I don’t know about all of you, but we’ve had a fabulous weekend!  This summer-like day has been a long time coming and I hate to see it end…it’s sure to be followed by rain, cold and misery….it is after all, Indiana….I wouldn’t be surprised if we get another freak snowstorm in the next two weeks as payback for the sunshine we had today!

While today was spent outdoors, yesterday I spent the day with my daughter in Fort Wayne at her last dance competition of the season.  This was our first competition experience so we weren’t sure what to expect.  Well, we are both hooked.  It can be summed up as a lot of glitter, bobby pins  and waiting around for  awards while the performances are over so quickly!  But what I am hooked on is the look on my Evie’s face when she’s on stage.  She is pure joy and excitement.  And I am always overwhelmed with emotion of how proud I am to be her mom.  To see her so thoroughly enjoy something and to succeed at it…it’s worth far more than the cost of the costume, eye glitter and time spent waiting on scores.

So, since I am a mom…a little bragging seems in order!!!!  Here is Evie’s very first competition in Indy, where her group earned a High-Gold (for those of you who don’t know the scoring, think of it as the silver medal).

These girls are GOOD!  Below was her second competition where the girls earned Platinum!!!! (Translation:  Gold.  The best you can get!)  I was shooting a wedding that day and during a break, I asked if they would mind me making a call to find out how she did….when I heard thy had received a Platinum, I was so thrilled for them but also a bit sad that I wasn’t there to witness it (Grandma was there at least).  On the other hand, I was surrounded by a group of girls and bridesmaids who all shared in my excitement :)  Here she is at home that afternoon with her now most prized posession.

And that brings us to yesterday and her last competition at the Embassy.  Evie was as excited as ever and felt like a “super star” as soon as she saw the marquis ;)  It was definitely a treat for her to perform at such a beautiful venue.

The girls had another perfect performance and after, Evie got a little tour of the building.  She was so in awe of the place!  The girls received another High Gold to end their season with a bang.

Ugh.  Looking at her…how much she’s growing up…it’s bittersweet.  Having a daughter is like looking in a mirror sometimes.  You feel all of her pain and emotion and joy all the time.  You see her growing and maturing and it makes you proud.  You see her struggle and sometimes fail and you want to make it OK.  You see her acting just like YOU and you hesitate…because you want her to be better than you and not have to make your mistakes.  It’s the greatest gift to be given.  It’s also one of the most challenging.

So, while I’ll always remember her first competition season as a great success, mostly I’ll remember the day we spent yesterday.  Just the two of us laughing and talking like friends.  Going out to dinner.  And tucking her tired little glittered face into bed.

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?”

Last summer, we were fortunate to have a couple of destination weddings, one of which was in sunny California.  Well, it was sunny part of the time!  The wedding took place at the gorgeous Carvalho Family Winery at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg.  After the wedding festivities, Tim and I took a couple of extra days and headed to San Francisco, making stops along the way.  I should probably warn you, I am a total tourist/nerd when I’m visiting new places, ESPECIALLY if it’s a place filled with lots of history!  Poor Tim is constantly having to slow down and wait for me as I’ve lagged behind trying to photograph everything I can :)

We actually started our “tour” on the Friday before the wedding.  We headed to downtown Sacramento to check out the State Capitol Museum and just a few blocks away we sampled my newest love:  Big Spoon Yogurt!   I don’t have any good pictures, but imagine an ice cream topping bar like no other where you pay by the weight of your creation…DANGEROUS ;)

Sunday morning came very early after a fun night at the vineyard, but we wanted to cram as much into two days as humanly possible!  We started our drive West and into the mountains.  I’m not sure where this was along the way, but people were pulled over along the road taking in the view so we did too :)  The clouds were actually blowing so thick across the road you could see them!

I had never before seen the Pacific Ocean…and this was my first view.  On one side of the road is the above view…and after you cross, the ocean is literally just over the side of the cliff.

Seeing the Redwoods at Muir Woods was also on our list of “things to do.”

We drove down through the twisty mountain roads…to the twisty shoreline road of Highway 1.  Seriously, constant hairpin turns where any wrong move looked to mean a certain death as you fell off the side of the earth.  Dramatic?  Maybe.  Was I scared?  YES!!!!  We arrived safely at Stinson Beach to put our toes in the ocean…which was FREEZING!  I couldn’t believe there was a beach full of people in bathing suits when it was cold and no sun peeking through the layers of clouds and fog!

Back onto the Highway of Death and onward to San Francisco!  We came in over the bridge which felt like a wonderful welcome!

Did I mention it was cold in sunny California?  It really was!  Monday morning we bundled up and drove in to Pier 39 to catch our ferry to Alcatraz.  This was one of my favorite things we did!  The history of the island and the prison are amazing. I won’t bore you with all the details…I told you I was a nerd!  I was actually very surprised how pretty the island was.  The gardens were beautiful.  The architecture of the buildings was much more pleasing to the eye than the ones we’re building now.  Not that the inmates ever got to enjoy that…. ;)

The last thing on our list was to drive back towards the bridge and explore the Golden Gate Park.  Again, it was so cold and foggy.  I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get to see the bridge clearly, but I’ll take what I can get!  We again did the touristy thing and walked onto the bridge then asked a very nice stranger on a bike to take our picture ;)  Tim was thrilled!

Our trip was a whirlwind of four days, a wedding, getting lost (since I left my gps in Indy!)  and walking more than I thought humanly possible.  I am so thankful that I have the opportunity with my work to visit such fabulous places!

Alright, who wants to get married in Australia ;)