Calistoga, Sonoma & Napa Valley

My dad & I eating crab at Scoma's our first night in San Franciso
Had some wine & appetizers at a restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf
Alcatraz
Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco - lots of cool places to eat here
Going downhill in the Trolley Car - downhill is quite different in San Francisco!
Brandyn & I riding in the Trolley Car
Our last night in Calistoga - we ate at a place called "Brannan's" - awesome food
Niebaum Coppola (formerly Rubicon Estates) vineyard - this is their winery/tasting room/gift shop
Enjoying the wine & the view at Robert Mondavi vineyards
We visited Domain * Chandon vineyards to taste champagne (I'm the champage gal in the family)
Hess Vineyards - we joined our first wine club here
A picture going up the mountain --- all you can see is vines growing with a few houses here & there
The first night in Calistoga - we ate at a place called Bosko's - Brandyn had the tastiest pasta
On our "private" tour by Pete Seghesio (read more below) -- original redwood barrels behind us
This is at Beringer Vineyards tasting room - we tried port here too
Beringer's land
Beringer's land with pretty 'weeds' growing between
Our first vineyard was Gundlach Bundschu or "Gun Bun" for short - pretty scenery here
Golden Gate Bridge
Ghirardelli Square in San Franciso


Brandyn and I were fortunate enough to get away for a few days at the end of March. We were able to get cheap tickets & rooms for a trip to San Francisco & Calistoga, California. This was and still is one of our dream vacations and we loved every minute of it. The first day we stayed in San Francisco. We got to go on an original trolley car which was neat. We went up and down the streets of San Francisco which can be a fun ride (depending on who you ask). We also visited Fisherman's Wharf. There are all sorts of restaurants there and Alcatraz is right across the way. We had appetizers and wine at one restaurant then ate dinner at a restaurant called Scoma's. My dad and I shared awesome crab that night. The next day we drove to Sonoma to begin our tour of vineyards. We toured several and hit many of our favorite places to drink wine from. The first place we visited was Gundlach Bundschu and that was one of my favorites. It was so pretty and the wine was good too :) Gun Bun is all estate grown grapes which is very rare for vineyards. Many vineyards buy grapes from other places but this was all their own. That day we also visited Arrowood, Beringer... and a few more. That night we ate at a place called Bosko's. Brandyn had some of the best pasta we've tasted. We enjoyed the hot tub, sauna and steam room that night. I forgot to mention that my parents were our "tour guides" through this whole trip. My dad is quite the wine connoisseur and my parents have been there a time or two before so it was great to have them along. The next day we toured the Napa Valley side (Saturday was the Sonoma side). We visited several vineyards that day as well. The most memorable visit was our visit to Seghesio vineyards. We were done with our tasting and my mom and I were waiting around for my dad & Brandyn to finish up. It just happened that Pete Seghesio (I would say he's the current owner -- not 100% sure) felt bad for the two of us. So, he introduced himself an asked if we wanted a tour of the barrels. We knew we'd be in trouble if we didn't tell the guys to come along. Pete showed us their barrels including 3 original redwood barrels they have. He also let us taste their homemade "salumi" (salami) which was so good. He showed us how they dehydrate it and everything. We felt pretty special when we left that day. All of us agreed that experience made the trip! That night we enjoyed some awesome food at a place called Brannan's. The presentation was very nice and the food was even better. After that my dad drug us to a place where he made Brandyn try foie gras; in other words - goose liver. YUCK! I guess it's a special treat for some people but I disagree. Leave it to my dad to make us try weird foods! We got to enjoy our hot tub again that night with some cheese and crackers and good conversation with family. It was a wonderful trip and I only hope that we can go back again soon. Oh, I forgot to mention that the famous rapper, Ludacris, was on our flight out of Des Moines to Denver. We thought that was a pretty cool way to start the trip. We didn't get a picture (too chicken to ask) but at least we can say we saw him up close.

A good day to blog

I finally have some time to spend on our blog now that the weather is rainy. We have been going 100 mph here on the farm. Rick was planting corn all week ... Bray-Lynne and I got to help put our first plot in last night ... and Brandyn was busy trying to get everything sprayed before it rained. Joan was out in the field cultivator and Bray-Lynne and I stayed home to watch the yard for customers. It has been quite a lifestyle change for me this year but I am so happy to be where we are at. I would not have it any other way. We have been running around like crazy but have a chance to slow down today and get some other things done....like this blog! I haven't gotten any pictures of us farming but Bray-Lynne was definitely born and farm girl. She loves the tractor and in fact, I think "tractor" is just about her favorite word. She also says "shoes, bye bye" all the time. She loves to be outside! I have a couple pictures of just day to day things. One day Bray dumped an entire box of cereal out on the carpet and another day she helped me sweep the floor.

Deer in the field

It's kind of hard to see but these are pictures Brandyn took of deer in the field west of our house. This is just one of the many awesome things about living out in the country. Brandyn said this is the most deer he thinks he's ever seen in this field.

Finally another update

One of her favorite things is getting bibs out of the drawer
This is what happens when I try to clean our bathroom quick
Getting ready to pull towels out of the drawer
Don't ask ......
Climbing under the chairs ... she loves this
Woke up from her Sunday nap with crazy hair-do ... daddy brushed it up for fun

There's no 'baby' in this house anymore ... she's a big girl walking
"CHEEEEEESSSSEEE!"
Our happy girl walking all by herself now!


