Napa Getaway

Although our 15th anniversary was in May, we had a limited ability to celebrate with a newborn baby in the house!  (Wow, as I type that, I realize how OLD we are to have a newborn baby....just, wow.)  We did manage a night out at Ruth's Chris, our favorite steakhouse, but decided to postpone any extended celebrating until baby Kate was old enough to stay overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's.

 

Getting two small kids the appropriate childcare so that Mom and Dad can go out of town is quite the logistical feat!  Thanks to our parents Paul and Barbara and Cliff and Melody, our girls were well cared for while we spent 2 nights in Napa last week.  We had an absolutely wonderful time!  We managed to fit in everything we wanted to experience: a fancy hotel, amazing meals, lazy mornings, wine tasting at beautiful wineries, shopping, swimming, and a trip to the day spa.  It was pretty impressive what we packed into about 48 hours. 

 

Highlights:

--Getting a room upgrade at the North Block Hotel in Yountville

--Discovering a wine called "Tess" at Peju Winery in Napa

--An amazing dinner (and pigs' feet appetizer!) at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville

--Joining the wine club at Alpha Omega winery in Napa

--The couple's mud bath at the Solage Spa in Calistoga

--Pastries and coffee at Bouchon Bakery in Yountville

 

What sometimes seems old felt new and young again...we came home feeling rested and so very blessed, and dying to see our precious little loves! Below are the best pics from our short little trip.



 

Paso/SLO Getaway & The Best Souvenir EVER

Last weekend, despite the busy-ness of moving, we were able to take a quick overnight trip to Paso Robles & San Luis Obispo with some friends. Our mission: wine tasting, great food, coastal air, and relaxation. We managed to hit up 4 wineries in Paso (before we just couldn't. take. any. more): Daou, Justin, Opolo and Jada. From there we drove to San Luis and checked into our favorite B&B, The Sanitarium. We all took a snooze before dinner, which was at Ciopinot (delicious!). After dinner we relaxed at The Sanitarium in front of a fire while sipping port and nibbling on Hershey's Kisses. It was pretty much the perfect day, followed by an amazing night's sleep! On Sunday we slept in, enjoyed a late breakfast, and headed over to SLO for some shopping before we headed home. 

 

The highlight of the trip for me (besides ALL of it) happened during our stay at The Sanitarium. Chad and I have been staying there for years, and one of their rooms had this beautiful painting that I just loved -- in fact, we always tried to get that room because I loved it so much. Upon making our reservation, I was sad to hear that our favorite room wasn't available AND that my painting was gone.... Until Sunday morning, when I discovered it sitting all alone outside in the back of the property! I quickly inquired of the owner about purchasing it, and she agreed.....WOW! So we came home with the best souvenir EVER -- a 4'x5' painting from my favorite room at my favorite B&B. You'll see it at the end of the slideshow below -- there's a picture of it when it used to hang in the room we love, and a picture of it by itself. It's the PERFECT size to hang above our stairs in the new home. It needs some TLC from having been outside too long, but even if it's not in perfect condition, I am just THRILLED to have it!

Couples' Wine Tasting

In between the hectic schedules of Thanksgiving travel and Christmas madness, we enjoyed a fun night of reprieve with some dear friends, tasting wine at enjoying each others' company at 2 local wineries.  Thank you to Tiffany and Phillip for the fun idea, and for opening their home!  Six couples met up with appetizers, wine, and dessert to make a very fun night!

 

Our first stop was Cedar View Winery, which is just off Highway 180 in Sanger.  The wine was just okay, but they had tons of free appetizers and cute gifty stuff to look at.  The patio provided beautiful views of the foothills and was great for picture taking!  The next stop was Tivy Mountain Winery....and after tasting at Cedar View I couldn't even tell you where Tivy is....but the wine was better, the gifty stuff was better, and we were all having a silly time by the second stop! 

 

After tasting we headed back to Tiff & Phil's for food and sweets....the guys talked guns and the girls talked....well, you know, "girl talk!"

