I am only as strong as my weakest leg

Today I learned that although I may be able to push pumps that are heavier than me around a winery, run countless miles, and lift a decent amount of weight at the gym, I am only as strong as my weakest leg. That would be my left one.

Welcome back to the world of yoga and pilates. The last time I did either of these two classes seriously was during college. We used to go every Wednesday night before 10 cent wings and 25 cents beers at Brother's. I remember the first class--my legs were wobbly, and I could barely touch my toes. Fast forward six months later and I was a human pretzel.

Today I took a yoga pilates class (a blend of the two) at the gym and was reminded how out of shape I really am. My flexibility is so so, but I can barely balance on one leg. There are ropes and blocks and all these fancy gadgets now too. I made it through and am looking forward to my next attempt. Now I know how one of my close friends felt at her first yoga class. She even kung-fu kicked someone in the head behind her.

New in town

How do you know you are new in town? For starters, you would know to expect snow when hiking in Bend in December. You see, even if there isn't snow down by your house, it doesn't mean there isn't snow 10 minutes away. As we pulled up to turn into Tumalo Falls the gate was down and locked. We decided to just go for it, so we parked and hiked down the road 2 1/3 miles to the trail head.

I live for adventure, so I was determined to see Tumalo Falls no matter what. No ice or snow was stopping this girl. The sun was shining. The air was fresh. The company was pleasant and entertaining. A few rolling down the windows (you know the motion you do when you almost fall?), but we finally made it. And what a sight it was.

Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet. Cherish them...I certainly will cherish this one.

Brent at Tumalo Creek

Brent & Nicole hiking through the snow

Nicole & Chris

Tumalo Falls

Brent & I at Tumalo Falls

Wo-manual labor

"I learned the value of hard work by working hard." Margaret Mead 

I have spent the past two weeks working as a Harvest Intern at Anne Amie winery in the Willamette Valley. Nothing like some wo-manual labor--almost 100 hours in 7 days and over 180 hours in 14 days. Here is what I have been up to.

Toasting the last of the Pinot Noir to process. I am in the middle.

Mixing up the yeast.

Punching down the Pinot Noir.

Pumping over the Pinot Noir.

Barreling down some wine.

Cooking with wine

Saturday I decided to actually cook with wine instead of just drink wine while cooking. I whipped up some Butternut Squash, Crimini Mushroom and Carlton Farms Canadian Bacon Risotto. Delicious! Here is the recipe in case you want to give it a try.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups chicken stock
6 tablespoons butter
Carlton Farms Canadian Bacon (diced into small pieces)
1 cup mushrooms (diced into small pieces)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)
1 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Gris.)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside or keep in oven to keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or pan, melt the butter and saute the Canadian Bacon and mushrooms on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2-5 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus more salt and pepper if needed. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted butternut squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve.

Hello Oregon Harvest

Harvest is sort of, kind of, maybe starting tomorrow. I have been called in for two days of harvest work (Thursday and Friday). We will be processing Syrah and sampling the estate vineyard to forecast when the "real" harvest will begin. It has been two years since my last harvest in Tasmania and we all know how that adventure went!

I am excited to kick on my boots, put on my grubby clothes and get back to the cellar and vineyard. Stay tuned for more stories about my Oregon harvest 2011 adventures.

Cruising through life

Road not Taken 

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

On my most recent mountain bike trip, "I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference". On a recent mountain bike trip we came to a fork in the road, but we decided to forgo the path we had ridden up on and take the one less traveled on. Was it a good decision? No actually it was a great decision. The trail was filled with sweet up and downhills and fast corners.

As I continue on my journey in life and approach another road diverged, I will have to stop, reflect and make a decision on which way to go next. Life is like one big pick your own adventure book. How will you write your next chapter?

Home sweet home

Two and a half years later, I finally feel like I am getting settled at home in Oregon. "A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams."

Horizontal and vertical sort of day

Brent and I were in front of the beer cooler debating between the Widmer Brothers Brewing Rotator Series IPA's: X-114 or Falconer's. We love the X-114 which is bursting with citrus flavors of grapefruit and orange, but we also were very curious as to what the new release of Falconer's tasted like. Being the adventurous folks we are, we chose to forgo the X-114 and try the Falconer's.

