I love that when my baby takes steps I expect him to look at me like "Did you see what I just did Mama?" but he just continues on his way like it's completely normal. I love that after Courtney being gone for three years now, we still cry when we have to say goodbye at the end of a visit. I love that I have friends spread out all over the country. I love that I have been able to introduce my baby to many of these friends already. I love that when my husband leaves for travel, I start missing him the moment the door shuts. I love Pumpkin Spice lattes from Starbucks and I am glad when I get to spread that love (glad you love it now too Kat and Sarah go get one RIGHT NOW!). I love that Sarah and I have known eachother twenty years and while that makes me feel completely and totally old, it also makes me so grateful for a friend that would stick by for two decades :-). I love that I have two dogs at home who have had their worlds completely upset in the past year and have managed beautifully. I love that no matter how cranky and stressed out I am, they just want to love. I love that this morning was really crisp and cool with the slight scent of rain. I love that my brother is really, really excited to go to the zoo with the duder this weekend.
Just feeling the love this morning and wanted to share xoxo
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Meritage
I have been having some major problems with Blogger on my laptop, so though this post has been in my queue for weeks now, I'm just now able to post it. I think it's time to get an iPad!! (hint, hint Honey ;-))
For our 5th Anniversary, we celebrated at Meritage at the historic Claremont hotel in Berkeley. Meme was her wonderful self and offered to watch the duder before we even had a chance to ask her!
The hotel itself is absolutely beautiful and the view is outstanding! And being in that neighborhood definitely made me miss Adam living there. Good times :-)
We got there a little early so we took a stroll around and sat out one of the balconies to enjoy the view and the amazing weather.
After a bit, we headed back in to the bar to grab a drink while waiting for our table to be ready. Jason ordered a Stella (always a good choice!) and I settled on their Pear Sage Martini. O.M.G. (I said that a lot as our evening went on and you'll see why in a few). This drink was amazing! I'm not a huge fan of fruity drinks, because they normally have way too much sugar in them and are just too too sweet. This however was quite an exception. It was really light and refreshing and just perfect. I would go back just for this drink. Although the house made Taro chips might do it too. Yum-o!
Shortly after we got our drinks, the hostess came to show us to our table. I had looked at the menu a little when we were deciding where we wanted to go for dinner and found it really interesting. It's broken up according to wine pairings and gives you the option of ordering a full or half plate portion. After looking it over, we decided to order several half plates. I would definitely recommend this if you happen to eat here. It allows you the opportunity to try many more things on the menu and to get a much fuller experience.
We started with Sonoma Goat Cheese-Potato Terrine. Again, OMG. I absolutely love goat cheese and this dish did not disappoint. Drizzled with aged balsamic syrup and seriously to die for.
They also had a special menu that night featuring heirloom tomatoes which were in season and so we decided to try the heirloom tomato, watermelon and pancetta salad. I know it sounds like a very odd combination, but it was so refreshing and the balance of sweet and salty was just perfect.
I paired the first two courses with the Arrowood Viognier. I am constantly looking for good Viognier, because I am a big fan, but have a hard time finding ones that live up to my standards ;-) This one is definitely being added to my list of go-to's.
Next course - Seared Scallops with avocado creme and creme fraiche. Again, I am a huge fan of scallops, but not everyone knows how to properly cook them. These were P-E-R-F-E-C-T.
With these courses I had the Cakebread Chardonnay. Again, delish.
After the scallops we moved onto the Red Bluff Braised Short Ribs in burgundy sauce. The meat literally melted in your mouth it was so tender. Ah-mazing!
This course was paired with the Frog's Leap Zinfandel, which I was super happy with. Our waiter recommended the Cain Concept, Red Meritage which Jason had and was also very, very good.
We topped off the meal with a dessert of creme brulee and fresh berries. How can you go wrong with creme brulee? The answer is .... you can't :-)
It was not only a meal, but an experience and a lovely one at that. Our waiter was amazing and we had a wonderful, wonderful time and will definitely be going back.
After dinner we decided to take a drive up Fish Ranch Road. I know, not the most romantic sounding name, but oh the views. The views! We found a quiet little dip in the road and just enjoyed the quiet for a bit. So magical!
Thanks Judi and Paul G. for watching our little man so we could have an amazing evening!!!
For our 5th Anniversary, we celebrated at Meritage at the historic Claremont hotel in Berkeley. Meme was her wonderful self and offered to watch the duder before we even had a chance to ask her!
 |
| Lovely flowers :-) |
 |
| Yes, those are my wedding shoes! |
The hotel itself is absolutely beautiful and the view is outstanding! And being in that neighborhood definitely made me miss Adam living there. Good times :-)
We got there a little early so we took a stroll around and sat out one of the balconies to enjoy the view and the amazing weather.
