Girls Getaway

The gal pals and i been talking for the longest time especially when we do our girls night to take a overnight stay somewhere and just do a girls sort of weekender...well talk is cheap and so we finally did it!

Thelma and I kept saying let's do it and we asked our other girls to come out but no one was able to afford it at the time so it look like at first that it was just Thelma and Myself. We talk to Toni and she said to count her in as well. Anyway I knew if I didn't book that room we were probably not gonna go so I booked it and there was no turning back.

Our first of hopefully more girl weekend getaways was a trip to Solvang to do some wine tasting. Thelma had never been before so it was exciting to see what she was going to think of it.

Thelma and Toni all met at my place at 7:30am Saturday morning and Thelma drove us up to the country. Thelma came with Starbucks in hand for us three and it was the perfect start of a interesting and terribly fun trip!

We got to Solvang about 10:30 am and we were all hungry and knew we better get some food in our tummy's before a whole day of tasting wine so we went to Paula's Pancake house and had a good ol fashioned country breakfast then it was off to the vineyards!
Our first vineyard we went to was Buttonwood. The first of the wines we tried were the whites and the whites were being served out in their back garden area. There was beautiful Irises there.

The 3 of us in the garden at Buttonwood

We went inside where they were serving the reds.

I had to bring out my wine journal at the first place...We had a free coupon for the Fess Parker Vineyard so we hoped back in the car and headed down the country road to Fess Parker

Fess Parker Vineyards. The place was huge and beautiful. I enjoyed pretty much every wine I had there. We took our red tastings outside and walked around the grounds for awhile and sat under a big tree. (Thelma has those pictures)

After Fess Parker it was close to 2 pm and we headed back to Solvang and check in our room then go walk around the town and do more tastings. Our first stop Presidio. I enjoyed everything there as well that I tasted. After Presidio we went to Lucas & Llewellyn where I am a member at and we all got to taste pretty much anything we wanted to for free. By this point we were all feeling pretty good.

We walked over to madonlina where I am a member there as well but first we had to pose next to the infamous clog shoe. Then proceeded with our tasting.

After that tasting we did some shopping. Thelma tried on this very cute headband with the most sparkly decoration on it. We told her she had to buy it!

Toni and I trying on big floppy hats. After shopping we had dinner then headed over to Alisal Cellars where we did more tastings.

We met some wine makers there that all stopped by and they were pretty funny guys and they let us taste some of the bottles they brought over from the Vintner's Festival that they were at earlier in the day. It was nighttime at this point and Toni went back to the room cause she was tired and could not drink anymore.

Thelma and I stayed to watch a funk band that was going to play at the cellar and we danced and had a glass of wine. We headed back to the hotel room and went to end the night by hanging out in the hot tub. It was a long eventful day.

The next day we got up and checked out of the room and had breakfast. We went to purchase some wines and then wanted to checkout the last wine room we had a free coupon for. This place was great. It was like this rockabilly wine room that had a private lounge area and a place where bands could play. The labels they put on their wines are really cool retro style labels and all the wines were very good.

They had rat pack pictures and pictures from the movie swingers. I of course had to join this wine club and Toni did as well. Check out their Site..Sort This Out Cellars

I love their glasses. I cannot wait to go back and introduce some more of my friends to this wine.

After we did our tasting there we hit the road back to home so we would not get bad traffic which we did not thankfully. We left close to 1pm and got home about 3:30.

We made a pit stop at a park in Santa Barbara Over looking the ocean. This Huge Seagull sat beside me. I had to take a picture of him.

All in all it was a fantastic trip and I cannot wait to go back.

Day 2 (Solvang Part 4 finale)

I was pretty surprised how early we got up on Sunday morning considering the full day we had previously. Since I got up so early I thought I would take advantage of our Jacuzzi tub in our hotel room.I gotta get one..It is so nice. Parker and Gabe even took a soak as well. Once we got dressed Gabe,myself and the kids walked over to Paula's Pancake House and had Kirsten and John and The kids meet us for a nice country breakfast. It was nice the sun was rising and the small of pancakes were in the air.

Gabe had to go to the bakery next door and get a local paper..He just cannot have breakfast without the morning paper.

Ava was in good spirits..she likes to be in the high chair at restaurants..she was being VERY smiley and Vocal

She loves to pound on the table too so I thought it was a good time to feed her her banana and yogurt breakfast

I had coffee,fresh squeezed OJ and Eggs Benedict..It was everything I wanted

The day before at the Gainey Vineyard Parker made a friend. We saw them at Gainey,and later that day in Solvang at a tasting room..than again Sunday at Breakfast time..they were hanging out for a bit his name was Daniel

After breakfast we walked over to the Christmas store..I love the smoking dolls

There was a lot for Ava to look at too. She loved all the little ornaments..Parker and Kelsey stayed outside hunting the rolly pollie's out of the flower beds..my uncle stayed out there to supervise

Gabe and Kirsten took the kids to the big toy store and my uncle and I went to the Antique mall..This was a really cool grandfather clock with Ships..I knew my dad would like this clock so I took a bunch of pictures of it for him to see

We than took the kids to the pool and checked out of our rooms. I wish I had taken some photos of them in the pool...I hate when I do that!!

After the pool there was a couple tasting rooms we wanted to visit. We went first to Presido because they also have Grape juice they produce and we thought it would be fun for the kids to get to try the grape juice while we had some wine..

