heather & olive

 

the bug continues to be extremely photogenic.

I got a new piercing.

I ate a lot of my favorite Belleville ham and cheese croissants.

february was filled with too much snow.

seriously, too much.

but there were cozy moments.

and I ate very well.

Hi! How are you holding up? Honestly, there's still a part of me that can't believe this is happening, but over the past couple of months I've kind of settled into a new routine. I'm not going to call it "the new normal", because there's nothing "normal" about it, but I've slowly been able to adjust my expectations and my understanding of reality, and I'm doing okay. I hope you are, too.

I'm still hunkered down in Portland and have been communicating with family and friends via FaceTime--I don't anticipate seeing people in person any time soon, which is tough. Even with all of the re-openings and the constant call for getting things back to they way there were, I'm really struggling with the fact that nothing has changed--yes, the curve has been somewhat flattened and yes, maybe there are more hospital beds, but the risk remains the same and there's no vaccine or life-saving treatment in place. I'm super hesitant to make any trips to Massachusetts in the near future despite an insane ache to see my nearest and dearest.

Lately I've been trying to support local businesses by ordering takeout from the places that are still open and buying meals for hospital workers at Maine Medical. And aside from the limited trips to the grocery store and taking Olive for walks (and some recent trips to the emergency vet--she's fine, but yikes), I've been inside where I should be.

In terms of other things, I'm working from home and have a set schedule with that for the months to come, but I've been pretty crappy when it comes to working out. There are online barre classes that I need to take better advantage of, and I also need to run more earlier in the morning (it seems like so many people are out and about later in the day, so the earlier the better). But I'm not going to lie, getting out of bed has been tough, and that's okay. On the plus side, my absence from the office has meant my breakfast sandwich consumption has decreased significantly--I'll take the little victories where I can get them.

So I don't have much else, but I'm sending a little bit of love from Maine. We'll get out of this.

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).

Richard Avedon exhibit at the PMA.

Bibimbap bowl special at the Honey Paw.

Hopefully the last snow of the season.

Early morning empty street views.

You guys, March is tough. I don't know if it's my least favorite month, (do people even have a least favorite month?) but it's been really difficult to plod along these last couple of weeks. Although I will admit, the time change has certainly helped--the fact that it's light out when I get home from work is a game changer.

And today is the first day of spring.

I'm treating this as a fresh start of sorts. I know that January is the month for resolutions and doing better and working out and blah blah blah, but I've decided that this year, I'm going use the first day of spring as an opportunity to refresh. And what better day? It's the time of growth and renewal and buds and all of that other positive stuff. (Not that things have been bad--not even close. I just think this time of year calls for a little revitalization after winter winds down).

So, what are my spring resolutions? #1 is run--I know this has been an intermittent theme throughout this entire blog where I say I'm going to run and I miss it so much and it makes me feel great...but there is little to no follow through. But I resolve to run! #2, and this is somewhat minor, but do a deep clean of my closet. It's going to be a combo of Marie Kondo-ing and also facing reality that things, including my body, change and I should get rid of things that don't fit. It's a process, and I'm ready to face it.

Happy spring!

I'm optimistic and ready (for now).

{ 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.

This weekend was the best--the temps have finally cooperated in the Northeast (70s and high 80s???) and I'm loving having the windows open and wearing short sleeves.

Snail placeholders available here.

This weekend was glooooorious--my sister and two of my very dearest friends came over Friday night, and we had a great time catching up. Saturday I went to my cousin's baby shower and was able to see a bunch of family, and Sunday I did my taxes and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. It seems like spring is finally here--I even went for a run.

Post-run, I deserved a cocktail and the warmer temps called for a refreshing drink. I decided to make a French 75...with a twist.





A French 75 traditionally consists of gin, champagne, lemon juice and simple syrup. I used Hendrick's and subbed St. Germain for the simple syrup and the results were amazing--definitely my new favorite summer cocktail.