cabin weekend {no boys allowed}

i have never been on an all girl vacation. never. weird right? even i find it hard to believe. with so many years participating in youth groups, bible studies, sports teams, young life, fca, life groups and tri delta sorority, it seems all of my trips have some how ended up being co-ed. well, this weekend was my 1st ladies only get away ... and it was fantastic! some of my sorority sisters and i rented a cabin and spent the weekend just relaxing in the blue ridge mountains. we had a little weather scare on friday night with tornadoes blowing their way through the entire state, but we made it through just fine. we chowed down on a crazy amount of delicious food, enjoyed many sweet treats and played lots of {hilarious} games. the wine was a flowin' and my sides are still recovering from hours of uninterrupted laughter!! the one-liners and metal images created by round after round of catch phrase & guesstures will not soon be forgotten. priceless moments people. priceless.

 

{Blue Sky Cabin Rentals -- Buckhorn Lodge}

i can't thank these ladies enough. my soul was in desperate need for all of it. the laughter. the fellowship. the conversation. the acceptance. the junk food. the hugs. it was a total blessing for me in every way. it's true what they say, it is the little things that make all the difference. i feel a sense of renewal and healing. i am so grateful that i know so many strong, caring, empathetic, funny, smart, creative, free spirited, unique, genuine women. ladies like that are difficult to come by and my life has been abundantly blessed with them. i am in awe of each of them for so many reasons. thanks again ladies. i will be dreaming of our next trip together! 

 

The San Francisco Treat.

No, not rice-a-roni. The San Francisco treat for us was our work/play vacation there this past week. The timing was absolutely impeccable. Saying that we were overdue for a little adventure and relaxation is the understatement of the day. It was such a fun trip and I have tons of great recommendations for anyone headed west to Cali.

I say this was a work/play vacation because we had our annual Subway Convention in downtown San Francisco for a few days and then we snuck off together for a few days. The convention was great. We got to see lots of subway peeps from all over the country. It is always fun to catch up and see how things have been going for everyone since last year. We sampled lots of delicious food from the vendors, gathered up tons of cute (mostly useless) tchotches from the trade show floor and checked out all the goodies coming up for the next year in the Subway world.

Vacation, in my universe, is largely defined by the eating lots of great food, preferably local fare that I can't get back at home. Avoiding chains when possible. I enjoy trying out local haunts and taking advice from cabbies/hotel staff/etc. on the best places to grab a bite. Some of my san fran favorites:

• The Grove Cafe: to die for sandwiches, fresh squeezed juices, biggest breakfast burrito I have ever laid eyes on! and a cool, eclectic atmosphere. This one easily made it to the top of my list.
• John's Grill: delicious steak and seafood. fun fact, it was the setting for the maltese falcon.
• Annabelle's Bar and Bistro: they do an herb rubbed, rotisserie chicken with a quick flash-fry (yum!). the juiciest and most flavorful fried chicken I have ever eaten. 

PS: the shopping off market street in union square is absolutely insane. If you have money to burn, you would love this area. Too much for me and my empty pockets ... but worth remembering if I hit the lottery.

Then, we headed off for our Boatman vacay. Where did we go you ask? An all around decadent tour of Napa Valley and Sonoma. Beautiful. Breathtaking. Truly unforgettable. This might be one of my most favorite trips we have taken together. It was such a unique experience. I am not really a wine person, but I may have been converted after this trip. Visiting all the different wineries and partaking in the tours really gave me an appreciation for the skill and precision it takes to make all those different varieties of wine. It is incredible the level of devotion that these wine makers have to the perfection of their craft. In just a few days we were able to visit several different wineries and we loved something different about each one of them. Napa and Sonoma combined boast over 400 wineries, we did our best people!

• Trinchero
• Beringer Brothers
• Rutherford Hills
• Robert Mondavi
• Francis Ford Coppola
• Ledson
• Cakebread
• Nickel and Nickel
• Benzinger
• Kunde
• Geyser Peak
• Folie a Deux
• ACE Hard Ciders

I could go on and on about each stop, but my favorite was Kunde. The view was majestic, the wine was delicious and we had a moment of serendipity - we ended up at a tasting 1,400 feet on the mountain side with Jeff Kunde, current CEO and great, great grandson of the founder, who just happened to be there entertaining a client. Just a great experience. 

Great eats on this leg of our tour:

Norman Rose Tavern: grass fed local beef hamburger, local cheese, local bread. good lord this burger. They also serve fresh, dill pickles. I honestly never knew a pickle could be THAT delicious.
Gilwood's Cafe: eggs california = the most delicious breakfast of my life. Basic eggs benedict plus tomatoes and avocado. It's topped with the most incredible hollandaise sauce ... EVER.
Healdsburg Bar and Grill: another burger. I know, I couldn't help myself. A perfect patio with tons of seating to enjoy the Utopia-like weather. The parmesan and garlic fries ... heavenly.

I MUST give a huge shout out to our hotel. The Avia in Napa Valley was perfection. It was situated right in the heart of the Napa Valley Square and within walking distance to dozens of shops and delicious restaurants. Everything was ideal and romantic. The room was incredibly cozy and featured a huge soaking tub ... i do love a good bath. Most of all I could rave for days about the incredible staff. If you ever need a place to stay in Napa ... Avia is it.