I really wanted to taste them side by side (otherwise referred to as horizontal tasting), but instead of buying a six pack of each, we chose to just go with a six pack of Falconer's. As we began our walk to the check out, we came up to the wine area where Jay from Western Beverage was pouring samples of none other than the X-114 and Falconer's. Not only was he pouring a horizontal of these two beers, but he was also pouring a vertical of Goose Island Brewery's Pere Jacques 2010 and 2011 vintages. It was my lucky day.

Jay was full of energy and very educational. After tasting both the Widmer IPA's side by side, we chose to exchange the Falconer's for the X-114. They are both solid beers, but the profile on the X-114 better suites our palate. If you have not tried this beer, do so soon before it sells out. We also bought a bottle of the 2010 Pere Jacques. As this beer ages it definitely picks up some very unique flavor characteristics.

What I learned today: I think we will have to add a beer rack in the new house to age some beers along with our 17 cases of wine.

Year 31

It has been awhile since I last posted. Year 31 is starting off with a bit of a writing and creative rut, but I am hoping a change of scenery, (more about this soon), will open my mind to BIG ideas and BIG adventures. Years 0-30 have prepared me to live a rich and full life. I am not talking about rich as in having lots of money rich, but rather rich as in enjoying time creating memories with people I love, rich as in simplifying my life and not working myself to exhaustion, rich as in living a healthy and beautiful life which includes treating others with kindness and respect. Year 31 is going to be great!

Check out my hair! Must be the Wisconsin humidity.

Year 31 started with a birthday celebration in Bend, Oregon. The best part was both Brent and my family ventured out to Bend to celebrate and enjoy the outdoors with us. It actually turned into a triple birthday celebration: Jim Dorman on July 2nd, Bob Rochester on July 3rd and my birthday on July 4th.

Check out the pictures below. We had us some good times. I still cannot believe Dad got Beatnik from this.

Beatnik: a 50's group of young men after the war looking for action and excitement, created art and roamed around countries looking for truth, were taught by zen Buddhist, ate Bacon Egg and Cheese sandwiches.

Brent & I had so much fun in Bend, that we recently decided to make it our home. We are moving into a beautiful house that is 2 1/2 times bigger than our current apartment at the beginning of September. It is the first time in a long time that I have actually lived in a house.

What else is new? Well, come year end, my position with the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association will be very part-time for 2012. I am on the lookout for a full-time job. Anyone hiring? I would love to transition into the beer industry if an opportunity arises. Good thing Bend is home to many craft breweries. Stay tuned...

Pictionary. My favorite memory of Bend trip. Rochester's versus Dorman's. 

We Dormanated Smith Rock's Monkey Face.

The Rochester's headed out to tube the mighty Deschutes River.

Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition 2011

Wollersheim Winery Awarded Best Wisconsin Wine in 2011 Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition

Wollersheim Winery was awarded Best Wisconsin Wine for their 2010 Eagle White at the inaugural 2011 Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition in West Allis. The competition evaluated over 100 wines from 24 Wisconsin wineries.

“The wines were great” said Paul Gospodarczyk, lead judge. “They were not great by ‘Wisconsin’ standards or ‘Midwest’ standards, but legitimately good by any standard.”

Gospodarczyk, a Certified Sommelier, was one of three judges in the competition. He was accompanied by Thomas Payette who is a consulting winemaker based in Virginia and a columnist for Vineyard and Winery Management Magazine. The final team member was Sonoma vineyard owner Dr. Valery Uhl who is the Director for the ‘North of the Gate’ Wine Competition, CA, and an avid fan of the Midwest wine industry. She states:

“West Coast wineries beware! The Wisconsin State Fair Wine Competition not only has stunning wines but is one of the best run wine competitions I have ever had the pleasure of judging. The grape growers of Wisconsin know which cold hardy grape varietals grow well here and cultivate outstanding fruit, and the winemakers transform the fruit into high quality wines that pair well with food or are delicious on their own.”

The backroom coordinator for the event was Wisconsin native Becky Rochester who also works as the Grape Marketing Coordinator for the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association. She says, “The Wisconsin wine industry is booming. The state has over 70 wineries and there are quite a few who are in the process of opening up in the next year or two. This competition is the perfect addition to the current cheese, butter and meat competitions that the Wisconsin State Fair currently runs.”

For more information on award winning wines please visit www.wistatefair.com/pdfs/competitions/judging_results/Miscellaneous/Prof_Wine_by_Medal.pdf or attend the 2011 Wisconsin State Fair August 4-14th presented by US Cellular where the award-winning wines will be on display.

