I love having the opportunity to work with great photographers – and I’ve had my fair share these past few months. There’s nothing like having a well-done headshot in your back pocket anytime you’re applying for speaking engagements and the like and I’m lucky to say I have a nice little collection to choose from as a result of a few quick shoots with two very talented Triangle ladies. If you’re ready to update your headshots, or have never had a professional one commissioned, please give Anna or Elizabeth a shout and tell them I sent ya. 🙂
Lisa Jeffries professional headshot by Anna Routh
I had the above headshot taken by Anna Routh during a special promotion at Parlor Blow Dry Bar, where for $35 + $25, you got a blowout and a headshot. They run this “#GirlBoss” promo occasionally, so be sure to track them down on social media and stay tuned for their next chance to grab this great special offer. Anna was so friendly to work with and willingly put up with my request to take variations with my glasses on, glasses off, arms crossed, hands in pockets, you name it. What can I say, this girl likes options!
Lisa Jeffries professional headshot by Elizabeth GaleckeLisa Jeffries professional headshot by Elizabeth Galecke
Elizabeth Galecke did the above two shots for me as a sweet friend perk when she was at my house doing a larger family photography shoot. I can’t wait to get a moment to post all of those great pics on my personal blog and show them of, too! The manfriend and I were so thrilled with how the pictures with our pups turned out and love having some professional images to frame and put in our house now. No matter your need, Elizabeth is also a Raleigh pro to call for your next photography session.
Today’s breakfast/lunch (truly brunch without the boozy drinks) combo I whipped up in my small but mighty kitchen here in Antibes inspired this post. I used leftover bread from last night’s dinner as the base; layered in leftover sauteed Brussels sprouts, a few slices of mozzarella cheese, and frozen spinach; and topped with four eggs scrambled with about a half cup of water and voila — I have brunchy goodness that’ll be easily re-heated for the next several days and not an ounce of waste in sight.
That’s got to be one of the best habits I’ve picked up living here in the South of France: just how little food I’m throwing away on a regular basis. Back in the States, it’s pretty normal for us to hit the grocery store about every week to 10 days, spend $100+ with the best of intentions of cooking a ton of meals at home, and then inevitable, every two weeks or so… I’m cleaning out the refrigerator and throwing a solid chunk of that $100 into a trash bag.
Here in Antibes, the refrigerator in my apartment is the size of most dorm room units, and I’m also only cooking for one. I also have the better part of six+ grocery stores and markets within walking distance and a farmers market two blocks from home that’s open every day from 6:00 a.m. until 1 p.m. So I’m buying fresh items, every two or three days, and making the most of them. I’ve thrown away so little while I’m here and hope this is a habit I can stick with when I return home in May. The only complication is that it might mean more occasional trips to the grocery store, which is not nearly convenient at home as it has been here.
Speaking of the grocery shopping aspect: I do a pretty solid job of utilizing both Lowes Foods and Harris Teeter’s online ordering services, though… so I think I can easily maximize the return on the $4.99 convenience fee charged AND save the time of having to actually shop in the store, too. I’v also been stalking the inventory of RelayFoods.com and am constantly drooling over their selection, so I see a lot more of that in my future, too. I think the saved cost of not throwing away so much of our inventory week after week will well make up for any additional costs in my convenience shopping ways.
Raleigh, be warned. As much as I miss you, a girl could really get used to waking up near the water. The views on my last few days of runs and walks in Antibes have been too good not to share. These pictures are from the beachfront in Antibes, Fort Carre, and Port Vauban.
Thank you to Elizabeth Galecke of Elizabeth Galecke Photography for capturing these perfect family photos at our home in Raleigh!
