Livin on Dreams & Spaghettios in Napa Valley

Drink Wine in Napa Valley
Let's face it, I am a huge wino.  I love a spicy/dry/bold/oaky red wine, so naturally I tend to like Cabernet Savignon the best and when I got the chance to go to "The Cabernet Capital of the World" with a group of friends I couldn't pass the opportunity up.  We cancelled our  anniversary plans for a cruise and booked our tickets to CA instead!! 
First stop was San Francisco-I absolutely love "big city life" & I even enjoyed the touristy stuff because I hadn't been to San Fran since I was younger.  I have heard several people say that San Francisco is their favorite city...mine still stands with NYC.  New York is just so unique in my opinion & offers something for everyone on any given day. San Fran definitely has the most spectacular views nestled between the ocean and the rocky coast; however it's not "fast-paced" and just way too liberal, even for this girl. 

With Kenny Walters, Lyndsey & Michael Crooke

In-N-Out Burgers are MANDATORY when in California

Riding the cable car with Lyndsey Crooke

HAPPY 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO THE MOST AMAZING PERSON I KNOW

(insert suuuuper cute picture of us out on the town celebrating-will explain later)

The next day we woke up early and headed north for Napa Valley! We stayed at the Bardessono Hotel & Spa in Yountville, CA which was just magical.  We got a great deal off http://www.jetsetter.com/ We were in Napa for 3 days/nights & visited about 3-4 vineyards a day.  Napa Valley is absolutely beautiful and we could not have asked for more perfect 70 degree weather throughout our entire trip!  Everywhere I turned I wanted to take a picture....

with Lyndsey Crooke & Nicole Nesheim

with Nicole & Philip Nesheim, Kenny Walters, Lyndsey & Michael Crooke

Breakfast of Champions while in Wine Country!

All the vineyards offer something a little different and I think we chose ones for a good variety-you could literally spend weeks going to all the wineries not to mention just over the hill lies Sonoma county where you could spend even more weeks! We went to some wineries because they are known for their wine, we went to some for the scenic view/neat architeture, we went to some in-depth tours and some that were self-guided.  My favorite tour was at Cakebread, my favorite wine is CASK Cabernet from Rubicon/Inglenook, and my absolute favorite vineyard was Frog's Leap (had cornhole in the backyard and was very low-key; my type of place!).  Our hotel was located close to some of the most famous restaurants in the country so not only did we drink good, we also ate good every night.

My favorite part of the trip was just sitting on the patio of each vineyard, enjoying a glass of wine & the scenery, and laughing with friends. A special shout out to Nicole who actually found out she was pregnant before the trip!! Thank you for driving & being patient with us as you sipped your NA pinot noir wine & ate Bouchon cookies :) Can't wait to meet little Charlotte Elizabeth!

While out in CA I figured I needed to take advantage of being on the west coast & visit my best friend, Shannon Baker, who I never really get to see not to mention her son was born 1 month before I visited!! I had a wonderful time spending time with her two adorable children, Annie Grace & Blake!

Running through the park with Annie!

SO PRECIOUS!!!!

Blake Patrick...we both really fell asleep like this for about an hour :)

 Catching up with old friends is a feeling that I can't really describe; I was so happy to see her & her home, listen to all the stories about her family, update each other on our lives, and just laugh like old times.  It also is bittersweet because it makes me sad that I havn't been there to experience things with her and knowing I will be missing out when I leave.  There is an up side and down side to being a military brat-the down side is I think if we had grown up together (we have lived in different states/countries since 5th grade) we would be inseparable best friends that knew everything about each other.  The up side is if our dad's weren't in the air force they would have never been stationed in Panama and I would have never met her. So I am thankful for that & our unique friendship.

Starbucks&Spokane! with Shannon Baker

After 2 days in Spokane I flew into Atlanta, GA for Allison Millsaps' bachelorette party!! Such a fun group of girls & a weekend complete with drag queens, the best fried chicken I've ever had, a crazy bloody mary brunch session, non-stop laughing & weirdness including sushi in the middle of the club with Conan!

Cannot wait for one of my very best friends/college roommate to say her vows on May 19th, 2012!!

The only bad thing about this entire trip was on the last day I lost my camera :( I cried at the thought of allll the cute pictures I had taken on the trip and I was so angry with myself.  As much as I lose things, I have never lost my camera it's my life, I just LOVE pictures!  Luckily for facebook I was able to steal pics from other people but not a single picture of Kenny & I from our trip! :( Guess we will have to return to Napa one day....

 Needless to say minus that one mishap I had such a fun vacation!! My sleep-deprived & dehydrated shriveled up prune body could not wait to lay on my couch, drink water, and eat a home-cooked meal.
I think the worst part of coming back to reality was when I went to pick up a bottle of wine from the store later that week, I realized I couldn't afford my Napa pallet aside from vacation and had to reach for the Yellowtail/ Barefoot wine instead....oh well, it was nice while it lasted :)