Washington Wine Country - Day 5

We got up, packed our things and hit the road. We had 3 wineries left to hit before we headed out of town so we got our pallets ready and headed out. The first winery was pretty good. It was a friendly husband-wife-and friend team who were the wine makers. The second winery was in an old school house (left) and had pretty good wines. The last one in town was fantastic and their wines make it to my top favorites.

We stopped in Prosser, WA about 80 miles west of Walla Walla. We went to several wineries and again, found some FANTASTIC wines. One of which was Willow Crest Winery which after tasting their wines, immediately was tied for #1 in my favorite WA Wineries. We ended up buying a mixed case from them. What I love about this winery is that A. their wines are incredible and B. they are affordable. I don't have to spend $50 on one bottle to enjoy their wines. I really appreciate that about them.

The rest of the ride home was beautiful but uneventful. I'm glad to be home, but I would definitely like to go back sometime soon!

I'll leave you with some pics of the drive home:

Wine Bottle Count: 31 + 2 for gifts

Washington Wine Country - Day 4

We hit 8 more wineries today! I found THE BEST winery in the entire area

(imo), Five Star Cellars. I was semi familiar with the winery as I bought a bottle of their Cab Sauv a few years ago as a Christmas present for my Dad. Their wines are a bit pricey but every wine I tasted today just knocked my socks off. I would have loved to buy a mixed case but then I'd be poor. :P I did however walk away with a 2007 Malbec.

We had a nice picnic lunch today in a local park with some nice picnic staples from Salumiere Cesario. We sat under a tree and watched about 5 squirrels running from branch to branch. It was such a beautifully warm day with nice cloudless blue skies. We also visited a local coffee roastery. Their coffee's were so unique but very good, so we got two iced americano's and 2 bags of coffee for later. The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging around the pool and going for occasional dips to cool off.

There has been this poster I've been seeing around some of the wineries. It's a collection of a lot of wine labels from the wineries around here. I just LOVE it and have been looking on the internet for it but couldn't find it and no one was selling it... until today when I walked into one of the wineries and there was my poster on the wall with a price tag on it. I snatched up the LAST copy! Special thanks to my Mom and Dad who bought us this poster for our anniversary! :D

For dinner, we opted for healthy. Our bodies have been screaming at us for eating so unhealthy. We went to a local grocery store, got some lettuce, veggies and rotisserie chicken and had a little make shift salad in our suite. It was sooo good to eat veggies again! We spent the rest of the night watching the sunset and falling asleep to the movie Stripes.

We were really tired today and I felt very wonky. I'm not exercising near as much as I usually do and we have been eating wonderful but unhealthy foods. It all caught up to me today. Although I love it so much here, I am looking forward to going home tomorrow to get back on my schedule. And I miss my kitties!

Tomorrow we head to the local farmers market, hit up a few more wineries that we haven't visited yet, and head back home. Can't wait to drive through all that beauty again!

Wine Bottle Count: 15 +1 for a gift

Washington Wine Country - Day 3

Another great day of wine tasting! We did much better today, hitting 8 wineries today! My favorites were the Cabernet Sauvignon's. I tasted so many fantastic ones and bought 2 that were 100%, one of which was rated a 91 by Wine Spectator. I also bought a great Claret wine. Really, just fantastic wines out here. Napa, eat your heart out.

Before we headed into town for lunch, we drove about 5 miles south so I could get my very first geocache in Oregon. It was a success... right next to a bull pen...fun!

We went to Merchants Delicatessen for lunch and each bought a sandwich. Very delicious. It was fun to sit outside in the middle of downtown and people watch during our lunch break.

After our day of wine tasting had ended, we came back to our suite, changed, and went for a bike ride. We came across a BMX bike path which was pretty extreme for being my first time on one of those. It was a blast. The bike ride was nice with beautiful scenery to look at.

We came back home, showered and left for dinner. All the locals have been raving about Saffron Mediterranean so we went there tonight for dinner....

**Begin Narration by A**

My first impression of the place was, it's small, and crowded. Our waitress, Launa, seated us. She was full of smiles and a great waitress.

We started off with the Mezze Plate of flatbread (which they are known for) and three spreads. The first was a fava bean and pea spread with garlic. It was awesome, and the best of the three. The second was a 'chunky hummus', basically chick peas with a tahini dressing, and the third was a dried date and walnut chutney. The flatbread itself was fantastic. Topped with olive oil and spices.

Michelle picked a nice bottle of wine. A 2006 Haciendo Don Ramon, Temperanillo Rioja.