After a bit, we headed back in to the bar to grab a drink while waiting for our table to be ready. Jason ordered a Stella (always a good choice!) and I settled on their Pear Sage Martini. O.M.G. (I said that a lot as our evening went on and you'll see why in a few). This drink was amazing! I'm not a huge fan of fruity drinks, because they normally have way too much sugar in them and are just too too sweet. This however was quite an exception. It was really light and refreshing and just perfect. I would go back just for this drink. Although the house made Taro chips might do it too. Yum-o!
Shortly after we got our drinks, the hostess came to show us to our table. I had looked at the menu a little when we were deciding where we wanted to go for dinner and found it really interesting. It's broken up according to wine pairings and gives you the option of ordering a full or half plate portion. After looking it over, we decided to order several half plates. I would definitely recommend this if you happen to eat here. It allows you the opportunity to try many more things on the menu and to get a much fuller experience.
We started with Sonoma Goat Cheese-Potato Terrine. Again, OMG. I absolutely love goat cheese and this dish did not disappoint. Drizzled with aged balsamic syrup and seriously to die for.
They also had a special menu that night featuring heirloom tomatoes which were in season and so we decided to try the heirloom tomato, watermelon and pancetta salad. I know it sounds like a very odd combination, but it was so refreshing and the balance of sweet and salty was just perfect.
I paired the first two courses with the Arrowood Viognier. I am constantly looking for good Viognier, because I am a big fan, but have a hard time finding ones that live up to my standards ;-) This one is definitely being added to my list of go-to's.
Next course - Seared Scallops with avocado creme and creme fraiche. Again, I am a huge fan of scallops, but not everyone knows how to properly cook them. These were P-E-R-F-E-C-T.
With these courses I had the Cakebread Chardonnay. Again, delish.
 |
| Our waiter was fantastic, but not the best photographer ;-) |
After the scallops we moved onto the Red Bluff Braised Short Ribs in burgundy sauce. The meat literally melted in your mouth it was so tender. Ah-mazing!
This course was paired with the Frog's Leap Zinfandel, which I was super happy with. Our waiter recommended the Cain Concept, Red Meritage which Jason had and was also very, very good.
We topped off the meal with a dessert of creme brulee and fresh berries. How can you go wrong with creme brulee? The answer is .... you can't :-)
 |
| The chef was even sweet enough to write us a little chocolate note...which by the way was delicious as well!! haha |
It was not only a meal, but an experience and a lovely one at that. Our waiter was amazing and we had a wonderful, wonderful time and will definitely be going back.
After dinner we decided to take a drive up Fish Ranch Road. I know, not the most romantic sounding name, but oh the views. The views! We found a quiet little dip in the road and just enjoyed the quiet for a bit. So magical!
 |
| We took about 15 pictures like this because it was pitch black out there and we couldn't tell where we were pointing the camera until we actually took the picture! |
Thanks Judi and Paul G. for watching our little man so we could have an amazing evening!!!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Pictures
Our friend Sarah has recently been getting into photography, and lucky for us she likes to practice on the duder. Just wanted to share some of her shots :-)
(Who is this big boy and what has he done with my baby???)
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
On the list
So my laptop at home is being naughty and not playing nice with Blogger, so I have a few posts in the queue that have not made it up yet. Hopefully by this weekend....
In the meantime, I thought I would throw up a quick post about one of my new favorite products. These days, anything that makes my life easier is key so I am loving these new Goody Spin Pins.
As you can see in some of the most recent posts, my hair has gotten quite long and I end up putting it up a lot of the time and these things are amazing! You just twist your hair into a bun and then essentially just screw these into the bun from the top and the bottom and voila! Usually I need about 15 bobby pins to keep my bun from slipping out.
Goody has actually come out with several "Simple Styles" tools. I've also tried the Pony Pouf Clip, which I think would be really cute, but since my hair is so fine it didn't quite pouf enough for me. My hair was super clean with no product in it when I tried it yesterday, so I will play with it a little more before I make a final decision for myself, but I do think it would be super cute on anyone with a little thicker hair.
It looks like they also have a "Modern Updo Maker" which was not at Target when I was on my hair accessory buying spree, but I will keep my eye out :-)
In the meantime, I thought I would throw up a quick post about one of my new favorite products. These days, anything that makes my life easier is key so I am loving these new Goody Spin Pins.
Goody has actually come out with several "Simple Styles" tools. I've also tried the Pony Pouf Clip, which I think would be really cute, but since my hair is so fine it didn't quite pouf enough for me. My hair was super clean with no product in it when I tried it yesterday, so I will play with it a little more before I make a final decision for myself, but I do think it would be super cute on anyone with a little thicker hair.
They also have the volume boost comb, which is essentially like a "Bump-it" but not quite so Snooki. I also bought this one, but haven't tried it yet, so we'll see.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Steppin' Out With My Baby
The duder took his first three steps last night!! AAAAAAHH!!! Jason and I were on a natural high last night! I'm so incredibly grateful it happened when both of us were there. Being working parents, especially with Jason traveling so often, there's always this fear of missing the big moments along with all the small moments you're missing. So to have both of us there to witness those three steps was absolutely amazing! As soon as he cooperates and does it for the camera I will post a video :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