Feb. 2017 Update: In the past year, we lost both Mason and Tank – two of the furry faces gracing this photo – due to cancer. They were devastating losses as Johnnie and I both spent much of our adults lives loving, and having the return love, of our trusty companions. We cannot say enough positive things about the team at NC State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s Oncology program who we trusted their care to – learn more about the program here… and here’s to hoping we one day live in a world that’s free of cancer.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Time Warner is in talks to invest in Hulu and has told Hulu’s owners that it wants to curtail current-season TV episodes, which Hulu now makes available as early as the next day. – via NewsObserver.com: “TV producers may start making you wait for new shows online”
I wish I could tell execs at TWC to get out of their own way. This proves that there is such a disconnect with their current offerings and the services and prices that the modern entertainment consumer is wanting and willing to pay for. Delaying putting your content online is not going to drive consumers back to their pre-cord-cutting ways. It’ll only drive up demand and consumption of illegal distribution or the product or diminish the demand for it altogether – which will in turn just drive the viewership to other content. Hello, Netflix Original programming!
“I am decisive, you know. I don’t believe in wasting anybody’s time. I like to be honest. I like to be clear. In my own personal career, I have felt almost the most difficult thing to deal with is someone who doesn’t tell you what they are thinking.” – Anna Wintour, Condé Nast’s artistic director
I’ve been in the south France for nearly a month and I’ll be here off and on through the end of April finishing my dual master’s degree in Global Luxury Management. You’d think while I’ve been here that I would have had more than my fair share of wine already, right? Wrong. In fact, I’ve enjoyed less wine here than I did at any time in the states.
So, what gives? There are some cultural differences in the retailing of wine here, especially in restaurants and bars, but the real reason I’ve consumed so much less wine is the very sub-par selection of wines by the glass at restaurants and bars. I really had hoped before venturing here that I would be outside of my United States comfort zone of wines available and trying a greater variety of European wines that haven’t made their way stateside, but when you’re out and about here, the by-the-glass selections are as follows: “red”, “rose”, and “white”. No kidding! You’re lucky if the menu includes any details about the by-the-glass varietal or the geographic source.
Perhaps this recent experience is why this article struck me so strongly today: Millennials dragging wine sales down – and the prudent included advice:
I think it’s a great read for restaurant, nightlife, and hospitality operators everywhere – regardless of geographic location.
Don’t get me wrong – the wine selection at retail points of sale and by the bottle in restaurants are pretty wide and adventurous here in France (and aggressively priced since most are domestic products) – but I rarely desire an entire bottle in one seating and when I want just a glass, I don’t want a mediocre glass of “house wine” that was selected for a profit margin rather than to complement menu offerings.
Ending on a positive note: the retail store wine scene is in much better shape offering a really nice selection with incredibly high-quality and great tasting wines beginning at 8 euros (about $9 USD) a bottle, so I’ve had fun with that! I mean – a girl’s still got to have her wine, right? (Especially when there is no craft cocktail culture here… but more on that later.)
I knew Monaco was one of the places Johnnie Bud was most looking forward to while visiting Europe, so we had to get a visit in before he had to return to North Carolina… even if that meant visiting on a Monday. We were a little underwhelmed at the lack of glitz and glamour… and any real activity at all… but maybe that can be attributed to visiting on a Monday afternoon and evening in January (the off-season).
Regardless of the lack of things to do, we took in some spectacular views, drooled over more impressive yachts, checked out a casino (SO very different than Vegas: slots and tables in different buildings, had to pay to get in, no free drinks, and less than 20 people in the casino playing at tables), strolled through the luxury shopping area, and hopped on the train back to Antibes with some great memories and pictures in tow. PS: It wasn’t all a total bust! While in the casino, I hit with $5 on 29… my birthday day. Show me the money!
A week ago Sunday, Johnnie Bud and I headed to Cannes with GLM classmates Daniel, Sarah, and Stephanie. Taking the SNCF train for $12 round-trip, it was about a 30 minute ride (with stops included) and we couldn’t have asked for better weather.
It was fairly quiet in Cannes on the day we went, missing the film festival the area is known for that takes place in May, but we walked from the busy town streets down to the beautiful waterfront and enjoyed a super fun lunch at restaurant called o’key beach that is literally situated on the sandy beach and mostly porch seating.
