Birthday Part 1: Napa

TWENTY-SIX.

 

I love birthdays.  I really love birthdays.  Hubs isn't a big birthday person, but that just means more for me!  

I was a very lucky girl this year. I had multiple birthday celebrations. Like I said very lucky.  I have a great husband and wonderful friends.

We started with a trip to Napa the weekend before my actual birthday.  Labor day is so crowded and expensive on Labor Day weekend!  And I like my cash monies in my pocket.  Plus my dear friend Becky was headed out of town to meet her new niece for Labor Day.

We started with a Wine Tasting Basics class at Mondavi.  It was a great way to start the day and they gave me a free bottle of wine for my birthday!  We learned to taste wine in 3 sips with 30 seconds between sips to build the full flavor.  We also learned how to read labels.  And we tasted.  It was a great way to start the morning!

 

 After Mondavi we headed over to Silver Oaks and tasted some wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon.

We did a tasting at Rambauer and picnicked there afterward.  We had all sorts of wonderful cheeses and breads.  And of course a bottle of Chardonnay.

And then we ended the day at Domain Carneros and tasted some wonderful sparkling wine and had cupcakes!

Old school corking machine at Domain Carneros.

Sarah had to stop and smell the roses!

Our Weekend: August 18 & 19th

This was my last weekend before classes started so Hubs & I wanted to relax.

And we love street food.

Lucky for us the street food vendors in San Francisco are very organized (its like they are speaking my language!).  This weekend was the 4th Annual La Cocina Street Food Festival.  Six blocks of street food. SIX blocks.  SIX!  There was so much good food and we enjoyed catching up with some friends and making some new ones.

Our street food tasting crew.

Cake Pops. Dessert before? I think so.

Tostada.

Lamb Tacos from Brass Knuckles

I have been trying to try new things like oysters, thai food, etc. (well, new for me!).  But this girl has some limits!  Don Bugito's was serving carmelized meal worms.  They were offering meal worm ice cream and tacos.  In typical fashion I just went up to a stranger and asked to take a picture of their food.  The Hubs laughs that I am always willing to go up to and talk to strangers, but I felt a picture was necessary to capture this meal!

Mealworm Tacos.

My Weekend

What a weekend it was!  

On Friday, Hubs and I went sailing around the SF Bay.  It was so much fun, but so COLD.  Wool coat cold.  But we hard chardonnay to keep us warm!  We sailed around Treasure Island, under the Bay Bridge, and stopped by AT&T park to catch some of Giants game.  Here are some of our sailing photos:

Handsome Hubs.

Me.

Bay Bridge

AT&T Park

On Saturday, Djuro and Maria came to SF to visit.  Hubs had to work this weekend so on Sunday Djuro, Maria, Ivo and I played tourist in San Francisco.   We explored Alamo Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, North Beach, Chinatown, and  Union Square. 

My baby brothers and I at the Painted Ladies.

Indiana Ivo. 

See no evil. Speak no evil.  Hear no evil.

Djuro and Maria at Pier 39 with Alcatraz in the background.

We had so many unexpected adventures!  We were filmed for new a Travel Channel TV show featuring magician JB Benn. We found out how fortune cookies were made.  And we stumbled upon a Bollywood Flash Mob in Union Square!

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory

Bollywood Flash Mob in Union Square.

On Monday we had a picnic in Crissy Field with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.  After lunch we explored Golden Gate Park and checked out Stow Lake.  After dinner we took a nighttime Cable Car Ride and had hot chocolate at Ghirardelli Square. 

Whew!  It was so much fun, wonderful to spend some time with my brothers, and so nice to meet Maria!

2nd Anniversary: Matching Pajamas

So hubs and I don't normally do anniversary gifts.  Hubs is modest and does not care for gifts, as many of you who have tried to shop for him know, and I want everything, which makes it hard to shop for me.  Which makes the fact that this was hub's idea all the more impressive.  He wanted give me a traditional gift for our second year: COTTON.

What? Cotton? I was thinking jewels and gems. =) Hubs was thinking a little more traditional.  

