Sharita Hanley | The Grit and Grace Project

Wanting to Take a Fall Vacation? Check Out These 5 Spots

As much as I enjoy summer’s arrival, there’s just something about autumn that seems to calm my soul. Like an open invitation to relax, fall swoops in after summer’s high-intensity fun, like a hero in the night. Calm and comforting. An enchanting reminder of what it means to slow… down. So, after the sand castles are washed away, and the back-to-school transition ends, here are five beautiful places to visit for a fall vacation. 1. Asheville, North Carolina Nestled in the western part of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville is a popular fall destination. A festival haven, this mountain town hosts celebrations of all kinds including the The Lovely Asheville Annual Fall Festival and the live, outdoor theater experience-inspired Haunted Trail […]

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5 Simple Ways to Keep Dr. King’s Dream Alive

By Sharita Hanley / Life & Culture

If you’re anything like me, Dr. King’s legacy leaves you very much empowered and yet, feeling a little awkward. As much as his words and actions have been cherished and praised throughout the years, I’m always left wondering, but what can I do to keep Dr. King’s Dream alive? As inspired as I am, protesting isn’t really my thing. I’m too quiet, too shy, and sad to say, much too worried about my own self-preservation. But injustice of any kind bothers me, hate makes my blood boil, and despite my quiet nature, I’m an activist at heart. But after 27 years of wrestling with society’s expectations, I’ve come to realize the many ways I can keep Dr. King’s legacy alive in my

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5 Truths About the Best Kind of Beauty

By Sharita Hanley / Life & Culture

I repeated the phrase to myself again and again. Think on things that are noble, pure, and true. Beautiful things I’d told myself as I tried and failed to will myself to think positively. Noble, pure, and true I reminded myself as the blinking LED light slowly but surely diminished my attention span. Positive. Noble. True. I whispered as though something magical was about to happen, but the pull of social media proved strong as the blinking blue light beckoned my focus. Not quite capable of 100% resistance, I checked the notification bar. Instagram was waiting, seemingly where the best kind of beauty resides. As if the blinking LED light gave me permission to move forward, I clicked the notification, diving headfirst into

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28 Life Lessons I’ve Learned in My 28 Years

By Sharita Hanley / Life & Culture

My 28th birthday came slowly and quietly just as I expected. It wasn’t loud like my 21st or social like my 16th. It wasn’t ground-breaking like my 18th or laced with travel like I enjoy. It came expectantly and gradually. Unhurried and minimal. Simple, just like life has been. No big plans. Just gratitude. A day to appreciate the little things. A spa day at home. Peace and quiet. Surrounded by books, an essential oil diffuser, and hot tea. But as I watched the sun peek from behind the clouds, I thought about those 28 years and what they’ve meant to me. They meant life, of course. But they were lessons too. Life lessons I never quite learned in school, but essential

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Here Are the 10 Commandments to Be a Great Stepmom

By Sharita Hanley / Motherhood, Relationships

If someone had told me that I was going to be a stepmom at 21 years old, aka a bonus mom, I would have laughed in their face. Not because I hated kids or because I was rude, but simply because working to become a great stepmom wasn’t a part of my plan. Funny how life works like that, isn’t it? You see, when I was younger, I was convinced—without a doubt—that I was going to be a traveling nomad. Laugh all you want, but it’s true. I’d always loved traveling, exploring new places, immersing myself in a different culture, and writing about it. But six years after graduating, I married a divorced man with two precious kiddos and my role as

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The-Best-6-Spring-Break-Vacations-to-Take-This-Year

The 6 Best Spring Break Vacations to Take This Year

By Sharita Hanley / Life & Culture

It’s that time again. You know, the time of year where the kids go back to school after you have just finished recovering from some much-needed time off. But parents, step parents, foster parents and even grandparents know it won’t be long before their next break. Before we know it, winter will bid us a chilly goodbye and spring will make her debut. With that of course, comes the task of deciding what to do for spring break. While I’m almost always excited for a stay-cation, sometimes everyone—parents and kids—need a getaway. But it isn’t always easy finding options that work for everyone in the family. So here are six spring break vacations that are perfect for you and the kids. Pigeon

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7 of the Best Summer Vacation Trips to Take in the USA

By Sharita Hanley / Life & Culture

There’s nothing quite like a summer vacation. Between the sun’s warm rays, the excitement of a new adventure, and a week or two away from the office, summer vacation just might be one of my favorite times of the year. But what I love most about summer getaways is the way they seem to rejuvenate my soul. Let’s be real. Life can be hard, exhausting, and stressful, but regardless of what’s going on in my life, blocking off a few days to literally get away always helps me relax and remember just how good life is and can be. So whether you’re in the midst of some pretty hard times, weary from everyday life, or simply planning your next annual vacation, here

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10 Instagram Travel Accounts You Need to Follow Right Now

By Sharita Hanley / Life & Culture

If you’re anything like me, you too are guilty of spending countless hours scrolling through Instagram. Sure, I’ve wasted more time than I care to admit procrastinating on it, but there are some days and moments when I find the site inspiring, motivating, and downright fascinating. For example, I love celebrating my friends’ milestones and successes, laughing at memes, connecting with like-minded (and safe) strangers, reposting encouraging messages, and reading quotes and real-life captions that inspire me to keep going when I want to do everything but that. But if I’m really honest, one of my favorite things about Instagram is how easy it is for me to indulge in one of my guilty pleasures—travel photos. I mean, I’m never ashamed to

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When It’s Gray and Cold: Embrace the Light

By Sharita Hanley / Faith

Oily raindrops collided with my windshield as I sat in traffic under a dark sky. It made no sense to me at all. 5:30pm and pitch black. I had never admitted it, but I hated this time of year. Cold. Dark. And rainy. All I wanted to do was sit in the house and dream of better days. Summer days. But the endless amount of brake light brought me back to reality. Irritated, I cursed the season. What kind of wonderful season was this? It was everything I despised. Drowning in tradition. Full of far-fetched expectations. Gray. I wanted one thing and one thing only. Sunlight. “Maybe you should get one of those light therapy lamps,” my boss suggested as I confessed

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Breaking Up in a Digital World

By Sharita Hanley / Relationships

It really was madness—ending an engagement via text message, but at the time I didn’t know what else to do. So I took the easy way out and avoided a long face-to-face conversation. Besides, how could this kind of conversation (between two young kids who met online, talked online, and lived in two different time zones) go well anyway? We didn’t really know each other; we knew the selves we presented online. According to Facebook, he was a writer and I am a writer. We shared similar beliefs and both enjoyed spending time outside. But Facebook never asked me about my love for travel, my volunteer work with refugees, or what kind of stories I wanted to write. There was no text

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