Fall is for Wine Tasting (but Wine Tasting is for Any Season)

For the month of September, the wineries in Lodi, CA offered a special deal called the Roadtrip Passport to Lodi. For $15, you purchased this booklet that gave you complimentary wine tasting at 27 wineries and access to numerous winery events, some of which are normally only open to wine club members. I took advantage of the deal and went wine tasting in Lodi three times over the past couple weeks. It was a blast! Here are some of the photos from the trips:

First stamp in the passport!

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Michael David makes my favorite red and white wines

Grapes hanging from an arbor at Borra Vineyards

Went wine tasting with some of the girls from church

Also went wine tasting with my friend Leslie

And ALSO went wine tasting with my friend Kelsey. It was a busy month!

Especially when "all" involves wine ;)

Gungor's Ghosts Upon the Earth Tour

Last Sunday, my two best friends and I went and saw the music group Gungor in concert. It was absolutely amazing. I wish I had known just how wonderful it be, because I would have invited a lot of people I know to go with me.

The concert program was beautifully crafted to movingly narrate the history of God's desire for a relationship with us. Each song and the poetry that was performed between segments built to a beautiful crescendo of what eternity will hold for us. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

If you live in or near a city where Gungor will be performing during their Ghosts Upon the Earth Tour, I highly, highly recommend that you go see them and bring any friends you have who are seeking meaning in their life. I really think this is the perfect concert to introduce a non-Christian to Jesus and the musicians are extremely talented; together they create wonderful, unique music that anyone, Christian or non-Christian, would enjoy.

Fall Fun: Daytrip to Apple Hill

Wow, I can't believe it's already the first day of December and that in just 21 more days it will officially be winter! This autumn has gone by so fast, which on one hand has been a good thing, but on the other, has left me feeling like I haven't soaked up this beautiful season as much as I would have liked. Nevertheless, I did get a chance to go to Apple Hill with the other young adults from  my church here in Sacramento.

For those of you who don't know, Apple Hill is a well-known destination for apple picking, Christmas tree getting, and all other kinds of goodness. Despite having lived within 2 hours of it my entire life and having countless friends who make yearly treks there, I had never gone there before! Let me just say, it does not disappoint! People praise Apple Hill so much, that I was sure it couldn't live up to all the hype - but it totally did! I hope to go back soon and spend more time looking at the crafts, taking in the scenery, and enjoying all the yummy apple-centric pastries and beverages. Here are some photos from the day:

What a view, am I right? It was breathtakingly beautiful - and cold!

"Everyone! Look like you're having fun!" resulted in the above photo where everyone looks slightly scared/scary.

Our fearless young adults leader, Ashlei.

Some of the YA (young adults) ladies. My two best friends are there on the left.

Ah, orchards! We walked around this one for a long time and picked some of the apples left behind from the harvest.

One of the farms we stopped at had this awesome fire that we gathered around to warm up. And we sang the full version of Father Abraham while we were there. Yes, we did get some strange looks.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this International Harvester.

Have you ever been to Apple Hill? Are there any destinations near you that are an autumn must-visit?

The Calendar of Facial Hair

Today marks the last day of Movember (long known as No-Shave November and commonly known as November), so in honor of it, I thought I would post this Calendar of Facial Hair. It was created by a Bible study I co-led last year. One night, we were all sitting around and the guys started talking about how they weren't shaving for No-Shave November. Some of us felt that it wasn't fair for November to be the only month associated with facial hair, and so this calendar was created:

“Januhairy” - Don’t shave or pluck or cut any hairs on your body. Give your back hair a chance. 

“Fu-bruary” - In honor of Valentine’s day, because nothing says “I love you” like a full Fu Manchu. 

“Moustache March” - We will not alter this month as it has been laid down by our forefathers as the correct thing to be doing at this time. 

“April Fus” or “Anchor Beard April” - Two to choose from this month. Don’t let the French have all the fun.

“Mutton Chops May” - May your chops be fluffy and (not necessarily) white. 

“Well-Groomed June” - With the arrival of summer, it’s time to stop hiding the fact that you’ve been living in Januhairy for the last 6 months. Keep yourself well-groomed. A full shave is optional. 

“Summer Soul Patch” - Give your face a chance to cool off and your spiritual life a chance to grow. 

