An Interview with Mara & Danny

Mara & Danny Kofoed from A Blog about Love.
Picture by Johnathan Canlas

Don't get me wrong, I love a good style blog. Outfit posts are my drug of choice. (Well.) Sometimes, however, I need something a little bit more. More substance. More connection. More "umph" from the blogs I read. This is why I'm so glad I discovered A Blog about Love.

Semi-newlyweds, Mara and Danny Kofoed are refreshingly candid and honest about their life in Brooklyn. They've both been previously married and talk about divorce, infertility, being single, forgiveness, and happiness in addition to other topics that aren't so prevalent in the blogosphere.

What they're doing is brave. It's needed. It's appreciated. It can be terrifying to put yourself out there - I know I get nervous whenever I mention my cancer. But you do it in hopes of helping the greater good. And that's what the Kofoeds are doing - helping the greater good. Plus, they're both easy on the eyes. So that's nice too.

Alright, less from me, more from them. Read The Kofoed's following feature and then hop over to their blog. You'll thank me later.

-LET THE INTERVIEW BEGIN-

BLOGGER(S)

Mara & Danny Kofoed

BLOG

 

CITY OF RESIDENCE

Park Slope, Brooklyn

FAVE PLACES TO EAT IN BROOKLYN

Song Thai Food - This place has been a favorite since I (Mara) moved to Brooklyn. I have eaten take out from Song more than any other restaurant on earth. It really is the best Thai food in New York & the owners treat you like old friends. It's also the first take-out that my husband had the pleasure of eating with me on his first trip to visit me in Brooklyn.

Fonda Mexican Food- Danny & I could live on Mexican food. We were delighted to finally eat at Fonda in our neighborhood and discovered that its totally legit Mexican. They fly all their ingredients and spices in from Mexico. The chef wrote a cookbook - you can purchase it here.

Guisappina's Pizza- New York is bursting with great pizza joints. But man oh man, this place in Brooklyn could be the best. We like it better than Patsy's, better than Grimaldi's, and John's. It's piled with basil and fresh ingredients. It is 100% old school Italian and off a beaten path. Look for the 20 shoes hanging from telephone wire out front.

FAVE PLACES TO SHOP IN BROOKLYN

Beacon's Closet - This place is jam packed with vintage clothing & hand picked by some hip girls in the back. Everything is about $15 or less. Sometimes there are 20 items I really really want. It's always hard to narrow it down.

Despite all the amazing boutiques in my neighborhood in Brooklyn, I actually don't shop at them!  I am frugal and just can't stomach spending $375 on a shirt.  If I wanted to blow more money I'd go straight to APC in SoHo.  I also have a ton of clothes from a business I started,Harvey Faircloth, so I don't have a lot of need for shopping.  But my husband still loves to buy me clothes and can't resist it.  His favorite places to shop for me are Uniqlo and Jcrew. *Note from Megan - How do I get my Danny to do this?

DESCRIBE YOUR BLOG IN 5 WORDS OR LESS

Authentic. Raw. Hopeful. Helpful. Inspiring.

WHAT ARE THE PROS OF BEING A BLOGGER? CONS?

PROS - I have made some really great friends!  And by great, I mean I have met them in person, gone to NY Knicks games with them, skyped with them, met up for lunch in the Village, talked with them on the phone, met up for the Jason Wu frenzy at Target, stayed up til 2:00 am talking to them at the Alt Conference, and toured the Christmas lights of Dyker Heights with them - not to mention emailed them & stayed in touch through blog comments.  It has all been ridiculously fun & I'm so grateful to widen my circle of friendships.  When you have a love of blogging - it's a way to instantly connect with a lot of people - readers & bloggers alike.  I didn't anticipate that it would be interactive, but I love it.

Also - a lot people are resonating with our overall message about love and happiness - - and how to have more of that in your life, regardless of circumstances.  People facing cancer, addictions, health issues, divorce, cheating spouses, infertility, family issues, etc., have all written us to say, "Thank you - your blog changed my life."  We couldn't be happier that in the 5 months since we launched the blog, we've been able to help so many people. 

CONS - Love for blogging is a double edged sword.  My husband and I both do it together (which has been WONDERFUL), but we love it so much that we tend to stay up later than we should because we are writing, brainstorming, emailing, researching, etc.  It's hard to keep our blogging to normal office hours as it's an endeavor we feel so strongly about.   Also, I'm not super tech savvy, so I get myself into blogger trouble from time to time.  I wish I had gone to design school.  Maybe I will.

3 BLOGS YOU READ RELIGOUSLY

Cup of Jo

Design Mom

The Daily Muse  *Note from Megan - Me too! Sam Wiggins!

FAVORITE RAPPER
I love rap - especially from my days of being a mentor to some urban kids in Brooklyn (they always wanted to drive slowly in my black Rover through their neighborhood of Bed Stuy, w/ the music turned up quite loud, windows down, and a Brooklyn pizza in the back seat. So for them, I have to go with Jay Z. He was hands down their fave rapper. *Note from Megan - Mara, this question was actually a test. You passed! Hov!

*Note from Megan - Thanks so much for participating Mara. Muah!