 

We're thinking about making this a quarterly get-together with these 6 specific couples (one of which includes my beautiful cousin Lisa and her husband, Aaron), so next up will be "Beer & Bacon" in February....We'll see if we can make it happen!

 

P.S. A BIG thank you goes to all the grandparents watching their grandkids so that the moms and dads could be available for this little shindig!

Having trouble getting the slide show feature to work, so here's a link to the pics!

Seattle Trip & Tess's First Travel Adventure

While Daddy was away at a weekend debate tournament, Tess and I had our own little adventure in Seattle!  We spent the long weekend up there, along with my dear friend Danielle and her fiance, Cory.  Interestingly, Dani and I both have an aunt/uncle/cousins in the Seattle area -- who live less than 3 miles from each other and actually even know each other.  (We've been friends for about 7 years but just discovered this about a year ago!)  So, thanks to a fantastic deal on airfare from Alaska Airlines, we were able to take a trip together that included visiting our respective families. 

We arrived Thursday morning and spent the day adventuring around Bellevue and Mercer Island and visiting the PrideStaff office in Tukwila.  We also took a very fun and much-anticipated trip to the Glassybaby store -- this was super exciting for me, since I am a proud owner of 3 Glassybabys but had never been to any of their retail locations.  (Most of you are probably wondering, "What the heck is 'Glassybaby'?" They're beautiful, one-of-a-kind votive candle holders made ONLY in Seattle. Sales proceeds benefit various nonprofits.) On Thursday night we had dinner with our good friend David Brown, who we've known for years through PrideStaff.  Danielle's fiance, Cory, joined us on Friday morning and we spent the day doing "touristy" stuff downtown (Pike Place, Space Needle, etc.). On Friday evening Dani and I parted ways to spend time with our families.  I was so grateful that my cousin Heather drove all the way from Spokane, with her 2 1/2 year old daughter Gabby, so that she could spend the weekend at her parents' house with me and Tess. On Saturday, Heather and I did some shopping and joined up with Danielle and her Aunt Tiff for some wine tasting (in the snow!).  Tess and I spent Saturday evening enjoying a lovely dinner at Dani's aunt and uncle's house, where I got to meet Barcelona's lead singer, Brian Fennell, and his lovely fiance, Marion.  On Sunday, Danielle, Cory and I visited Crossroads Bible Church in Bellevue, where Dani's uncle is the worship and media pastor. (Also, her uncle -- Timothy James Meaney -- is also pretty big in Christian music circles, for those of you who are interested.)  We spent Sunday afternoon hanging out at the Meaney's house, watching football (that fantastic 49er's playoff game!) and watching the snow fall. Little did we know that our flight out on Sunday evening was just in time for a record-breaking snowstorm in the Seattle area!

And now a word about traveling by plane with a 5-month old baby, without her Daddy... Our little Tess did SO great! She is SO inquisitive that looking around kept her pretty preoccupied during the short flight.  Everyone on the plane fell in love with her, of course.  She was not fussy and was just talkative enough to be super cute.  Having Danielle with me was a HUGE help -- I can't imagine taking my first trip with a baby ALONE! I had been really nervous about all the logistics of traveling with a baby (from what to pack to what I should carry on the plane to how to deal with sleeping away from home) and all my worry was for nothing.  Have baby, will travel!  It turns out that people are much more kind and understanding and helpful when you've got an adorable kiddo with you than they are otherwise.  Although I have to admit, even with the fantastic help, spending 4 days as a "single parent" -- especially away from home and all of our usual baby "stuff"-- was pretty exhausting.  We had a wonderful time but were so glad to be home!

Below is a slide show of my pics from the trip.  Next up for Tess is a trip to Dallas over Spring Break, to meet her "Uncle" Randy and "Aunt" Lindsey.

Bon voyage!

SLO Weekend...

