Yummy!

Howdy,
This weekend was not lacking fun, food, or festivites.

Friday night we went to support our friend Shawna Lynn at the Wild Idol. She did a great performance; we even snuck in a few dances.

Saturday we took our friends Monica and Peanut out for dinner for their birthdays. We started the evening with nothing more than wine tasting at J Lohr. There was a very quaint tasting room which gave 6 FREE tastings. It was a great way to warm up for the yummiest dinner at Maggiano's. The Italian food here is out of this world; the portions are gigantic; and the atmosphere is fabulous. We enjoyed our 3 hour dinner which comprised of: calamari, fried zucchini, stuffed mushrooms, chopped salad, ceasar salad, garlic shrimp linguini, beef medalions, chicken saltimboca, and rigattoni with mushrooms and chicken. Dessert was: tiramasui and pound cake. It was super delicious!!! We all rolled out of the restaurant and immediately felt like taking a nap. This is going to be our annual location for December birthdays!

Sunday I went with my friend Meghan to an antique fair in Alameda. I couldn't believe how many old things were for sale! People were buying things left and right. Never know what you're going to find there! While I was shopping, Greg was making home-made truffles (500) with my dad. They are super yummy and will definitely contribute to a side pouch on my waistline.

I had a fantastic weekend and am ready to hit this coming weekend hard! Lots in store. Will write more later.
V

Valley of Vino

YEP - you guessed it!! Another trip to Napa! We are becoming seasoned veterans. Key players were:

- Matt (Cornholio)
- Meghan
- Greg (Body Guard or BG; also Big Greg)
- V (Event Planner)
- Monica
- Peanut (Anthony)

We closed out November with a bang!

Our agenda included:
- Domaine Chandon (It was a first-time visit for four of us. The grounds are gorgeous and the bubbly was flowing. Definitely a place to make a second visit and possibly have lunch at their five-star restaurant called Etoile).
- Turnbull (Peanut became a member at this winery which allowed all of us to get free tastings -- and quite a few I might add! This was a quaint winery with beautiful vineyards.)
- Taylor's (This is a super yummy hamburger stand that always has a wait line of about 30 - 40 minutes; it was worth the wait. They have big, juicy hamburgers and the seating is all outdoors. Definitely a recommended lunch spot. They also have a location in San Francisco (by the clock tower)).
- Niebam-Coppola Estate Winery (This again was the first-time visit for four of us. This property has beautiful grounds -- they also have a mini-museum of film; very interesting.)
- Alpha Omega - (This is always the last stop on our tour. We are wine members here and always get great service and an abundance of free wine pours; very dangerous! The setting is relaxing and the wines are delicious (of course the four people tasting always tell me this. The boys treated themselves to some fine cigars as they relaxed on the patio. We always tend to have a "happy" time here with many laughs, wine spills, and cases to go.)
- Prevot's - (This is an eatry in Brentwood; we are trying to support our local merchants. It has delicious food but horrible service; very slow and not well planned. That evening featured belly dancing and a Hannah Nicole Wine pour.)

An OUTSTANDING weekend! We had so much laughter, stories, memories, and firsts.

Thank you to Meghan, Matt, Peanut, and Monica for being true friends and always making life so much fun! I appreciate your friendship!

Cheers,
V
P.S. Steve (in Michigan) -- you missed a great time and some great driving by the DD (of course that would be me) -- wish you could have been there! Next time! Miss you and hope you make it to Cali in 2009!

Enjoying S.F.

Greetings,
We started our day on Nov. 28 with a tennis doubles match. It was great to be back on the court with a 20-year absence. I was a bit rusty but I quickly kicked in the after burners and proceeded to get back into true form. It was a fun challenge with Monica and Peanut -- we will be back on the court soon (I know you're begging for a re-match)!

We enjoyed some unusual Friday wine tasting at Hannah Nicoles -- we are getting to be their favorite customers. They always welcome us with opened bottles of wine, spirits and conversation. It is a great way to start the weekend.

After some well-deserved tastings after tennis, we proceeded to head down to San Francisco. We started the day at the Buena Vista. An irish coffee was calling our names! We made friends with a therapist that had proposed to his wife at the Buena Vista in 1961 -- it made for great conversation and an insightful outlook on life.

A trip to the city wouldn't be complete with a stop at Hooter's. We intended to have an oyster shooter in honor of Peanut (he loves them) and come to find out they no longer serve them -- it was a huge disappointment. We still enjoyed a cocktail and a few appetizers.

As we wandered through Fisherman's Wharf, crab was calling our names. Some of us savored a good bowl of crab louie.

Our intention for the day was to attend the tree lighting in Union Square -- this quickly came to a halt when we witnessed thousands of people awaiting the switch to be activited; of course, this resulted in mass traffic jams and fewer parking. Always having a Plan B, we headed to Bucca de Bepo for dinner; it was Peanut and Monica's first visit. We enjoyed a delicious dinner: calamari, brushetta, pepperoni pizza (mighty tasty), fettucini alfredo (one of the best I've had), and proscuitto chicken; all accompanied by a good bottle of vino. It was a great Italian feast -- soon to be revisited!

Thank you Mona and Peanut for the fun times and memories!
V

Laughing All The Way

Howdy,
On Nov 26 we had a great time at a comedy show featuring a female from Last Comic Standing and an artist that has performed with Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond, and others. It was constant laughter! We also enjoyed a great meal at Capp's; the service, food and setting were all spectacular!

It was another fun night with friends.
V

Happy December

It's December 1 -- only 24 more days!
Just wanted to wish you a happy month filled with imagination, colors and surprise.

I will post about my fabulous weekend tomorrow.
Enjoy this day,
V

Fulfillment

I saw this list on someone else's blog and decided that I had to post it on mine. You're supposed to bold the things that you've done in your life. After reading through this list, I realized what an incredibly full life I've had. I never really realized it before, but it was kind of exhilarating to be able to bold so many of these. So here it is:
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band at school
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland /world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Comedy / Vino / More Paint

Hi all,
Just a quick weekend update!

Another fantastic weekend had by all. Friday night I had a ball at Karaoke Night with the girls -- I'm not a good singer but it was fun to be with great friends. We belted out "YMCA" and "Fly Me to the Moon" (Mona and I's new theme song). We shared some pizza, pasta and spinach salad along with Mona's magic potent drink (which made us all much better).

Saturday was a day of some work: painting window sills and the kitchen. We still managed to squeeze in some more fun a wine tasting event at Hannah Nicole Winery. They gave us the VIP tour of their new event center/tasting room which will hopefully be the future location of Mona and Peanut's wedding. It's going to be a beautiful venue. The event center will hold up to 250 people; they have a large tasting room and wine chiller; they even have an observation deck. Everyone enjoyed the wine and spirits -- looking forward to many more events at our local winery along with the upcoming June wedding. The evening didn't end there --
we went to a Bob and Tom Comedy All-Star Show which was extremely funny. It was a sold-out show! My ribs were hurting by the time we left! Laughter is such great medicine. The night was not complete without a little night cap at Anthony and Mona's -- we enjoyed some dancing, pool playing and yep, you guessed it -- more vino! Our times with friends are truly valuable to me and I am grateful I'm surrounded with such fun, loving friends. Thanks buddies!

I'm glad it's a short week -- looking forward to some good food, another comedy show, a trip to Napa Valley, fun times with my girls, a good movie, and yes, more painting!
Enjoy this day!
V