Wine Country, Temecula 2008

Well, we knew that "Wine Country" area of Temecula had been growing over the last few years. So much that each time we drive through we notice a new winery sign, or building, or restaurant. We just had no idea how much it had grown until we took a couple of friends from Indiana out for their first "California Wine Tasting" experience. We hit the wineries first that we have always gone to and then attempted a new one. Wow! were surprised by going off the beaten path and finding this great winery called "Long Shadow Ranch". Their wines and ports were superb! reasonably priced and the atmosphere was the best we had experienced all day!

For lunch we ended up at one of our old stand-by favorites; "South Coast Winery". Lunch was it's usual consistent good food and great service! The wines there are still mediocre as well as the knowledge of the wait-staff of wines. It sure is beautiful there though.

After lunch we had time for one last stop and desert. Temecula Wine Tasting just wouldn't be complete without visiting the "icon" of Temecula Wine Country for some Champagne and Port (yes together in one tasting) in decadent chocolate cup... Wilson Creek Winery, has been through it's own growing spurt too. I has a brand new wedding and banquet facility adjacent to their "Tasting Room" building. Wow! When did that go up? We drive out that way at least once or twice a month and never saw it being built then suddenly it appeared. It looks beautiful! Go see it! and be sure to have some Champagne and Port while you are there! mmmmm..... so good! I am not a port person.

Chris and I decided we need to get out to visit the other wineries sometime soon. He just needs to close some deals at work and start earning us some wine $spending$ money for our expensive habit. Ha! Ha! Ha!

Hey Mr. Postman!

Lol! Ha! Ha! Ha! ...Sorry, but I had to start this off with a little chuckle. Tonight I found out that to appease our 3 1/2 year old daughter, Lilly, my husband has been giving her blank envelopes to put in the mailbox. Let me elaborate; each night that my husband sits at his desk and writes out his expense reports, pays bills or orders new coins, he prepares his envelopes and sets them on his desk to be mailed when he is done. Then he takes Lilly to the mailbox to put them in the slot when they go to pick up the mail. Lilly decided one day that she need to put her own mail in the box, so to save argument Chris started handing Lilly blank envelopes, which she would draw on (excuse me, address) and seal up so that she could put her own mail in the box. Periodically, my dear husband would throw in an occasional "reply by mail" "postage paid" envelope from some magazine company or credit card company and let her stuff it with drawings that she made and seal them up too.

Tonight I caught them doing their little "mail routine" and Lilly had just stuffed a big manilla envelope with scrap paper she found lying around and colored the outside of the envelope. She asked me "mamma, who can I mail this too? I told her we could mail it to her Aunt, when Chris stopped me and informed me that they had been just putting unlabeled, unstamped envelopes in the mail box each night. "OMG!" what must the mailman be thinking I wonder? My only guess is that the "Dead Letter" pile in Temecula must be pretty big by now and its not even Christmas!

Christmas Lights in July!

In just a couple more days I hop on a plane headed for Conroe, Texas (Houston area) to meet people who like Christmas Lights as much and even more than me! I know can you believe it? There are people like me out there? People who think about Christmas lights, Christmas music, Christmas anything in the middle of July and all year long. The best thing about these people? They don't look at me with a glazed over "OMG, here she goes again..." look on their faces. Nor do they politely smile at me and nod as if I was a mental patient on the edge... LOL!! :-)

I chat with about 50 to 100 of my Christmas friends every day on online Forums for Christmas Light decorators from all over the world. We talk about how to make things for our displays, the best and coolest lighting products that we use, our favorite Christmas music, share pictures and videos of our displays, help each other out with our displays, help the new people who just crossed over to the bright side with their display questions... and everything that a great community of people with a common life experience do.

It truly is a community of its own. So many different kids of people from all walks of life with the one common thing. It doesn't matter who you are, where you live, how much money you don't make, what your family status is, what your culture is, all we want to talk about is Christmas! Of course we throw in the personal stories and jokes and important moments in our lives here and there that have nothing to with Christmas, but that is for the sake of getting to know each other better.

I love all my online Christmas friends! I love them even more when I get to meet them in person. In California because of the new Christmas Lights Community chapter that Chris and I started here, I have been able to meet probably close to 150 people in CA that decorate for Christmas. They are all very supportive of one another and are so willing to share what they have learned and what they do with their lights. It is totally awesome!

So now I am off to meet my friends who live in Texas and some others who are traveling in from other states too to learn about the ins and outs of Christmas Light decorating. I will even be able (like at any other Conference) to meet and make special purchases from specialty Christmas Lights vendors. You all know how I LOVE to shop! So this will be a fun experience for me too!

Anyway, I know this is long, but I am REALLY, REALLY, REALLY Excited about this Workshop and meeting my friends!

I will let you know when I get back about what I did and learned. Hopefully a few pictures too!

Like this one here that I took at the BBQ/workshop that I went to in Stockton, CA last month.

This week she was a MERMAID!

OMG! Lilly and I are having all kinds of fun with her new "Princess Dance Class" at Miss Sue's Dance! She LOVES her teacher and her new "Dance" friends! This week was Little Mermaid week, so they wore the Little Mermaid costumes while they learned new dance moves. Of course I had to create a music video of her! http://youtube.com/watch?v=a4PL4TWceVg