We escaped the busyness of life this weekend for 2 days and nights at our favorite B&B near the coast -- The Sanitarium in San Luis Obispo. It was a wonderful time of no agenda, no plans....and yet somehow we managed to fit in everything we wanted to do. For me that included sleeping in, taking hot baths in our "Moroccan soaking tub," reading an entire book, napping, catching a movie ("Life As We Know It"), enjoying great food (including a delicious 3-course meal with wine pairings at Buona Tavola), photography, and wine tasting at Opolo. We made it home on Sunday in time to get the car washed, get groceries, get unpacked, and spend the evening relaxing on the couch after enjoying a yummy, homemade meal. We couldn't have asked for anything better! Below are some of my pics from around the B&B, which I spiffed up using my favorite apps on the iPhone.

San Francisco & Napa With The Sullivans

We've just returned from 5 days in Napa Valley with our dearest friends, Randy & Lindsey Sullivan (they flew in from Austin, Texas). We had a fantastic first day and night in San Francisco, and then spent 4 days visiting no less than 16 wineries along Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail. We ate, we drank, we shopped, we laughed, we cried (well, the girls did), and we loved every moment together!

We took a different approach to wine tasting this time, since tasting is different (aka more expensive) in Napa Valley than in Paso Robles. We focused on wines that are waaaay out of our price range ($80-$200 a bottle), using the tasting as an opportunity to try expensive wines we would never buy. We also visited the wineries that won recognition in the 1976 "Judgment of Paris" that was featured in the movie Bottle Shock -- Stags Leap & Chateau Montelena. We also had an unexpected opportunity to meet Bo Barrett, the winemaker who was portrayed by Chris Pine in the movie.

"Wine to me is passion. It's family and friends. It's warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It's culture. It's the essence of civilization and the art of living." ~ Robert Mondavi

Another Vacation With The Besties!

I'm getting so excited that I couldn't wait until after-the-fact to blog about it. We are anxiously and excitedly looking forward to another fun trip with our best friends, Randy & Lindsey! This time we're hitting up San Francisco and Napa, July 10-14. SF will be special because it's the first place we visited together when we met in 2004. In Napa, we're staying at the beautiful Silverado Resort and can't wait to relax and wine taste! Most of all, we're thrilled at the idea of being together. Time with the Sullivans is so FUN and EASY. Below is an excerpt from a blog I wrote about them in 2008, and some fun pictures of the four of us from over the past 6 years.

For those of you who don't know, theirs is a very special friendship to us. Lindsey and I (Sarah) met on the Internet during the Summer of 1997. (I know, it sounds so seedy!) We were both working jobs at switchboards and were both engaged, looking online for wedding stuff. We happened into the same chat room on Yahoo and started talking wedding plans... Chatting turned into emailing which turned into LOTS of emailing and phone calls over the years. We became very close as pen pals and promised that we would meet each other in person before one of us had kids! So in May of 2004 it finally happened, partly due to a California busines trip for Randy and also partly due to the news that they were expecting Brynlee. It took us all of 5 minutes to be completely comfortable with each other. The best part is that our guys had never met, never talked.... but they hit it off, too! The four of us together almost instantly felt like the most natural thing in the world and we absolutely consider them family. Since 2004 we have spent holidays together and vacationed together, and loved every moment of it. The added twist is that EVERYONE (seriously, everyone) that doesn't know us thinks Lindsey and I are sisters because we really do look a LOT alike! It's uncanny -- even our families can't believe it! I often see pictures of her and get caught off guard thinking they are pictures of me, or see pictures of me and think they look like her. It's like icing on the cake, becuase if I could pick someone for a sister I would definitely pick Lindsey!

