2018 in review.

2018 is over and in the books, and as I alluded to yesterday a bit, I’ve got mixed feelings about it as a whole. It was a year with abundant positives, but equally abundant negatives that, I’m afraid, left me a bit sour at times. That said, if I learned anything in 2018, it was that I am gifted at keeping on keeping on even when life is kicking me in the proverbial teeth.

That said, looking back on this year was pretty damn sweet. How can you complain about a year with lots of travel, lots of friend time, and lots of Schwegmanigans? Just the way I like a year. Favorites:

Traveled:

New York City in February with Michael to celebrate our February birthdays! We packed so much into a long weekend - my first Met Opera trip for “Parsifal,” my third (and his first) time seeing “Hamilton,” adventures all over Brooklyn, staying up all night at underground jazz clubs, and WAY too much champagne. It was a truly exhausting joy of a weekend in a city where I definitely never slept.

Tahoe in March, for a much more successful ski trip than our family trip over the holidays last year! Dave and I nearly died on a blizzardy drive up - it usually takes 4 hours, and it took us 12 - but it was more than worth it for two bluebird days with over a foot of fresh powder. Honestly some of the best skiing of my life.

Minnesota, several times! In March to see Leslie Odom Jr. with the Minnesota Orchestra, in May for a gala, in August for Labor Day (and my fourth time seeing “Hamilton!”), and in December for the holidays. Lots of lake time, the State Fair, my beloved orchestra, and of course Spoon and Stable…because why wouldn’t we?

Colorado, a couple times, for quick little mountain getaways. Despite the complete lack of photos, I loved exploring Boulder and Denver, eating and drinking our way through amazing breweries and restaurants, and falling for the mountains…plus watching a Notre Dame victory over Wake Forest with bottomless champagne (and a Wake Forest fan!).

The absolute number one highlight of my year was my family’s trip to Tuscany over Thanksgiving. I could (and will) write volumes about it - the small, charming towns, the amazing pasta and wine, the history, art, and architecture - but for now, all I’ll say is that it was truly the best experience of the year. I already can’t wait to go back to Italy!

Celebrated:

my 29th birthday, in Sonoma and San Francisco in high style. We enjoyed private tastings at our favorite vineyards, cruised to Alcatraz to spend my actual birthday in a federal prison (as one does), and toasted at the Top of the Mark with - what else - champagne cocktails. Special thanks to Dick and Jodes for making the trip!

the Minnesota Orchestra’s annual Symphony Ball with a stellar crew of friends! Bonus to get to be home over Mother’s Day and spend it with my mama bear (over brunch at Spoon and Stable, naturally!).

Cinco De Derby, in May, and Litmas, in December, with a ridiculously absurd cast of characters. One fact remains incontrovertible: I throw a damn good theme party. Case in point: in May, I oh-so-cleverly built a wall of Jell-O Shots to divide the “Mexico” half of the party from the “Kentucky” half of the party, and we filled a pinata with miniatures. I win.

Highlights:

My first Ring Cycle, at the San Francisco Opera in June with Michael! It truly surpassed my (very high) expectations - I’m definitely a convert to the Wagnerian cult.

Living with this absolutely ridiculous delight of a human, who has truly become my best friend in the Bay Area. He’s taught me beer, ensured I’m conversant in any sport, and makes me laugh legitimately every day. Now if only he could get his toothbrush out of the shower in the morning… ;)

So many of my best friends made trips to the Bay this year to visit me! A wild St. Patrick’s Day weekend with Kaitlin, to Kelsie’s spring break full of adventures, Michael’s opera sojourn in the Bay, Hal’s mad sprint through DCI and Pride, and Nate and Margaret’s quick post-engagement trip…it’s so special that the people I love and care about are willing to come out here for me, and I love few things more than getting to show them around my new state!

Lots and LOTS of Napa and Sonoma time - with friends, family and my favorite wineries, of course! I’ve cultivated a taste for California cabernet, and love exploring the region…so much great food, spectacular wine and stunning scenery to enjoy. Getting to share it with the people I love just made it that much better, too.