Parker liked it a lot...Kelsey did not

The babies were having a good time together

We than went to Mandolino and did a tasting there than went to the fudge and chocolate shop and bought some sweets and headed to the Lavender farm..which WAS NOT in bloom..so I just picked up some bath oil, a sachet and some mist. When we first got there the cat that lives on the premises was kicking some dogs butt...it was pretty wild.

Parker wanted to dig some of the lavender buds..

The smell was still nice!

After the farm we were going to head to Wild Heart (one of my FAVORITE WINERIES) but my uncle and Kirsten were done. Their kids were asleep in the car so they headed home but Gabe and I we were by far from being done. I think it was a little easier for us cause Parker is a little older.

Anyway Gabe and I and the kids headed to Los Olivos and went to Wild heart and spent a good time there having a tasting..They offer a chocolates and wine tasting which we saw a ton of people were doing. Since we had a bunch of chocolates prior we just did the wine with strawberries. Now this place is very romantic and their wines are very serious with rich flavors..almost a stand alone wine that would not go with food cause I think they will out shine the food..however I have had meat with them and it is still wonderful. Parker was getting bored so I told him to go walk around and take pictures of the place..Of course once he got the camera in his hands the first thing he wanted to take a picture of was Gabe's butt. (I didn't post that picture)

Another shot done by Parker...Not to Shabby

We than walked over to Scott Cellars (which wild heart recommended) We were glad we stopped by there. Now I am not usually a big white wine fan but his Pinot Gris was sooo good. I bought a bottle. Actually every place we went to have a tasting I bought a bottle from..cept Gainey cause the people there took to long to cash us out and we had to go. After we left Scott Cellars we saw another tasting room that was open so we had to stop there too. It was Daniel Ghers and it was not too bad..they had a few hot and miss wines..they had one though that we dumped cause we both thought it was BAD it was really musty and moldy smelling. At this point I was pretty buzzed and needed to EAT!!

Parker had fun there. They had a little play room.

He wanted to take a picture of this scene he created

We headed back to the car and went to have dinner at a HIGHLY recommended Italian restaurant called Grappelo's. It was fantastic. I went out to the car to change Ava and when I came back the waiter had a creme brulee dessert with a candle in it and two glasses of the Bubbly and said Happy Anniversary (which is today but Gabe is working so we celebrated it last night at the Italian restaurant..which I did not have my camera...grrrr)

We headed home and got home late (10:30pm) but it was totally worth it. All in all we got to do everything we wanted too ( Well besides pick Apples cause ME (dumb) realized they are not in season DUH) oh well gives me a reason to take the kids again.

There was a lot of highlights during the weekend and I really enjoyed my time there.

There was one moment when I saw a group of girls laughing with their glasses of wine out in the vineyard and they were all chatting and had sun dresses on and big hats and I thought..that's the ticket..I gotta have us girls do a girls getaway to Solvang..I think my gals are all in agreement..I can't wait to go back..which will be in June/July ..When the lavender is in bloom DAMN IT!

Sunny Fields (Solvang Part 3)

On Saturday we stopped at Sunny Fields and There was so many photo Ops so I had to of course blog about the park trip.


This is the first time we ever put Ava in a park baby swing.She was ecstatic!

I caught Gabe playing on the swings too

Parker wanted to take a picture in the tower

Parker was off doing his own thing so we just put the smaller children in the swings

Ava was having too much of a good time

I love this shot of her little feet

Parker enjoyed the tire swing most..I was pushing him on it a little crazy and he didn't want to go on it anymore cause it was making him feel sick

This reminds me of Knott's for some reason

The rock climbing wall

Back to the swings

Time for more climbing

Gabe took Ava on the Slide

My Uncle took Kelsey on too..than it was time to go get ready for dinner

Solvang-Part Two

After the Ostrich Farm we went to get a Table at Shelby Ranch to get a bite. (Shelby ranch by the way is open Friday, SAT and Sun. Everything on their menu is 1.oo and 15% of each bill goes to the Shriner's Children's Hospital. The food is always good and for a dollar!! After lunch there it was off for a quick wine tasting at Lucas & Lewellen (which I am a member of so it was free tastings) It was really cool too cause they have a kids table with puzzles and games for them to play so Kelsey and Parker were occupied pretty well.

Afterwards it was back to the cars to go to Lincourt Vineyard but not without getting a picture with the big Clog!!
Here is Kelsey and Parker

Kirsten joined in on this shot

I think Ava was comfy..before going to the vineyard we stopped by the toy store to pick up a toy for the kids to play while we went to the vineyard

When we arrived to Lincourt the kids were overlooking the grape vines..I got my shot too late..there was a great one of them that I think Kirsten got

Lincourt was great they had a big lawn area and a laundry basket full of toys.
Lincourt did our wine tastings right in front of the window so we could see the kids playing in the yard. We had some really nice wines..Kirsten joined their wine club..

Here is a group shot in front of the barrels

After Lincourt we headed to another Vineyard..We ended up at Gainey..they were ok.

The kids were very well behaved

We than stopped at Sunny Fields (See Solvang part 3)

After the park we checked in our hotel rooms and than headed for dinner which we had reservations at the hitching post. We had late late reservations and we were all exhausted..the kids fell asleep at the table before their food even came. My food was AWESOME! I ate every bite.

ZONKED..time for bed..which we did immediately when we got back to our hotel room.