In one of the above captions I said that there is no longer a 'baby' in our house anymore. Of course Bray-Lynne will always be our baby girl; however now that she is walking I think she is officially a toddler. About 2 weeks ago I was cleaning and vacuuming and that was the day Bray-Lynne figured out she could stand up unassisted. As soon as she figured that out the walking came right along with it. She is getting very good at it. She is figuring out there are different speeds and that she can go directions besides just forward. We had a rough week of teething a few weeks ago too. She cut 4 molars and 2 "i" teeth all at once. The poor girl was miserable. All of the sudden that Sunday she woke up happy as a clam ... well, all teeth had popped through, FINALLY! Bray is figuring out what having those teeth is all about; she can chew all sorts of things and we don't have to be so careful to break things into little pieces to chew. Along with walking she is quite the talker. She continues to pick up many words; lately she has learned "thank you", "tractor", "book", "all done", "poo" (whenever I ask her if I can change her diaper she says "poo"). She is also associating pictures with sounds, for example, if she sees a cat or dog on the page of a book she will "meow" or "woof, woof". We can't believe how smart she is and so sharp!

Now on to an update of us. Brandyn did great with crop insurance sales this season and we are so thankful for that. I am SO proud of him ... he wears many hats and exceeds expectations for each of those 'hats'!
I have recently felt like I am ready to go back to work. I love staying at home with Bray-Lynne but feel like I could be an even better mommy and wife by working. I am looking for a full-time job in Pella or Des Moines. I have been applying for different things (administrative work, project coordinator, etc.) and am hoping to be called for interviews soon!
Soon we will be helping our parents move into their house down the road and can't wait to have supper over there :)
Brandyn and I have been given an opportunity to get away for a long weekend this month. Next Friday we will be taking off for San Francisco, CA. Friday night we'll stay in San Fran and head north on Saturday and Sunday to visit Napa Valley. We are amateur wine connoisseurs so we are excited to visit several vineyards. We love to travel, eat good food and spend quality time together so this is the perfect get away for us. It's the longest we've left Bray-Lynne but she will have lots of fun with her Nana & Papa and her Aunt Chelsea, Uncle Josh and cousins Harper and Lake.
Hopefully we will get to spend some time with her Aunt Christina, Uncle Scott, and cousins Payton, Cadynce & Beckym soon. If they can't come this way we will surely head their way!

Visit from VanderLinden's & New Table

Last Friday night we had Austin, Katie & Brynlee VanderLinden over for supper and to hang out. We had a great time spending time with them! Bray-Lynne really liked baby Brynlee. She wanted to touch her head, hands, tummy ... if she could ask I'm sure she would've wanted to hold her. We tried to get a picture of her holding Bryn's hand but we missed it. We had to remind her to be "gentle" with baby Bryn; she did give her a good thump on the tummy which Bryn tolerated very well. We are blessed to have such good friends. We have been friends with them for a long time now and look forward to many more memories together!

Brandyn and I recently purchased our first dining room table. In our house in Grimes, our rental & purchase in Pella we've always had a hand-me-down or borrowed table. Soon, our parents will be moving into their newly built home down the road & will be taking their table & rug with them. It took us a long time and many trips to Homemakers to officially decide on one we liked. Even when we bought it we were a little skeptical if it was the "right" one. We just got the table delivered today. I got it dusted and put my runner & decoration on it ... of course I posted pictures of it on here. I am very proud of our first & very own dining room table!

Getting closer by the day

This is a "don't touch" but she sneaks away and does it anyway :)
Getting closer by the day ... Bray-Lynne will take a few steps towards each of us but usually only if we have a 'bribe'. One day we used chocolate pudding, another day it was Starburst candy, sometimes it's toys, a drink or snack. She thinks she's pretty funny when she's walking. She will giggle (a little 'hehehehe') all the way back and forth. She also walks somewhat sideways which is what she's doing in this picture. Brandyn and I get a kick out of trying to teach her to walk; we're usually giggling just as much as she is.

Bray-Lynne is quite the talker and already has a good sized vocabulary. She says many things and is learning how to point or motion to things that she wants. More recently she has started saying "mommy" very clearly...it's about time! :) She knows sign language for "more" but I haven't taught her anything else because she'd rather just learn the actual word that sign it. She is completely on whole milk and drinks everything via sippy cup. No more 'ba-ba's! She has a sippy cup that I use for nap times & bedtime that is similar to a bottle nipple but not really ;) Bray now has a total of TEN teeth ... yes, you heard me right ... that's TEN! I am pretty proud of that because I think it's a lot for a 14 month old. She has 4 on the top, 4 on the bottom and her 'baby molars' on the top. She doesn't have canine teeth yet; instead she got the molars first.

Getting closer by the day ... I know it doesn't seem like it but we ARE getting closer to spring. We are ready to see things turning green ... I think there is grass under that snow right?!

Let it snow...part 2!

Getting some use out of the baby sled
Mommy trying to keep Bray warm
"Weeeee!" down the driveway
All bundled for a sled ride


Today was a good day to get out and use the sled. There was almost too much snow in the yard but we made it work. We got all bundled and went from the house to the shop a few times then up and down the driveway. Bray-Lynne thought I was a little crazy at first but then was sad to go inside when she realized how fun it was. It was great to spend some time outside! Days like today make winter not seem so bad after-all.