For dinner I ordered a 'free form' rabbit lasagna. Michelle ordered the goat cheese gnocchi with walla walla sweet onion sausage. They were both ridiculous. Just fantastic. My lasagna was nothing like traditional lasagna. It was not tomato based, but rather mushroom and ricotta. Michelle's gnocchi was even better. Each gnocchi was filled with goat cheese, and the sausage was a perfect match.

For dessert our waitress told us their three offerings for tonight. First was a sampling of their in-house gelatos. Including a honeysuckle and a basil gelato. I have a dehabilitating love of gelato.. but, I had to pass. (I had great ice cream the night before). The second was a custard with a nut crust and strawberries. The last option was a flatbread topped with chocolate, cherries and vanilla ice cream. Launa told us the custard was her favorite, but the flatbread is what they were 'known around town for'. Tough decision. We talked it over and we decided.. that we couldn't decide. We asked Launa to pick for us. She brought us her favorite, the custard. It wasn't a traditional custard, there were no eggs in it. It was just like everything else.. ridiculously fantastic.

I must say though, my favorite part.. was my date. Sitting across from my beautiful wife, any meal would be amazing.

**End Narration by A**

Dinner was late and we didn't get home until 10pm, so we crawled into bed, watched the movie Bolt and drifted to sleep dreaming of little wine glasses dancing in our heads.

Cheers!

Wine Bottle Count: 12

Fun Foto Friday

Wine is still a bit young I'm afraid! hehehe....

Washington Wine Country - Day 2

We took our time waking up today enjoying the nice scenery and setting aside time to relax. Plus, there is something that seems so wrong with wine tasting at 10am.

We headed downtown Walla Walla to walk around, window shop, and pick up some lunch. We stopped off at Salumiere Cesario, a little gourmet grocery with everything! Gourmet meats, cheeses, breads, oils from all over the world, nuts, olives, wine, teas... you name it, it was there. We got a little $8 "lunch box" which included 1 oz emmenthaler cheese, .5 oz of their homemade salami, a demi baguette, and a small sampling of dried fruit and nut compote. Delicious!!!! Best lunch ever! We popped it in our cooler and headed off to our tastings.

We only made it to 5 wineries today. I was really disappointed at our lack of tastings. It's not that we didn't have the stamina to keep going, but my taste buds were just dying! You know the feeling you have about an hour after you've just burnt your tongue on some hot food? That's how my poor tongue feels, even now, 2 hours later. :( All the red wine will fry your taste buds I suppose.

Spring Valley Vineyard was our first stop. Wines were ok but very expensive. We got a great family history lesson of the 7 generations of wine makers. Very interesting and educational. Seven Hills Winery was our next stop. The wines were really really good, loved them all! We walked out with a refreshing Pinot Gris. Canoe Ridge Vineyard was next on the list. Also fantastic wines but managed to walk away with only a Malbec. We stopped off at Three Rivers Winery (pic on the left) where we enjoyed our "lunch box". The view was just breathtaking and we had the entire outdoor deck to ourselves to have a nice long lunch. We just stared in awe at the giant Blue Mountains and looked over at their private 3-hole golf course. The wines were ok, nothing that took me by surprise but definitely worth coming for the view, a little afternoon golf, and a fun gift shop. At this point our pallet was about finished so we ended our wine tasting at Reininger Winery where they had incredible wines. They had so many wines to taste that we only made it through half before I had to call it quits. It's never a good sign when all the wines start tasting the same. Darn all those tannic reds we had! At any rate, we headed out with a Sangiovese and promises to return once our taste buds had time to rest.

The rest of the afternoon included some little R&R. A took a nap, I blogged. Then we went out to the fresh salt water pool for a little dip and lounged on the chaise lounge chairs to replenish our Vitamin D.

For dinner, we chose to go to CreekTown Cafe. The restaurant uses all local ingredients; from their meats to cheeses and produce. The atmosphere is not as upscale as the food and prices reflect but once I got my food, I didn't even care! A got a King Crab Salad and I got a Strawberry Almond salad. Both pretty good. The crab on A's salad was mouthwatering; like butter! I choose the Roast Pheasant with Morel Mushrooms. No words... really, I just sat through my whole dinner shaking my head in disbelief! It was perfect, like I was eating a piece of Heaven. Seriously the BEST pheasant I've ever had. A had the Kobe Beef which was also very good. Both meals were packed with flavor, very juicy, and prepared like an upscale homemade meal. I would LOVE to pay another visit at this restaurant before we leave.

