Last weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph the engagement photos for my friend Rachael, and her fiance, Mike. I was very nervous, but excited! Luckily, we all had fun, and the spot chosen for the shoot was so beautiful. I am so happy with how the pictures turned out!

It’s really fun to take photos of people that are so obviously in love – it gave me the warm fuzzies. Here’s a few of my favorite pics from the day:

What do you think??

 Last Saturday was my wonderful husband’s 29th birthday!  Adrienne and Justin came over to hang out with Timmy in the afternoon (aka eat Gott’s, play Wii, discuss books), and also to watch Marco so we could go on a date, ’cause they’re cool like that.

Tim picked Ubuntu for dinner, which is a vegetarian restaurant here in Napa.

Watermelon and cucumber foam amuse bouche

Canteloupe and sage gazpacho with pickled radish and spicy peanuts in an onion top oil

‘the garden snake’ : greens, leaves, flowers, roots and soil, dressed in olive oil and lemon

Toasted pearl pasta with fennel, chilis, corn, and a goat cheese called ‘Midnight Moon’ – DELICIOUS! I forgot to take a picture until we’d already started eating, lol

 We opted out of dessert, but the manager sent us out a small treat: it was some kind of blueberry pate di fruit, with a graham cracker crumble, fresh creme fraiche, and a lemon shortbread cookie. Quite tasty, mmmmmmmm.

The only downside to our meal was, unfortunately, our server; she was awful. We sat for 15 minutes before she asked us about wine, and repeatedly forgot to bring things we’d asked for. Hmmph!

After dinner, we walked to Fish Story and had a drink. The bartender noticed Tim’s birthday when he checked our IDs, and sent out a cornstarch pudding for dessert. OMG SO GOOD. I know cornstarch is bad…but what a way to go!

My cocktail was dangerous: blended lemon, peach bitters, green tea vodka, ginger liqueur, and mango. It tasted like a smoothie!

After our date, we headed back to the house, and finished the night eating cupcakes and chatting with the Gomers.

Nothing like an evening of food and friends to refresh you for the week ahead!

The last time we saw the Campos family, both Kacey and I were pregnant with our boys. Marco was born on May 27th, and Jesse was born August 13th!

Kacey and Robert ended up coming up to Napa for a day trip, so we met up with them for pastries and coffee at Bouchon Bakery in Yountville.

Jesse preferred his shoes to the Passion Fruit-filled donut I was munching…

It was so beautiful outside (80 degrees, sunny, clear skies), and we so rarely get to see them, that we ended up spending the afternoon together. First up, a picnic (sandwiches from Yountville Deli) on the lawn at Peju Winery, and sipping wine in the tasting room.

Marco loves the ladies (and also plastic bottles – don’t worry, he recycled)

Jesse has fantastic hair!

After that, we headed to ZD Wines for a delicious Cabernet and chocolates (!) tasting. Marco slept through it, but Jesse was intrigued by the wine barrels.

We tried an ’09 right out of the barrel, a 2008, 2003, and a reserve of 2006. My favorite was the 2008, but the 09 was pretty awesome. I can’t wait for it to be bottled!

Kacey’s parents were also visiting the Napa valley, and were headed to dinner with Kacey, Robert, and Jesse; they invited Tim, Marco, and I to join them at Bottega (my favorite!). After grabbing some groceries, napping, and changing into a cute outfit (pajamas for Marco) we headed to dinner.

The food was just as amazing as I remembered, and luckily, everyone else agreed! I always get nervous recommending restaurants to people; what if they don’t like it!?

I ordered a pear and balsamic vinaigrette salad, and a side of truffle fries.

Tim ordered the ‘Angry Prawns’:

Yeah, those are eyeballs. Staring at me. Not so fun for me. Tim enjoyed them, though!

It was such a fantastic day. I really needed this jaunt; it was nice to do something with friends that wasn’t just a play date for the kids. It’s good to be reminded that we can still do our own thing, but keep Marco involved.

I went to bed sleepy and happy.

Remember when I mentioned that Tim and Marco were sick? Well, my men decided to share the wealth. I went to bed Thursday night feeling okay, but I woke up at 2am with a terrible feeling in my stomach, and ended up hugging the toilet. Tim heard me and came to help; we ended up basically taking turns. UGH! I had to call in sick (on the day of the Christmas party, AND during my first week of work!), and tried to get some rest. We woke up with fevers, headaches, and the shivers. Marco, luckily, felt great, but it was so hard to try and play with him while feeling so terrible! I finally started to feel better around 5pm.

Saturday morning, both Tim and I were back to normal. After loads of laundry, disinfecting wipes, and a good hot shower, I felt like the house was a safe place again. After instigating a tickle war with Marco, some rest, and a shopping trip to Target, we ended our day with a movie.

Today, we took Marco to see Santa Claus at Bel Aire Plaza! Marco took a picture with Santa, and they gave us a free 5×7 print. I tried to get Marco to smile, but he was so perplexed by the experience that he just kind of looked around, gaping.