Contacts:
Brian Bolon, Agricultural Director
Wisconsin State Fair
414.266.7050
Brian.Bolon@wisconsin.gov

Becky Rochester, Wine Competition Coordinator
Wisconsin State Fair
503.428.6331

becky@wigrapes.org

The show me state certainly showed me

Tuesday morning I flew from Eugene to Branson, Missouri (MO) for the 7th Annual Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA) Retreat at StoneBridge Resort. I was asked to attend as the Wisconsin state industry representative. What an honor. I didn't expect to meet some of the brightest and most remarkable people in the wine industry.

VESTA is a NSF funded partnership between the Missouri State University system, two year schools throughout the United States, state agriculture agencies, vineyards and wineries with a 21st Century vision for education in grape growing and winemaking. The VESTA program is designed and implemented as a certificate and two-year degree program to train students for work in the viticulture and enology industry. Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay will be offering classes this fall!

Partner institutions include:

Arkansas Tech University Ozark Campus-Ozark, AR
Central Lakes College-Brainerd, MN
Kent State-Ashtabula, OH
Highland Community College-Highland, KS
Michigan State University-East Lansing, MI
Missouri State University-West Plains, MO
Northeast Iowa Community College-Peosta, IA
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College-Green Bay, WI
Redlands Community College-El Reno, OK
Rend Lake College-Ina, IL
South Plains College-Leveland, TX

Attending the retreat were VESTA State Coordinators, VESTA Support Staff, VESTA Management Team, VESTA Instructors and industry reps from Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. The experience, knowledge and passion in this group was truly amazing. I mean check out some of the the people I got to know and who are involved in VESTA:

Ray Johnson: one of California's most admired wine educators and industry experts and currently the Director of Sonoma State University's Wine Business Institute and Assistant Director of the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Patty Held: founder and president of Hermann Wine Trail, national and international wine judge, winemaker, industry speaker and consultant. She was working in regional wine long before most people noticed that wine existed outside of California and Europe. Her work as a winemaker (she graduated from California State University, Fresno's wine program when very few women even enrolled) and as a marketer has helped Missouri become one of the country's top regional producer's.

Dr. Barry H. Gump: Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and Emeritus Adjunct Professor of Enology at California State University, Fresno, where he taught courses in chemistry, brewing, and wine analysis for almost 40 years. He is also known for giving Patty Held (above bio) her only B! He is also the first holder of the Harvey R. Chaplin Eminent Scholar's Chair in Beverage Management at Florida International University's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. In this position Dr. Gump is developing new classes and programs to expand the offering of the Beverage Management curriculum.

Dr. G. Stanley Howell: Professor and Viticulturist Emeritus Michigan State University has been credited with the expansion and improvement of the Michigan wine industry for over three decades. He was with the Horticulture Department since 1969, after earning a B.S. and M.S. in Horticulture from Mississippi State University, then a Ph. D. in Horticulture from the University of Minnesota. In 2001, Professor Howell created an undergraduate program in Enology and Viticulture at Michigan State University's Institute of Agricultural Technology. Howell retired on September 1, 2006. Fortunately for the industry, he has a number of consulting options including VESTA which keep him connected to viticulture and winemaking.

The meetings lasted  all day Wednesday and part of Thursday. In the evenings, the group would get together for dinner prepared by Amanada Harris (Adam Puchta Winery) and Shelly Baker. These two cooked breakfast and dinner and it was amazing! Of course there was plenty of wine to taste as well. I enjoyed wines from Alabama, California, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon (I wonder who brought that one?), Texas and Wisconsin.

The show me state certainly showed me. It showed me that I am super scared of lightening, thunder, rain and tornado watches. Tuesday night equalled no sleep because I was glued to the TV watching The Weather Channel. It showed me a giant chicken, Elvis and a giant Titanic ship. It showed me that the VESTA program is unlike any other viticulture and enology program in the United States. The partnership between the different institutions, the flexibility of classes and the combination of instructors and staff who are passionate, educated and experienced are unlike any other. It showed me that other state industries are experiencing the same challenges and experiences as Wisconsin is.

What more could you ask for in the show me state?

A giant chicken?

How about an Elvis sighting?

Still not good enough? Then how about a gigantic Titanic ship?



