napa

Jason and I took a vacation sans child to Napa Valley at the end of the summer. We stayed in a small town in wine country called Calistoga. We rented bikes, bought bag lunches at the town general store and used a map to guide us to the wineries we were in pursuit of. We. Had. The. Best. Time. Ever.

We met another couple along the bike path, Gina and David of San Diego, CA. They too, were vacationing without their children. It was an instant friendship, almost as if we had been friends for years. I guess good wine has a way of making that possible!

In order to get to this one winery, Dutch Henry, we had to bike up two, ginormous half mile hills. The guys tackled the hills without breaking so much as a sweat. Gina and I weren’t exactly looking for that kind of workout, but we survived it nonetheless. Well I did. Whether it was the wine, the hills, the menagerie of animals at Dutch Henry, or a combination of the three, Gina got a little sick. But she eventually rallied on. What a trooper!

Our favorite winery along our bike excursion was called Lava Vine. The place was pretty much a party. If you’re ever in Calistoga stop in, I promise you won’t leave.

There’s something so earthy about wine country. It smells like one big, pungent cork. I will always remember the light, carefree feeling of my wine buzz, coupled with hot California sun on my shoulders as we rode alongside vineyard after vineyard.

We didn't plan our outfits. Swear.

We ended our booze cruise with an awesome olive oil tasting in town, followed by happy hour at the cottages where Gina and David were staying, a dip in the hot springs pool at our hotel and dinner out at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena.

The next day, with a slight wine headache, we texted with Gina and David as we drove south and out of beloved Napa.

Next stop: San Fran!

My niece Diya is so incredibly cute. And she’s SO incredibly active. A typical Taha. That child didn’t stop moving and she was just two months old! It was so nice to get to meet her and watch Aki and Sarita navigate their way into the world of crazy, sleep-deprived parenting.

As much as we want to have another child of our own, seeing how much work they are putting into it, was somewhat of a deterrent. It’s sad that I nearly forgot what it’s like, but hey, it won’t stop us from trying

I was so nervous to hold her. Sadly, I don't remember when Mylo was that tiny :(

As I type this I am sitting first-class on a plane (we just happened to luck out with miles) next to my husband Jason. We’re California-bound with a stopover in Dallas. When we arrive in Cali we’re jumping in a car and driving almost two hours to Calistoga, a small town in Napa Valley. Yes, wine country! I cannot wait to have this time alone with my husband. But an even bigger reason to take this trip, and to justify leaving our kid at home with his grandparents to go taste wine, is that we are combining it with a visit to San Fransisco to meet my baby niece.

Diya Shireen Taha was born on June 6th. It is my first niece and I cannot wait to hug her, hold her and look for my sweet brother’s likeness in her eyes hair. Diya has her mom’s eyes and my brother’s dark curly hair.

Diya at two months

The last time I was in Napa with Jason was in the fall of 2009. We were visiting my brother and Sarita in San Fran. They rented a limo with some friends and took us on a day trip there.

I’ve been known to let loose and have some drinks from time to time. And my husband’s been known to be a bit of a wine-snob (although he disagrees about this). Knowing this is important because it explains why we thought Napa was a little piece of heaven on earth. We loved it. As the wineries flowed it was time to head back to the city. We reluctantly said good bye to the cloudless sky, rolling hills and buttery wines of Napa and vowed to return some day.

Ok, maybe there were a few clouds in Napa after all :)

Napa, Diya… here we come!