Celebrating Our Tenth Year

To celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary, Ryan surprised me with a trip to our favorite place. A place that means so much to us in ways that I am not able to adequately explain or share. A place that has countless memories & moments of sheer joy and love. A place that saw our love flourish, our engagement take place, and our wedded bliss occur. A place that we have not visited in far too long, and it has showed.

It was the perfect weekend to mark a milestone that at times has felt unattainable. A weekend of turning the world off and turning back to why we fell in love in the first place. I'll leave you with these pictures that paint a little glimpse into our time together but symbolize so much more for us.

We love you Solvang & Santa Ynez. Thank you for an unforgettable celebration.

Life Letters (November): Wine

Ah life letters you came through big time for me this month! When I opened up the letter to myself and realized that wine was my focus and priority, I knew it was going to be enjoyable and a happy 30 days!

The letter to myself was simple...get your wine on! And fitting since November is our anniversary month and we were married at a winery :) So I began by reliving our wedding weekend. I watched our wedding video and day dreamt about being back in Solvang at Lincourt. I thumbed through our wedding scrapbooks, reliving the wine & wishes wedding we planned together. I looked at our wedding album to remember how young and innocent we were only four years ago. It was a nice way to kick-off both wedding anniversary and wine month :)

Next I drank wine. A lot of it. And champagne. Out of my comfort zone I went. Trying new wines. Not sticking to simply Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. I drank reds. I indulged in Moet champagne.

We went wine tasting at Robibero winery where I tried Galway and Rabbit's Foot. I ordered Argentinian & Italian wine at dinners. We ate a late lunch at Harvest Wine Bar & Restaurant in Greenwich where champs was toasted. I went with my girlfriends for a little wine & "friendsgiving" at Pour Wine Bar in Mount Kisco.

 

I scoured the Lincourt & BR Cohn websites for their latest wine & events. We love Lincourt as it is essentially where our story began, where I told Ryan I loved him for the first time, where we were engaged, and where we were married. We feel right at home there. BR Cohn was our favorite in Sonoma where we would escape from the city life of San Francisco.

The girls and I enjoyed wine flights & bites at Pour Wine Bar in Mount Kisco...so much that we came home "past curfew" according to my husband!

Oh wine, how I love so very much! I am not sure how December's love letter is going to top this!

Leo & Marissa: A December California Wedding

A few weekends ago we had the honor & pleasure of being part of Leo & Marissa's wedding weekend. Leo is one of Ryan's closest friends who the guys met while living out in California. Yes, their little cult actually allowed a non-UK grad to join their friendship. I hold Leo in a special place because he has been one of the most supportive people of Ryan & I's relationship from the very beginning. In fact, he told me that "White" loved me long before Ryan said those three little words. I can recall that exact night, location, & conversation as it carried me through several self-doubting times about how Ryan indeed felt about me.

So when Leo met Marissa (the day before our wedding which clearly was a good omen), I couldn't have been happier. No one deserves love more than him. And well Marissa, she is the sweetest peach and is the perfect match for Leo. I feel like I've known her for ages as she is incredibly welcoming and charming.

We spent the weekend enjoying time with friends, catching up on life, eating & drinking delicious treats, and witnessing the love between two wonderful people we feel blessed to call friends.

Ryan & I will always cherish this weekend as a kick off to our 2013 holiday season spent with our family of 3 and our friends.