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6.17.2019

weekend things.


a most welcome friday mai tai. 

delicious smelling flowers on a walk with olive.

a gorgeous yacht club saturday.

Hello! Did you have a good weekend? Mine was the perfect mix of social activity and lying low. After work on Friday I stopped at Empire for a Mai Tai and takeout and it was the best way to cap off a busy week. I started reading Searching for Sylvie Lee and I like it a lot so far. 

On Saturday I ended up crewing a boat for a regatta at the Portland Yacht Club--it had been a couple of years since I'd been on a boat and I hadn't actively contributed to the sailing process since I was in my teens, so it was a bit of an adventure. Aside from a slight sunburn and some banged up knees, I finished the race in once piece and it was so fun to mix things up and get out of my comfort zone. 

Sunday consisted of a Pure Barre class, some grocery shopping (where I completely stocked my fridge--it had been over a month since I had done a serious grocery trip so it was very necessary), laundry, a manicure and Lifetime movies. I made a delicious falafel salad for din, and I went to bed early.

It was a really great weekend. Happy Monday! 


6.14.2019

summer bucket list.




I'm all about making the most of this summer. Here's what's on my list:

  • Take a goat yoga class. I've never really been into yoga, but there's something about taking a class with goats that's calling to me. Luckily, Smiling Hill Farm in nearby Westbrook offers a number of classes with Ashley Flowers Yoga until September. I'm definitely planning on saying Namaste among some four-legged friends. 
  • Farmers' market Saturdays. I'm pretty embarrassed to admit this, but I didn't go to my local Farmers' Market once last year. It's 1/2 a mile away so all I need to do is grab some cash and a reusable bag and I'll be in fresh veggie heaven.
  • City bike rides. Yet another thing I didn't do last year was ride my bike--I'm still a little nervous about navigating city streets on two wheels, but I'm not going to get more comfortable sitting on my buns. (Also, it's going to cut my walking commute time in half so I need to just suck it up and hop on it).
  • Utilize my beach pass. I mentioned this before, but I pulled the trigger on a beach pass for the summer--it's good at four local beaches and I'm all about taking advantage of sandy toes and salty water
  • Take a stand-up paddle tour. Yet another thing I meant to do last year and never did was take a stand-up paddle board tour. With options for sunset, harbor and full moon tours I'm going to dive in (hopefully not literally) to what Portland Paddle has to offer.
  • Try new restaurants. This isn't restricted to the summer, but what better time to walk around and try new restaurants than when it's not subzero temps? I certainly have my Portland favorites, but there are a bunch of places I haven't tried yet--and I sure do enjoy a nice meal out.
And that's it--a respectable and achievable list if I do say so myself. Here's to summer!

6.12.2019

hey, hi, hello!


honey lavender latte.

northern california coast work trip.

king lear at the cort theater.

cheese dreams coming true at the portland cheese shop. 

post-dinner york harbor views. 

Hi! I can't believe we're almost halfway through June and it's been a month since I checked in here (just kidding, I totally can). The past few weeks have been super crazy and every weekend I was all over the place--I'm really glad I have nothing planned for the near future aside from a trip in July to visit my sister in Pittsburgh. I'm really looking forward to soaking up summer in the city and making the most out of my local beach pass.

But the past few weekends have been great--my work trip to the Northern California coast was somewhat exhausting, but really good (and I continue to be happy on the work front--I truly love my job and the people I work with). After California, I had a few trips to my parents' house--the first of which to celebrate my mom and her retirement. A bunch of family congregated over Memorial Day weekend in Massachusetts and it was really great to raise a glass to toast my mom. I'm so proud of everything she has accomplished and I can't wait for her to enjoy this next phase.

The second trip was to meet my mom and a friend to trek down to NYC and catch King Lear at the Cort theater--it starred Glenda Jackson, Ruth Wilson and Pedro Pascal among other amazing cast members, and it was so cool to see the performance in such an intimate setting. I'm bummed it's closing early, but so grateful for the experience.

And last week my mom came up to paint my kitchen cabinets (before and after to come soon). It has completely transformed the space and I'm obsessed and super thankful that her first act as a retiree was hard labor at my humble abode. She's the best. She also came to cheer me on at the Twilight 5k and I think that might have been the inspiration/motivation I needed to get back into a running routine.

That's pretty much it! Spring has finally arrived up here and I've been loving the extra sunlight and warmer temps. I can't wait to settle back into a routine and relish in all that is Portland in the summer (including hitting up the local cheese shop on the regular because I finally went and it's amazing).