Emily

I am constantly asked, “What is it like to live on Nantucket year-round?” Well, I decided to answer this question in a series of blog posts called, “The Nantucket Girl.” Every few weeks, I will feature a friend who calls this beautiful island home. She will share with you some of her favorite things about Nantucket and also her favorite picks at Milly & Grace! I hope this will give everyone a glimpse of what it’s like to be a girl living 30 miles out to sea.

So, I present to you..

Meet Nantucket Girl – Liz Finlay

Photograph by: Kit Noble

Tell us a little about yourself: I am married, for almost 18 years, with 3 children. I have two tall teenage boys, (one just got his license- eek!) and a little girl. We’ve been on island for almost 20 years and Patrick, Matty and Ella were all born here. I’m from Vermont and most of my family is there so we try to get up there to visit often. I love to travel, visit with family and friends and watch my kids play sports. I can’t think of a better way to spend a spring afternoon that watching the boys play lacrosse, for example. Reading can be a guilty habit of mine. I’ve been known to sink into a book and not put it down until it’s done.

How long have you called Nantucket home?: Almost 20 years.

What do you do in Nantucket?: I’m a real estate broker doing both sales and rentals at Great Point Properties

Relationship Status: Married with 3 kiddos

Hobbies: Walking our dog, getting out on my paddle board, reading

Guilty Pleasure: Wine, dark chocolate, cheese and enjoying a book so much I literally read it all day.

Favorite Blogger: Milly & Grace Girls, Mind Body Green, Pioneer Woman, Huffington Post.

Favorite Quote: Proper Steps, from the Story People: “I only do this until I get dizzy & then I lay down on my back & watch the clouds,” she said. It sounds simple but you won’t believe how many people forget the second part. I like this quote because it’s a great reminder to slow down and enjoy life.

Tell us about your life on Nantucket: I am grateful to lead a very full life. My days are pretty packed with doing things for and with my family and, of course, work. Sometimes my days are a little too full and those days I am sure to talk with my friends, or better yet get together with them, or try to get a walk in to take a breather and do something for myself. I’m a believer that it is better to give than receive, but when your cup is empty, it’s harder to give so you need to take time for doing what you love and fill that cup.

Favorite time of year: I love fall on Nantucket. September is the best month. The weather is great, the island is quieter and it gives those of us who live here year round a chance to enjoy all the island has to offer. I also love this time of year because of the foliage and I try to get home to Vermont to enjoy it there too.

What’s your perfect day on Nantucket?: Sleeping in a little (school mornings can be rough), going out for lunch with my girlfriends and strolling town afterwards, making sure to grab a little sweet after lunch. Walking around town is not something we’re always able to do in our busy summer months so I try to do it daily this time of year. Reading on the beach while my kids play is a great ending to the perfect day.

Favorite:

Shops: Milly & Grace, of course! Hepburn, Core (it’s not just athletic wear) Flowers on Chestnut and Bookworks.

Restaurants: I have a confession to make: I eat at Centre Street Bistro at least once a week; it’s my favorite place for lunch and so good for dinner too; Dune, Millie’s, the Sea Grille, and we often take the whole family to Fusaro’s. I haven’t been to Proprietors yet and am dying to go. We’re lucky to have so many great places!

Beach: Lately, we’ve mostly been going to Nobadeer where my boys love to surf and boogey board. We also like Quidnet beach and Sesachacha pond, which is just such a pretty setting.

Nantucket Event: the 4^th of July on the island is a pretty great way to celebrate the 4^th.

Tell us an interesting fact about living on Nantucket: Every once in a while I will meet someone for the first time who has lived here for as long as I have. I always wonder, how can that be? Our little island is bigger than we think.

What’s the hardest part about living on Nantucket?: When showing property I often get asked what it’s like to live here year round and whether it gets boring. For me, this is not an issue. With 3 kids, who all play sports, I’m never really bored. Trying to get off island over a holiday, especially with the threat of a storm, is one of the biggest challenges about living on the island. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen too often but it’s those times I am really reminded that we live on a little island out to sea.

Tell us something others may not know about this little island: Nantucket has more than 82 miles of beaches.

Milly & Grace Picks

Day Look:

Liz looks ready for Fall and absolutely fantastic in this Soft Joie Green Jacket and Rust Joie silk top! Casual, classy and comfortable for a walk down Main Street after a shopping trip to Milly & Grace!

Night Look:

Loving this Ruffle Ruana in Camel that Liz picked out for her night look! She paired it with a gorgeous white lace tank and stunning jewelry! Linear Chandelier Earrings and a Gillian Julius Bracelet available on our online boutique!

Liz also loves these mercury votives we have available on our online boutique in different shapes and sizes!

Thanks Liz for being a Nantucket Girl!

We also have some exciting news! We are doing a Giveaway today! All you have to do is:

Pin it to Win it!

Pin this post and be entered to win a Nantucket bracelet from Keely Smith Designs! Offer ends October 10th.

During our buying trip to NYC, it was my mission to squeeze in a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As I mentioned on my list of 30 things to do before I’m 30, I had never been before because I could never make it past Bergdorfs as I was heading up 5th Ave. So we had to get there – Do not pass go, do not collect $200. And we made it:

Here are some of my highlights:

I think the most impressive thing at the MET are the floral arrangements in the lobby (Great Hall) of the museum (now don’t all roll your eyes at once). They are so grand and so spectacular it practically took my breath away. Initially I took a double take because I thought for sure they were fake. But no…They are REAL and there are 5 big urns full. According to Crain’s New York Business: “A reported $4 million endowment from late Reader’s Digest co-founder Lila Acheson Wallace pays for fresh flowers each week—forever—in the Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art”. Pretty cool!

Next up is the Impressionist wing. Confession…. I had a Claude Monet obsession from the ages of 10-13. It was bad. I even had a Water Lilies bedspread. This is NOT a joke and I can’t even explain it. This wasn’t something Patty wanted me to have. I HAD TO HAVE A MONET BEDSPREAD. I wish I had a picture but it was pretty close to this:

Here are some of my favorite paintings: Water Lilies

Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies and The Manneporte Near Étrtat

My favorite Van Goghs – Roses and Wheat Field with Cypress

The Fabergé pieces from Matilda Geddings Gray collection were exquisite. The Lillie-of-the-Valley Basket is made of gold, silver, pearls and diamonds! Matilda’s cigarette cases & clutches:

In the modern art wing we came across the most breathtaking work of art of all: The Dyson Vacuum. Art enthusiasts say that art changes lives and the way people think. Well let me tell you that my Dysons (I have 1 at the store and 2 at my house) have changed my life.
And there you have it! #4 is checked off my list!