He’s so freakin’ cute!

Enjoying pizza and gnocchi at Firewood Cafe after the momentous meeting

So, the weekend didn’t go EXACTLY as planned, but we managed to make it work.

I’m guest-blogging over at my friend Jacqi’s blog today, so go check it out HERE.

I gave my notice to the Inn yesterday – kind of sad to leave my boss! She’s amazing, and I hope that my new employers are just as great (but I think they will be!).

I’m very excited for the rest of this week. Tomorrow we’re going to check out a really cool daycare for Marco (crossing my fingers they let him in! I don’t like waiting lists), and then we’re going to visit Tim’s sister Chloe, who is home visiting from college (it’s her 18th birthday!).

Then we have the National Day of Eating: Thanksgiving!

On Friday, the town of Yountville is hosting its annual Festival of the Lights.  There’s food, wine, Santa Claus, carriage rides, and the lighting of the trees down the main street. Tim and I love attending this – we weren’t able to last year because I had to work, but we went in 2006, 2007, and 2008. I’m excited to show Marco around!

I’m thinking of hitting up Cameo Cinema to see ‘Nowhere Boy’ … I <3 me some Beatles, and I read the John Lennon biography earlier this year, so it will be interesting to see the portrayal of Lennon’s youth. Here’s the trailer:

I’ll probably be MIA for a few days, but I promise to return with recaps of the holiday and the movie!

Spend the holiday with loved ones, and eat lots of delicious food. Remember to thank your friends and family for being lovely.

XOXOXO

Good things:

1. Waiting in the long line for the Starbucks Drive-Thru in Napa, reading my book. Didn’t have the energy to get out of the car, plus it was raining (I’m like a cat, I don’t approve of raindrops falling on my head). I finally get up to the window, only to find that the car ahead of me had paid for my drink. Free grande non-fat Chai FTW!

2. Though we lost Game 3, we shut out the Rangers for Game 4! I’m not a big sports fan, and I rarely watch baseball games on television – but when the Giants make it to the World Series, you HAVE to watch! I love going to AT&T Park, but watching the games on television can get kind of boring. I can’t wait to take Marco to his first baseball game next spring! GO GIANTS!!

Here’s Marco watching Game 3 with us:

3. Cozy fire in the fireplace, pajamas, and Fun Size snickers bars!

4. Marco in his costume! OMG he’s so freaking cute!

More pictures of the adorableness here.

 

5. Our sweet neighbors, Jill and David, and their cute daughter Emiline, came trick or treating with us. We went around and got a pretty good haul!

 

Bad Things:

1. Tim was sick on Friday and Saturday, and he’s a baby when it comes to sickness. He’s not as bad as some men, but he’s still kind of annoying (sorry, babes). It was tough to take care of Marco and Tim. LOL

2. Because Tim was sick, our plans for Saturday fell through. No time with the Gomers.

All in all, though…a very good weekend. How was your Halloween!?

The title of the blog is from the Madeline Peyroux song – I’ve been listening to her on my Pandora station. I love her voice!

This past weekend was a busy one! My mom and sister came up to Napa for a visit, and we took them out to lunch at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Saturday night they babysat Marco while Tim and I headed out for a movie!  ’The Social Network’ was playing, and we noshed on popcorn, Icees and Skittles while we watched the whole drama of Facebook unfold.

I think it was actually a pretty good movie, but by no means the best movie of the year (as some have said). Aaron Sorkin managed to make a ‘geek’ story interesting. The actors were all fantastic, and one in particular has caught my eye:

Ohmigosh Andrew Garfield is my new boyfriend (Hugh needn’t be worried, he’s still my other husband)!  Sorry, Timmy! You know I love you best. xoxo

ANYWAY, the next day the Gomers came up to go to the Stanly Lane pumpkin patch. We went last year, so it’s kind of our tradition. It started pouring rain when they arrived, so we ended up eating lunch from Gott’s Roadside, and waiting out the rain. Luckily for us, it stopped raining around 3, so we were able to head over and pick out our pumpkins! I took some fun pictures of Belle:

A few other pictures from the weekend:

Rooting for truffles?!

Oooh ooh ohh! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway with Flapper Doodle! Go HERE!

Have a good day!

Adrienne posted a list yesterday of 20 things we didn’t know about her (though I think I actually did know all of them, go figure!)…so here’s mine! Adrienne probably knows all of these things about me, too.

20 Bits of (Possibly) New Information

1.I’ve never been to the snow. I’ve seen it by the side of the road on the drive into Tahoe,  but I’ve never touched it, made a snow-angel, etc.

2. I am very afraid of heights, but I don’t like to be on the 1st floor of hotels. If someone breaks into your room, it’s easier for them to escape from the 1st floor than, say, the 10th.