Visiting Friends In AZ

This past weekend we packed up and headed for a warmer climate in Arizona.... or what we thought would be warmer, but was unusually chilly & windy! (Chilly for me is below 70 degrees.) The purpose of the trip was to visit 2 sets of very dear friends -- Michael & Sara in Tucson, and Jason & Stacy in Phoenix. We had a GREAT time with all, and packed a lot of fun stuff into 4 days. It really felt like a mini vacation, which was much-needed. In Tucson we relaxed and read, had coffee, wine tasted, the girls shopped (while the guys had cigars), and went for a wonderful desert hike. In Phoenix we girls shopped & got pedicures (while the guys watched Avatar), visited Cornerstone church, enjoyed plenty of time outdoors, and spent time doting on our new "nephew" -- he arrived in February. We feel blessed to have such genuine and hospitable friends to open their homes to us. Thanks to the Eastons and the Coyles for such fun and memorable times together!

A Pretty Perfect Weekend

Speaking of yoga, this past weekend the studio hotsed a lovely retreat up in the Santa Cruz mountains. I went with my girlfriend Becky, who works with me at PrideStaff, and we got to room together. We took the day off on Friday and on the way we stopped at Sarah's Vineyard to wine taste (Chad and I are members there) and at the Gilroy outlets to shop. The weekend was full of walks in the woods, naps and quiet time, a 1-hour massage for me, delicious organic & vegetarian meals prepared by the retreat center staff, and lots of yoga! It was great to spend such concentrated time learning more about the poses and getting hands-on help from the teachers. Namaste!

2010 Update

We have totally eased into this new year, and wow -- January is almost over, it seems! We had a relaxing New Year's weekend: we spent January 1st with the extended Unruh family at my Aunt Debbie & Uncle Jim's house (an annual tradition -- so great to have the entire family together!) and then hosted our Fullerton Parental Unit (plus Uncle Richard) at "The Oxford House" for the weekend. This past weekend (MLK Day) was the annual Logan Invitational speech and debate tournament up in Union City, CA. Chad has tournaments every weekend going into February, culminating in the Berkeley Invitational over Valentine's Day weekend. By then we'll be super-ready for our annual February getaway weekend. This year we're considering a visit to our dear friends the Pikes in Pasadena, CA. If the Pikes aren't free, we'll throw a dart and see where we end up, I guess! We've talked about San Luis Obispo (we love the Sanitarium B&B), Monterey (maybe the Portola Hotel?), and recently I tossed out the idea of Ojai (apparently up-and-coming for wine tasting and resort-y hotels). Wherever we end up, you know I'll blog about it!

A Getaway Weekend...

After an extremely busy January, we decided to get away for a weekend of R&R. For this trip, we decided on some wine tasting in Paso Robles and a few nights the Asuncion Ridge Bed & Breakfast.

Well, the weather wasn't the greatest -- lots of rain, fog, and even some hail -- so we were grateful for the fireplace and high thread-count sheets at our B&B. On Saturday we napped and read after breakfast and didn't venture out until 3:00. We tasted at Turley and Opolo, and hit up a fun/quaint restaurant in Templeton called McPhee's. We were back "home" by 8:00 and curled up on the couch to watch....of all things....Scarface. Hey, we hadn't seen it before and we both love mobster movies. "Say hello to my little friend...."

On Sunday the weather wasn't much better. We took our time getting ready to head out and hit the road around 1:00. On the way home we hit up Linne Colado (super cute labels but really expensive wine), Clautiere (very fun and whimsical tasting room!), and Eberle. We made it home by 5:30 and topped off the weekend with a fun dinner at Yosemite Falls Cafe with Chad's parents Geoff & Toni.

You know it's a relaxing weekend when you get to read 2 books! I (Sarah) managed to finish The Audacity of Hope and finished Don't Get Arrested in South Carolina (written by our family friend JB Simms), and Chad got a good start on the epic Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Some pics from our weekend are posted below:

Summer Vacation ~ Napa & Ashland

After not taking any vacation in 2007, we were in desperate need of a getaway this Summer! During the first week in July we drove north to Ashland, Oregon for the annual Shakespeare Festival, with stops in Sonoma and San Francisco along the way.

Our trip started out with 2 nights at the Trojan Horse Inn in lovely Sonoma, CA. We managed to visit several wineries in the Napa/Sonoma area: Ravenswood, Sebastiani, V. Sattui, Sterling, Cheateau St. Jean, and Ledson. We found Sonoma to be peaceful and charming with many quaint restaurants and shops (including a great used bookstore)... and it was even a little more low-key than we expected for being such a famous area for wine lovers.

