heather & olive

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I'm quite excited to say that I'm going to Vienna at the end of March. My dear family friends invited me to spend the week with them and I jumped at the chance to go--I've never been there before and I'm looking forward to experiencing the Easter markets and hopefully going to the Spanish Riding School. If you have any recommendations, please let me know!

In other news, I was so exhausted this week--I know it was a short one with the Monday holiday, but it was so crazy busy and yesterday morning it felt like I had to peel my eyes open when my alarm went off (gross, but true). The weather, however, has been amazing--I had the windows of my house open yesterday and the fresh air has (somewhat) revitalized me. I know it's not going to last, but at this point, I'll take what I can get. It might have even inspired me to get a head start on some spring cleaning this weekend...or maybe I'll just catch up on sleep. We shall see.

Have a great weekend.  

...with Monterrey, Mexico.

View of the city of Monterrey from Chipinque Ecological Park.

Cathedral at sunset in Santiago.

Former jumping field/current garden.

Ivy-covered hay barn.

Authentic breakfast of concha (Mexican sweet bread) y café.

Post riding lesson (so hot and sore).

Some souvenirs that I can't wait to break out once the temperature warms.

I just got back from a quick 3-day jaunt to Monterrey to visit my aunt, and I can honestly say I have never had a place affect me the way that it did. I was completely unprepared to fall in love with the city, and that's exactly what happened. All of the people I met were incredibly nice, the views of the Sierra Madre are insane, I was surrounded by horses (my aunt is a trainer) and the food was delicious.

It was so great to spend one-on-one time with my aunt: I usually get to see her once or twice a year (despite being a major city, there are no direct flights from Boston to Monterrey and takes a full day of travel to get there from New England), and it was such a treat to talk and catch up with her. Her house is incredible (high ceilings, tile floors, gorgeous gardens and the cutest dogs) and she's a truly generous and supportive person.

I came back Sunday physically tired but mentally refreshed and recharged to make some changes and try new things. And true confessions: there's a huge part of me that wants to pack my bags and Olive and head back down on a more permanent basis. I love High Street House and being so close to my family in MA, but despite the quick trip, I also felt at home in Monterrey. It's definitely something to think about.

A couple of years ago, my accomplished equestrienne aunt gave me a gorgeous vintage Hermés scarf. I had always planned on getting it framed so I could enjoy it regularly, but I wasn't quite sure where to have it done because I was nervous with such a sentimental piece. After a little bit of research, I decided to go with Framebridge. Because the size of the scarf (35" x 35") exceeds their standard framing pricing, I sent an e-mail and worked with the super helpful Caroline to figure things out. I ultimately went with a 2.5" mat and the Newport frame--they provided a shipping label and my scarf was on it's way. In less than a week and a half (!), my frame arrived.