From Vine to Wine Teaser 2010

Enjoy the view

Mountain biking in Sunriver was a blast! The views were unbelievable. The most amazing part was that I was able to bike for 4 hours on an intermediate trail filled with quite a few obstacles like trees, rocks, branches, chipmunks, other bikers and I didn't even hurt myself. There were a few close calls, but in the end all I ended up with is a sore butt from the bike seat. Not bad. Not bad at all. Brent's newest nickname for me is BABS (Bad Ass BootS). It must be the extreme sportswoman in me.

During my three fantastic days in Bend & Sunriver with Brent, we checked off two more breweries in the Brew-Ha Guide: 10 Barrel Brewing and Cascade Lakes. My new favorite beer is the 10 Barrel Brewing Apocalypse IPA. It is so good...especially after a 4 hour bike ride.

Life has been full of changes. I am moving to Eugene next week. Brent and I are renting a two bedroom place in the building he currently lives in now. Six months of living out of a suitcase from place to place was enough. I know what you are thinking. I should be used to living out of a suitcase, right? Yeah I still am, but there comes a time and a place when you just wish you had everything in one location.

I learned a lot this weekend:
1. Surround yourself with people who bring you happiness.
2. Challenge yourself to do things you think are impossible.
3. Remember to take time for yourself.
4. It is okay to be lazy once in awhile. Yes. Naps in the middle of the day are alright.

Pictured: View from bike trail looking over Deschutes River and the lava rock you can see Three Sisters snow capped mountains.

R Little Vineyard 2010 harvest

Established in 2006, R Little Vineyard is located in Stoddard, WI. The Rochester family specializes in growing cold climate varietals.

Harvest is right around the corner at R Little Vineyard in Stoddard, Wisconsin. That is right! We grow grapes in Wisconsin. The first vineyard was planted in 2005. And no, I did not get into the wine industry because my family has a vineyard and makes wine. My parents actually got into planting a vineyard and making wine because of me.

All of the grapes we grow are sold to two different Wisconsin wineries. Right now the grapes are hitting between 12-17 degrees Brix. Most of the varieties in the vineyard are targeted to be picked between 16-24 degrees Brix. The bird netting is on and now we just wait. Wisconsin is looking at a record season of rainfall and extreme hot temperatures. This can provide quite the challenge. These last few weeks are important and we can lose the entire crop to one storm.

My family plans to open up R Little Winery in 2012 or whenever my dad retires. I must say that he is making some pretty remarkable cold climate wines already. I am so proud of my parents for what they have accomplished and that they join me in my passion for the wine industry.

Check out R Little Vineyard website (still under contstruction) at http://www.rlittlevineyard.com/.

Cheers.

Boots

Remember that you know yourself best

Thank you Dr. L. Marcela Serrano. You have changed my life for the better. Three states, 10+ years and so many doctors I have lost count later, you finally figured it out. I have been diagnosed with Central Hypothyroidism, and I am happy. I am happy that I finally have an answer to why I have felt so sick for the past 10+ years. I am happy that over the next few weeks I will begin to feel normal again.

What is so astonishing is that most pituitary tumors are noncancerous (benign). Up to 20% of people have pituitary tumors. However, many of these tumors do not cause symptoms and are never diagnosed during the person's lifetime. The pituitary gland is a pea-sized endocrine gland located at the base of the brain. The pituitary helps control the release of hormones from other endocrine glands, such as the thyroid and adrenal glands.

I knew that something was wrong with me, but the doctors could not figure it out. I spent thousands of dollars on different tests and nothing. I just accepted that this is how everyone else feels, but I knew deep down that something was wrong. Today I feel relief. Relief that I have an answer. Relief that I am going to start feeling better again soon. I also feel anger. I am angry that no one picked up on this sooner. To know that I had to undergo so many pointless tests over the years and not have any answers. Today is the beginning of a better life. I have a few more appointments and tests to undergo, but I know this is all treatable.

Tomorrow I start my journey of a better life. And yes, this is still my best year yet. I have met a wonderful man, have a challenging and rewarding career in the wine industry and I am living in a state that is full of adventure and beauty. Remember that you know yourself best. Don't give up when you know something isn't right.

Oh yeah...I am moving to Eugene!

Parking Lot Blogging & The Bite

This is my first official parking lot blog post. I cancelled my Internet a couple months ago so I wouldn't spend so much time online and working from home. Now look at me...I am sitting in the Starbucks parking lot at 8:00 PM at night (They are closed!) in my Xterra blogging away.
I wonder what people who pull up besides me think. Do I care? Not really. Back in the day when I was a Sales Rep for Bargetto Winery in the Midwest, I used to sit in parking lots and borrow WI-FI from Panera's all the time. It was convenient. That is what road warriors do.

This past weekend I spent in Portland at The Bite. The event was Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This is truly a locals best of food, wine and beer event. This was the perfect off-site event for Willamette Valley Vineyards. Sarah and I unloaded the Sprinter van Thursday night. Man...Sprinter vans are hard to drive. I literally got us stuck in a parking lot downtown. It took a good 20 minutes and Sarah directing me to get out. I must say that Sarah has driving that thing down. One little boy even told his mom, "Wow. That girl drives that big truck!" I need a little more training before I drive that thing again. Right Sarah?

Thursday night Sarah and I did a 30 person educational winetasting event at Mercy Corps in downtown Portland. Mercy Corps. is a great company doing wonderful things, and the group who attended was fabulous. 

Friday morning we got up bright and early so we could organize and decorate our booth. Check out the booth picture of Sarah Kammerer and Steve Krug below. The weather was perfect. Thanks to all of the employees and volunteers who helped make this weekend a success!

Pictured above: The Bite from Morrison Bridge

Pictured above: Steve Krug and Sarah Kammerer

Pictured above: Becky Rochester stumbled upon the Portland Warehouse