These Are My People

My Favorite Post to Date

I put together this compilation of my favorite moments from the past 5 years, because I'm that person. I love love love this post. There are some unhappy, very unhappy days in there, a lot of chaotic days lately, and just some downright frustrating parts of my life, of every one's life, but for me, it's important to remember how blessed I am, how great my life is, how amazing my husband is, how much joy my girls have brought to my life, how I am surrounded by family and friends who love me, and how nice it is to be 'happylaney.'

Bottles and Cans

All we need to do now is teach her how to properly hold a wine glass, and we've done all we can do. We have prepared her for life.

p.s. click on the word "bottles" for an earlier of version of something similar

Scapegoat

When I took this picture Amanda requested that I not get her face in it, and I thought, "oh, no, we have to have someone to blame all her future problems on." =)

Wort Chiller

John made beer last week. I think it's been over a year since he made beer last. He made another cream ale, since the first one turned out so well.

The Santa Cruz Mascot

The Longest Post To Date

I have returned, very fresh and vitalized and very happy to be home. I had a wonderful trip. Want to hear all about it?

I started in Santa Rosa, which is the major town in the Sonoma Valley, to judge at the National Women's Wine Competition. This was the first year for this competition, and it had its ups and downs. The best part, by far, for me, was my panel. So, during the competition you are assigned a panel of three of four people that will taste all the same wines as you, and together you decide if a wine is medal worthy, and if so, what medal it should receive. My panel consisted of Cynthia Goddeau who is a sommelier at a Mario Batali restaurant in New York City, Diane Teitelbaum who is the wine buyer for American Airlines, and Ann Noble who was the dominant professor of wine in America and who invented the Wine Aroma Wheel which revolutionized descriptions of wines. I had met Ann Noble when I went to UCDavis to check out the school. She seemed intimidating and stern there. She was anything but at the wine judging. I had a fabulous time with her. She is very high energy and brilliant. She and I went on a hike together overlooking Santa Rosa on the first day.



There were parts of this wine judging I didn't care for (some of those women were so uptight they stressed me out)(plus Gina Gallo wasn't even there) and since it was the first year they kind of made up the rules as they went along, but it was all worth the opportunity I was granted to hang out with Ann Noble. She said she thought I was decisive but nice about it, and that I would have been one of her star students had I attended Davis, but understood why I chose Fresno.



This is my panel; myself, Ann (holding her glass upside down), our two volunteers in the middle (I don't remember the guys' name, but the girl's name was Vicky and she is holding the Wine Aroma Wheel), Diane, and Cynthia.

From there I headed down to the Bay Area to hang out with Melissa, John's sister, and her family. Their son looks a lot like John, I think.





We had a really great day at Half Moon Bay, I even got a little sunburned. (Not too bad, Christy) It felt so good to get my toes in the sand, and the sun on my back. Plus, their son, Will, is a doll. There is a tide pool there, and Melissa taught us all about the sea urchins, and anemones, and snails, and starfish.



We saw a real live starfish!

From there I spent the night in Santa Cruz with Ron, and Tyler, and Eleni and her husband (could be long term boyfriend) Chris.



Myself, Ron and Tyler at the Santa Cruz lighthouse

These are all old Fresno State classmates. Good times, good memories. Ron and I are still really close, he accompanied John and I in Europe to see Susanne. Tyler and his family are starting their own winery, Grace Patriot Wines. Santa Cruz is probably the most libral place I have ever been, it even surpasses Berkeley in my mind. Everything is organic, and they are very focused on the enviroment there. California in general is much more "green" minded than most people I know in Missouri. We had to get something small for dinner that they forgot, so Chris and I headed to the corner store, which was exactly like a tiny little Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Made me realize today when I was grocery shopping how full of crap and things that are bad for us our grocery stores are. Gross.

Last but not least I headed to the New World International Wine Competition, where I have judged 7 times before. My Red Raspberry won a Gold and Best of Class, which is very exciting. (I don't have the results back from the Women's judging.) I had a very enjoyable, quick panel that consisted of the head salesman for Gallo, who promoted and sold wine in Europe for 14 years, (he is retired now) and a man who owns a Wine bar and was a wine broker in Salt Lake City.



Don't think for one second that there aren't more pictures of my trip to come in the next few days. Now, after all that wine, I must go have one of my wonderful husband's marvelous beers. ;)

A New Year

In looking at last year's goals which were a big joke, I actually accomplished a few of them. Maybe the point is not to make yourself better, but instead to make reasonable goals that you can actually achieve. I accomplished #1 and #2, which is kind of sad given that the goals were supposed to be funny. Christy thought they were serious, and maybe she knows me better than I know myself.

This year I have two goals, and they kind of cancel each other out, so it should be an interesting year. It is not within the realm of possibility that I could achive both, but not likely.

Goal #1 To lose weight.
Goal #2 To get pregnant.

Those of you who know me are not surprised about goal #2 (or goal #1 for that matter, God, Elaine, you cow.) I know in the wee beginnings of this blog I was confused on this issue, but John and I have made up our minds that we hope a baby is in our future. Could be easier said than done, but I let you in on my little secret, it's in writing now, I have shared this with you. This is not a new hope for John and I, just one that I hope can come true in 2007.

We had a good time hanging out with friends last night. I like casual, low key evenings at home with friends. Sara, Chuck, Julie and Char spent the night, and our house was so quiet and boring when they left. =( John started a beer today, the first one since the pumpkin beer on tap at the Halloween Party. He got a 55 pound bag of barley for Christmas, so this was his first all grain homebrew. It took longer, and was more work, but it is cheaper, and should be better quality. He is making a brown ale, similar to Newcastle. We'll let you know in a month how it turns out.

I hope the best for 2007 for all of you! Don't forget to eat your pickled herring today!

John had Julie's help this morning making the beer.

I Ain't As Good As I Once Was.

The Halloween Party was a big success from my point of view. We drank all but about a bottle or two of the 5 gallons of pumpkin beer, so that was good. People showed up in some very creative costumes, so that's good. The rest I'm going to blame on Chuck, though. He told me I wasn't drunk enough, and I agreed, and went directly to the kitchen, opened the freezer door, and got out the special stash of cold, straight-from-Germany Jagermeister. My one friend. Most everyone did a shot with me, including Sharon and Chuck. I should have made Chuck drink more. One of the worst things about being drunk for me, is that I can remember everything. I remember being very very LOUD! And I remember getting all fired up about gourds, and thong underwear, and college kids wearing condoms. I remember repeating myself a hundred times, and having exact conversations I've had with people before, like singing My Immortal. I remember thinking it's a good idea to buy pot from a cop, and that I should sing Sheriff's "When I'm With You" at kereoke in Ste. Genevieve.

Oh, man, did I feel like Shit yesterday. With a capital "S." Since I have turned 31 I have had two of the worst hangovers in my life. If this is what it's like to get old, this sucks. I couldn't get out of bed to say good bye to Christy and Jerry at 9 a.m., nor could I get out of bed to say good bye to Bart and Sarah at 11 a.m. We barely made it to the Cardinals parade (pictures of that tomorrow) and I wouldn't have gone at all if I didn't love John so much and knew that he wanted to go so badly. Man, that friend of mine, Jager, stabbed me in the back. Yuck.

"I ain't as good as I once was
Thats just the cold hard truth
I still throw a few back, talk a little smack
When I'm feelin' bullet proof" -Toby Keith