2011 King Estate Wine Country Run

Happy birthday mom

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Mom. Happy birthday to you. I enjoyed our road trip to St. Louis, Missouri. Our night out at Mango Peruvian Cuisine. Our time sparring at the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association Spring Vineyard School at Wollersheim Winery. Our early celebration of your birthday and too much Dairy Queen ice cream cake (well at least I had too much DQ). I love you so much. You are the best mother. You are adventurous, fun, loving, and my best friend. Happy birthday Mom!

Please don't call me kiddo

Hi my name is Becky Rochester. The next time I meet you at an event or visit your tasting room, please don't call me kiddo. I am 30 years old, know a thing or two about wine and deserve the same treatment and respect you would give to someone who appears older or perhaps looks richer than me.

Too many times, people assume that this customer will purchase more wine than that customer, and most of the time they are wrong. I know. I have been on both sides of this scenario. I have worked in tasting rooms and have been surprised by who purchases cases versus bottles versus not purchasing anything at all. Flat out. You cannot tell!

So treat everyone like they are your best customer. It comes down to one thing--their experience with you at your winery. This experience will determine whether or not they will become a customer for life, a marketer of your wines, a Facebook friend, if they Tweet about you to friends, if they become the mayor of earn a badge for visiting you a lot, if they join your wine club and how much wine they will purchase. A bad experience equals bad memories equals bad marketing by word of mouth equals little or no wine purchased.

Here is the thing. Younger people are drinking wine. They may even know more about wine than the older generations. I am a Generation X, but most of the time I get mistaken for a Millennial. Hey. That is alright with me. I am hip and cool, love to try new things and am always looking for my next adventure.

I don't like to have to follow up my name with a quick summary of my resume, but most of the time I do so people take me seriously. So if you are curious as to what I have been up to over the years, here is a link to About Me: http://iwasbornwithasuitcaseinmyhand.blogspot.com/p/contact-me.html.

Now that I am done venting, I feel a whole lot better. Last weekend I was asked how old I was at least five times. I am a motivated hardworking Midwestern woman who doesn't sit still. So yes. I have accomplished a lot at a young age. Next time someone calls me kiddo, I will call them an old fart.

Drink Local Wine Missouri

I spent the weekend with my mother in St. Louis, Missouri at the Drink Local Wine event. DrinkLocalWine.com's goal is to spotlight wine made in the 47 states and Canada that aren't California, Washington, and Oregon. It's the brainchild of Washington Post wine columnist Dave McIntyre and wine blogger Jeff Siegel, the Wine Curmudgeon. DLW 2011 follows the success of the first two conferences -- in Dallas featuring Texas wine in 2009 and in Loudoun County Virginia wine in 2010. Next year the DLW 2012 will be hosted in Colorado. Could 2013 be in Wisconsin? I don't see why not.

There was a great line up of media folks who attended the event:
Media lineup for DLW 2011 Missouri:
• Jay Bileti, Arizona Vines & Wines
• Mary Bloch, Around the Block
• Kate Canterbury, Capturing CoMo
• Dave Falchek, Times-Shamrock Communications
• Doug Frost, DougFrost.com
• Lisa Shara Hall, Wine Business Monthly
• Kimberly Henricks-Friedhoff, Slow Foods St. Louis
• Tom Johnson, Louisville Juice
• Russ Kane, Vintage Texas
• Todd Kliman, Washingtonian Magazine; The Wild Vine: A Forgotten Grape
• Gil Kulers, Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Wine Kulers
• Michael Levine, KC Wine Buzz
• Dave McIntyre, Washington Post; Dave McIntyre’s WineLine
• George Mahe, St. Louis magazine
• Trish Meyer, Janet Kaeberg, Discovering Midwest Wines
• Catherine Neville, Brandi Wills, Kristin Brashares, Feast magazine
• Eric V. Orange, LocalWineEvents.com
• Angela Ortmann, St. Louis Wine Girl
• Chris Perrin, BlogWellDone
• Joe and Ann Pollack, St. Louis Eats and Drinks
• Michael Renner, Sauce magazine
• Ron Ruggles, Nation's Restaurant News
• Jeff Siegel, The Wine Curmudgeon
• Andrew Stover, ChiefWino.com
• Karen Tedesco, Family Style Food
• Jenny Vergara, Making of a Foodie
• Mike Wangbickler, Balzac Communications; Caveman Wines
• Olivia Wilder, Olivia Wilder Times

One of the media attendees was Olivia Wilder. She hosts a blog talk radio show called Olivia Wilder Times™. Her guests are varied and interviews informal and conversational. The best part is she is also a fellow Wisconsinite. Todd Kliman, food and wine editor, restaurant critic for the Washingtonian magazine, and author of "The Wild Vine;" co-hosted the live show with Oliva.

