Napa {Day 1}

This past weekend was pretty amazing.  A few months back, John threw out the idea that Leslie, Delila, Cullen, Nicole, and I accompany him for a weekend trip down to Napa to cross something off his foodie bucket list {read more about it here}, and after about 0.2 seconds of contemplating, we all enthusiastically agreed.  Well, this was the weekend, and it was truly epic.  Lots of wine, amazing food, and a pretty great group of people.  What more could you ask for? 

 we hired a driver to take us around to vineyards on friday, which was definitely the way to go.  we started our day at Tres Sabores Winery, which we all agreed was our favorite of the trip

 the girls got all dressed up for a day of tastings

 we watched as they were picking grapes to crush, and even got to taste the freshly pressed juice {which was incredible}

 the view was gorgeous as the sun started to come out

 our tour guide brian was awesome - he took us into a cave where they keep the barrels

 he even climbed up on one to get a group shot for us

 wine barrel selfie with nicole

 we met Julie Johnson, owner and winemaker, and after watching her picking the grapes by hand herself for the harvest {how cool, right?}, i was sold and officially became a wine club member

 next, our driver took us to Black Cat Vineyard, which is impossible to get a tasting at unless you're a member {lucky for us, we had a former member in our group - thanks, Nicole!}

 since it's a private winery, we were able to lounge around on the comfy chairs while chatting with Tracey {founder and winemaker} and watching cats run around the property

 the view was gorgeous - I could totally move in

 we were pretty content to just sit and hang out.  this was definitely the most relaxing stop of the day {with leslie}

 our final stop of the day was Nicholson Ranch, which felt like a tuscan villa in the rolling hills

 by that time, it was sunny and warm, and it was nice to just hang out outside

 we were given a private tour of the winery, including down in the caves where they store the wine

 wine cave selfie

 we got to go into private and hidden rooms, which were pretty awesome

 owner and winemaker Deepak even joined us for the second half of the tour, answering all of our questions about wine and how he got his start.  such a nice guy

it was the perfect first day for our trip, but we knew that Saturday was going to be even better..... :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Sunset

I'm off for a long weekend to Napa to spend time drinking great wine, eating amazing food, and hanging out with some wonderful people.  Before I go, here's a few pics from the sunset at Golden Gardens Tuesday night.  Not too shabby :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Training Camp

Last week we had one of the most fun days, because Mom & I skipped work to head down to the VMAC for a day at Seahawks Training Camp.  I didn't even realize you could go to this until I saw some friend's pics from last year, and ever since then I've been anxiously awaiting to go.  Tickets sold out FAST {so glad we got them}, and for just $7 each, we bussed into the VMAC where we were greeted with merchandise booths, pictures with Blitz, food at reasonable {read: not CLink} prices, and activities for the whole family.  But the main attraction?  The guys on the field.  It's amazing how close and casual it is - you sit right on the hillside overlooking the field and the lake {it's definitely not an ugly place!} and the team do drills, run plays, and play a little scrimmage right before your eyes.  And after 2 hours of that, they come up and give autographs!  While most of the guys didn't make it to our side of the field, after patiently waiting, Russell finally came jogging over to give the kids what they wanted.  While I did not squeeze my way up to the front, I did manage to snap a few pics  semi-close, which made the almost hour of waiting in the scorching heat worth it.  It was such a fun day that I am already planning on replicating next year :)

 pete {in all white} getting ready for practice

 me and my mama

 oh hey, #3

 my new favorite, #88, jimmy graham {jeff joked all the pics on my camera would be of jimmy's backside - he was not entirely wrong}

 running drills

 we spent the day with kelsey and jeff - so fun!

 sherman!

 no biggie - just a bald eagle soaring over the 12 flag {seriously - could it get any prettier there??}

 me and blitz

 autograph time

 this sight literally caused a mob-like mentality of rushing towards that corner

russell - i love you.  let's win it again this year!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Fresh Tomato Pasta

Once again, my tomato plants are taking over the garden - and it makes me so happy :)  I love walking by and picking the Sweet 100's to snack on, or cutting up the Early Girl's for my daily lunch salad.  However, the other week I decided I wanted something a bit more substantial for dinner, so I went outside and picked a bowlful of Sweet 100's and used what I had in the pantry to make a yummy and quick meal.  While water was boiling for pasta {I used spaghetti}, I heated up some olive oil and sliced garlic in a frying pan over medium heat.  I sliced up a bunch of small tomatoes and after I added the noodles to the boiling water, I added the tomatoes to the oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and basil, and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles were done.  That's it!  I added the tomato mixture to the noodles, topped with some Parmesan, and had the easiest, quickest dinner that was super flavorful and satisfying.  I've finally found a way to get rid of the tomatoes! :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Party Like It's 1989

Last weekend after the Mariner game, Mom and I did a quick change in the car then headed over to the CLink for the Taylor Swift concert.  Concert might be the wrong word - maybe the Taylor Swift Experience?  Either way, it was amazing.  The stadium was packed with tweens and teens and their moms {and a few dads} all decked out in T Swift t-shirts, costumes, and barely there clothing.  The show was spectacular - she sang all her new songs off her album "1989", along with a few old favorites, and every little detail, down to the bracelets each person had that lit up in sync to the music, was immaculately thought out and executed.  And when Russell Wilson & Ciara made a surprise guest appearance, the cheers that erupted were reminiscent of an actual Hawks game.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I now have made it a life goal to become friends with Taylor.  She seems like the sweetest, coolest person {and had some great advice on love to give to the crowd} and I'm pretty sure we would hit it off immediately :)  Such an amazing night!

 keepin' it classy

 red lips are a must for the show

 the stadium lit up by our bracelets

 a "gift from taylor"

 with russell and ciara

 the cutest

fireworks for shake it off

xoxo,
stephanie marie