Anyone who knows A, knows he loves his sweets...especially ice cream! So after dinner we went and got ice cream cones and walked around downtown. Most of the shops were closed by now but there were still tons of people out walking and taking a leisurely bike ride around the town. Suddenly, something caught the corner of my eye. It was one of THE most BEAUTIFUL sunsets I have ever seen! Literally left me weak in the knees. We rushed back to the car to head West to see if we could get a better view. I will attempt to take a picture of the sunsets here to show you.; so many colors and you can see the horizon for MILES and MILES. *sigh* It was a great end to a fantastic day.

Wine Bottle Count: 6

Washington Wine Country - Bonus Material

I failed to mention the gorgeous view we have right outside our suite. I wish the pictures did it justice.

literally walking out our front door...

the pool

more mountains and vineyards

the trellis of flowers right beside our door

A sitting on our chairs taking in the view

Washington Wine Country - Day 1

The alarm went offf, and in the car we went! Can't think of a better way to celebrate another great year of marriage!

The scenery was just breathtaking! Before we crossed over the Cascade Mountains, there were full, lush green mountains everywhere. I couldn't help but to feel so small and insignificant against the giant landscape. We kept on truckin' up, through, and back down the mountains and as our ears finished popping from the decreasing elevation, we watched the entire landscape change before our eyes. The once green and lush mountains now were brown mou

ntains/giant rolling hills. The temperature went from a cool 68 degrees to an immediate 77 and rising. It was as if we were transformed to a different part of the country. It was still absolutely gorgeous scenery that made the long drive go by very quickly.

Before we knew it, we were seeing a sign welcoming us to Wine Country. We had arrived! We stopped at 4 wineries on the way to Walla Walla. It would have been more but the other ones I had mapped out were closed. Bonair Winery was our first stop. (pic on left) The grounds were absolutely beautiful! Rows and rows and rows of little grapes all perfectly labeled as to indicate the varietal of the grape and a pair of little fat vineyard ducks taking a nap by one of the ponds. Their wine was pretty good. I loved the Merlot and A loved the Cab but we declined the urge to buy anything. Next stop was Paradisos del Sol Winery. What a fun experience that was! The grounds were eclectically decorated with metal art, random signs, and a giant coy pond as we entered the tasting room. There was another couple already there ready to begin their tasting so we joined them. The tastings were accompanied with a food pairing which, if I don't say so myself, were paired to perfection! We were even given the recipes to all the side dishes. The last wine we tried was a Riesling that was paired with a toasted marshmallow. We all were given a little tea candle, a toothpick, and a mini marshmallow. We toasted the marshmallow over the little flame while the pourer explained the history and info about the wine. SO FUN! We walked out with a bottle of their Paradisos Red, a blend claiming to be the worlds best pizza wine. We shall see. :) We made a stop off at Portteus Winery. Nice wines, LOTS of tastings but nothing that knocked my socks off. Perhaps it was the wine pourer that turned us off... he was very strange. Our last winery of the day was Tucker Cellars Winery. Again great wines, but what really surprised me was some of their whites. Typically wines such as a Riesling and Gewurztraminer are really more like sugar water in my opinion but the sweeter wines at Tucker Cellars were wonderfully complex and surprisingly not overly sweet; just crisp and refreshing! We walked out with a Gewurztraminer and one called Indian Summer, a pinot noir rose. MMM!

An hour 1/2 drive southeast and we were at our suite. It is absolutely beautiful! I'll just show you pictures:

Walking through the door. On the end table they left us a bottle of wine!

bed, fireplace, Tv, DVD player...

Bathroom with a tray of goodies!

Shower/Tub Area

We freshened up and headed to our dinner at Whitehouse Crawford. It was a rustic elegant atmosphere with maybe 7 tables of people; not many people out eating upscale dinners on a Wednesday night. We started our dining experience with wine of course! ordering a bottle of wine from Cotes du Rhone in France. For dinner, A and I choose the same Pre Fixe menu. Our salad was a spring salad with wild greens from Oregon, edible flowers and some warm goat cheese on a toasted piece of rustic bread. Main course was grilled lamb loin with chickpeas and spinach. The lamb was cooked to perfection and just melted away in my mouth. Dessert was a twice baked chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and candied orange peel as a garnish. All in all a pretty nice meal. Nothing that knocked my socks off but then again, I'm a tough food critic. :)

After a long day we cam home, crashed, and are now ready to see what another day has in store for us! Stay Tuned!

Wine bottle count: 3

Happy Anniversary Baby!

Three years ago today I married my best friend. Today, we are of to celebrate the blessed union in Washington Wine

Country. I'm so excited to have a peaceful and relaxing weekend with the one person I love more than anything...

