santa maria

a few weeks back, T and i visited our dear friends cat and matt in santa maria for memorial day weekend. it was my first time to see california and i was treated to quite the first experience as we stayed at matt's home on the grounds of his vineyard and winery. ...what! it was such a great trip that was of course filled with yummy food, great wine, and wonderful company.  

day one:

we flew in early in the morning and spent our first hours driving along the california coast where we made a pit stop to play in the pacific. even on a stormy day with chilly water temps, it was pretty gorgeous. later, we met cat and matt at a local shop for lunch where i fell in love with caneles, sampled wines while we unpacked, ate matt's infamous burgers, and took a tour of the vineyard. 

[a rainy romp in the ocean]

[gorgeous winding roads]

[matt working away on his burgers]

[a couple of bros talking all things wine]

[raul, our gucci fiat]

day two:

we ventured up the interstate to tour hearst castle in san simeon, snacked on delicious pastries from a local shop, learned how to make fresh orecchiette, and whipped up an amazing dinner with fantastic wine pairings. two things that happened by this point in the trip - i found orecchiette to be far easier to make than i thought and i found several pinot noirs to fall in love with (i previously swore off of them). 

[hello lovely pastries]

[catching rays and wind]

[stunning views from the top of hearst castle]

[hi there, little ears]

day three:

we had another day of overcast which meant it was perfect for wine tasting. we first stopped by a local restaurant to sample some seriously tasty food and wine. then, we walked down the street to sample more wines and got into some serious corn hole and bocce ball matches (the trash talking was pretty hilarious). after, we took a tour of matt's winery, snacked on cuban food, and boogied to our heart's content to an 80s cover band. 

[my new favorite snack - sardines on crackers with salted butter and sriracha (trust me, its divine)]

[all the deep belly laughs]

[tours of the cave aka tyler's new happy place]

[cat and i taking in the views and gearing up for the dance party to come]

day four:

after a lot of wine tasting the day before, we took it a little slower and headed to pisco beach where T and matt surfed the choppy waters. cat and i cozied up under the pier where we sipped on hard cider and chatted it up. after, we had in and out (no offense to tx, but ca in and out is far better) for lunch, slurped up tasty pho, and spent the night in watching marvel movies. 

[moody beaching]

[perfect cider sippin' weather]

[yum and yes!]

[steak tartare and fries...omg]

day five:

the am was spent with us gals lounging at the house together while the guys went on quite the bonding hike (aka it was pretty dicey at times). cat and i had an indulgent lunch and the guys met back up with us after they finished. on our last night, T and i thought we would whip up our homemade pizzas for our hosts and they treated us to a tasting of matt's wines. they were the perfect pairing and a great way to close out our trip.   

[more wines coming out for the tasting makes for a happy T]

[fresh pizza dough and wines]

day six: 

T and i, reluctantly, said our farewells to cat and matt, took one last drive/pit stop along the coast, and said adios to the gucci fiat. we had such a lovely time and i, of course, loved soaking up all the quality time with my cat. here's to our next visit and our wonderful hosts! 

vintage wine bar

for T's birthday last month, he had one request: to enjoy a great bottle of wine while listening to blues music. sadly, i couldn't quite get the blues part to work out (sadly, we are in the wrong state for regular blues music), but i could make sure the wine could happen. to help substitute for the lack of his music request, i went for a venue that was something out of a classic, modern 70s cocktail lounge...enter, vintage wine bar.

T and i were huge fans of its original location, vintage 1740, and couldn't wait to see what their new location and concept would be like. the setting was perfectly made for what we were looking for - chic, cozy, and relaxed. their selection of cocktails was just as inventive and enticing as their original location. their varieties of wines by the glass or bottle were mouth-watering. and last, but not least, the service was attentive, warm, and friendly. while the location and look had changed, T and i were pleasantly surprised everything else that we loved about their original location had remained. 

[the wine vault]

[a very happy birthday gent]

this visit, we opted for a bottle of chenin blanc (which was a-mazing by the way) that was paired with a killer cheese tray. fun fact, i am not a bleu cheese fan by any means. however, after the manager enticed me with a bleu cheese he paired with our wine selected, i am a fan! well, maybe not of all bleu cheeses, but that one i'd have again and again. in fact, everything on our cheese tray was a perfect compliment to our wine. i couldn't get over how much it opened up new flavors for our varietal. 

[impromptu fireworks for the birthday gent]

thanks again vintage wine bar for treating us to quite the birthday celebration and we cannot wait to return!

405 day

last thursday, T and i enjoyed 405 brewing's fiesta for april 5th aka 405 day. 405 brewing celebrated all things 405 with local brews, music, food, and community. it was their first 405 fest, but, the crowds came out in full support. T and i, of course, love supporting local, but it makes me even happier to see the support of the community. 

to add to the festivities, 405 brewing debuted a new beer called stu aka their west coast ipa.  

[all the crowds in the tap room]

[coconut lavender lemonade - so, so good]

[taylor prince]

[the fried taco's bbq jackfruit taco - unbelievable]

in between the killer musical talents, T and jonathan (one of the owners of 405 brewing) had raffle drawings for local prizes from their 405 sponsors. i may be biased, but a certain baldy was a pretty great emcee. 

[couple of cuties]

['you are magical']

[camille harp and john calvin abney]

it was such a great night supporting local, and i already can't wait until next year's 405 day!

bags for bethesda

last saturday, jana and i sweated our little tails off to watch T and michael compete in 405 brewing's bags for bethesda cornhole tournament. the event helped raise awareness and funds for an amazing organization that provides care and resources to families and children of sexual abuse. what a great way to bring people together for such a great cause!

[team red, white, and bro practicing]

T and michael were one of the teams up to play in the first round. they fought a good fight, but sadly, didn't make it to the next round. they did however, provide some awesome energy pepping others up, and cheering on another friend who was still playing. 

[wives club showing support]

[cheering on their fellow bro]

thankfully, we had tasty popsicles to help keep us cool aka epic pops to the heatwave rescue!

[mid-tournament break]

[cute sandies and pops]

once the winners of the tournament had been announced (congrats to the winning team!), there was just one last game to play. team red, white, and bro challenged team 405 brewing to a match. the terms (hilarious nailed down via ig): should T and michael win, they would get to name a 405 beer, to be brewed. should T and michael lose, they would get an ice bath. honestly, both teams viewed it as a win-win since it was crazy hot out. 

after a rousing back and forth mixed with some great smack talking, T and michael won the game. to say they were excited/us wives relieved would be an understatement. either way, it was a great day supporting a great cause in our community.