Cheers!

I am sad to report that my trip to Sonoma ended on Sunday evening, but I'm happy to share it with you! We had a wonderful time at the wineries, a great in-house dance party, a roller-coaster ride on a cable car, a responsible limo driver, and a fun celebration for Miss. L.  

The bachelorette weekend was not sans (yes, that kind of is a double negative) games, uniquely shaped items, desserts, toasts, t-shirts, and laughter. We flew into SFO on Friday and made our way to the rental house in Sonoma for a in-house chef dinner and a night of girlie fun. Saturday was all about the wineries....

St. Francis: Our first winery of the day. It was simply beautiful. Wide open spaces everywhere. Our tasting room with an over-sized oak bar, wooden beams, vaulted ceilings, and double doors to the view below. The tasting was structures, and our guide wanted to tell us a lot of wine facts and information (good thing it was at the beginning of the day and our group of 10 women were more attentive at this point). The wine was very good, but my favorite hands down was the Malbec.

St. Francis Winery

Sara Cate and Bride-to-be Miss L

Chateau St. John: The second winery was large, but felt quaint. Lush gardens greeted us at as we regally exited our limo. We were escorted out to the back patio with gorgeous views of vineyards, rolling hills, and grandfather trees. Our host, a petite french man, was delighted to share the vineyard's wine with us (I think he was delighted to celebrate with us too). The wine was phenomenal, every single glass. Whites and reds flowed into our glasses, and then quickly into our bellies. I am typically not a white or spicy red wine drinker, but at this winery, nothing should be passed up. All of it was...well, more than just drinkable (see photo below). They also have a fabulous store with smooth and tasty olive oils and dips. SO YUMMY. PS: If you're interested in getting married at a winery in Sonoma, this one is beautiful (venue fee: min $12,000).

Limo ride to wineries. Asti all around!

Sara Cate and Jordan at St. Jean

 Imagery Winery: Our third and final winery was modern, hip, and more like a wine bar for the cool crowd. Really easy going, artwork galore. No photo here, but it was fun. Definitely the right winery to end the day with. I ordered 2 bottles of Muscato - a sweet wine that I will be indulging in as soon as it is shipped!

Sonoma - DEFINITELY a place to visit.
So what comes after the bachelorette party? The wedding on March 31. YAY and Congratulations Miss L.

Our dance party house. Unfortunately I didn't capture the vinyard in the back yard. Seriously, there was one.

Our cable car in SFO.

 Sincerely,
Sara Cate

Words of Wisdom Wednesdays

Source: stumbleupon.com via Laura on Pinterest

Jordan and Sara Cate ENJOYING LIFE in Sonoma. More to come!

Up Up and Away

So excited to spend this weekend with 10 lovely girls to celebrate Miss L in Sonoma, CA. This is my first time to the wine country, so I'll be excited to share our adventures when I return!
Until then.....

Sincerely,
Sara Cate

Words of Wisdom Wednesdays

 

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew.

    Saint Francis de Sales (1567 - 1622)

Words of Wisdom Wednesdays

I sometimes think/say, I just wish I could fast forward life to be [insert number of years] from now. Then I would have [insert money/children/success/stability/etc].

In my continuous journey to be more mindful and purposeful, I remind myself of Adam Sandler’s movie “Click.”

“You are fast forwarding your life so fast, I am just waiting for you to arrive,” says an angel.

In the grand scheme of things, I don’t miss out on the little moments of watching my cat fall off the bed, locking my car keys in my car in my own garage, talking on the phone to an upset friend, solving a problem at work, figuring out a Starbucks coffee sleeve will keep my (then) 4 month old niece busy for long periods of time, the ONE time Dashing delivered me a bouquet of flowers for my birthday, or dreaming of how to decorate a future nursery (in distant future). If I had Sandler’s universal remote and fast forwarded through the tough years of Dashing’s residency, I would have missed all of the things above and more.

Remember to live your life as it is now. If you’re here, be here. Success/family/money/or whatever it is will mean nothing if you didn’t make sacrifices and work hard to get there. It’s the journey, not the destination that is important.