Check out Olivia Wilder's live blog talk radio: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/olivia/2011/04/02/live-from-the-drink-local-wine-conference. I am featured in minutes 62:30-69:30 and talk about the Wisconsin grape and wine industry.

While they kept busy tweeting about the wines and each other, I tasted, not drank, wines from 21 wineries in Missouri. My favorite white varieties at the tasting include Vignoles, Seyval Blanc and Chardonel. As for the red varieties, the Norton, Missouri's famous grape variety, was produced in so many different ways that I had a hard time putting my finger on whether I was a fan or not. I am sure if I paired Norton with some food, I would change my mind. Riedel even developed a special Norton glass for the variety. Which makes me wonder if Wisconsin will ever have a variety and if so what will it be?

We left Friday morning and arrived in St. Louis around 5:00 PM. Friday night my mother and I explored downtown St. Louis, seeing the arch and enjoying a great dinner at Mango Peruvian Restaurant. Saturday we attended the event, and Sunday drove 8 hours through Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin and arrived home around 5:00 PM. Overall, it was a great event. I had the opportunity to meet my counterparts from Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, other attendees and media people who are open minded about wines and who can help spread the word to consumers.
For more information on Drink Local Wine, please visit: http://www.drinklocalwine.com/.

Check out VINOCENTS blog by Julia Timakhovich

Julia Timakhovich stumbled upon my blog and decided to partake in her own New Zealand adventure. Follow her adventures at http://vinocents.com/.

ABOUT JULIA:

Hi, Julia here. I am a wine lover, writer, former cube dweller, current vintage worker, and many other things at once. I’m restless for wine-related adventures and anything that involves travel.

In 2009, I left a long-term stint in cubicle land to work in the wine industry full-time. Since then, I’ve worked in two wine stores as a sales/marketing persona, manager and wine buyer. Then I went to Oregon and got intrigued with working the wine harvest. With a little bit of luck and a lot of effort, I got a gig to work the crush in New Zealand. I’m currently working as Vintage Cellar Hand at Drylands Winery in Marlborough.

My philosophy on life is that it should be an adventure. It’s just too boring without risks and stimulation. Wine, food and travel let me explore and learn about people, cultures and the world through very physical sensations, and I don’t want it to stop, ever.

Cheers.

Another hard day at work as the Wisconsin Grape Marketing Coordinator

Thursday, March 24, 2011 the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association (WGGA) hosted our annual Spring Vineyard School at Wollersheim Winery. Over 120 grape growers attended! The speakers were excellent and thankfully the weather was pleasant enough to wear a windbreaker and gloves in March. Another hard day at work as the Wisconsin Grape Marketing Coordinator.

My mother and me playing in the vineyard at Wollersheim Winery.

Here I am working hard at the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association Spring Vineyard School at Wollersheim Winery.

Best part of my job is spending time with my family!

It's Guinness time

Earth, Wind, Fire conquered St. Patty's Day in Chicago. The night began with my homemade tapa's and a bottle of King Estate's 2009 Pfeiffer Pinot Gris.


Earth, Wind, Fire

Then it was off to Mystic Celt, the old stomping ground, for some Chi-rish music, a little bit of dancing and a couple of Guinnesses. "Guinness is Good for You". Really it is. Just like wine, beer has health benefits when consumed moderately. Research done by the University of Wisconsin (On Wisconsin), believe that "antioxidant compounds" in the Guinness, similar to those found in certain fruits and vegetables, are responsible for the health benefits because they slow down the deposit of harmful cholesterol on the artery walls. I will not complain about that.
 

Me, Korinne, Mary at Mystic Celt in Chicago

Korinne and Mary Dancing?

Korinne and Me

We capped the night off with some Photo Hunt and a Chicago thin crust pizza (definitely not thin by any means) and watched the movie Burlesque. I haven't stayed up that late in a long time! It is hard to believe I have spent the last four St. Patty's Day in so many different places. 2011 Chicago, 2010 Portland, 2009 Tasmania, 2008 New Zealand.

St. Patty's Day with Chelsea and in Portland 2010

St. Patty's New Zealand

Boots or wine?

While packing for my trip to the Midwest, I had to seriously consider my options for my 50 pound suitcase. I could either pack an extra pair of boots or a bottle of Oregon wine. Boots or wine? Wine or boots?