“Augoatee” - We know it doesn’t rhyme or alliterate, but give us a break, we tried hard. And you know you’ve been waiting all year for the goatee. 

“September Sparrow” - Set sail for awesome this month, show your pirate spirit, and get ready for International Talk Like a Pirate Day by growing a Jack Sparrow facial thingamajig. 

“Octoberfest Beerd Bong” - Don’t let one drop go to waste. Facial hair makes an excellent alcohol reservoir, though few have been fortunate enough to discover this fact prior to the publishing of this publication. 

“No-Shave November” or, for the more brave among us, “Neard November” - shave all facial hair except for what grows on your neck.

“Decembeard” - Keep your face warm for the first of the chilly winter months by growing a full beard by Christmas.

Did you know that there's a World Beard and Moustache Championship?

Whirlwind Trip to SoCal

As I mentioned this morning, my friend Kelsey and I spent Veteran's Day weekend in Southern California because I was presenting a paper at a conference and she was kind enough to keep me company so I wouldn't have to drive there are back on my own. We decided to make the most of our time in SoCal so we hit up Hollywood on Saturday afternoon and spend Sunday at Disneyland.

Hollywood wasn't quite what we expected. It certainly isn't as glamorous as it looks on TV or in movies, but it was still fun! We decided to visit the wax museum and since it was a combo ticket, we went to the Guinness World Record Museum as well.

Captain Jack Sparrow greeted us as we entered and I so I snapped this photo for my sister and co-blogger, Ashton. She loves Johnny Depp!

I love Gwyneth Paltrow, so I just had to take a photo with her. It was amazing how life-like the wax statues were...not that I recognized that many of them, but I suppose that comes of growing up without watching many movies.

Ah, the entrance to Disneyland.

Kelsey insisted we go on the It's a Small World ride and though I was dreading it, it actually was really awesome! The song did not get stuck in my head because they change it for the holidays.

The decorations inside were amazing. This is as simple as they got.

Since I went on It's a Small World, Kelsey humored me and we rode the carousel together (I don't know what it is about them, but I ride carousels whenever I get the chance).

Here we are together in the lower left hand corner of the mirror.

The mast of the pirate ship we set sail on.

Mike Fink, King of the River's cabin. Davy Crockett was visiting! I had to snap this photo because I have way too many good memories of singing "Daaavy, Daaavy Crocket, King of the Wild Frontier" with my siblings.

Ah, the haunted mansion. It was awesome!

Before dinner, we watched the parade. The chimney sweeps were our favorite part. These guys were super talented!

We ended the evening with a trip on the Disneyland railroad followed by the holiday magic fireworks show.

Overall, we had a great time in SoCal, though we were both very glad to return to the land of tree-canopied cities and rarely-glimpsed skyscrapers.

Point Reyes Backpacking Trip

This past weekend the hubs and I went backpacking at Point Reyes with two of our best friends from college (who are also married to each other :). We were all friends before any of us started dating - and I think it's especially cool that we ended up dating and falling in love (there was actually a group of about 10-12 of us who all ended up pairing up into serious relationships with each other by the end of college).

It was foggy when we arrived. We hiked in along Limantour beach to Coast camp - only about a 1.8 mile hike, but a nice starter backpacking trip since it was our friend's first time going on this kind of adventure.

The guys were walking together - nerding it up most likely - when Samantha and I spotted an odd piece of driftwood....

that ended up being a seal! I've been to Point Reyes numerous times, and this was the first time I'd seen one (well, an alive one that is - once there was a seal carcass that washed ashore).

The hubs and I have a tradition of taking his picture with wild animals. So far the tally is baby owl, lion cub, baby alligator, and now a seal. Too bad it wasn't a seal pup so we could continue the baby animal tradition :)

It didn't really want it's picture taken, so as soon as I started to take the picture it began waddling toward the water. But at least they are in the same frame!

Once we set up camp, the hubs took us on a day hike - which ended up being a grueling 9 miles round trip!

The fog had lifted, and it was gorgeous! This is toward the beginning of the hike while we were all still feeling peppy.

