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HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!
Today is my dear friend Renee's birthday -- she is only 43! We have been friends for 25 years! We've had a friendship filled with laughter, sadness, thrills, experiences, traveling, music, children, pets and many, many adventures. We go back a long way and there are countless stories to be told.
I dearly appreciate your friendship Renee and am blessed to have you in my life. You are truly special to me and I'm ready for another 25 years of stories and fun.
Love and hugs,
Veronique

Song and Celebration

Hi all,
Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend. Yes - of course I did.

Friday night we ventured off to see the new James Bond 007 movie at our "new" movie theater (which is super nice). Hadn't been to the movies for a long while so it was very enjoyable.

Saturday we concentrated on chores around the house followed by some fun. We took my buddy, Renee, out to dinner for her birthday and treated her to the Carrie Underwood Concert (which was fantastic). She sure has grown up and puts on a wonderful, energetic show -- lots of glitz, glamour, and song. Not only is she beautiful, she has a wonderful voice to go along with the beauty. Little Big Town opened the show -- very talented group of four. We all loved the show and can't wait to do it again next year.

Sunday was another day of work and play. We painted an accent wall in our living room (not too much fun with 24 ft. walls); still need to do a second coat. After some work, we joined our friends at a local winery for some tasting, sun and snacks. We continued the fun at their home for a potluck dinner. We provided the steaks, tuscan bean soup, wine, and a chocolate satin pie for dessert. It was a great time!

Hope you all had a relaxing weekend. I'm very sorry it's Monday.
V

BBQ and 2 Left Feet

Had a fun weekend with friends as we watched Shawna Lynn Band perform -- we danced the night away to her tunes on a crowded dance floor.

Nutty November

Hi gang,

Can you believe it's already NOVEMBER? Neither can I!!! This year has passed so quickly -- I know I'm getting older but this is ridiculous.

NOVERMBER is going to bring the following to my world:

- Tons of yummy holiday foods

- The girls

- Paint

- Christmas cards

- Wrapping Christmas gifts

- Recipe planning

- Holiday shopping

- Decorating

- Rain

- Birthdays - can't wait to share my buddy's birthday with her (25+ years of friendship)

- Finishing/starting scrapbooks

- New shutters

- Fun times with friends

- Giving thanks

Hope you all have something to look forward to this NOVEMBER! Enjoy the season.

V

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Hi all,

I hope you all have a ghostly day filled with lots of treats, fun, tricks and laughter. I can hardly believe it's October 31 -- only 2 more months and it's Christmas! This year has passed too quickly -- I often wonder where the time was spent (besides work of course).

We will be enjoying a fun night of gathering at a friend's for dinner. We're bringing the Halloween cupcakes, two pumpkin pies and of course the wine.

Be safe no matter what you choose to do but most of all - ENJOY!
Happy Boo Day,

V

Harvest Fun

Hi All,

This weekend was no exception for fun, friends and chores. (You always have to mix a little work in there somewhere!)

Friday we went to the opening of our new mall "Streets of Brentwood" -- very beautiful outdoor strip mall; reminded me of the ones they have in Vegas. We have a lot of new, fun stores to chose from now. Soon we will be getting a Red Robin and a PF Chang's (one of my favorites). Our little city is growing big.

Saturday we spent the entire day in the Napa Valley. Started the day at Del Dotto with a cave tour and plenty of tasting for the gang (of course I am the DD). From there we ventured into St. Helena for a little lunch at Armadillo's - very yummy mexican food and spirits (they have the smallest bathroom I've ever seen). From there we ventured off to the second Del Dotto Winery -- a new, upscale Italian decorated cave winery -- didn't meet my expectations but it was nice -- this winery was recommended to us in Italy. We had to hit up our old stomping grounds at Alpha Omega. Since we are wine members, they give very generous pours for free to us and our guests. It was the perfect day to sit out on the porch and enjoy some wine and the views of the Napa Valley. We also got a VIP tour of their "behind the scenes" crushing technique. We relaxed for quite some time before going to dinner at the Rutherford Grill. This hotspot has excellent food! We always make reservations because it's very well known and always busy. They win the prize for the best french dip! YUMMY! Our last and final stop (the reason we event went to Napa) was to attend the Harvest Winemaker's Festival at Castello de Amorosa. This event was held at the castle amongst various of their rooms (107 in total). They had stations set up for wine pairings (some with pizza, cheese, truffles, fruit, or desserts). Being at the castle at night was very "spooky" and a great venue for such an event. It was very well attended.

We wrapped up our weekend with chores: laundry, yardwork and painting of our family room. Never a dull moment at our house! It keeps things exciting and fun!

Hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weekend -- we sure have been having some awesome fall weather (not for long though -- it's due to rain this weekend -- but of course we need that too).

Enjoy!

V

Last Italy Post

Hi all,

I promise this is the last Italy post of photos. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get them posted but there were way too many.

The attached are of Venice and Tuscany/Sienna.

Enjoy!

V