Sonoma Wine Country

Last Sunday Brentan and I went up to the little town of Windsor, CA in Sonoma County to meet up with Uncle Lloyd and Helene who were there for the past week tasting wine and eating good food with their wine group from North Carolina.

We went to a few wineries with them and had a nice dinner with their group! I took a few pictures at Acorn Vineyards, which was super tiny.

Wine country was not as snobby and upscale as I thought it would be. I had only ever been wine tasting in Vermont and Maryland, which are not known for their nice wines like Sonoma County is! (Not to say Vermont or Maryland wine was bad) I did have some delicious wine on Sunday though!
Oh boy, Brentan enjoyed those fresh-from-the-vine merlot grapes! Where can we buy those? :)

It was a party. Lloyd has some wine for the party later, too!

Pebble Beach, Monterrey and Guests!

Despite the patio makeover, which is still going on, I've had a little bit of time to chill out, relax in the end of summer California weather, and entertain a few guests in the new home. Last week I took a quick day roadtrip with Brentan and my grandparents to Monterrey and saw a few things...

Brentan had a good time exploring old buildings.
Grandpa caught a giant sea squid.
We had lunch at the Pebble Beach golf course, and watched people as they finished the 18th hole.
And I saw giant dahlias...
and giant cacti, as inspiration for the garden!

Sarah came to visit this week and we had a delightful time picnicking, exploring, pretending we were undergrads again, and meeting up with old friends. Pictures to come as soon as she sends them to me!

Kitchen Remodel

So many things have happened since that last post. Brentan arrived here in California, we "moved in" without really opening any boxes yet, and started remodeling the kitchen in the new house! We've been working really hard, for about 10 hours a day (except for when I'm working), and making good progress. Here are some before and "during" shots. I hope to have the "afters" by tomorrow or Thursday!

Before:

During:



We do have one room set up in the house:
It still needs a new coat of paint and new carpet, but that will wait until we are done with the main living spaces.

The living area:
It has gotten even messier since this picture!

In California!

I'm in California!
I left Boston yesterday morning, and have moved in (for a few weeks) with my friend Kate from college in the Inner Richmond. She lives in a cute condo with another fantastic Wellesley woman, Carla.
I forgot how cold it is here! It hasn't reached 60 degrees since I've arrived in the city. When will it get warm? Will it ever? I didn't really bring too many warm clothes...

So it is cold, but that is about the only negative. Good things are:
1. There is great shopping. I forgot that I love to explore new cities for shopping. Kate took me to this place called Jeremy's yesterday, which feels like this really posh department store, but it is all at discount prices. It is in this gorgeous old loft-like factory building in SOMA. So what if the majority of clothes are Dianne Von Furstenburg and Prada and Dior? It is fun to look and hold them, and know that you might be able to afford it. Also a lot of J Crew and Anthropologie, so that's more affordable. I didn't buy anything, but can see that I might go back in search of a sweater or something if I get really cold.
2. I get to drive by the Golden Gate bridge on the bus on my way to work all the time. So iconic, so structural, and yet still so beautiful.
3. Delicious Mexican food! Before I went in to Jeremy's I went to this Mexican fast foodish place called Mexico au Parc. (I don't know why the name isn't in Spanish and is in Catalan or Portugese or something) My burrito was SMOTHERED in sauce and guac and salsa. And *bonus* came with fresh tortilla chips.
4. My new job! It seems like it is going to be great. I had a quick orientation today about how to interview people, and I will hit the ground tomorrow with a bunch more interviews! HR and data entry orientations to come next week. I think it is going to be a fun, good steppingstone job!

Anyways, I wish I could be back in Boston this weekend to go hiking and camping, but alas, I am going to be working....and I'm still in CA. Must find some other great stuff to do. Farmer's markets? Hiking to Land's End? Good coffee shops? Suggestions?

Also, here is a cute picture of my nephew, Jack, in his car seat from when Brentan and I visited him, Bob, and Elle in Maryland.

California Update: Short Sales and Decorating a la Anthropologie!

I am just super excited about the two places Brentan and I put offers on. I just found out that we are the highest of two bids on the little house in Redwood City that I previously posted about. Since it is a short sale, and there are two lenders on the house, it has to be approved by both of them. The price was originally pre-approved, but I also found out that that has expired, so it is going to take a little bit longer. I get to excercise my patience. I hope I'm just not getting my hopes up too much. I think I might be a little because I'm scheming of all the pretty things I'm going to put in that house...
I walked into anthropologie today and got some inspiration. Like these chairs and table for a outdoor patio:

Or some cute linens:

And some lanterns:
Hanging under a lush umbrella for shade:

Ok, so I could put this stuff anywhere. But so cute.