Wine, Dine, and 49!

I know...I'm totally obnoxious! But I can't resist now that I finally joined computer literate society and know how to post pictures. I've had a rowdy couple of weekends and thought I would just post a few shots that really capture the fun!
Nov 10-12 Me, Garrett, Sarah, and Ebruvwiyo headed down the Central Coast to do some wine tasting. I hadn't been down to the area since I transferred from Cal Poly (what in like 1998) so it was nice to go back and reminisce. Ultimately I realized what a beautiful climate I had taken for granted! The weather was great, the scenery was awesome, I couldn't have asked for a better backdrop for a fun weekend of indulging. We stayed at Sarah's parents' house in San Miguel, and what wonderful hosts they were! I don't think we stopped eating from the time we got there until the time we left - with highlights being some tried and true biscuits and gravy, some wonderful tamales from the Templeton Farmer's Market, and a Sunday morning all-you-can-eat-hangover-cure Mexican breakfast buffet. Whoa! Their property was beautiful, nestled atop a vineyard covered hill, and full of wide open space - something I really miss living in a little downtown Sacramento apartment. The only downside was that all the dirt, pollen, and pet dander that comes with wonderful wide open spaces was in full effect that weekend, so you can guess that my allergies were acting up something fierce!

Saturday we headed out to the Farmer's Market and I had so much fun sampling all the delectable bits of local produce. The most exciting discovery was a little stand selling a Brazilian fruit called a feijoa. I thought they tasted like tart little kiwi fruits, but what was even more amazing was that Garrett has one of these trees growing on the side yard of his house. We have been painstakingly picking up this odd little fruit off the ground and cursing it, all the while never knowing it was actually a wonderfully delicious Brazilian treat! Who knew?

After getting our fill of the agriculture scene, we headed out the wineries. Wow! There are many. We did our best to map out a route that would be efficient and fun, picking out places we'd like to try or that sounded appealing to our palates, and we didn't even come close to seeing everything. It was a full day of tasting, with blissful consequences! I think it was unanimous that Grey Wolf Cellars was our favorite. The informative staff and delicious concoctions delighted all of us-- it was a fitting place to end the day.

Before heading home we trekked out to San Simeon and watched some waves crash. It was salty, sandy, and chilly and great to see that the ocean, in fact, is still there. I love just about everything about Sacramento, but the fact that I don't see the ocean regularly just bums me out! I'm always so grateful when I get to the beach because there is something refreshing about the sights and sounds of ocean waves. It was great to be reminded how beautiful it is. All in all a great time was had, and it was a wonderful way to unwind before this last weekend

Nov 17-19 Woo hoo! Another fun filled weekend to reminisce and be thankful. Lately I have found myself really feeling grateful for all the abundance in my life. I guess that's sort of cliche with Thanksgiving coming up and all, but I assure you the sentiment was genuine and had more to do with the actual events of the weekend, and not necessarily their chronology.

Friday was Garrett's and my anniversary (I'm sure their is a wretched grammatical error in there, but you know what, I am too lazy to figure it out!). I continue to feel overwhelmingly happy to have him in my life! He is just my absolute best friend, charming as hell, funny, adorable, and there is just no one I would rather be around. On top of it - he's supportive, smart, and silly, and he digs my family (crazy as they all are) so basically I just couldn't ask for anything more. Being the big goober when it comes to things like holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc - I did a lot of thinking on Friday about how much better my life has been over the past year having Garrett in it...and its just so apparent! The boy is a cornucopia of goodness---how's that for a cheesy Thanksgiving reference????

Piggy backing on this gratitude kick that I am on, I feel really thankful that I got to spend Sunday with a bunch of people that I care about, as well as watch the SF 49ers kick some serious tail against the Seattle Seahawks! Kelly and Gersson had purchased tickets for this game for the entire wedding party back in September, and we were all to reunite and share a day of fall, football, and fun - and that is basically just what happened. With our cooler full, our SF gear in tow, and of course a caravan of craziness, we all headed down at the CRACK OF DAWN to Monster Park (c'mon its soooo still Candlestick) to start the tailgating early. It was members of the wedding party, significant others, my cousins, my aunt and uncle, friends...I mean just about everyone was there! It was so much fun to tailgate, drink beer, eat hot links (its always about the food in my family, right?) and then take in a super fun football game where the 49ers kicked butt! It was great to see all my cousins -- not only just the Fremont crew, but Jim and Krystal heading down from Chico, Jeff from Santa Cruz, Sara from Monterey, and of course Gersson's extended clan all the way up from LA. I was just so happy to feel the love from everyone! We were all so happy to just be hanging out, kicking back, and enjoying each other's company - it just doesn't get any better! Moments like that are hard to come by with everyone's busy schedules, varied geography, and especially during the holiday season - so I was exceptionally grateful on the ride home just thinking about how lucky I am to have that kind of family in my life. What a blast!

Monday came with a MAJOR fun hangover - I think work was the last place any of us wanted to be no matter how much we like our jobs. I can't imagine next Monday will be any different with Thanksgiving coming up and all the excitement that entails. I'm really looking forward to family, stuffing, turkey, and football (in that order)! Hope the pictures weren't too obnoxious--I just had a ton of fun and wanted to share!