More from Grits & Gravy

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

mags + bachelorette = athens weekend

One of my favorite cities in the United States is Athens, Georgia. I did have the great fortune of living there for two years in graduate school. While there, I met some of my closest friends. One of those people is Mags (or Margaret is her real name) whom I just adore.

After graduate school she moved to Texas for a job and met her sweetheart, Hayden. This summer she will be becoming a Mrs. and before she does we decided to celebrate in our old stomping grounds. Being back in Athens was special and we were able to enjoy all of our old places. Some are even improved while others seemed just perfectly the same.

We kicked off the celebration with drinks at the Georgia Theatre rooftop bar. This was certainly an improvement. Sadly, the theatre burned down a few years ago but they have rebuilt it and it is better than before.



Supper just had to be at Shokitini, aka the place for the best yellow sauce and fried rice you ever will eat. We were even able to sneak in a little time with Andrew and his wife, Katie, which was a treat. While at Shokitini, one might also do a little karaoke so we indulged. I can only imagine how amazing we sounded as we belted out some great tunes.






Of course the fun did not stop here. We took off for a little dancing and singing to the best of the 8E's. These next two photos are my favorites from the whole weekend. Pay special attention to what is happening around us. And my choke hold on Sarah.



The next morning we hit up an old favorite, Mama's Boy. Easily the best biscuits in town. I have no idea what they put in those things but they are killer.



We toured campus, had lunch at Cali n Titos, and swung through the air at a trapeze class. For our last night, we celebrated Mags at Last Resort Grill. Our last stop was Allgood downtown for drinks.



As you can see, it was quite a fabulous weekend filled with good food, great friends, and many special memories with Mags.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

guest post: leadershape reflections



I have the incredible fortune to be a part of an amazing organization called LeaderShape (www.leadershape.org), and it has changed my life for the better. I first participated in their week-long leadership institute back in '05 when I was a college student and have stayed involved ever since that time. A few years ago I was thrilled to be invited into their Lead Facilitator community, and this weekend the entire Lead community will gather again in Chicago for their annual training. I am devastated that I cannot be there this year—especially since I’ve seen my LeaderShape “family” once a year since ’05!

What I love so much about LeaderShape, and the Lead Retreat specifically, is that they focus on the personal growth and development of their individual community members because they know that their program will be stronger if their people are too.  At last year's Lead Retreat they asked us to perform an exercise where we went around our small group tables introducing ourselves in the third person and never stating the most common introductory attributes: job title, place of employment, educational background, etc. All of the things listed on our resumes, but that don't really tell others who we are deep down.

I started at our table and quickly discovered that while the activity was awkward because speaking in third person isn't the most natural process, what was most challenging about it was that outside of my work I didn't really know who I was. I continued to listen to the others describe in vivid detail who they were, their positive influences, what gave them joy and what inspired them. This simple activity startled me on a personal level, and I couldn't help but think, "who am I?"

So I've been reflecting on that and figuring it out ever since. And, I know that if I were to be there with them this weekend I would eagerly share:

Mallory is a southern girl.
Mallory is a daughter, a sister and an aunt at her core.
She is an unwavering friend.
And, while Mallory loves to travel and move, her heart will always be with her loved ones back "home."
Mallory is hard-working and career-focused.
Her calling is definitely working with college students.
But, recently Mallory learned that she is more than her work...

  
Mallory is an aspiring yogini.
Mallory is an avid reader.
She is a baker and soon-to-be cook.
She is a music lover and yearns to use her own voice to express herself.
She is creative, and always ready for a new adventure.
She is responsible, authentic, and works on being vulnerable every day.
She has a lot of love in her heart and shares it freely.
She is an old-soul.
She is ready to share her soul with another. 

So even though I can’t be there with my LeaderShape family this weekend, the inner-work still continues. And I can’t help but thank and appreciate the staff there at LeaderShape for helping us all become the best versions of our selves.  

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

trapeze


 
While in Athens recently for my friend Margaret's Bachelorette Party, we decided to check out a trapeze class at Canopy Studio. I was honestly not quite sure what to expect or if my fear of heights would get the best of me but this class was an absolute blast! As an added bonus, there was a kid party there that day too which meant tutus! So, yes, we absolutely wore those. Our bride to be even got to sport a white one.



Mags and I had wanted to attend a class here when we were graduate students but somehow the time escaped us and we missed out. I am glad that we took advantage of it the second time around because we had such a great time.. and lots of sore muscles. Seriously, this is a great workout.

The class kicked off with some stretching and getting us used to being on the apparatuses. One of the most challenging moves for me, funny enough, was the one of the beginning ones because you had to go backwards. Bless our instructor and Jeff for spotting me so I could get up and through it. There is a reason I was a base in cheerleading. The loss of control thing, especially in the air, is not my strength. Once I got over that, it was a swinging good time.





Some of our bachelorette attendees did a turning spin thing. Although dizzy, they seemed to enjoy the move. My favorite part was at the end because we did a triple transfer. It was so freeing to fly through the air, using your own body strength to get you to the next apparatus.



 

If you are in Athens or there is a studio near you, I highly encourage this experience.