The adorable couple. Seriously they are so sweet! Still practically newlyweds :) We had such a fun time hanging out with them - there is nothing better than spending time with friends you've known forever! We have seen each other through so much of life's ups and downs. An added bonus? All of us are equally good friends with each other - so there were no awkward trying-to-get-to-know-you moments. We could all totally be ourselves without worrying what the others would think, which is so nice :)

some gorgeous scenery along the coast trail.

hiking along the side of the trail - too muddy to actually walk ON the trail - it only got muddier from here!

exhausted at the end - we arrived back at camp as the sun set - just in time to make a beach fire to cook and enjoy a dinner of hot dogs and s'mores :)

The next morning we awoke sore, but pleased with our previous days' accomplishments. It was freezing though!

The fog was thick

So glad we could get away with such good friends! Here's to more trips in the future (but we promise we won't hike them to death next time :)

Facebook Unplugged

Monday night I did something I thought I would never do: I shut down my facebook account. I have been a steadfast proponent of facebook since my college days (my school was one of the earliest schools to join). It has been life changing in so many positive ways: connecting with distant family and friends, taking new friendships to a deeper and more jovial level, cataloging pictures, and keeping in touch with family. Unfortunately there is a negative side to social networking, and after quite a bit of reflection, I decided to disable my account for the following reasons:

1. I was checking my account an obsessive amount (20-30 times per day)

2. Sometimes I was planning my life around how it would look as a status update

3. I had stopped checking news sites, and had no desire to become informed about current events, except for what I saw on my news feed. I could literally feel my brain atrophying.

4. Occasionally I would embroil myself in some sort of drama either of my own making or someone else's

So it's been only a few days, and this is what I've discovered so far:

During the first 24 hours, I thought about checking facebook at least 30 times, how I would word a clever status update 8 times, and had the urge to stop by the profiles of different friends 5 times.

The second day I started missing the positive side of these social interactions: The friend who drops by your page with a random comment, the feeling of shared camaraderie when you and others you know post on the same picture or comment thread. The ease of planning events, finding out about exciting news (like births and engagements), and storing photos and sharing them with others.

Despite that, I have been much more at ease since I quit. I didn't realize how much facebook controlled my thoughts and actions until I started down this path. Today I spent an hour reading the Wall Street Journal, something I never would have done if facebook was accessible. I have been more present (mentally and emotionally) in every conversation I've had the last two days - it's much easier for me to concentrate on what the person I'm with is saying, without worrying about the pull of social networking.

Overall, I'm much happier now! Will I ever return to facebook (or its equivalent)? Perhaps. If I can overcome my addictive tendencies, and use it in a balanced way, it could enrich my life and my interactions with others. But until I am sure that I can do that, I am going to stay unplugged, as inconvenient and hard as that may be.

I will let you know how it works out :)

Friend?

"A friend to all is a friend to none." - Aristotle

From M-W.com:

friend (noun)

• one attached to another by affection or esteem

• a favored companion

acquaintance (noun)

• a person with whom one is acquainted

• a person whom one knows but who is not a particularly close friend

Sometimes I need to be reminded that most of my Facebook "friends" are actually mere acquaintances in real life. Lately I've been feeling that giving the title of "friend" to people who would be more accurately classified as acquaintances cheapens the title of friend for those people I actually am "attached to by affection or esteem." I want my close friends to know that I don't easily consider people friends - at least in real life - and that I don't share my thoughts, feelings, and hopes with just anyone. On the contrary, there are very, very few people I share those things with.

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be 

well tried before giving them your confidence." - George Washington

Murder Mystery

image found here

Friday night the Hubs and I attended a Murder Mystery dinner hosted by some of our church friends. The story was set in the 1930s, so a few of the girls dressed to the nines in period costume. It was so much fun! There were 8 of us all together, which made for a nice sized group. We each contributed something to the meal (drinks, appetizers, main course, dessert) and enjoyed each of these in turn as we played the four rounds of the game. Everyone was assigned a part in advance, so we knew coming in a few key points about our character. I was an author, renowned for her thrilling and life like murder mysteries. The Hubs was the bastard mountaineering son of the man who was murdered. Once we arrived we received a booklet with more information about our character. Some things we had to share with the group, other things we were to conceal unless asked a direct question pertaining to those matters. As soon as I opened my booklet I saw that I was to conceal that my character's books were all based on murders she had committed! This made me worried that I would end up being the guilty party, but in the end it was the bastard son.

I would highly recommend this type of evening to anyone who would like to host an intimate themed party. It was a fun and fast paced evening :)