heather & olive

Lobster rolls at Eventide.

A delicious dinner at Scales.

The Head and the Heart in Providence.

A very sweet baby shower at the most gorgeous house.

Lobster taco in a cheese shell at Highroller.

A very cute tater paw.

The unofficial start of summer is here, and I couldn't be happier to have kicked it off in Maine. Friday was my last day at work and I spent it dropping off my computer and associated office equipment and heading up north. It honestly feels like a huge weight has been lifted and I'm so excited to be starting a new job. I did a little grocery shopping at Whole Foods and started Wild Wild Country (which I think I liked? I feel like there were a lot of unanswered questions...)

I had big plans to paint my bedroom but I discovered that my king sized bed was too heavy to move away from the wall so I spent the majority of the weekend organizing and unpacking the rest of my stuff--I'm finally feeling like everything is in its place.

I went to Boda for dinner on Sunday and I had the best pad thai of my life--instead of including scrambled eggs in with the noodles, they wrap them in a super thin omelette (which sounds weird, but was incredible). I'm both pleased and concerned that it's right down the street because I have a feeling I will be there constantly.

And on Monday I made a pathetic return to Pure Barre--it was seriously the hardest class ever (although part of that may be due to my general inactivity over the past couple of months). I signed up for the unlimited package and I'm so pumped to be getting back into a workout routine, especially since my new job means I have more of a set schedule.

So that was the weekend--rather uneventful, but I'm so happy to be here full time.

Hello from Portland, Maine! It's been a whirlwind couple of months, but I'm almost settled into the new digs. I officially closed on my new condo on April 27th, and the past few weeks have been a ton of back and forth from Maine to Massachusetts as I wrap things up with my job. So since I've been MIA for so long, here's a little Q&A to start things back up:

Why did you move to Portland?
It's no secret that Maine has a huge piece of my heart, and I knew I wanted to end up here eventually. While I really loved my home in the sticks of MA (#highstreethouse), socially it was a bit of a nightmare and for the next chapter, I wanted to be in a city. I thought about Boston, but I already did that when I was in law school and wanted a change--and although I love Chicago, I knew I wanted to be closer to my family. Portland is the perfect small city with an amazing restaurant scene and proximity to my family in the Northeast.

Why buy instead of rent?
I was in a position to buy after I sold my house so I viewed this a great way to start my life in Maine and also make a financial investment for the future.

What's the condo like?
I most definitely downsized--the square footage of my current place is less than half the size of my previous digs (which was really too big for me anyway). It's a one bedroom that's pretty open with super high ceilings and it gets amazing light. It also has two gorgeous marble fireplaces that are currently non-functioning, but I might try to convert them to gas down the road.  It's really all I need at this stage, and it was actually cathartic to get rid of a ton of stuff. Stay tuned for house pics!

Where are you in Portland?
I'm in the West End, which is perfect. It's walking distance to downtown but it's a spot that's a little quieter with a community feel. I already love the neighborhood--there are great places to eat within the block and everyone is super friendly. 

How is Olive adjusting?
To be perfectly honest, I was a little worried about Olive transitioning from country life to living in the city (I was used to opening the front door and letting her wander around the yard and now she goes for full blown walks on a leash). But from what I can tell, she loves it--she likes to be out and about and she's rather popular with fellow pedestrians, which I think she appreciates. So far, she's been great.

New job?
I've been in the same field for the past 10 years, and I was really ready for a change--my plan was to start to look for something new as soon as I was settled, but I was approached by a company on LinkedIn and voila! I start after Memorial Day. It's a similar field to what I'm currently doing (legal real estate) but with a different focus. I get to work remotely (!!!) with a little bit of travel mixed in, and I'm really excited about it.

So that's where I am--it's definitely been a crazy couple of months, but I'm really excited to start this next chapter (and blog more with the help of a new computer that actually works).

Happy Monday!

{ ali cayne's townhouse in domino - 5 years later and it's still one of my favorites }

I'm still here. Checking in to say hello and complain that it's snowing in April. Time is flying by, and in happy news, I'm closing on a condo at the end of the month! I'm so excited, and it's an amazing space but in the meantime I've been dealing with the stresses of banks coupled with some not-so-fun job stuff. I have to keep reminding myself that there's a light at the end of the tunnel (and if you're unhappy about something, DO something) but the past couple of weeks have been blah.

I have, however, been thoroughly enjoying scouring pinterest for home decor inspiration and I can't wait to move in and slap some new paint on the walls. So if you're still out there reading, hang tight--I promise there's some good stuff to come.

skyline views.

art institute lunching.

little goat brunching.

ramen at slurping turtle.

sitting on top of the world.

Another Monday, another weekend that flew by. Mine wasn't too exciting: I went to barre a couple of times, took care of a number of dogs and watched some of the Superbowl (but mostly scrolled through Pinterest while eating a plethora of snacks).

The highlight, however, was finally making Alison Roman's Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread. I had been meaning to make these cookies for a while (they're everywhere) and they did not disappoint. These cookies are the perfect combo of salty and sweet, and even substituting gluten free flour for regular didn't take away from their tastiness. Definitely add these to your cookie list.

I didn't mean to stay away for so long, but I have a good excuse: I sold my house!

Between packing everything up and celebrating the holidays, the past couple of months have been a total blur, but I'm so excited this finally happened. I put it on the market in the end of June and thought that it would sell quickly--there wasn't a ton of inventory in my tiny town and houses were selling at a fast pace, but mine just didn't. I definitely got frustrated in the fall (hence my vague references to being anxious for things to happen) and I thought multiple times of pulling it and trying again in the spring, but everything clicked in December. While bittersweet, I know the people who bought it will love it as much as I did.

The reasons for me selling are twofold: first, I really didn't need to be living in a four bedroom house by myself--it was just too much. I thoroughly enjoyed decorating it, but I had two rooms that went essentially unused. Second, I need to get out of the sticks. While I love the area and I love being close to my family, there is nothing going on here which makes things very tough for a single lady.

I have zero regrets about buying it--I spent a really great three years there and it allowed me to build equity and have a good foundation for my next move...which is yet to be announced. I plan on staying with my parents for the next couple of months while I figure out job stuff and I hope to move at the end of the spring. I will say my destination is in another state and one of my favorite places...so stay tuned.

Here's to 2018 being the year of new adventures. I'm so ready and so excited.