur and I clearly stated in my about page where I worked. I can see how I talk about those ideas and startups, but it’s not a question if you read the details. You can also see where the placed my blog name in between the brackets like that’s a reminder for them to “update” the form email.

• Another PR pitch I received here on this blog was about prom dresses and a giveaway. My market is clearly college and Generation Y. It’s a pretty far call from anything I’ve written about (never style) and if you read my blog at all you would know that. Furthermore, it’s a pretty impersonal email.

That’s just a sampling. In general, it’s a shot in the dark, something that is impersonal and really misses the target audience. Also, we’re not dumb. It’s always really obvious when it’s cut and pasted and the fonts are different. And really, if it’s not matching your audience why are you even pitching in the first place?

There are some positive pitches of course and people that do their job wonderfully. As a blogger and someone who has been building a brand for a long time, I appreciate and regard positive relationships with brands and public relation professionals.

• I received one of the more personal emails from KIND Healthy Snacks and I credit their Marketing Manager and doing his research. There are 2-3 sentences that are really personal and even give me a glimpse into his personality where he talks about reading Grace(full) Plate and even references an event I’m hosting. We had a great relationship

• When I first started my food blog I never imagined the possibilities. I thought if I was invited to one restaurant to as “media” it would be a dream come true. At that time, I had even been a blogger here but it just felt like a dream come true to write about food and educate readers. A wonderful woman in marketing saw my life list on this blog and we started connecting on Twitter. She finally asked me if she could help make that life list item true and invite us up to her restaurants/hotel up in Black Hawk, Colorado. It was a nice tie-in with something I was interested in doing but also because my blog was so new, she took a risk on me and my writing to tell the story. What unfolded was one of the more amazing (and surprising) food experiences I’ve had to date.  It all started with listening and connecting on Twitter which is a great relationship builder and it caught my attention. Elissa and I still talk to this day.

• One my own accord I wrote about loving Kelly Cutrone’s book, If You Have to Cry Go Outside, and promptly her publicist (Director of Publicity at HarperOne) reached out, thanking me for the post and said she would be happy to send me Kelly’s latest book, Normal Gets You Nowhere. It was a nice touch. She’s smart, she probably knew I would write about it again (I did) and I turned it into a giveaway of the book I loved so much. Makes sense, Kelly Cutrone rocks and so does her team and people around her.

• Recently I got a pitch that really wasn’t up my alley (insurance) but I appreciated her kindness, eagerness to explain the product she was representing as she was part of a large, global PR agency and that she was also aware I was close to being stuck in Sandy travel as I was back East. Although it didn’t seem like the right fit for me, the campaign was for 20-somethings so it wasn’t as if her pitch was poorly matched, it was just not something I was going to have time to devote to as a priority.

There’s a sampling. Honestly, there are quite a few more sitting in my inbox rotting but these came to mind and I wanted to share the good and bad. What’s your experience with pitching? Have you done it before? What has worked and what doesn’t?

I innocently started this blog in 2008 without an inkling of the breadth and business opportunity it would bring and plunge me into. Today the concept of brands connecting with bloggers and influencer marketing keeps evolving.

Alongside starting my food blog almost two years ago, I’ve had my share of pitches and opportunities. Since I have worked alongside bloggers and online publishers for the last five years with the two startups I’ve had the pleasure of being part of, I also am able to see it from both sides of the line. I’ve seen so many brands miss the mark and if you’re a blogger, you’re familiar with the impersonal, irrelevant pitches you’ve received.

After speaking on this topic a few times, I realized I’ve never actually written about it so without further ado.

V1. General blogger outreach guidelines (from my personal experience);
V2. (To come) A sampling of piss-poor pitches I’ve received in addition to highlighting wonderful, personalized outreach I’ve received

The Low Down:

