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28 posts tagged 2012
diary: currently…
For a very long time, I’ve admired bloggers who consistently post what’s on their mind. I tend to wait until I’m either 1) very frustrated, 2) extremely happy, or 3) in full on over share mode. This typically leads to very long, uninteresting posts. So I’m going to take some queues from around the blogosphere and try again.
My favorite “sharer” is Jen’s from Jen Loves Kev. Besides having one of the most honest blogging voices I’ve come across thus far, I love that she takes some time to share, but in a very constructive way. She’s a girl after my own heart!
So with that all being said, I would like to quasi-commit to a “currently” series. There are topics I will elaborate on…and you’ll get a full view of what’s happening in my mind.
it’s quite scary!
WORKING ON: Getting a job and blogging regularly. Honestly, I feel like time is moving forward but my life stopped back in June when I quit my job. My personality thrives when I am able to set goals and move toward said goals…so not knowing when I’ll have a job and what type of job that will be is somewhat scary! With that being said, I don’t know any other place I’d rather spend my increase in free time than here on this blog. I want to start cooking again. Baking again. More photography (that isn’t from some fancy, world trip). More wine posts from Eric. More recipes from Rachel. Just typing all of this has me pumped!
THINKING ABOUT: Oddly (or maybe not oddly), today I’m thinking about my grandparents. I am so completely blessed to still have all four grandparents, and I’m starting to learn how much they have contributed to my life. And I miss them. I miss my grandfather calling me “sugar-foot” and my Mimi letting me add just a little bit more hot sauce to the chicken wings because she knows we both like spicy food (even though no one else in the family really does). When I’m homesick for Tennessee, I’m homesick for them (mostly).
ANTICIPATING: Meeting up with some old college friends I haven’t seen in YEARS! Since moving here, I haven’t yet had a chance to get together with many old friends. With Eric being gone to Brazil next week, my calendar opens up substantially. Here’s to hoping I can see as many people as possible!
LISTENING TO: t.swift. no judgement. I like her “mean” song.
EATING: Now that all our traveling is over, I can finally, FINALLY (!!!) get back to eating the way I know makes me feel healthy and energetic. This includes three healthy meals a day, cooked by me, and full of fresh veggies. I can’t wait to start feeling like my normal self again.
THANKFUL FOR: the current support I’m currently receiving from my friends and family. Everyone from my parents to Eric’s parents have helped make the move easier, and I really don’t think we could have done it without them!
PLANNING FOR: recipes for the next week! the above picture shows just a small sample of the fresh veggies/fruit Eric’s mother gave us earlier this week. I’m dying to put them to good use, I’m just not sure how yet!
Phew! That felt good. Now, go and have yourself a great weekend!
travels: napa valley, the view
Instead of writing a long winded email that details my love of the views/scenery in Napa, I’ve decided to let the pictures do the talking. Choosing the pictures for this post was VERY hard to do, so don’t worry…you can check out ALL of my favorite Napa view pictures over at Facebook!
I’ll leave you with this: I was more relaxed during my time in Napa than I’ve felt in months. Could you blame me after looking at that view???
Don’t you just want to board a plane right now???
travels: napa valley, the food
I now present to you Napa trip, part 2: the food.
The details: we ate, and ate, and then ate some more.
The result: I couldn’t breathe.
I wish I could show you pictures of all the great food we ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner…but I must admit I was determined to stay focused and enjoy every moment of each dining experience. But here is what I can tell you:
- The food at our hotel (Avia Napa) was surprisingly good. The breakfast options were great and easily accessible before long days spent wine tasting.
- Downtown Napa has a cute little market (opens every morning at 9am). My friends Serena and Nathan ventured there every morning for breakfast. Eric and I finally made it on our last day. The atmosphere + food options + food quality + prices made the entire experience great!
- Dinner in Napa knocked our socks off! We ate at Redd our first night and Bottega the next (next iron chef’s Michael Chiarello anyone??? ANYONE?!)
- Our last dinner was SUCH a pleasant surprise! Found by my friend Serena using FourSquare,Mamacita’s had us eating too much once AGAIN! We all fell in love with one dish in particular…and I’ll be making a version of it here very soon!
So now that we’ve covered my dining experiences, let me open your world to one of the cutest wineries/markets we stopped at on Day 1 of wine tasting. We ate lunch here, but only after I took about 100+ pictures!
The V. Sautti Winery had a great dining/tasting/shopping atmosphere. Here you could sample their oils, bread, cheeses….taste some wine…or order sandwiches or eat some BBQ. The best part was the outside sitting area!
Now, I’m going to let you enjoy the pictures!
I had such a great time exploring this space!
Now, at the beginning of this post you’ll find a picture of olives + cheese. THAT picture was taken at Sinskey Vineyards. The son’s owner married a chef….who decided that wine was best enjoyed with food. Therefore, you get a small plate of AMAZING little pastries and cheese (and olives if you like those…which I don’t). If you like the food/wine enough…you can join their club:
So cute.
So do you want to be a glutton? If so, take yourself on a trip to Napa. You’ll eat until you make yourself sick!
travels: napa valley, the wine
two and a half days. 12 vineyards.
one very fun, extremely exhausting and challenging trip.
but would I do it all over again???
ABSOLUTELY!
Over President’s Day weekend, Eric (the bf) + myself + two other friends headed out to Napa Valley, CA to undergo what would be a fantastic weekend of wine tasting, site seeing and extreme eating. I had such a great time that I’ve almost started to forget about the really long flights/EXTREMELY uncomfortable redeye ride home on Monday night.
So! Seeing as I took well over 300 pictures, I’ve decided to share a few with you guys. I plan to separate the photos into three sections: the wine, the food, and the scenery. Today I’ll feature some of my favorite pictures from our wine tasting adventures. Above you’ll see two of my favorites: the first from MINER vineyards, the second from Frog’s Leap (our very first stop on the trip).
We tasted some pretty good (but very pretty) sparkling wines at Domaine Chandon. (above)
Plump Jack wine had the best name (but very a very tiny tasting room!).
Day 2 began with a tour + tasting at Sinskey Vineyards.
The caves were pretty darn cool if I don’t say so myself.
And if I could throw a party in this private room every day, you better bet I would. The room was WAY far back in the cave, and it also stored a case of every single wine the Sinskey had ever produced. This was one of the prettiest rooms we saw all trip!
Finally, on Monday we made our way into Sonoma, CA where we visited two vineyards. Our first stop included a tour of a pretty large cellar where these HUGE (but no longer used) barrels were on display. I believe the tour guide said something about it holding over 4000k gallons?
Seghesio (Sonoma) had some FANTASTIC Zinfandel wines (some of the best we had all trip!).
I can’t wait to show you guys more pictures of the trip. I had a blast, and I know you’re going to love looking at the pictures!
recipe: potato and leek soup