3. Hugh Laurie. ‘Nuff said.

4. I’ve seen Jimmy Eat World live 10 times.

5. Just seeing a jar of mayonnaise induces me to gag. IT IS DISGUSTING.

6. I own 70 pairs of shoes.

7. I believe in God, but not organized religion.

8. Sometimes I like to read whilst standing up.

9. I like watches, but I don’t wear them because I become too obsessed with finding out what time it is.

10. I had a crush on a woman in my theatre class in college.  She was so pretty and smart, and my hands got sweaty when she talked to me. No, I never said anything to her about it.

11. I don’t like pants that don’t have pockets on the butt; even if it’s just a pseudo-pocket (more like a seam, really) it makes me feel more comfortable. I feel like my butt is exposed otherwise.

12. I prefer to write ‘grey’ instead of ‘gray’ (same goes for ‘theatre’ and ‘theater’). I just think it looks more elegant.

13. I am looking forward to going back to work full-time; hopefully next year.

14. When I was a little kid, I wanted to be on ‘Reading Rainbow‘ more than anything! I’d even pretend with one of my favorite books in the mirror – I had my timing down to a science.

15. I’ve been told by several people that I make great chicken enchiladas, but I myself am not really a fan of Mexican food.

16. My top 5 restaurants: 1. The Library (Rome, Italy) 2. The French Laundry (Yountville, CA) 3. Auberge du Soleil (Rutherford, CA) 4. Ubuntu (Napa, CA) 5. Bottega (Yountville, CA – read about our dining experience here)

17. I’ve readContact by Carl Sagan so many times, I actually know most of the chapters by heart. I love it so much that I own two copies, and refuse to let go of either of them. One is hardback and one is paperback.

18. I can laugh at the Monty Python movies, but about 50% of the time I don’t really know why it is funny. British humour is quite ODD.

19. I think hunting is an abomination. There is no need for a person to go out with a gun and shoot something ‘for fun’. Sure, you CAN eat it, but we all know you aren’t doing it because you NEED to. This is the modern age! Go to Safeway!

20. I wish I could play the piano. I took lessons for a few months when I was 8, but my mom never made me practice – and eventually she didn’t want to drive me to lessons anymore. THANKS A LOT, MOM!

This weekend was filled with good food, sneezing, interesting conversation, coughing, stuffy noses, swimming… you get the idea. My allergies came to visit last week, and decided this weekend was a good time to move in for an extended stay.

Friday night, we had an awesome time with Marco, watching Disney’s ‘Chicken Little’. Marco seemed to love watching the colors on the screen.  Tim and I ordered pizza from one of our favorite local joints, New York Pizza Kitchen. Mmm pizza.

Our good friend Adan visited us on Saturday, bringing with him a few bottles of his beer. Adan and his friend Tony decided to start making their own brews, and their first batch was actually quite tasty! I am not a beer drinker by any means, but even I liked this cream ale (named ‘Genesis’). They are making an amber next, and that is Tim’s favorite type. 

Sunday, my allergies reached critical mass, but Tim’s twin sister, Kate, and her husband, Josh were in town from Virginia to visit with family, so I took a Claritin, 2 ibuprofen and 1 Chlor-Trimeton and we made our way to Dad’s house. They have two children, 19 month old twins: Elizabeth and Joshua Jr.

Tim and Marco ended up going for a dip in the pool, and our gorgeous boy LOVED it! I was so excited that he liked it so much. He mostly stayed in the hot tub, which was heated to 90 degrees. So adorable!

More pictures available on Marco’s website.

Tim and I feel so lucky to live in the Napa Valley; not only is it beautiful, but we’re surrounded by fantastic wine and food! Today, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite wines (mostly local, of course!).

WHITE
BLOCKS Sauvignon Blanc – Marlborough, New Zealand
Purchased at Trader Joe’s for $5.99!! Citrusy and crisp. Great summer wine.

Luna Pinot Grigio – Napa, California

Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling – Columbia Valley, Washington
Refreshing!

ROSE
Castello di Amorosa La Fantasia – Calistoga, California
I don’t know anyone who hasn’t liked this slightly sweet, fruity, effervescent wine. Highly recommended for summer picnics!

BUBBLY
Schramsberg Blanc de Noir – Napa Valley, California, (Prefer vintage 2003 or 2005)
The absolute best sparkling wine. Not too pricey (usually around $35, but Trader Joe’s sometimes has it for $28).

Veuve Cliquot  Ponsardin Brut Yellow Label- Reims, France

Cristalino Brut Cava – Spain
Inexpensive (I buy it for $9) and tasty! Fruity, crisp flavor.

RED
August Briggs Zinfandel – Napa Valley, California
I loove this wine. Tim and I had a barrel tasting of the 2008 vintage, and it was so good I went back for seconds (and maybe thirds, ha ha!).

Chariot Gypsy – Napa Valley/Sonoma/Monterey, California
This is a good red wine; a mix of Cabernet, Zinfandel, Sangiovese and Syrah. Sold exclusively at Trader Joe’s. It’s sometimes tough to find, but it’s only $4.99 and kind of an underground hit with TJ shoppers.

ZD Pinot Noir – Napa Valley, California

What wines do you like? Recommendations?