Best of all, another year with these people. I love my family more than anyone, and I treasure how amazing their presence makes any experience - whether it’s Spoon and Stable followed by “Hamilton,” sweating our asses off at the State Fair, yelling at each other over an aborted Michelin dinner in Florence, or even just getting drunk at 10am in our pajamas in Lakeville. They’re the best people in my life, and I’m so happy they’re mine.

Napa birthday to me!

Trying to play catch-up here after a tumultuous March...and realizing that the kind of week where I'm working 12-hour days all said and done isn't really the week to try to do this, but oh well! 

I've had an utterly delightful first winter in California. And yes, I'm aware that telling all of you that, especially as Minnesota braces for like six more inches of snow this weekend or whatever, is probably really mean of me. But...SORRY! Come visit me sometime for a hit of sunshine and warmth, why don't'cha? 

Anyway, one of the highlights of the winter was for sure my parents' trip out here for my 29th birthday! (Yes, I am that cool girl who voluntarily spends birthdays with her family. My parents are awesome. Be jealous.) They arrived to weather in the mid-seventies, and we spent their first day here dining al fresco, drinking wine on our deck, and watching the Olympics opening ceremony. But on Saturday morning bright and early...

...we headed up to wine country! Sonoma, specifically, because we prefer it to Napa. Not that I don't love Napa, but Sonoma has such a more laid-back, charming, rustic thing going on that I can't help but give it a special place in my heart.  

We started the day at a family fave, La Crema's Estate at Saralee's Vineyard. (Ready for a blast from the past? Take a peek at my family's first trip there, before I even decided to move to California!)

I'm a member at La Crema, so we got to do a private tasting upstairs in the members' lounge (which I would like to move into at their earliest convenience, please). 

Of course, we left with a little bubbly in tow...

...plus a case of wine for good measure. Schwegmans don't screw around! 

Our second stop was new to all of us, but came highly recommended by Ashley at La Crema. DeLoach Vineyards specializes in pinots and is part of the highly-regarded Jean-Charles Boisset wine family. 

We fell in love with their fantastic "open-air photo booth" at first sight...

...and proceeded to fall in love with their fantastic wines, so much so that Mom and Dad joined the club in my name! They get all the wine sent to them, but every time I go to Sonoma, my friends and I can visit and taste for free at any JCB winery. I've already made a second stop there and can't wait to visit their other properties! 

...and ending on a lighter note...Dad learned to take selfies, and the world will never be the same. 

More birthday fun to come soon! 

Ryan Reuvs Takes a Nap(a)

Continuing on my catch-up of recent life events...toward the end of September, I was graced with a quick visit from three of my very favorites, the darling Reuvers family! 

Zach travels like a crazy person for work, and on his most recent trip to the Bay Area, he brought Colleen and Baby Ryan with him for a long weekend! Naturally, I was called in to serve as Napa Valley Tour Guide and Wine Tasting Expert du Jour, a position which I was all too glad to fill. After we met up in Oakland at their hotel, and I had properly cooed over precious baby Ry for approximately THE ENTIRE drive to Napa, we made it to stop 1: Trinitas Cellars at the Meritage Resort!

Why Trinitas? 

They were one of the makers of the 2016 Notre Dame Family Wines, and the day of our visit was the last day they'd be selling theirs! We naturally HAD to make a stop...and pick up plenty of it...but first, a vineyard hike to start our morning off strong. After our great guide, Matt, poured us some sauvignon blanc for the walk, we set off...

...into an absolutely picture-perfect fall day. Who says California doesn't get fall colors?! Look at those vines!

Baby Ryan, moderately angered at his inability to enjoy the sauvignon blanc with us, stuck with a bottle of the house white while we moved on to chardonnay (HAHAHAHA I have such a puerile sense of humor - oops!). 

