Brunch at the San Antonio Winery

SAN ANTONIO WINERY

Yesterday we ventured out to LA to have brunch at the San Antonio Winery and to see a exhibit at the Pico House by Olvera St on hidden Italian history in LA.

We have never been to the San Antonio Winery and Restaurant before and it really is a hidden GEM. It was hard to find sine it is down this industrial rode at the very end of the street.

Gabe said yeah we had to summons the invisible man and talk to the singing bush to get there.

Anyways we called up Josh and Vickie and Evie to come join us for brunch. The food was soo good I had the mushroom ravioli with a glass of cab.

The inside of the restaurant was full of Christmas decorations and lights. This place was like a museum. They had pictures and stories about the winery posted on the wall and a big gift shop, and a wine tasting area with tons of different wines for sale and the distillery and the restaurant.

At brunch they had a man playing the guitar it was very nice. After brunch we did some wine tasting at the tasting room. I ended up buying this AWESOME Pink Sparkling Moscato Rose.

Anyways that was a Teaser to what I will be experiencing in Solvang next weekend! I can't wait for my weekend away wine tasting.

After we left we went to the Pico House to see the exhibit than finally afterwards it was back on our way home.

Driving through LA..

The Winery

Parker being sneaky

Ava being Innocent

Evie is Ava's BFF!!

LA is burning..it was raining ash!!

me and the kids..oh sporting my new haircut!

Gabe holding the pink moscato rose..reminds me of the

I dream of Jeanie bottle..Parker was in the back trying to copy Gabe

Birthday Bowling..

So since not all of my friends can make it out to Solvang a bunch of us are going Cosmic bowling tonight at the Long Beach Pike at 8:3o to celebrate my birthday!!
This morning when I got in my car Gabe surprised me with a present on the dashboard of my car!
It was a cd I been wanting!
Anyways I am at work and I had a struggle yesterday mentally and physically (why I didn't blog plus I was working from home late last night)

Work has been mentally draining. Especially the fact that my boss has been telling me a bunch of changes that they are doing with the staff which makes me concerned what the future may hold for me.
They are not laying anyone off but promotions are coming and advancements and so far I have heard every ones destiny but my own. Everyone is gonna make out pretty good and will very pleased but I can't help to think I am gonna be just in the same ol positon making the same money which is not bad but I could make more.
I worry that me taking me a maternity leave has really affected what and any sort of promotion I could get.
I know I been busy handling the new building which we will be moving into and my boss has marked with the property managers that only him and I are to hold the keys to the building and have the security clearance. He also marked me down for the office manager. However there is no increase in my pay. I can only hope that I am gonna get some sort of promotion too or raise and the only reason I don't know anything about my destiny with the future of this department is because
1. He will tell me during the annual reviews when the raises are made aware of
2.They are working on something for me and it is unknown

I don't know maybe I am worrying too much. I guess it worries me cause he told me in confident every one's plans BUT mine.

All I can only do is work my ass off and go beyond and above my normal duties to show that I am worthy of a promotion..

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I finally got Ava's pictures back and I love them. I got a couple of collages as well that I really liked. I gotta go to have them framed. Speaking of frames I been buying some..I didn't realize how expensive frames can get. Anyways I had Josh at work scan my pictures..of course you won't be able to tell the nice quality of them since it is from a scanner. I didn't buy the disk with the pictures cause just for that alone my picture bill would have been close to 700.00!!!

Now I am awaiting for Parkers pictures!!

One of the collages

The top picture is my favorite...we got tons of others but I didn't scan them...if you want to see them your all gonna have to come to my house :)

Ava's favorite Singer

So I am listening to Bitter:Sweet and watching the videos and Ava LOVES it.. I think its the voice..

a must see video simply amazing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VljGLcxA1U

I think this may be Ava's favorite song by her

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnJ0xGK8dC4

Click on URLS

It's like I am running a side buisness..

So funny thing ..it seems that it is well known at work that I am a sucker for Vino. I do a lot of favors and go out of my way to help some people out and they always seems to know that if they give me vino I hook them up in the future when they need things done for them.

Anyways this week we have technical training going on. First thing on Monday I get an envelope handed to me from a tech asking who Iris is. It was from a dealer who wanted to send a tech to school but I had no seats open and could not get them in til February when we had an opening. The Manager begged and begged me PLEASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSE anything? My tech will stand..you can put him in a corner blah blah than he was like I will give you 100 bucks. I was like no no no I can't do it....Anyway we ended up having a cancellation by a dealer who signed up from up North who told me on the phone that he was gonna bring me a nice bottle of wine for helping him out so much. So I call the dealer who was begging and told him OK you can send your tech.

Well yesterday classes started and the tech comes in with the envelope and inside the envelope was a big thank you note with 100 bucks. I told him no but he insisted!

Than another tech shows up asking for who is Iris and has 4 bottles of wine and said it was from his owner for helping him out..lol everyone was in the office looking at me like DAMN!!!

I felt like I was running some shady business on the side or something..

Anyways the homemade organic wine I got from the dealership owner in Long Beach is not that bad. I had it with my last bowl of pasta since I am starting my no carb diet for a month. Time to stock up on the ethically treated farm animals as Josh would call it.

SALUTI!!

The look!

So yesterday Gabe was holding Ava and we were talking about her than all of a sudden she made the most pitiful look I have ever seen. She just sat there watery eyed and pouting. We couldn't help but laugh at the face she was making. We were trying to figure out WHY is she making that sad face. She never cried though.
Anyway I told Gabe she looked like Puss n Boots from Shrek when he made his sad eyes..I don't think he understood what I was talking about...I guess he can read this blog and see what I am trying to say.

Dinner at Dusk

Yesterday in the afternoon we decided to do a late lunch/early dinner at the lagoon.
It was a nice crisp afternoon. We had some fried chicken,potato wedges,chips,macaroni salad and sandwiches. Gabe secretly brought a bottle of wine for us but we didn't open it.

We laid Ava out on the blanket and I threw a crumbled up chip in the grass by her and the pigeons came up pretty close to her and she was smiling and excited looking at them so close up. Than the water loons started coming and than a few seagulls. Parker was busting up laughing so hard at the loons because he was saying how they kept sounding like they were farting.

After feeding the birds Parker played on the playground and I was holding Ava let her watch him. Parker and Gabe than played some baseball. Parker hit a few good ones. We sat on the park bench all together to watch the sunset than packed up to go home.

Which instead we went to the mall and used my Baby Gap gift certificate that Holly and Eric gave us. (Thanks Holly and Eric we bought a cute little knit dress with a vintage looking gray sweater and cute mod looking baby shoes) I also spent way to much money at Victoria Secret and had to stop by Coach and drool over the new Amanda Opt Art Foldover Flap purse which I may just have to buy on payday.

Another reason why Gabe is the best husband ever....We took 2 cars to the lagoon my car and his truck so he can carry all the supplies. While following him home we had to cross a main street that had no lights so a lot of traffic passes by. He got across and I was at the stop sign waiting forever for a chance to cross..Gabe got out of his truck to go out into the street to stop traffic so I could cross over safely in my car...I would have to say that is by far one of the best gestures of love I have ever seen.


Ava

What a Happy Baby


Ava and I hanging out

Here come the scavengers

Don't worry we were close by to shoo them away if they looked threatening

Sunset is just around the corner (too bad my camera is too crappy to get a shot of the sunset.

Gabe and Parker playing ball

Gabe and Parker right before we left