A: Thank you for deciding to marry me three years ago. Thank you for letting me be my silly self and having so much patience at times. Thank you for challenging me and helping me grow into the person I want to become. Thank you for spoiling me rotten even though I don't deserve it. And thank you for choosing to love me every day and continuing to make our relationship grow stronger.

3 years down, 97 more to go! :)

not the childhood story you remember...

If you haven't already heard, Tim Burton is at it again. He is teaming up with Johnny Depp to create a very unique and twisted version of Alice in Wonderland. The movie is set to premiere in March 2010.

New photo's have come out.... sends chils down my spine! I have VERY high hopes for this movie!

Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter

Anne Hathaway as The White Queen

Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen

The cosumes.. the make up... MAN! I can't WAIT!

Happy Fathers Day

Dad, thank you for being my dad for almost 27 years. Thank you for your support, wisdom, and love throughout the years.

We wish we could be in Chicago with you to celebrate your day but we will be thinking of you today across the miles...

Love you so much!

"I want to be a producer" -the end.

Well, I didn't get the AM Radio Producer job. It came down to the fact that I just wasn't as qualified as others were. I feel sad because I don't have any other job prospects now. A and I decided that if I don't have a job or upcoming interviews by the time we got back from Walla Walla, that I would go back to the temp agency. I'm not looking forward to this because working for the temp agency is going to be a BIG pay cut. But, I can still be looking for jobs while i'm temping and who knows? Something amazing could come out of it.

All things happen for a reason, ya know? There's a greater plan other than my own.

Fun Foto Friday

Euwww, I know, but you can't help but to laugh too.

Interview update...

My 2nd interview went really well. I honestly don't think I could have done any better. They are going to give me a call on Friday to let me know either way if they want me to come back in. They started off with 40, narrowed it down to 10, and then will pick 3 of the 10 to come BACK in for a 3rd interview. If I don't get called back, I don't be too upset because I know I gave it my all! I'm proud of what I did! I'll keep you all updated.

In other news, 1 WEEK until we leave for WALLA WALLA! I can't even tell you how excited I am! I'm getting thirsty just thinking about all the wine I get to taste... mmm!

*sigh* beautiful isn't it?

Lets go Red Wings, lets go!

In honor of the Detroit Red Wings playing in the Stanley Cup once again, I've decided to share a picture of me circa 1998, with the REAL Stanley Cup in Detroit.  I stood in line with my cousins for a few hours just to take this picture.  It was totally worth it though.  The Wings won the Stanley Cup that night.  It was an awesome experience. 

They put up a good fight this year but fell just short.  Oh well, here's to next year!

TGIFridays...

Since it's friday, I thought i'd give you all a little treat:

Just print off the image and you and a special someone can have a discounted dinner.  Consider it a date night on me!

Enjoy!

"I want to be a producer" pt.3

The 2nd interview is Wednesday the 17th @ 11:30!!

Fun Foto Friday

I know a lot of you have seen this before, but I still find it fascinating.  It's a Helix Nebula calledThe Eye of God.

Happy Friday!

Sunflower Surprise

A while back, my Mom sent A and I a pack of sunflower seeds for us to plant in our garden.  I was so excited by the idea of having my own sunflowers. Unfortunately, when we opened the pack to plant, the seeds were all broken.  A didn't have high hopes for the broken seeds, but I wanted to try anyways.  Needless to say, they didn't grow in.  I keep looking but nothing!  :(

All this to say, something absolutely miraculous yesterday!  Our sunflower actually grew... OVERNIGHT!  

I know!  Can you believe it?  It went from a dirt patch to a full grown sunflower.  And A swears he has no idea how this miracle happened! ;)

So now, as I do the dishes I get to look out my window and see my gorgeous little sunflower....

I'm happy! :D

"I want to be a producer" pt.2

YAY! I got a second interview with the radio station. Who knew?! There were 40 people who went to the first interview and they narrowed it down to 10 people, including me.

To be honest, I'm REALLY excited and I think this would be an AMAZING job, however at the moment my concerns are outweighing my excitement. I'm really concerned about the hours... I'd have to be at the studio at 5am, run the show from 6-10am and some prep work following the show. If you know me, you know that I'm NOT a morning person at all. I don't wake up until at least 8:00am and that's REALLY REALLY early for me. I'm also concerned about the pay and vacation time. I don't think I'll be offered nearly as much as I was making when I worked for MS, and I'm pretty sure I'll only get 1 week of vacation vs. the 3 weeks I had. Not to mention that my insurance probably will not be awesome.

