wine lover – This True Life

Last March I planned a 30th birthday trip to New Orleans. I invited all my close friends to fly down from Seattle with us. I have family in Houma (which is an hour south of NOLA) who also made the trip into the city.

I am totally type-A personality. As everyone was booking flights and hotels into the city I realized we all are getting in on different days and/or different times and that, as big as our group was, would be interested in different ventures around town. With that in mind I decided to do my research. I had been in New Orleans a few time so I used that as a outline. With my past visits in mind I also looked into more things to do. I ended up making a PDF file that I emailed to all my guests.

All my guests found this extremely useful. It was a nice way to show gratitude for them showing up to celebrate my big 30!

My husband and I just booked another trip down to see my family and I am beyond excited. I embedded the PDF file, so if you are headed to NOLA – enjoy!

NOLA Book1 (2)

In Spring of 2010 I was invited to go wine tasting in Eastern Washington. There is an abundance of wineries in that region that partake in Spring Barrel. This was the year one of my favorite traditions was born! I have attended Spring Barrel (or pre-barrel if that weekend worked better) since 2010. I only missed 2013 due to living in San Diego. My Husband’s family lives in Richland, which is about a 45 minute drive to where the heart of the wineries are, so our group has grown and it’s become a family affair!

I, of course, have my staple wineries I make a fuss to go to. I like their deals and LOVE their wine. We do try to check out a few new wineries as well or a few that we haven’t gone to in a year or two. We always pack a picnic lunch to enjoy at Silverlake Winery, pile in a 15 passenger van and begin spring barrel!

We stopped at the following wineries:

Bonair (They do a case mix and match sale – $100!)
Maison De Padgett (great ports and dessert wines!)
Owen Roe (first time visit and it was delicious! Their Pinot Noir is worth noting.)
Silverlake (Live bands, food trucks and good wine)
Airfield (always a favorite. Love their bombshell red)
Bartholomew (Located in Kennewick, so not near most of the wineries, but worth the drive!)

My total haul this year was 25 bottles of wine. That’s a new record for me. Now I just have to organize it all! Out of all the wineries and wines tasted I would have to give a BIG shout out to Bartholomew! Their wines were SO good. Their Malbec and Petite Verdot were unbelievable. They do have a tasting room in Seattle as well for those on the West side of the state!