"Napa and Another Year"

Where do I begin?  For starters, I'll apologize for the radio silence last week, but I went on a fabulous trip for my birthday and just didn't have time to check in.  If you've been a reader for a while, you know I have a thing for birthdays.  You can check out my past celebrations here, here, here and here. I told you I like birthdays.

I knew I wanted to do something fun for the last celebration of my 30s, so a trip to Napa sounded like the perfect idea.  I packed up with my forever friend Stacey and headed to the West Coast.



Needless to say, after the long flight we headed straight for food and then wine, what else?  I fell in love with the laid back vibe at Cline Cellars in Sonoma, where we were staying.  In addition to FREE wine tastings, they had great spaces to lounge around and chit chat over a bottle. 

Cline Cellars

I'll admit that on vacation I usually don't go for the expensive lodging options.  Maybe it's all of those hotel points I've acquired at the day job, but I have to say I may be singing a new tune.  The Inn at Sonoma was perfection.  It was small, quaint and the staff was fantastic.  

Inn at Sonoma

 

There was even a opportunity to capture a little design inspiration.  Hello floral sofa!

 

 

On day two we hit the ground running, or should I say rolling...

I hadn't been on a bike in years, and it showed.  It took me a little while to get back in the groove, but  this may have been my favorite activity of the entire trip.  Maybe it was the cool morning air, or the nostalgia of bike riding with my childhood friend, but I had the best time.  We rode around the most precious neighborhood, stopping to snap pics of our favorites.  This was one of mine...

After the bike ride, we packed up for a day trip to Big Sur.  Yep, Big Sur and Carmel. That was about four hours of stop and go traffic, but it was totally worth it to get to this view.

We had lunch at the restaurant where my cousin was married and soaked it all in before heading further up the mountain to capture the picturesque landscape. 

 

We stumbled upon the Andrew Molera State Park and decided to walk down to the shoreline.  Unfortunately for us, we had no idea it would be a mile long trek. 

Thankfully, it was totally worth it when we finally got to this...

  What a day!

The next day, Monday, was my actual birthday and we started  with brunch and bottomless mimosas at the legendary Villagio Inn and Spa.

Spa services were up next and I'm a new fan of a body scrub and steam shower before a full body massage. Ahhh....

 

After a quick bite to eat at R & D, we headed to our wine tour appointment.  We made our way on a death defying ride UP the mountain to this amazing mid-century modern designed winery. 

Tucked away literally in the mountain side, this place was too amazing to capture.

The tour was great, but the wine was even better.  Let's just say I may have brought a little piece of Chappellet home with me. ; )

Later, we enjoyed an amazing dinner at The Girl and The Fig back in Sonoma to cap off my big day.

And on the way back to the hotel I realized that we were staying across from THE original Williams-Sonoma.  How cool is that?

The next day, I said goodbye to the BFF and headed to Sacramento for some time with my family.  There's nothing like being with your people.  It also doesn't hurt when you arrive to a welcome like this one...

I had a fabulous time catching up with my cousin Tanya and her family.  It was the perfect way to end a truly epic trip.

So today I'm home and it's back to reality, but I'm so fortunate to have had the time and the means to take some time to replenish and celebrate another wonderful year of life.

 I can't wait to see what's God has in store for me next.  Stay tuned, I've got a feeling it's gonna be good. 



"Birthday Backyard Movie Night"

Hope you guys had an awesome weekend.  I did!  It was my birthday weekend after all.  It was so great spending time with my friends, so I had to share the weekend's happenings with you. 

So, I decided to host a backyard movie night.  My backyard has been looking so inviting that I decided why not invite others to take in the serene environment.  I'll admit, I tend to go overboard when it comes to entertaining, but these days I just don't have the time or energy for that.  I was bound and determined to keep it simple. 

So with the invites sent...

...I began planning a simple no-stress, event appropriate menu.  I included traditional movie theater fare.

I was a little worried that it wouldn't be enough, but a wise friend reminded me that no one will starve to death if we happened to run out of an offering. So very true.

I knew it would be super warm, even in the evening this time of year, so hydration was key.  I ordered this small cart from Wal-Mart.com to use as an outdoor bar cart.

Although it was a little small (I may upgrade to something larger), it was perfect for styling and holding the Sangria and cold beverages.  I picked up the bust planter on sale at Hobby Lobby for 80% off.  It was originally royal blue.  I'm convinced that there's nothing a coat of gold spray paint can't fix.