*le sigh*

I'm just taking one moment at a time. I could be worrying for no reason. I could not even get hired. I'm just really excited for the potential!

Do any of my readers happen to be or know radio people? I could use some advise or some confirmation on the pay and benefits!

As always, I'll keep ya'll updated!

For you, my BOTL

Back in our 'ol collage days, there was a little show we used to watch together called American Idol.  And there was a certain young man whom we were very found of.... Mr. Constantine Maroulis.

I'll never forget the night he was booted off.  We sat there in utter shock while he sang his farewell song.  The TV was then turned off and we just sat there silent, in blank stares.  Then somehow the lights went off in our living room as we let out a dramatic cry... We were truly depressed and heartbroken.

I laugh every time I think of that scene.  Last night especially brought back the memories as our boy performed on the Tony's last night.

So Brenna, in case you missed it... this blog post is for you!! Enjoy!

Fun Foto Friday

Have a good weekend!

Set your Tivo's

It's that time of the year where glitter and sparkles are in the air, the theatre geeks squeal with excitement and the gays come out to play!

That's right!  The 63rd Annual Tony Awards are this weekend and the wonderful Neil Patrick Harris is hosting.  It'll be a can't miss night!

At the very least, you can just record the show and fast forward to the performances. (there will be at least 8 of them!) Those are worth watching as they are always just remarkable!

Date:  Sunday, June 7th, 2009

Time: 8:00 pm EST

Channel: CBS

Some headliners include: Elton John, Dolly Parton, Liza Minnelli, the band Poison and many many more!

Are you excited yet...??

How to keep your cat entertained...

It's getting hot in here....

It has been SOOO hot here this week!  Today reached 90 degrees and mind you, I have no AC.  Many Seattleites don't own AC because historically there is no need for them.  Seattle is a pretty temperate climate which is one of the reasons I love it here so much.  In the summer, it typically ranges from 65-85 never really getting hotter than that.  The surrounding mountains create a nice breeze for us as well.  There is however one week in the summer where it reaches upwards of 100 degrees, so we deal for that week without AC and usually spend a lot of time that week in the pool and at the movie theatre.

So, it's pretty strange to me that it's hardly June and it's already hit 90 degrees.  What does that mean for the rest of the summer?  Am I going to need to buy a mini window AC unit?  I sure hope not...

As I mentioned, it was REALLY hot today, so when A got home from work and asked what I wanted for dinner, All I could think of was popsicles or ice!  lol.  He really did one better though....

A whipped up some grilled chicken with a mango salsa.  It was so good and refreshing, with just the right mix of sweet and spicy!  He also made a mini cucumber salad with mint and feta cheese.  It was served chilled which was so cool and refreshing.  Lastly, finished off with some homemade flat bread!  

I was so impressed, and the dinner was SO good, I spent half the time praising his food.  I really couldn't get enough!  mmm...

So, despite the brutal heat, here's to awesome husbands that good amazing food!

6.01.09

June??  W-h-a-t?  Can anyone else believe it's June already?  It seems like it was only a few months ago, I was home for Christmas... and now it's JUNE?!

Where does time go?  Really, cause i'd like to know....

Weekend Update

Friday was upwards of 80 degrees.  It was absolutely lovely out, a sun-goddess' dream!  While A was at work, I mowed the lawn and ran some errands and stopped by our new favorite brewery to pick A up some beer that he's been longing for!  We sat out on our deck for a nice relaxing late afternoon while A grilled up some burgers and we enjoyed our beer.  We're loving our deck!  What a great investment the patio furniture and decor was!

Saturday started off with an early start at some garage sales.  A found a couple things that he liked like a fishing pole and a tool box.  We then made our way to the local farmers market.  It was small, nothing too special but the flowers there are like the ones at Pikes Place market.  I got a whole huge bundle of beautiful flowers for $7!  What a steal!  We also bought some fresh eggs and fresh garlic and fresh spring onions.  They are so aromatic!  After a quick lunch, we jumped on the bikes and went for a nice 16.1 mile ride.  It was so beautiful out and although the trails were a little busy, we made it from our house to down town Redmond.  We took at break at REI and headed back home.  Saturday night, we watched the Stanley Cup (go wings!) and City of Ember while we spent the night relaxing and recharging for tomorrow.

Nothing worth mentioning for Sunday.  Just ended up doing a lot of nothing!  We did however see the movie Benjamin Button.  Wow, that movie knocked my socks off!!  I mean, it was really_really_good!  I don't know what else to say other than I will definitely be holding this move in high regard!