We attended a family wedding in Napa Valley this past weekend. The groom is my husband's brother and his bride is from California and wanted to show us the wine country in her neck of the woods. Unlike other destination weddings we've attended in the past, this one was smack in the middle of not only school, but most importantly marching season! While Mr. Fantastic and I would have LOVED to spend a full week out there getting to know the area, we couldn't leave until Thursday afterschool and we had to be back Sunday night so that our oldest would be allowed to march during band competitions this week and next. Since both my husband and the kids were in the wedding, that left us with one afternoon to explore the Calistoga area last Friday. It was AMAZING!
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| Bracelet: Lauren Ralph Lauren; Bangles: Banana Republic & Kendra Scott |
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| Wine & Bread Tote by Rebecca Minkoff (several seasons ago) |
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| Glitter Flats: Old Navy |
Our group included my husband's parents, my sister-in-law, four grandkids and us. Many vineyards don't allow children and some don't even allow anyone under 21, so it really limited our choices. The bride had suggested we visit
Safari West with the kids, but they required reservations and the tour was 3-4 hours long. We simply didn't have that kind of time after the rehearsal but before the rehearsal dinner. Instead we found the
Castello di Amorosa, which while very much a tourist trap, really is quite beautiful and their wines were delicious. We are lucky that our kids are older and they were content to wander around the petting zoo and the grounds with their grandparents while Mr. Fantastic and I took the only grandson over 21 to the wine tasting rooms. My poor sister-in-law couldn't join us because her daughter is too young to be on her own. My husband and I took advantage of the little privacy we stole away and snuck into a confessional in the chapel, but were caught making out. I will tell you that us making out seemed like the theme for this weekend.
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| Mr. Fantastic and I are busted. |
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| The grandparents, my husband's sister and the kids. Look at those grounds!! |
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| The vines were heavy with grapes as this was harvest weekend. |
Okay, we did sneak a trip to another vineyard under the guise of picking up more beer, but we only ducked in to buy wine and immediately went back to our rental house! ;)
Have you ever visited Napa Valley? What are your favorite vineyards? What kind of wine do you like?
I live about 70 minutes away. It is pretty cool. I go about once every six months or so.
ReplyDeletehave never visited Napa Valley, but would love to some day. even though you all were pressed for time, looks like you made the best of it!
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