• Number one, ensure the email or outreach is personalized. It takes a little bit longer, but that two minute extra effort makes a difference. Even if it’s just one sentence that you add to your boilerplate outreach email, it helps. Huge points if you’ve read through my blog, listen to me on Twitter or just generally know what I write about and what I stand for. Most blog/bloggers are public, it’s not that hard to decipher.
• Be concise and clear. Typically, most bloggers have other jobs or work alongside their blog. Be clear in what you’re asking for, don’t beat around the bush, don’t be vague and keep it short. We can dive into details if something moves forward after. In short, tell us [bloggers] what you’re looking for and/or need from us.
• Offer and encourage ethical disclosure. Just understanding that it’s the right thing to do by stating the relationship with a brand, blogger, etc. means a lot when it comes from an agency or brand. Even providing language you prefer for disclosure can’t hurt, it means you’ve been around the block.
• Be transparent. Occasionally I’ll get a pitch from an agency that can’t disclose who they are or who the client is. I need to know that kind of information to see if I even want to be part of the campaign or program.
• Respect the relationship. Bloggers are traditionally more lax. I often joke, “Bloggers don’t have phone numbers.” As in, who puts their digits on their blog? That said, be professional, nurture the relationship, create a friendship (without being too pushy or weird) and it could potentially mean we work together many times together in the future. We’re people too and the more humanizing of a relationship, the better.
• Don’t ask for a lot, without offering nothing in return. This is something I see most often. A brand or agency requests to be written about/featured with a sense of entitlement and provides the blogger nothing in return. This is a business relationship and increasingly the bloggers who are influencing your content, sales or engagement, are a powerful tool. Monetary compensation is becoming quite the norm, especially in a partnership capacity. It’s not required and other potentials are: sending product, providing traffic/engagement to the blogger in return, hosting a party, inviting them on a trip, etc. Just consider what both parties can offer each other, but since you’re requesting something, be clear in what you can provide in return. There’s no right or wrong in what you offer, but understand it’s a good thing to grasp in the sea of pitches.
• Requirements. Depending on the relationship or if there’s a contract involved, a blogger may agree to all the parameters you’re requesting or sign a contract (when applicable). However, you cannot require a blogger write about your event or new restaurant, just because. If I am floored, if I find a story I can’t wait to share or if I just plain love XYZ, then I always will. I actually have a privacy policy, disclaimer and review page on my blog that if there’s anything in question, I send to the PR folks I might be engaging with.
• Don’t be pushy, but you can follow up. Occasionally we might miss an email. You have to recognize pitches come with high frequency for many bloggers. I always try to respond to everyone even if it means “No, thank you,” but things slip through the cracks. If you send a follow up about ~5 days after your first note, I think that’s well played. It always reminds me to get back in touch but being pushy beyond that, will not be well received.

Resources and Tools:

• Social Media Explorer has a “How To Pitch SME” on their site. It’s really clear what they will accept and not accept and it’s a great example of a blogger being upfront, while also offering a resource to brands/agencies.
• Oglivy has a blogger outreach code of ethics that they publicly share for consumption and education. Great example.
• Ford has a fact sheet called “Rules of Engagement with Online Influencers” I think it’s something brands can take a look at.
• Blue Glass has a blogger outreach synopsis that talks about planning before even reaching out and rules to abide by. I like their examples.
• GroupHigh and Blogdash are blogger outreach and management systems. You can search for blogs by topics, manage their metrics and also outreach from the system. Worth checking out if you’re doing something from scale or don’t know where to start.
• Rapportive is one of my favorite apps that integrates into my email and when I start to type in someone’s email, it pulls up their photo, social networks, information, etc. This is also useful when needing to gauge a bloggers email if it’s not readily available (be scrappy)! You can guess on email strings or combinations and if their image and info appears, you know it’s the right one.

Stay tuned for V2 on real life examples I’ve experienced over the years. This is just my thought process on being a blogger and working with brands, while also being on the other side of the fence as a brand that works with bloggers before. What would you have included here? Any thoughts?

The Man and I moved in together in August! He’s totally my roommate now. It’s funny, the transition (and my four years living in Boulder anniversary) passed by effortlessly, because well, it was effortless. It didn’t feel like a huge change or adjustment. It was simple. Just like the way we met, where we lived across the country and we just boiled it down to make it simple.

While this isn’t the theme for this post, as we’re cohabiting and I’m getting obsessively more into Pinterest/DIY and Michael’s (as in the store, eek) I have been thinking about the past experiences that led me here and the experiences I want to still have.

I started to make a list, because I love lists, and I found myself smiling. It’s really neat to look back on what you’ve done. Sometimes these moments whisk on by (like moving in or celebrating an anniversary in a place you love).

This list is cataloging everything that stood out in my mind, as an amazing experience. I found a lot of my experiences involved travel, embarking on something on my own, or food. I still have a lot to add to this list (this is just the beginning)! You can see where I started below. I did it a bit chronologically, but I also just did pen to paper to see what experiences popped up.

It was a nice exercise and I think far too often, we’re not encouraged to be proud of our accomplishments because it is haughty or boastful. Reverse it – be proud of what you’ve done, honor yourself and if you want to do more, write that down too!

Create your own list. Celebrate victory in increments, reflect on what you’ve done, give yourself a hug, then keep that list close to you and smile. You’re so great. So, what’s on your list?

I’m reading “Tiny Beautiful Things” by Cheryl Strayed – an incredible account of all the dark places life can take us, and the truth and beauty, that can also meet us on the other end. I couldn’t recommend it more. I think I plan to give this book to all my friends for the holidays.

Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice.

Tiny Beautiful Things brings the best of Dear Sugar in one place and includes never-before-published columns and a new introduction by Steve Almond. Rich with humor, insight, compassion—and absolute honesty—this book is a balm for everything life throws our way.

I found myself starting to read this book on a plane ride to LA to visit dear girlfriends, to get together in honor and support, of one of my oldest, best friends who recently lost a fiancee tragically…too suddenly.

