Happy Anniversary!

It has been awhile since I have posted. Life sure has came at me fast. Fatherhood, work, school, and internship have really kept me hopping. Yet, through this busy time I have been able to enjoy some wonderful times with family and friends where wine helped mark these events.

The first event I have been wanting to share is Jessi's and my 6th anniversary celebration. On February 8th we borrowed my parents-in-laws' all-wheel drive jeep and headed over the mountain pass to Walla Walla. We sure were lucky, because about an hour after we crossed the pass, going 25 mph in a snow storm, the pass closed. The pass didn't open until the 10th, just before we returned. Jessi, Lachlan and I spent our anniversary weekend in the exciting town of Walla Walla. For those of you who have spent any amount of time in Walla Walla you may be thinking, "what is he thinking using the adjective exciting?" Let me clarify, Walla Walla is not all that beautiful, at least not in February, and most of the town is quite boring in every way. The excitement is earned because, the overall quality of the wine is exceptional. Jessi and I got to try wines from 13 different wineries, and overall we were blown away by the quality of the wines we sampled. The wine industry has spurred growth in other sectors as well. There are great cafes, specialty stores, and several high quality restaurants. We were shocked to hear that there are well over 100 wineries in the area.

The highlights of the weekend were the whirlpool tub in our room, which Lachlan seemed to enjoy almost as much as his parents, the great wine, excellent dinners and breakfasts, and the complimentary bottle of waterbrooke Syrah in our hotel room, which Jessi knocked over at 4am when she became so frustrated because Lachlan had woken up once again, and was refusing to sleep. When she encountered a pillow in her path she instinctively kicked it as hard as she could. I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I heard the clink of the glass bottle topple on the counter. This was just one of many moments where the only appropriate response was to say, "Happy Anniversary!" Just some advice to anyone wanting a romantic getaway to mark a special occasion. Children staying in the same bed as you, who are also on antibiotics and a nebulizer for heavy congestion don't do much to enhance the romance factor of these occasions. Telling each other, "Happy Anniversary," was a great way to humorously remind one another of the absurdity of bringing a sick baby on an anniversary weekend. With this said, we really did enjoy ourselves.

Our hotel was right in the old section of town, where most of the good restaurants, cafes, and several tasting rooms are all within walking distance. Jessi and I were able to embrace the humor in having to eat our fancy anniversary meal at 5:30pm, because we had to be back to the hotel room by 7pm to get Lachlan to bed.

Some of the tasting rooms we visited were, Forgeron, Amavi, Preston, Ash Hollow, Dunham, DaMa, Foundry, Trio Vintners, Spring Valley, Reininger, L'Ecole 41, and Adamant Cellars, I just can't remember the names of the other 2 wineries at this time. Overall these wines were stellar. The standouts had to be Spring Valley, Ash Hollow, Forgeron, and L'Cole No 41, with only a couple of the wineries giving a lackluster performance.

Disclaimer: What I am about to write I really have not business writing, but I will write it all the same! Walla Walla is the next Napa valley. Don't let the crappy location, dismal vistas, and horrible summer heat fool you, because the quality of the wines will keep tourists drinking enough wine to make all of the less than desirable qualities fade far far into the back ground. Invest everything you have into Walla Walla. (Please talk to someone who actually knows something about investing before you do anything with your money).

As we were driving away from Walla Walla Jessi and I both said we will definitely be back before the year is out. Here's to a beautiful wife who has shared 6 good years of marriage with me, a beautiful son who has mixed things up in astounding ways, and the phenomenal wine and food that helped us mark this truly remarkable occasion.