The tablescape began with this $4.99 vinyl tablecloth I picked up at Ross.  I was drawn to it simple because of the color and floral design and was surprised how nice it looked for vinyl.  No surprise it was made by Waverly. 

I love when I get to pull out my Grandma's Fiesta Ware.  If you've ever been to my home you know I do NOT do paper products.  I figure, if I have dishes and cloth napkins, they we're designed to be used. 

 

 After we had our snacks in hand, we moved outside to the backyard.  I will admit it was HOTT and ideally speaking we would've started much later so that it would've been completely dark.  However, it was a Sunday night and I wanted to be mindful of the fact that most people had to get up and go to work the next day. By about 8:30 the projection was perfect. 

Honestly the most difficult part was selecting a movie that was a crowd pleaser.  I wanted something that was not too long, engaging from the very beginning, a blockbuster type (mass appeal and a happy ending), no racial or political undertones and not too heavy (deep) it was a celebration after all.  I chose Unstoppable starring Denzel Washington and given the applause at the end, I'd say it was a hit.

There's just nothing better than having a house full of friends.  We all had a blast!

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday and I'm so blessed to have been able to celebrate it with friends.

"Another Year"

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know I believe in taking control of my own birthday.  I wrote about my decentralized birthday celebration last year.  

Not sure when it began, but somewhere during my adulthood, I realized that if I were going to have a fabulous birthday, it was going to be up to me to plan it.  Over the years, I hosted tea parties, shoe parties, white breakfasts, destination parties and the like.  This year, I wanted something low-key but fun, so I gathered some of my vino loving friends and headed to a winery about an hour away. 



I have to say, I think we were all impressed.  I mean, it's not like we live in Napa Valley.  It's North Carolina, not a place exactly known for it's wine.  However, it seems that more and more wineries (pretty good ones) are popping up in and around our area.

Childress Vineyards

The grounds were stunning. And while we didn't exactly have a beautiful weather day on Saturday, that didn't put a damper on our fun. 

Yes, we were photo bombed by our sommelier.

We arrived at the beautiful facility and headed straight to the tasting room.

We had the option to taste sweet wines or dry ones.  I'm a dry girl myself. 

The wines were surprisingly delicious.  My favorites were two fabulous reserve reds.

2010 Reserve Malbec

Earthy and luxurious, Malbec entertains the senses with a minty nose, cherry fruit flavors, hints of leather, and subtle tannins.

2010 Reserve Petit Verdot

Lush and rich with a nose of plum and flavors of blueberry and peppermint, this wine pairs nicely with lamb, short ribs, or roasted duck.

After the tasting we had a delicious lunch in the bistro.

 

Can I just say there is something about Sangria in Mason Jar that just calls my name.  Anyway, the food was yummy, and the place was packed!

Unfortunately during lunch the skies opened up and our vineyard tour didn't happen, but we had a fab time despite the inclement weather.

I'd highly recommend a visit if you're in the area.  Thanks to my wonderful friends, I came home with a little reminder of an afternoon well spent. 

 

Another year, another fabulous birthday. 

"Ready or Not, Here it Comes..."

I'm typically all about a birthday, however for some reason I'm just not ready this year.  Just in case you're wondering what this has to do with interior design, it probably comes as no surprise that I believe that one of the best ways to turn your house into a home is to open it up to others;  Something I try to do as often as possible.  On occasion however, my dwelling just isn't able to accommodate my grandeos ideas.  Last year, on a somewhat significant birthday, I celebrated with a "white" breakfast with a few of my closets friends.



It was one of the best birthdays I've ever had. So many great friends showed up that it was a little overwhelming.  One of our waitresses even commented on how fortunate I was to have so many great friends.  It really is easy to take it for granted.  I'm so grateful that they came from all around to share my day with me.

It meant so much to have old friends....

And new ones...

Colleagues...

And sisters (both sorority and blood) ...

And so many more...

It just wouldn't be a Cheryl party without a game so I made up a quiz to see which friend knew me best.  That was a hoot. 

People get fiesty over a prize.  But in the end, Bonnie prevailed....

 and of course there were parting gifts....

So I ask, how do I top that?  Not to mention my birthday is 11 days away.  Yikes!

Alas, ready or not...

Leave me a comment.  I'd love to hear from you.  

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