When he passed away this July, the very next morning I booked a one-way ticket home. It was the only thing I knew to do. Life could wait. We flew in from all over – Australia, California, Colorado – we all held the space, helped her pick up the pieces, and supported. Words meant nothing, but the mere presence and ineffable friendship and love, could at least provide some ‘glue’ to hold.

Iowa. Home.

Although we cried together each day I didn’t want her to see me lose it – she had enough tears for all of us combined. At one point, one of my other best friends who had also flown in, caught me retreating to the bathroom as tears fell down my face, my lower lip quivering. “It’s too much,” I whispered. She followed me and we proceeded to hug each other and sob. Knowing our tears and sadness were only the tip of the iceberg for our friend, in the kitchen, we needed our own breakdown. We cried for our helplessness as we couldn’t take away any pain for our incredible friend, who has always been selfless, loving and deserved the best.

The insides felt tender and soft, too easy to rip, like tissue paper.

Each night, we crawled home to our houses we grew up in – high school photos dotting the walls of our room, the rafters holding old memories – it was always near Midnight when we had that first moment alone. We were just the supporters, to imagine what she felt, was almost too much.

I was home for 9 days. Time stopped. It was exactly where we needed to be and a month later, we made another trek to LA to get away from it all to find some laughter and to honor and celebrate his life during the weekend that would have been their engagement party.

That’s what friendship means – just being there no matter what and I feel so grateful to be part of something so strong. She would do the same for us, in an instant. She’s a giver, someone who always puts others first. Then time, we insisted, she come first.

Her strength inspires me and although our hearts break, alongside hers, we’re trusting in the power of love. And feeling the pain – not denying it, just accepting it, not trying to understand it and knowing it doesn’t have to define us, forever.

He was bright, energetic, a father, a son, a fiancee and a friend. He lived to make people laugh, and I’ve never seen my friend happier or her smile that bright. He taught her what respect, kindness, love and chivalry really was and gave her everything. He was wildly exuberant, enthusiastic and was a hard worker. He was in the process of building his own business, off to create a life for them together and the rug was swept from their feet. I can rest assured, their love was the purest and just to have experienced even a drop of it, reminds us that love is real and life is fragile. I honor him each day and my dear girlfriend, as I know he is watching down and she lives on, reminding herself he would want her to laugh, to be taken care of, to finish school to be an EMT and to continue on.

That’s the thing. We all have our stories, our loss, our gaping voids. It’s what connects us as humans and reminds us to just keep living and walking to the edge in life, living the best way we know how. It’s all we can really do.

—

Tears streamed down my face as I read through the perils of inquiries, that Sugar eloquently answered in a fierce, honest and real way as I thought of my friend, this recent experience that rocked our small town and what it all meant.

I scribbled down some of my favorite quotes from Sugar in Tiny Beautiful Things. I’ve shared them here – I hope they speak to you in someway, like they did to me.

Don’t be strategic or coy. Strategic and coy are for jackasses. Be brave. Be authentic. Practice saying the word “love” to the people you love so when it matters the most to say it, you will. We’re all going to die, Johnny. Hit the iron bell like it’s dinner time.

This is how you get unstuck, Stuck. You reach.

That place of true healing is a fierce place. It’s a giant place. It’s a place of monstrous beauty and endless dark and glimmering light.

Trust yourself. It’s Sugar’s golden rule. Trusting yourself means living out what you already know to be true.

Write like a motherfucker.

It’s going to be difficult but that’s no surprise. The story of human intimacy is one of constantly allowing ourselves to see those we love most deeply, in a new, more fractured light. Look hard. Risk that.

Ask better questions, sweet pea. The fuck is your life. Answer it.

Note: These are in no particular order and picked out separately as part of Sugar’s “answers” to the inquiries throughout the book.

I realized today, that it had been a week and I hadn’t been to even look at my blog. I know it may sound trivial to you, but to me, over the last four years my blog has become part of who I am.

For three years, I intently posted on this blog 1-2 times a week. It came to me easily, I was bubbling with ideas and was so excited to be part of this new community.

Today, I am just as excited. In fact, I think my blog came up 10 times this week with a stranger, in a business meeting, in a handful of emails (readers still email), with family that was in town visiting and at work. It still is very much part of my personal brand whether you know me online or in person. I love that.

I know this blog will always remain. I suppose it has become entrenched into me and recently, with the surprise of the Forbes mention friends and family that I didn’t even know read my blog, have been congratulating me. It’s a forever work in progress but it’s my progress and it’s close to my heart.

But something has shifted.

So please know, even if I’m not here everyday or even if I don’t post for a period of time it’s always on my mind. I don’t feel guilty (maybe at first I did, but that’s not a good emotion to harbor), but I do feel honored to be part of this community and honored that you’re here, reading these words.

Instead, I just may be deeply involved in another project, hustling at my job, writing freelance about food and restaurants (I’ve been doing that for 3 months now in addition to my food blog!) or just waiting for that great story, to share here.

Essentially, what I’m saying is thank you. I’m still around. Hope you’re well. Thanks for being here. Happy Friday.