It was a month ago that we were enjoying the warm sunny skies of California. We’ve been friends since high school, brought together by the friendship of our now-husbands. We’ve fought (and made up) like sisters. She’s my best friend.
It was a month ago that Kristen’s husband made a visit to our house. The boys had a day trip of their own planned and were getting an early start the next morning. Stan came the night before to crash on our couch and showed up late that night. Tim and I stayed up to chat with him and on a whim, I mentioned Kristen’s coming birthday the next week. “Stan, you should buy your wife a plane ticket to California!” Seriously. He turned to me and said, “Ok. Make it happen.”
WHAATTTT????!!!!!!!!!
Ok, so I ran to the computer and started looking at flights. Stan called Kristen’s sister Kelli in Sacramento and within 20 minutes, no joke, we had two round trip tickets to FUN booked ;) Then the torture…I had to wait a WHOLE WEEK until Kristen found out!
You may remember the wedding of Kristen’s sister last summer at a gorgeous vineyard in Clarksburg. Long story short, Kristen was unable to attend due to being too far along in her pregnancy to fly. So, in a small way, I hoped this trip would not only be a much needed break from our very long winter but would also give Kristen and Kelli another great memory of their own.
After an endless day of travel, we flew into Sacramento and moved into Kelli’s house :) Kristen and I made plans for the first few days we would be without Kelli while she was working. Day 1: Napa! I’d never been wine tasting before and honestly had never drank much wine at all in my life…it was a great experience. There’s so much to learn!!! The area is beautiful even with the leaves off the vines! If you’ve never been, there are two main roads that run through the valley and there are literally hundreds of vineyards staggered throughout.
Our first stop, Robert Mondovi, home of the best Moscato on the planet!
Gorgeous vineyard and tasting room. That’s what I loved the most about Napa. Of the few vineyards we visited, each had it’s own unique feel. Some really felt more “Mom and Pop” (like Hagafan, my first official winery AND wonderful personal attention) while others were very formal and aesthetic. Mondavi was one of the most impressive to me.
If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the next one. V. Sattui Winery was where I found my newest love…their Muscat tastes like honey in a bottle! More casual than Mondavi with the added bonus of a great deli next to the tasting room where we scored some fabulous artichoke dip and cheese for dinner that night.
Another stop was the Beringer Winery below.
And the most interesting and memorable stop, Sterling Vineyard :) Their property was huge! Upon arrival, we were immediately directed to the tram that took us to the top of the hill where the winery resides. Gorgeous views while the sun was setting! And out on the terrace, a wonderful look at what makes Napa so beautiful and serene.
Our final stop was one we made just to see the facade of the winery. Literally, a castle!
During our last trip to California, I was introduced to Big Spoon. It will forever be a “Must Stop” portion of any trip where there is one in the area. Who doesn’t love DIY yogurt and toppings by the pound ;) The next day Kristen and I spent buying out the outlet malls and meeting Kelli for dinner. On Friday, Kelli called in sick to work and the three of us headed to Santa Cruz for the day!
First stop, THE BEACH! We sank our toes in the sand and sat a while on the nearby rocks to absorb as much sea air as we could.
A few of these were taken from the backseat of Kelli’s SUV, I’m amazed they’re in focus! The coast along Santa Cruz is GOR-GEOUS! I will never tire of seeing the bluffs, rocks and surfers below. We checked out the boardwalk and onto the pier for lunch. Not the best dining experience but it’s one we will never forget!
After a very LONG lunch, we headed to their downtown area that was lined with great stores and boutiques. We shopped and browsed a while but when we were ready to leave, we realized we would be fighting rush hour traffic. We searched for some other things to do and guess what?! We found a few wineries located in town ;) Definitely not the Napa feel but still interesting!
By now it was late enough that we decided to have dinner in town too. We ate at this great place called Pizza My Heart. Highly Recommended! On Saturday, we were up bright and early to make the most of our last day. We met friends of Kristen’s for breakfast then headed to Carvalho Family Winery for their Chocolate & Port event. This is the same vineyard that Kelli was married in and one of the things Kelli and I had planned to do as a surprise for Kristen. It was Kristen’s first time to the Old Sugar Mill (where Carvalho is located along with 6 other wineries) and for me, it was wonderful to be back!
It was Valentine’s weekend at the vineyards and they were all celebrating with tastings and wonderful food!
We ventured back into Sacramento, not sure what we would do with the rest of our evening. We saw signs of Spring everywhere we looked as the trees were sporting fresh blooms. Kristen and I were already dreading coming home to Indiana knowing that the temps had been below zero the entire time we were gone. We found a great restaurant downtown called Aura that made our trip complete.
I think it’s safe to say we all had the best time. I can’t believe Kristen and I have never done anything like this before…we’ve been talking about it for years! Now, we’re already scheming planning the next one.
To Tim and Stan. Thanks for letting us go and being single dads for the week. And get ready to do it again soon ;)
To Kelli. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. For letting us stay with you, being our tour guide and car rental provider. Thank you for making the trip possible.
To Kristen. I love you and our friendship. Can’t wait to see how much trouble we get into over the next 15 years! “Is there honey in that?”
