Love, My Twenties

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Wine Tasting in Napa Valley

This long weekend, one of my best friends from UC Davis came back up to visit. While she was here, we went shopping (I got new boots), celebrated Clara's birthday (at Chicago Fire), went clubbing (at The Park), and lastly, went wine tasting in Napa! It was a busy weekend, but beyond worth it!

Here is our Napa Valley trip in a nutshell:

Stop #1: Sterling Vineyards

At Sterling, you take a gondola up to the winery, which gives gorgeous 360 degree views of Napa. While we were there, we tried seven different wines. My favourite was the 2013 Cellar Club Malvasia Bianca. It was a sweet white wine that was fruity and delicious!

(^Those are the new boots I mentioned!)

Stop #2: Beaulieu Vineyards

Here, we went downstairs to the Club Member Tasting Room where we sampled five wines - one white, four red. The last one we tasted, a 2009 Georges de Latour, retailed at $140 per bottle and you could tell! It was the smoothest red I've ever tasted!

Stop #3: "Welcome to Napa Valley"

On our way home, we decided to stop here to take the typical tourist shot. As this is the off-season for grapes, the vineyards are filled with thousands of mustard seeds. These bright yellow flowers made for some beautiful shots! Along with the mustard seeds, there was also an old railroad track at this pitstop, which turned out to be a great backdrop for photos.

Usually my friends aren't often into taking individual photos, but today was an exception. Maybe it had something to do with the wine in their system or they just loved the location, but they were willing to model for me! Here are some of my favourites (and of course, some funny ones)!

Clara:

Emma:

Marie:

(I, also, joined in on the fun)

Overall, we had a wonderful day, and best of all, a great visit with Marie!

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Fill a Sketchbook

In my second year of college, I took a class that was required for what my major at the time was (biomechanical engineering) that involved sketching. Each week, we had to complete a certain number of free sketches to get used to it, something that I never thought I'd enjoy. However, the more I did it, the more I really truly enjoyed it. When that realization occurred, I decided to challenge myself to completely fill a sketchbook. Tonight, I completed that goal. I started it January 17, almost exactly three years ago, and whenever I found myself with some free time, I'd take out my book and sketch away! It's never been something I've shared with people, but I'm proud of accomplishing this task I set out for myself, so I've decided to share some of my favourites. Enjoy!

xoxo

Sunday, January 11, 2015

DIY Dog Treats

My two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (Kinchie and Whinnie) are my two joys in life. So, one night while I was bored, I decided to make them some doggie treats. I found this Cinnamon Bun Bites recipe courtesy of Babble.

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder (I used soda because I was out of powder)

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

¼ cup canola oil

1 egg

2 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

(For the drizzle: ¼ cup light cream cheese, 1-2 tablespoons milk)

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.

Step 2: In a small bowl, stir milk, oil, and egg.

Step 3: Add wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir until soft dough forms.

Step 4: Roll dough into a rectangle.

Step 5: Drizzle rectangle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Step 6: Roll up rectangle. Be sure to pinch the edges to seal.

Step 7: Cut roll into increments half an inch thick.

Step 8: Place pieces cut-side down onto a cookie sheet. Remember to spray the pan with nonstick spray before placing treats.

Step 9: Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

Step 10: Mix drizzle ingredients together. Wait for cookies to cool completely and add drizzle.

The two of them seemed to love them!

Monday, January 5, 2015

My 2014

My favourite memories and accomplishments from 2014...

I realized this year that I am 100% comfortable in who I am as a woman. God created me to be a perfect version of myself, and this year I learned to embrace that and be confident in that.

I was lucky enough to be a part of the Sisterhood Support Team (within the New Member Team) for my Chi Omega chapter. It was such a wonderful experience helping to guide our new members up to their initiations.

This is the first year that I can actually remember having more "good" health days than bad. My medication was changed a number of times, but at some point during the year, my body got it right. I still have some rough days, but they finally don't dominate my life!

Because of the above, I was able to lower my anti-depressant for the first time in three years. It was a huge accomplishment for me and I can finally see a future where I don't need medication for my depression.

Two of my high school girls went from Miss to Mrs this summer! Watching the two of them marry the loves of their lives was amazing.

We called it the "Summer of Concerts" because my sister and I went to one each month - we had a blast!

My parents made the move from California to Illinois in August, along with my sister transferring from Sac State to U of I. Although I didn't follow them, my home-base and family moved, and that was quite the adjustment.

While my family moved to another state, I moved into my first house!

Chi Omega was too incredible for words this year. Pre-recruitment and formal recruitment were definite highlights. We bonded and grew as a chapter. I had never been so proud or thankful to be sisters with such incredible women. I was also given the opportunity to be a day chair for one of the days during recruitment, and it was intense! It was so much work, but it all came together - House Tours truly rocked!

After taking classes for my double major for more than a year, I finally declared Organizational Studies!

I welcomed another Little into my Wild Things family within Chi Omega and she is perfect! Such a sweet soul that one!

I took my high school friend, Jordan, to my fall formal this year and had so much fun! It was only my second formal in college and it was one for the books! Best friends and dancing were the perfect combo!

For our family trip this year, we did Christmas on the Rhine - aka, we took a river cruise around Germany, Switzerland, France, and Holland for Christmas!

This year I tapped into my creativity and developed new ideas and products that really developed my creative skills. I forgot how much creativity adds to my life and I cannot wait to keep using it in 2015!

2014 was truly an amazing year and I cannot wait to see what 2015 has in store!