Word to the wise: there’s nothing speedy about dining in France. (Or really anything speedy, except bus and train service, in the south of France.) Luckily, we were day tripping and enjoying good food and drinks with great company – with absolutely no rush needed. Many service staffers speak a good deal of English, so we haven’t had any challenges dining out… but they certainly appreciate and it usually entertains them when you try to speak French and order off the menu as its written. Also to note, tax and gratuity is included in menu prices and when you try to tip your bartender extra for speedy service, they look at you funny.
I would love to see this place during the film festival, but I’ll be back in Raleigh by then. Put it on my bucket list to return soon, though! 2017, perhaps?
Can I take just a second to brag on my wonderful manfriend who accompanied me over the pond for the first week to help me get adjusted to life here in Europe – and to enjoy a mini-vacation, too?
While I was joining 41 other NC State GLM students here in the south of France, I elected to rent a private apartment for myself, so it was nice not to feel incredibly alone and have Johnnie here while the rest of my classmates were all arriving on different dates and getting settled themselves. Luckily, we found out quickly that many of my GLM gang are all staying in apartments super close to my place, which makes it easy to get together for brunch, shopping, bar hopping, day trips, sight seeing and the like.
Back to the topic of this post, Johnnie Bud and I spent our first two days here just sight-seeing in Antibes – where I live and will be spending the most of my time. This place is stunning and approachable at the same time. Dripping in old world charm on the exterior, everything is visually beautiful but has all of the comforts of home easily available – great wifi in my apartment, lots of shopping and dining, and a store called Monoprix that is basically Euro Target… it’s short walk from my apartment and every time I walk in, I spend at least $75 on all the random things one collects at a wander through Target.
We’ve also found lots of great food, but Antibes really feels like a vacation destination in that a lot of smaller businesses are currently closed for an entire month for holiday and vegetarian menus aren’t the most widely available. However, there are several markets, including an open air farmer’s market within steps of my apartment, so I’m doing lots of cooking now that I’m settled and shopping several times a week for fresh food rather than a weekly stock-up trip like at home. (That’s also partly due to the fact that most apartments here have refrigerators that are a fraction of the size of one back home.)
My street in Antibes!
Other side of my street in Antibes
Coke is the soft drink champion here and served with lemon
First meal in Antibes – pasta dishes for me and Johnnie Bud at Cafe des Chineurs
Port Vauban in Antibes
Dinner at Ancre de Chine – that is a carrot flower!
Pizza lunch at Le Duplex
Checking in for our Skema tour – NC State GLM present and accounted for in Sophia Antipolis!
Cool use of educational technology to welcome master’s students to Skema’s programs in Raleigh, Paris, Sophia, and even Suzhou, China!
Cool use of educational technology to welcome master’s students to Skema’s programs in Raleigh, Paris, Sophia, and even Suzhou, China!
Cool use of educational technology to welcome master’s students to Skema’s programs in Raleigh, Paris, Sophia, and even Suzhou, China!
First dinner at “home” in Antibes with Johnnie Bud
Another beautiful street in Antibes
Waterfront Antibes!
Waterfront selfie in Antibes
Rocky beaches in Antibes
Love the building exterior and shutters
Villas along the coastline
Port Vauban at dusk
Port Vauban at dusk
Port Vauban at dusk
Port Vauban at dusk
Port Vauban at dusk
Port Vauban at dusk
Uplighting in France’s national colors
Fantastic dinner at Le Jardin – can’t wait to go back when it’s warmer and enjoy the expansive back patio. Truffle ravioli for the win!
Add a little shiplap and this place is Joanna Gaines perfection! at Le Jardin
We had to laugh at this sign. No kids? No walking with kids? Who knows…
Up Next: Pics from Sunday Funday in Cannes and a Monday in Monaco/Monte Carlo!
