Vacation of a lifetime – legit

<< Warning! Uber long blog post below – my apologies in advance 😉 >>

I’m baaaack 🙂

Sorry I left you high and dry for my ENTIRE 10-day vacation, but, not gonna lie – the whole “buh-bye” to routine (in every sense of the word) was exactly what I needed.

I just experienced the BEST vacation of a lifetime.

Hands down the most incredible 10 days of my life (aside from my wedding/honeymoon, of course!).

Not only did I start off on the high of completing the Wicked Half with four minutes to spare against my goal time, but the nearly two weeks away was filled with so many memories, celebrations and uhh, lots of wine, and almost no routine to be seen for as far as the eye could see. 😉

I could probably write about five blog posts JUST about this vacation but I’m sure you’d get sick of hearing me gush after awhile so, very similar to my sister, I’ll share a few memories and poignant moments and leave it at that (well – that plus some pictures, as promised, Heather!).

A couple of stats, first…

• 25 vineyards visited (far too many to choose just ONE favorite!)
• 15 bottles of wine consumed amongst our clan during the stay in Healdsburg (this does NOT include the 4-5 tastings per day either, ahem!)
• A million and a half memories and laughable quotes (we literally wrote them down so as not to forget them later…for example: “Miiiike Ditka” or “That’s what she said…” or “Weeeeeee” <—from the Geico commercial that cracks me up every.single.time.)
• One star sighting – yes, we did meet one famous dude by the name of Squire Fridell. For those of you in my age group, that would be “our” Ronald McDonald and the guy in the current Toyota commercials. Well, long story short, we had a private tour and tasting of his vineyard at his private home. Um yeah, not much can top that. It was unreal.
• And um, a total of FOUR workouts over TEN days. For me, this is totally out of character as you all know by now – this from the girl who hates even ONE rest day in a week. Thoroughly needed, thoroughly enjoyed, and thoroughly allowed me to breathe in the entire epic vacation in a way I never imagined.

And now, for some memorable moments:

• Celebrations – of birthdays: ringing in the big 3-1 with Jolene (and with Jen in spirit – took a zillion pics just for her!) while floating high above Napa Valley in a hot air balloon is not a memory I’ll soon forget. I sense that this year will be a special one, filled with lots of milestones and accomplishments – I just hope that “31” is ready for me, it doesn’t know what I have in store for it, yet 😉
• Celebrations – of love: watching Scott’s best friend Vinnie wed Gen was an awesome experience. They are so in love and two of the NICEST people you’ll ever meet. It was an honor to be in their presence on their big day. And, not gonna lie, seeing Scott in a tux – wowza, sight for sore eyes, hehe.
• Celebrations – of friendships: Spending a week+ away with a group of close friends could either be a recipe for disaster or one of the most special adventures ever. As you can imagine, we fell into the latter group – we had the BEST time together, laughed at every single chance we could, enjoyed every last sip of wine and morsel of food, and just enjoyed the best company around. I am so thankful and grateful for amazing friendships like these. (despite the one or two minor disagreements we had – mostly revolving around “feeding time” – we women are a hungry bunch, once hunger strikes, you do NOT want to cross us, LOL)

As I said, I could TOTALLY ramble for hours about this trip – it was worth every single penny, every vacation day spent away from work, routine, my kitties, my workouts – for memories that I will never, EVER, forget. And if you need any vineyard recommendations for the Healdsburg/Dry Creek area of Sonoma County, you know where to find me. Just don’t lay a hand on my fully-stocked wine fridge, heh. 😉

 

At the wedding - with the best in-laws around!

 

 

At Michel-Schlumberger amidst the vines!

 

 

Check out those grapes - at Field Stone Vineyard, our fave

 

 

Sister shot - at Thumprint Cellars tasting room in Healdsburg Square

 

 

At Hawley's tasting room in the Square - with Jess, Jo and Meg

 

 

At Seguesio - great Zin's and a special blend, Omadi that Scott and I bought to save for a special occasion

 

 

View from our hot air balloon at a fellow ballooner nearby. Gorgeous, right??

 

 

Scott and I with Jeannine and Shane at Gary Farrell