Trinitas was one of the cooler tours I've ever done - the hike leads almost straight up through their steeply-terraced vineyards, with picture-perfect views of the south end of the valley. We were at liberty to step off the trail, examine the vines, and, at Matt's encouragement, to taste grapes straight off the vine...one of my favorite Napa experiences. 

For me, though, the biggest delight was watching these two as parents - trekking through the vineyard with a bottle in one hand and a glass in the other, Coll carrying Ryan straight up like nobody's business, and Ry guy being an absolutely perfect angel-baby the entire time. They are THE cutest family, no joke. 

From Trinitas, we moved on to Chandon for a quick glass of bubbly - Zach also tried their reserve Pinot and was pretty pleased! Ryan, meanwhile, was the indisputable star of the tasting room...

Realistically, in an outfit like that, how could he not be the cutest person there? Since I'm a club member, I got our standard comped two glasses...but because it was Ryan's first wine-tasting, our tasting host actually comped us everything we drank, plus a couple of their last few bottles of American Summer!! I need to bring Baby Ry with me EVERY time I go to Napa, geez. 

We headed back to Oakland to catch the Notre Dame Miami Ohio game...one that we had originally talked about all going to the Bend for with my family of Redhawk/Irish fans, so it was extra-fun to watch it with these two! 

Mr. Ryan was ready to party - not only did he intently watch at least five minutes of the game, but he seemed ready to celebrate a win in true Reuvs fashion: 

Instead, though, after all that bottle service, this little cuddlebug promptly passed out. And I was clearly not at all into it...

Loved getting a whole day with my favorite little family in one of my favorite places! Can't wait to see them again soon!

Hannah Hits California!

A few weeks ago, I was treated to the loveliest few days ever as the always-delightful Hannah made her way west for a long visit! 

With multiple friends in the Bay Area, timing was perfect for her to take a week and come explore the best of our west coast world, and I loved every minute of my time with her. 

We had the most delicious boondoggle of a workday Thursday for me, starting with pastries at Pamplemousse in downtown Redwood City, followed by a lengthy lunch at Terrain Café at Anthropologie.

We sipped on passionfruit and blackberry spritzers, shared the pistachio hummus, and pretended it felt like fall with butternut squash bisque. The sunshine-soaked terrace and perfect temperatures made going back to the office so hard! 

While I wrapped up work for the day, Hannah explored Stanford's campus, which still takes my breath away every time I stop and look up and think to myself, "Hey. I work HERE." 

I left work extremely early and we met back up for manicures, then headed home for sunset views, Hanna cabernet (so appropriate!), and a woodfire pizza adventure with Dave and Laura! 

Takeaways from pizza night: 

- Dave is an EXCELLENT hand-tosser of pizza crusts. 

- I am not. 

- Our woodfire pizza oven is a complex and somewhat terrifying animal. 

- Pine nuts make EVERYTHING taste more delicious. 

- So does wine. 

I unfortunately had to work almost a full Friday (oh the horror!), but Hannah and her friend Sara enjoyed a day trip to Santa Cruz before heading my way for a low-key evening of appetizers and wine at Martin's West and Cask Wine Bar. 

Hannah and Sara spent Saturday in the city while I tailgated the Stanford-Oregon game with Dave and Laura, but we met up on Sunday for lots of wine tasting in Livermore! Hannah's trip fell during the peak of the Napa and Sonoma wildfires - about which I have A LOT to say very soon - but Livermore is actually closer and much cheaper for us than Napa/Sonoma, and did just fine in a pinch for a wine country experience! 

A fantastic added bonus - my beloved Meems was in town for a weekend with her girlfriends, and headed to meet up with us at our final stop of the day, Murrieta's Well! 

Along for the weekend? Natalie, who might as well be an honorary Schweg at this point - she and Emily have been besties since kindergarten (possibly earlier!). 

So fun to get to spend a little sister time together - I'm already excited for more Em time over Thanksgiving! 

