About

I begrudgingly moved back to Grand Rapids, Mich. when I graduated from college in 2007. I had dreams of Chicago, Manhattan or London. But something extraordinary happened upon my return. I fell madly in love with my hometown. Around every corner I seem to discover something new. While the wanderlust in me will never fade, Grand Rapids never ceases to amaze. In fact, I often find myself convincing others to move here, as well.

Mid 2011, the Grand Rapids Press introduced the MyGR6 contest. Challenged to describe my city in six words, I mulled for months over the perfect six. As I debated which neighborhood to buy a house in, it hit me in a single instant. I grew up in GR. Moved away, moved back. I’m raising my son in GR. I’ve learned a lot about myself in GR. And now I’m buying a house in GR. I’m unfolding the story of my life in GR. And there you have the inspiration for this blog, a chronicle of my love affair with Grand Rapids.

More about me personally: I’m a wannabe psychologist, so my job suits me well. I’m a communications specialist with an interest in digital media and public relations. People fuel me. I’m a grammar and typography snob. I’m a former graphic designer and dabble in video editing (I’m a wannabe director, too). I crave travel, especially to foreign cultures. What defines me most, however, is the experience of motherhood. It’s the most extraordinary life lesson of all. (Yeah, yeah…I couldn’t think of a less cheesy way to put it.)

Project 365: Home Edition
A subset of this blog is my second Project 365. As I set out to buy my first house, the hunt led me to discover parts of Grand Rapids I never knew existed. Every day brought something new, so I figured finding a place to call home was the perfect foundation for a new writing project. Since becoming a first-time homeowner is an integral part of unfolding the story of my life here in Grand Rapids, I combined the two blogs.

Follow me on Twitter: @karamcnabb