thwarted...but still fabulous

I have to share this totally funny story from the weekend. I’ve been trying to plan a wine tasting trip for the past 3 weekends. Each time something comes up with us or other people and we don’t end up going. Sunday, Mike’s on the couch watching Top Gun. I’m antsy! So we jump in the car and head down 219 to Newburg. I wanted to go to Erath, Bella Vida and Torii Morre (all that I’d researched and knew all about their wines). 10 minutes into the drive its sunny, beautiful out, 20 minutes in, it’s raining and next thing we know it is SNOWING. HARD. 5 minutes later it was like we’d driven into a snow storm and there is 3 inches of snow on the ground. Now, I’m telling you from experience, the mini can’t handle this. The car in front of us is driving so slow that we think we’re going to stop, we’re creeping. The mini can’t afford to stop. It will get stuck, trust me, I’ve done it. So Mike passes the car!!! He’s crazy!! We are on a hill with a major slope into a gully on the other side of the road. I screamed out in fear of our safety; Mike scolded me for getting upset. A minute later it is snowing so hard that even Mike decides we must turn around.
I WAS THWARTED!!! I can’t tell you how disappointed I was.

On the way back home we (of course) drive right back into the sunshine. Mike felt so bad for me that he took me to Oak Knoll Vineyard instead and I tasted some amazing wines at the cozy little welcoming tasting room. They had a wine called Niagara (it tasted like freshly picked grapes, a flavor from my childhood) and Frabrosia (a raspberry wine like the Belgian Frambra, light not port like) and some great Pinot Noirs. I bought a half a case of wine just to console myself. 2 Niagara, 2 Frabosia and to Rose Festival 2005 special Pinot Gris. It was beautiful and sunny at Oak Knoll, by the way. The weather is CRAZY these days.

New Students

I had to post these fun photos from our Saturday night with out students as it is so unusual that they would be acting so wired and fun. I don't know how I got them to pose like this, let alone be so silly. It is very opposite to how they normally are.
We all made a big Asian feast together and it was fun bonding time. The meal turned out great but the process of making it was at least 99% of the enjoyment.

So for those who didn't know, we have 2 new students living with us until June. 2 weeks ago Andeo our international home stay agency emailed me with the profile of a new spring semester student. Surprised? Mike and I have really loved having our house back to ourselves for the past 4 months which has given us some space to adjust to my new job and Mike’s new schedule with school. But now that we’ve had some time we thought that it was time to extend again.

Yoshiko who came in on 3/24 is from Japan and is a nurse here for a year to study English. She is 32 and I love her positive energy. We were asked to take a second student just last week, Sun, a 20 year of from Korea who came in on 3/22. We decided that it is better to have 2 students vs. just one. With our schedules right now I thought it would be nice for both students to have an automatic friend and a roommate.

I am so blessed that God brought this opportunity into our lives. We love the energy in the house. Sometimes a house with no visitor, pets or kids can feel empty. And the happiness and fun that students bring is a delight to me. We are in the awkward stage now. Learning how to communicate with the language barrier. Figuring out class schedules, meal schedules and how to all get along. But that is melting fast! We will be accommodating this round of students a little different than our last bunch. (remember that drama) Mainly, I plan to set some boundaries early.

To welcome them last night, I made a very tasty ginger chicken stir fry and Mike came home early so he could eat with us. I am really hoping to get my camera back soon so I can post some photos. But here is one of their application photos that I thought I would share.

 

These are the Clematis vines that we planted last year around this time. They have gone nuts. Aren't they beautiful?

Running + Wine

Just wanted to give a little update from the Jacobs house. We slept all weekend. Mike’s new schedule has really kicked both of our butts. 5:30am M-F is way tough to adjust too. (I guess it is good practice for having kids right? – ouch!) Mike completed his first culinary class on Friday. Each class is 3 weeks long. He had the 2nd highest grade in the class – overachiever you might say? Well, maybe? In this next class he should start cooking and that will be fun stuff.

As for me…I broke one of my cameras on my trip to Arizona so I’ve had to send it in to get repaired. (no photos for awhile) I’ve been trying to figure out how to spend my evenings (by myself). My last few weeks have not lacked things to do as I’ve been doggy sitting for a friend, trying to get our house in order and clean and running various errands for Mike, dry cleaning, school shopping etc. Sounds fun? NOT!

But there are 2 things I’ve been enjoying lately, wine and running. Odd combo you say? Well…I enjoy them separately, thank you. I’ve started a red wine journal and am slowly building a recommendation list. You have to taste quiet a few bad wines to get a good wine. And you have to either get lucky or get the WINE SPECTATOR magazine (which I am now getting). My 1st recommendation: Renwood, Syria 2005 (found at TJ’s for 9.99). Typically on nights I am not at the gym, I’m learning to use my new Nike +. It is awesome! Does anyone else having one of these? Well…it is really motivating me to work on my bod outside of my 2 day a week gym commitment. (Laughing out loud to myself) And my favorite powersong to run too “Don’t stop the music, by Rihanna.

MAMA's 60th (Leap) Birthday

 

Friday night's dinner party at the Black Rabbitt was a great hit. We enjoyed the company of lots of loving guests who came to honor mom and her leap year big 60.