The wine won. When I got to the airport I weighed my suitcase...46.3 pounds. Damn! I could have packed another bottle of wine. Korinne and Mary are going to be so disappointed. Hey, I tried.

I am excited to spend some time with my girlfriends in the big city. Work during day, play during night. I have a few new restaurants to check out and of course I am looking forward to St. Patty's day Chicago style.

Then it is off to Wisconsin to visit wineries and vineyards throughout the state, attend the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association Spring Vineyard School 2011 at Wollersheim Winery, followed by more visits to wineries and vineyards in Green Bay and Door County and lastly a road trip with my mother to the Drink Local Wine event in St. Louis.

Next trip the weather will be warmer which means I will only need to pack one pair of boots. You know what that means? More room for wine.

Things Wednesday 03/02/2011

Today I am thankful for...

1. The countdown of three days to my first anniversary of when I first met Brent at Spoon's in Salem.
2. That I have "Gone Grapes" (Click here to see)
3. Going to spend the weekend in Bend, Oregon.
4. Running over 20 miles last week.
5. Skinny cow ice cream treats.
6. Sauvignon Blanc.
7. Opportunities.

Synchronized Wine Swirling Part 1

Day 30: a picture of someone you miss



I miss you Autumn Lee. It was an honor to be your friend and co-worker.



Day 29: a picture that can always make you smile

Riding a mechanical bull in Nashville, TN.

Day 28: a picture of something you're afraid of

Whitewater - 2011 Brent's mancation vacation

Day 27: a picture of yourself and a family member

A Flipping Good Time

Day 26: a picture of something that means a lot to you

Who reads this?

Sometimes I wonder, who actually reads this blog, but according to Google Analytics a lot of people do. My first blog post was on 1/17/2008. I was just getting ready to move to New Zealand and start the wine adventure of a life time. Who knew that this would forever change my life.

I packed two suitcases because that is all I was allowed. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. I quit my job and had little to no money in savings. I was only going to get paid $12 NZ dollars to do some intense, manual labor, and I was moving into a house with eight strangers. It was like Real World Cellar Rats.

I can still remember the first day I moved into the house. I arrived at the house and moved my stuff into the room where the only other female was bunking. The others were at work at Delegat's Oyster Bay, and since I was jet lagged I decided to take a nap. I awoke when I heard the door open and people enter the house. I quickly jumped out of bed and walked down the stairs.

Hello housemates! Turns out, I got to live with some of the coolest people in the world. Two South Africans, three Germans, one Quebec Canadian and one of my dearest friends to this day, one Austrian and one Canadian Chris Canada. I learned a lot that first vintage. A lot about what I was capable of, who I was and the fact that life is too short to take it seriously. The adventure didn't stop there. It was kind of like one BIG roller coaster ride. And that ride continues today.

Day 25: a picture of your day

Sabbatical and all...time for a blog post

Believe it or not, I have been on a blog sabbatical. The 30 Day Challenge has provided my blog with perfect sabbatical posts until I can come back refreshed and ready to go. It has been a long time since I have had so much down time. My mathematical side of my brain computes the following: 5 days a week x 2 hours per day (used to be commuting time) = 10 hours of extra time a week to do ANYTHING. This ANYTHING time is confusing. I am not used to having so much ANYTHING time.

I am the type of person used to working two jobs, going to school and having a million other things on my plate. So now what. Just enjoy life? Huh! I don't think so. There is so much to do, so much to see.

I am heading back to the Midwest in March to research the Wisconsin wine industry. Time to road trip around the Wisconsin wine country. Yes. I said wine country. There are over 70 bonded wineries in Wisconsin and over 200 vineyards!

Along with this I am going to spend a few days in Chicago visiting my friends. I miss Chicago! What else is in store this year. A trip to Iceland, a trip to Napa and who knows what else. Yep. Work hard, play hard.

Day 23: a picture of your favorite book...I mean favorite wine

I am not really a book person so instead I changed it from favorite book to favorite wine: Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon "The Mint". One of the few wines that has made such an impact on my taste buds and scored 100 boots (points).

Concentrated cassis, mocha and dark chocolate flavours spring to the fore, with a distinctive fresh mint character.



Day 22: a picture of something you wish you were better at

Day 21: a picture of something you wish you could forget

"The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget." -Thomas S Szasz

Day 20: a picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

Day 19: a picture of you when you were little

Day 18: a picture of your biggest insecurity