On our way to Ashland, north of Napa in a little town called Sebastopol, we stumbled upon Ledson. I recognized their tasting room (aka "chateau") from a picture my coworker had taken while on vacation in the area. This last-minute wine tasting turned out to be our best experience of the trip; so much so that we joined their wine club! They had an "old vine" zinfandel and "ancient vine" zinfandel that were superb, and you can't buy this wine in stores -- it's available to wine club members only.

The drive to Ashland was somewhat of an ordeal....we thought we'd take the 101 to maximize the northern CA coastal scenery. Woops! All it did was add 2 hours to the trip, which included only about 15 minutes of ocean view and all sorts of windy mountain roads going into Oregon. We rolled into Ashland super late, but grateful for our 4 nights at the Mountain House B&B.

We'd been trying to get to Ashland for several years and were excited to have tickets for 3 plays: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, and Coriolanus. All 3 were in different theaters with equally different settings and interpretations. Our favorite was the very fun, modern, and musical "A Midsummer Night's Dream." We spent our daylight hours in Ashland hanging out at the B&B reading and resting, exploring downtown Ashland shops and restaurants, and celebrating July 4th with the locals.

We broke up our the drive home with a stop to see the Sundial Bridge near Redding, CA and an overnight stay in San Francisco at the Omni Hotel. While in SF we saw a great exhibit at the MOMA on the famous model-turned-photojournalist (and first female ware correspondent during WWII) Lee Miller -- what a coup for a former reporter and aspiring photographer like me! We also had dinner at one of our favorite sushi restaurants, and spent some time bumming around the city on Sunday before returning to Clovis.

It was restful and different than our other vacations...we were grateful for the time away and new experiences. But we're ready to go back to Europe!

Vacation With The Sullivans!

We took advantage of Chad's Spring Break to host our dearest friends from Dallas, Randy & Lindsey Sullivan, for our very own California adventure! The long weekend started off with wine tasting in Paso Robles -- we visited Tobin James Cellars, Martin Weyrich, and Meridian. Next we ventured to Santa Barbara for shopping on State Street, some beach time, and a night in Montecito. After that, we headed north to L.A. for shopping in the Garment District and hanging out in Hollywood. We hit up all your typical touristy spots, including Rodeo Drive and Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills (they really ARE out-of-this-world delicious!).

We were so grateful that R&L made the trip out to CA. Their first visit to us was in 2004 and since then, they've been busy starting a family! They have 2 beautiful kiddos, Brynlee (age 4) and Degan (age 2). It was good to have them on our turf again!

For those of you who don't know, theirs is a very special friendship to us. Lindsey and I (Sarah) met on the Internet during the Summer of 1997. (I know, it sounds so seedy!) We were both working jobs at switchboards and were both engaged, looking online for wedding stuff. We happened into the same chat room on Yahoo and started talking wedding plans... Chatting turned into emailing which turned into LOTS of emailing and phone calls over the years. We became very close as pen pals and promised that we would meet each other in person before one of us had kids! So in May of 2004 it finally happened, partly due to a California busines trip for Randy and also partly due to the news that they were expecting Brynlee. It took us all of 5 minutes to be completely comfortable with each other. The best part is that our guys had never met, never talked.... but they hit it off, too! The four of us together almost instantly felt like the most natural thing in the world and we absolutely consider them family. Since 2004 we have spent holidays together and vacationed together, and loved every moment of it. The added twist is that EVERYONE (seriously, everyone) that doesn't know us thinks Lindsey and I are sisters because we really do look a LOT alike! It's uncanny -- even our families can't believe it! I often see pictures of her and get caught off guard thinking they are pictures of me, or see pictures of me and think they look like her. It's like icing on the cake, becuase if I could pick someone for a sister I would definitely pick Lindsey!