Trip To Cali Part 2

After the conference ended we had decided to add a few days to the trip and drive up to Napa. We wanted to rent a fun car to drive up Highway 101 and had booked a red Corvette, but when we arrived and tried to load our bags, there was absolutely no way our luggage would fit. I was a tad disappointed and crossing my fingers that they had another "exotic" vehicle on hand for us to take. When the man came back to the front desk and said that they only had one other vehicle--- a Porsche 911--- which happens to be my husbands dream car, he almost died with excitement!  We loaded our bags into the backseat (since they wouldn't fit in the tiny "trunk" under the front hood of the car)...so we looked a little bit like the Clampets driving into Napa, but we didn't care!

We had a terrific time driving across the Golden Gate Bridge and up along the coast.

We were thrilled to be together, in a beautiful location with nothing to do but enjoy the company of each other and the deliciousness of the vine.

I did get in the drivers seat a few times while we were there.

Last time we were in Napa we rented a Porsche Boxster and right off the bat had a teeny tiny fender bender--thankfully this time we didn't have ANY accidents!

We started our first morning with breakfast at Gillwood's Cafe, it was a little hole in the wall place that came highly recommended and it did not disappoint.  Situated right in the heart of downtown Calistoga, it was on the route to our first tour and tasting and was delicious.

Our tours began at Chateau Montelana which was a terrific estate tour and tasting.  It was peaceful and low key which we both really appreciated.  (Due to two very different owners of the vineyard, the family who began it, built it with a French chateau flare but it was eventually purchased by a Chinese couple who put in the pond and Asian styled bridges and gazebo.)

After leaving the chateau we grabbed a quick bite of lunch at a Mexican restaurant then headed to our next appointment at Sterling. It had such amazing and exquisite views as you take a gondola ride up the mountain to their winery. This one was quite a large commercial operation with an average of about 1,000 visitors per day. We did the private Platinum experience, where they paired several courses of food with many different wines and I must say, they were all quite yummy.

When I said private tasting, I mean, we were the only ones in there with the sommelier.  It was pretty awesome!

This is their wines that are being aged, it was an enormous room of oak barrels.

WE had been told that Mustards was a must place to eat. We did go there but were disappointed in how loud the restaurant was. We sat a small two person table and yet struggled to hear one another over the volume within the restaurant, so I don't know that I would recommend this for dinner, to me it seemed more of a  diner style lunch place.

The tuna appetizer was delicioso!  Our first day in Napa was beautiful and slow paced, relaxing and much needed; I truly enjoyed my time with Adam.

Trip To California Part 1

Adam had a cancer conference to attend in San Fransisco a couple of weeks ago so I decided to tag along.  We flew in and landed early enough in the day to go visit one of the top 20 cancer facilities in the country.  It was eye opening to see how that organization compared with CARTI, here in Little Rock.  I'm not personally in health care, so my opinion doesn't really count, but when you compare the state of the art building, the wonderful physicians, nurses and administrative team at CARTI, there truly was no comparison!  It's exciting to think about the opportunities that exist here in Central Arkansas for patients suffering with this disease.

After we finished our cancer center tour we headed back to the hotel to change clothes and take a walk along the ocean shore and around by one of the harbors.  The views were beautiful and it was nice to have a little time to carve out together before the conference started the next morning.

The scenery was beautiful and the company was perfect!

 As we headed back to the hotel we came across a yummy food truck and enjoyed some shrimp tacos for lunch.

That evening we headed down to the pier for dinner.  It was clear that I was not from around those parts, as I had on white jeans while everyone else around us wore dark colors ranging from gray to black or navy...there was no spring time, summery colored clothing found there...so I stuck out like a sore thumb.  (Adam even had a conversation about the color of the clothing with one of the men from San Fransisco who was hosting the conference, who admitted it was a cultural thing that he couldn't pin point a reason behind it.)

We sauntered through one of the food markets down by the Embarcadero.

Adam was in the conference the next day and a half so I enjoyed laying in my quiet hotel room, on the bed, all by myself reading and resting.  (And this was my view from the room--not too shabby huh?)

Midday I decided to get brave and called my own Uber and headed back down to the pier to do a little shopping at Sephora and then some sight seeing.

I got to see AND hear the seals...it was pretty impressive to see them covering all the docks.

There was a lot to see that afternoon, the pier was bustling with people young and old.  And there was a pretty carousel that caught my attention.

I ended the afternoon by doing something I've NEVER done before, order dinner and sit by myself at a table.  I was a big girl and hung out in a big city alone all afternoon and really did have a good time!  I got some fish tacos from Boudin, which is famous for its sour dough bread (or in this case sour dough tortillas), it was delicious!

Dance Recital 2018

This was Ava Jane's second year to take tap and ballet lessons at Shuffles. We love Mrs Jana and Mrs. Allison, they sure make dancing fun for this little girl of mine! The song that she danced to was Sweet Sixteen and if I do say so myself, she was adorable!

These girls have had fun this year being in class together!

There she is (left) front and center.

Oh my word!!  She's a knock out...a little bit sassy but a whole lotta sweet!

Look at these two cuties, aren't they adorable?!

She had quite a few admirers watching in the crowd.

Ava Jane we were so proud of how well you danced and enjoy watching you learn how to do it!