Here's the tradition versus modern from Hallmark.com:

Anniversary	Traditional	Modern
1st	Paper	Clocks
2nd	Cotton	China
3rd	Leather	Crystal/Glass
4th	Fruit/Flowers	Appliances
5th	Wood	Silverware
6th	Candy/Iron	Wood
7th	Wool/Copper	Desk Sets
8th	Bronze/Pottery	Linens/Lace
9th	Pottery/Willow	Leather
10th	Tin/Aluminum	Diamond Jewelry
11th	Steel	Fashion Jewelry
12th	Silk/Linen	Pearls
13th	Lace	Textile Furs
14th	Ivory	Gold Jewelry
15th	Crystal	Watches
20th	China	Platinum
25th	Silver	Silver
30th	Pearl	Diamond
35th	Coral	Jade
40th	Ruby	Ruby
45th	Sapphire	Sapphire
50th	Gold	Gold
60th	Diamond	Diamond

But Hubs had a great idea, cotton pajamas.  But he couldn't find anything he liked.  So I am on the hunt for comfortable, a little luxurious, and matching pajamas. Yes, you heard me, MATCHING.

Did you also know that there are anniversary year flowers?!? What a cute idea for a cheaper nod to tradition.  Here's the list from flowershopdeals.com with explanations of why each flower is chosen.

Anniversary Flowers by Year

1st anniversary - Carnations represent the bonds of commitment and joy for years ahead.

2nd anniversary - For the 2nd anniversary, the lily of the valley symbolizes the purity of your relationship along with devotion.

3rd anniversary - For your 3rd anniversary, sunflowers represents the bond which also indicates strength and warmth that is shown in loyalty and fidelity.

4th anniversary - The Hydrangea is the flower representing your 4th anniversary symbolizing gratefulness and appreciation.

5th anniversary - On the 5th year anniversary daisies represent the innocence and gentleness of a romantic future.

6th anniversary - The Calla lilies represent the growth and beauty of love celebrated and wisdom for your 6th year.

7th anniversary - On the 7th year the Freesia, stands for trust and faithfulness.

8th anniversary - On the 8th year the lilacs symbolizes the fondness of a couples' love and their first emotions.

9th anniversary - The magnificence and splendor of celebrating love on the 9th year is represented by bird of paradise.

10th anniversary - On the 10th anniversary a yellow daffodil represents the simple pleasures that a couple shares.

11th anniversary - A tulip on the 11th years symbolizes love and devotion as well as deep passion.

12th anniversary - On the 12th anniversary the Peony conveys a message of honor and the fortune of a happy relationship.

13th anniversary - A Chrysanthemum on the 13th year represents the abundance of love.

14th anniversary - For pure affection, orchids during the 14th anniversary represent understanding and mature charm.

15th anniversary - Roses celebrate the beauty and simplicity of love between two individuals. Its one of the most beautiful flowers associated with the 15th year.

20th anniversary - On the 20th year the Aster symbolizes wisdom and prosperity.

25th anniversary - For the 25th anniversary, the iris symbolizes the faith and promise of blissful and lasting marriage.

30th anniversary - On the 30th anniversary the Lily means an abundance of pride, beauty and devotion.

40th anniversary - On the 40th anniversary vibrancy and remembrance is signified by gladiolus.

50th anniversary - For the 50th anniversary, yellow roses and violets celebrates virtue, humility and faith

So someone let me know if they have any pajama brands that they like.  I was thinking of starting with Ralph Lauren since they have classic styles and something simple that both Hubs and I would like.  Maybe I can even coax him into a photo!?!

First Post!

FIRST POST!

What should I write about?!? These were the thoughts running through my mind:  “What would I blog/write about? Who would take the time to read it? Is anyone really that interested in my daily life?” 

But then I realized...this is for me.  I want to share some of my experiences, thoughts, adventures, travels and loves.

So here is to my one true love, my hubs because TODAY is our second wedding anniversary.

________________________________________________________________________

TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!  

To my dear hubby on our second wedding anniversary (and eighth anniversary together!),

I love you. I love everything about you.  I am the luckiest girl in the world because I have you.  I cannot wait for many more years and many more adventures.  

love, wifey.

 

Our wedding, 2010.

 San Francisco, 2010.

 Punta Cana 2008

Our 2 year dating anniversary, 2006.