heather & olive

It's 2026. In what is perhaps a shock to no one, I didn't do much with this corner of the internet last year. I know better than to make any lofty promises for the months to come, but who knows, maybe I'll have something to say.

Here's a look back at 2025, in photos:

In January I got my cartilage pierced, and by summer, it was out. I changed the earring too early and it never healed. Patience is not my thing. Not pictured: I started a new job.

It snowed in February, and based on my photos, I didn't do much.

My sister and I went to Miami in March and did our usual things. We did spend one day at the Miami Open which was great, and very hot.

I turned 43 in April and felt mostly okay about it.

May took me to Chicago for work and NYC for "Oh, Mary" and the best sandwich ever at All'Antico Vinaio. My sister came for a Memorial Day weekend visit and I finally went to Crown Jewel (pictured above).

In June, my sweet grandmother passed away. She was my dad's mom, and she lived an incredibly long and amazing life.

August brought me to Pittsburgh for a sister visit. We went to saw The Head and the Heart, ate some delicious food, and I finally got to meet her new dog, Reuben Feffer.

I hopped on another plane in September and headed to Denver to see Gregory Alan Isakov at Red Rocks (again, with my sister, we love each other's company). We also celebrated the life of my grandmother in Western Massachusetts.

In October I attended my first Hearts of Pine game (Portland's professional men's soccer team), and until that moment didn't know I enjoyed soccer. It was a shock to everyone. I also made an exquisite chicken pot pie.

November had a very family-filled Thanksgiving, and while it was super jam-packed, it was perfect.

All of a sudden, it was December. I made my first bûche de Noël, celebrated with family, went to Quebec City and ended the year with a really terrible cold.

Man, I had such big aspirations to be more consistent with this, but alas, it's June and my last post was in March. I know everyone has pivoted to substack and I'm not sure if anyone even reads my sporadic posts but I like this little internet spot and I'm going to keep at it. Here's what I've been up to the past couple of months, in photos:

I did my annual Miami trip with my sister in March, and it was perfection, per usual. Always the creatures of habit, we stayed at Eden Roc. We did branch out and spend at day at the Miami Open, which I would absolutely do again, and we also tried out Sunny's which will be another repeat spot.

I turned 43 in April, and my sister gave me the most perfect poster from Shrig Shop that really captures my Aries personality.

I chopped my hair.

I ventured to NYC and saw "Oh, Mary!" with my mom, cousin, and aunt and it was everything I dreamed it would be. 100/10.

My sister came to visit for Memorial Day weekend, and we took a boat to Crown Jewel on Great Diamond Island. It was magical, and I cannot wait to go back.

Attended my first Seadogs game of the season, complete with my favorite handheld treat.

And this past weekend, had my first beach day of the summer and had took a freezing dip in the ocean.

bedroom mantel featuring my grandparents' antique mirror.

This weekend my mom came up and we did a huge closet reorganization. I love my condo, but in terms of storage I have just one (large) walk in closet and it becomes overwhelming very quickly. This has become a bit of annual tradition for us, but this year, we finally did it right. I bought all new storage containers from the Container Store, which is not so conveniently 1.5 hours from Portland, and I got rid of SO MUCH STUFF. Now you can actually walk into my closet without tripping over things and its so nice to have it done. Isn't it funny how a simple organization project relieves a level of stress you didn't realize you had? Giant thanks to my mom for helping me, I could not have done it without her. 

My mom also brought up some things from my grandparents' house: my grandmother recently moved into assisted living, and I'm super lucky to have been given the mirror in the picture above that used to live in their dining room. I also now have a bunch of china from 1870 (!) and it's so special to use these things in a new way. Mixing old and new via inherited pieces is my favorite.

monin pistachio syrup.

I'm trying to be better about making coffee at home, and while I have not yet dropped the big bucks on a fancy espresso machine and have been using my very basic nespresso, my lattes have been greatly improved by the addition of monin pistachio syrup. It's very sweet so a little goes a long way, but I much prefer the pistachio flavor in this brand vs. torani.  Add a little steamed oat milk, and you have a latte that rivals that of your favorite local coffee shop.