We couldn't pass up visiting Fisherman's Wharf - it's one of those must-see tourist areas. It has all the typical tourist stops and shops. It does boasts beautiful views across the bay, of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge. You can also visit with the sea lions at the end of Pier 39, who are super cute I might add. Ghiradelli Square is a shining star here. The restoration and repurposing of this building is spot on. It now features shops, restaurants and 3 Ghiradelli ice cream and chocolate shops. Plus, they give you free chocolate when you visit the shops. It's worth the walk. We did a tour of Alcatraz Island and it was well worth it. Such an interesting piece of history. The audio tour was narrated by former guards and former prisoners which added a nice, authentic element to the entire experience.

TO SEE MANY MORE PICTURES -- CLICK HERE!!

Overall, just a spectacular vacation. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to create so many beautiful memories with my sweet husband. This will be a vacation we remember forever. Safe and happy travels everyone! 

IT'S VEGAS BABY!!

A few months ago I compiled a six-page guide to Vegas for a friend who was going for the first time. Just trying to give her a wide-sweeping lay of the land out there. Keep in mind that my typical Vegas experience is a bit different from some who might be making their way out to sin city. That is to say ... I'm not really looking to do too much "sinning" when I'm out there. After all, I'm an old married gal and I have been to Vegas with the hubby every time. I'm more of the touristy, sightseeing, mild-mannered typeVegas visitor. I know, lame right?

Well, since I created the document I have actually sent it out to eight different people that were going to Vegas for various reasons. My friend Christy and her husband went recently for a conference. Since they were going to have some downtime everyday ... I sent the info her way. She sent me a message and suggested that I post it on my blog. Here it is.

Click HERE and it will take you straight to a printable Google Doc.
Enjoy & feel free to pass it along to anyone you think might like it.

Nashville

My trip to Nashville to see Ashley was long overdue. It was a much needed change of scenery. I've been to Nashville a few times and every trip I see something new. Thanks for being a tourist with me in your own town Ash!! 

Friday night Ashley took me to the best family style restaurant, Monell's. I was already excited about the food, but we actually shared one of the most surreal moments I have experienced in a long time. At Monell's the tables seat about 12 people. They keep seating folks until the table is full. They also just keep bringing out huge bowls of food that everyone shares and passes around. We were sat first and then joined by what appeared to be a family. Conversation came easily and steadily as we passed and ate and ate and ate. We soon discovered that the wife in one of the couple's was a UGA alumna. The father of two little boys was sitting next to me. The young boys were inquisitive and so animated, they were very interested in Ashley and I and a little confused as to why were eating dinner with them. It was adorable. They also had no problem hanging with the adults when it came to puttin' down the grub. We chatted about how there were actually five generations of their family sitting at our table. Then, it was revealed that they were actually there to celebrate a 50th birthday of a woman who could have barely passed for 30, much less 50!!! They very generously included us in their private celebration as if we had known them forever. Not only did they share a delicious homemade cake that they had specially prepared by a fellow church member, when Ashley and I said our goodbyes and went to pay our bill ... we were told it had already been taken care of. The patriarch of the family was treating his brood to a special meal and without any fanfare, he selflessly included us on his tab. It was such an unexpected act of kindness that Ash and I were stunned into silence. We just kept repeating "that was so nice" all the way home. It certainly humbled me and gave me a renewed faith in the generosity of strangers. The meal was fantastic and one I won't soon forget. 

Monell's has the most hilarious "receipt" system. Once they take your last plate away, they drop this at your spot on the table. The card says, "I've eaten and I can't get up!" and is such an accurate description of how you feel. 

Saturday was downtown day. We ate lunch at Jack's BBQ, which was incredibly tasty and VERY filling. I recommend the pork bbq and the crazy delicious mac & cheese. 

We also hung out at Layla's to see one of Ashley's favorite local bands Jypsi. They are a sibling ensemble and they absolutely blew the doors off the place. They have unique style and sound. Fantastic song writing skills and the lead singer has some major chops.

There was a round of shopping (mostly browsing) at some superb little boutiques. My favorite was Bookman/Bookwoman. A charming discount bookstore that I could have spent decades in. After a quick pit-stop at the house, we decided to have a girl's movie night since ACDC was in town and everything else was packed. The cinematic choice, without hesitation, was Revolutionary Road. It was fantastic. Every honor and accolade it has garnered is well deserved. Kate and Leo were fantastic. They were incredibly raw and believable. Just a head's up, the story was very dark and if you were expecting a silver lining at the end ... there isn't one. Nashville is great. Hopefully I'll be able to get back again sometime soon. 

CLICK HERE for more pictures on my flickr!!

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

It's true. I take off tomorrow for my last work trip of the summer. Fortunately for me, this particular conference is in Miami, FL!! I have always wanted to go there. I've got lots of plans if I can sneak away some personal time. I also just came across a handy little tidbit. My hotel is right on the beach and mere 0.4 miles away from MIAMI INK. WHAT?!?! I am stopping by for sure. No plans for another tat, but maybe I can get a cameo picture with one of the guys. (fingers crossed XX) More to come on this latest adventure.