For me, though, the highlight of the trip was my Monday with Hannah, mostly because it felt so much like old times. All touristed out, she and I opted for a night in featuring all of our favorite things. We started with an afternoon of wine by the pool, soaking up sunshine and catching up on the most absurd, minute happenings in our lives, then transitioned indoors for delivery Mexican, which we devoured on our patio. It felt just like old times at Rojo, happy friend tears and all (although the queso was NOT up to standard and we were on mezcal cocktails and wine instead of Rojo's lethal margs!). We wound down the evening in the best way imaginable...indulging our love of "The Bachelor" franchise, first with Sean and Catherine's wedding in our hot tub, and then with an episode of Emily's season - which Dave and I were watching at the time in advance of Arie's upcoming stint as The Bachelor! 

Having such a great, relaxed night hammered home for me just how much I miss, appreciate and love friends like Hannah. Being able to pick up right where we left off, with our ridiculous inside jokes, laughter, and heartfelt conversations, felt so natural and reminded me what an abundance of truly wonderful people I have in my life - both here and back in Minnesota. So grateful that she chose to spend precious vacation days in the Golden State with me, and can't wait until our next reunion! 

Schwegmanigans: Wine Country Edition!

YOU GUYS there are like fifty pictures in this post and I can't even begin to narrow it down further because this was SUCH a fantastically fun day. 

My family came out to visit me about six weeks after I moved this summer - ostensibly to see my new city, tour Stanford, etc. - but in reality, our end goal was simple: CHANDON. 

As I have told you all ad nauseum, my sister Emily is a ridiculously gifted designer whose work was selected by Domaine Chandon for their limited edition "American Summer" champagne bottles this summer. With wine country the same distance from my new home as cabin country is from the Twin Cities, I've made it my new favorite weekend destination - and Chandon has become the winery equivalent of Cheers for me. (This was my third trip, and I've subsequently made a couple more...oops!) 

We were so excited to bring Emily to see all her work in action - and the winery staff were almost equally excited when we told them she had done the design work. They comped us a bottle of their reserve label cuvée, one of my favorites, to enjoy outside! 

...and enjoy we did. In addition to the bottle that we received from Chandon, I also had a wine club shipment to pick up, and they waived the corkage fee to open it on site. I also receive free tastings or full glasses as a club member...so needless to say, we had QUITE a few bubbles in our systems by the time we rolled out a few hours later. 

We quickly made our way to the Adirondacks out back, and while we started out perfectly respectable, I PROMISE...

...things rapidly devolved as we cracked into bottle #2. Jonathan will clearly make an excellent and HIGHLY professional sommelier someday.

I absolutely adore these people beyond all measure and reason. We had way too much fun popping bottles, taking pictures, and telling, I shit you not, EVERYONE we came in contact with that Emily had done the design work. I think she was ready to absolutely murder Dad by the time we headed out. 

Fortunately, Dad had provided for us with a massive haul at Bouchon Bakery down the street...he does this great thing where he kind of blacks out at any given bakery counter, and all of a sudden we have like three times as many pastries as any family of five could justifiably need. He also went HAM on the macaron selection, and they were an ideal re-up after all the bubbles. 

As temperatures soared into the 90s, we headed for our second stop of the day, Alpha Omega's gorgeous outdoor tasting patio. Could this setting be any more idyllic? 

The girls did a custom flight of white wines - perfect for the heat - while Papa Bear and Jonathan went full-out with the Beckstoffer To Kalon tasting - three wine archive-quality cabernets plus a current offering. It was, in a word, sublime. 

A little bit wined-out, we turned to one of my favorite hidden gems in St. Helena, Goose & Gander. With a Michelin-recommended cocktail program in their charming basement bar, it was the perfect mid-afternoon stop to beat the heat and take a break from wine for a time. Bonus: Dad adores their hand-chipped, crystal-clear giant ice cubes... 

From there, it was back down the road to Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch for a happy hour glass of wine and some snacks while we waited out the worst of rush hour traffic back into the city. We loved their grass-fed meatballs and mini ham sandwiches!

As usual, an unbelievably lovely day in wine country with my Schwegfam faves :)