Who knew I’d like peace and quiet?

All my life I’ve been a “city girl.” I’ve always felt most at home, most comfortable in a big city – you could mention going to a rural place for a camping trip or getaway and I would have laughed in your face. After asking where the nearest mall, salon, etc. were. Don’t believe me? Ask my friend J. Have him tell you about the time that I turned into an über-bitch because we were staying at an EconoLodge instead of the Sheraton next door. (Well, to be honest, I was an über-bitch before that on that day – but I hadn’t eaten that day and was sunburned… plus, the EconoLodge? There were bugs in the bathroom. Ewwww. The Princess came out.)

So, where and when did the change in me happen? I guess as I get older, I’m mellowing… The Princess tends to not come out as often (and honestly, I’m glad about that). I love going camping – my kind of camping, not real camping by any stretch of the imagination (however, I did tell K this weekend that I’m not opposed to giving it a try. WTF? Heh.) – and the idea of a quiet, weekend away in a semi-rural area appealed to me for the 4th.

I’ve done the fireworks on the Mall, at Iwo, on the Potomac, and at about any other good location you can think of over the years, and all I wanted to do was get away from DC this year. When I told K about that, he came up with this idea. He knows someone who has a summer house in a quiet, artsy area, who was willing to let us have it for the weekend. I didn’t know that was what I wanted until K told me about it. It was exactly what we needed, because we both needed to get away. We got to spend some time with a friend we both know and other friends of his eating crabs and clams, drinking lots of beer (in my case, at least, as he was driving), got to the house and just relax. Our 4th consisted of a quiet night in, watching Wall Street on cable, eating sorbet on the porch while watching the wildlife play in the lake. Perfection.

A few years ago, I would have laughed at this being my idea of perfection, but thank God I’ve grown up. While I’ll always be a bit of a city girl, as long as it’s not that far of a drive, I think I could manage being on that porch, listening to nature, talking to my guy. Unfortunately, life intervened and we both had to come back to reality much sooner than we wanted… but we’ll always have that weekend.

¡Feliz día de las madres!

Okay, like so many other bloggers today, I totally bogarted that picture from today’s PostSecret. And like so many other bloggers today, I’m going to tell you it’s the truth.

My mom is, and always has been, my hero and the person I most want to emulate – even when she and I were miserably fighting as I was growing up. We’ve always been so alike, two peas in a pod, if you will, even when I was always Daddy’s Little Girl.

My mom grew up in relative poverty, in a country that – well, if it’s not third world, it wasn’t far from it then, married young and subsequently escaped an abusive husband with her young son in tow. She left him in the care of family while she came to the US to make a better life, a safe life for the two of them. She came here, lived with friends, cleaned houses and went to school to get an education. She completed a high school education (only starting with a 3rd grade education or so) in just a few short years. College wasn’t in the cards for her, she couldn’t afford it, so she went to secretarial school to further her job prospects – she knew she wasn’t going to clean up after other people forever. And somewhere along the way, she met my dad. She lied to him when she first met him (if I haven’t told that story on one of my blogs, I will – around their anniversary, because it’s so damn cute), but they fell in love anyway. Thank God for that, or I wouldn’t be here.

Mommy, thank you for all you’ve done for me through my life. I know we fought like crazy while I was growing up – but now that I’m an adult, I can appreciate all that you’ve done… and who you are. I can understand the disappointment you felt when I dropped out of college and the pride you have in my wanting to go back now. I am so proud to be your daughter – and while I know that the two of us are so alike, I still would be damn lucky to be a fraction of the woman you are. You make me a better person and have 100% faith that I will do the right thing and make the right decisions, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Mami, tu eres mi vida. Te quiero mucho.

Wine for Mother’s Day? Sign me up!

So a couple posts ago, I mentioned that I had joined the Clever Girls Collective and that occasionally I would be blogging something for them. This would be one of those times… but, it’s for wine. How can I not??

If you’ve ever ordered wine online, you know that shipping costs can be prohibitive.

• From now through the end of May, order 3 or more bottles of Tough Day Chardonnay and receive free shipping! (That’s such a big deal, they’ve never offered it before.)
• Order by close of business tomorrow, Wednesday, May 5 and receive your Tough Day Chardonnay in time for Mother’s Day!
• 2009 Mira Luna, Tough Day Chardonnay, from Sonoma Carneros, California: 91 Points ~ $17.99/bottle

Click here to order!!

About This Clever Wine

2009 Mira Luna, Tough Day Chardonnay, from Sonoma Carneros, California: 91 Points

This is not your average, grocery store California Chardonnay…not that there’s anything wrong with that.  But Tough Day Chardonnay is a delightful, summery, crisp white wine that scored 91 Points and took Silver at the World Wine Championship. Unlike super buttery, super oaky Chardonnays, Tough Day Chardonnay has “floral notes with aromas of golden delicious apples and bright tropical fruits entice the nose. Apples and more tropical fruit elements bathe the palate alongside mango and kiwi flavors. Even more rich and vibrant than you’d expect from Carneros, California’s great Burgundian varietal area.”

Bottom line: It’s a great, light sipping wine. Perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch with family. Or a Twitter party by yourself. Whichever.

While my bank account is looking pretty low right now, and the fact that my mom doesn’t drink at all (maybe a sip from my glass every once in a blue moon), I won’t be picking any up for Mother’s Day – but I will be stocking up on some of this later in the month! Oh, and if you get your order in by tomorrow, you’ll get the wine in time for Mother’s Day – not bad, especially if your mom appreciates a good wine. While oak-y Chardonnay’s aren’t my usual go to (I’m more of a Savignon Blanc and Viognier girl), this sounds too delicious to pass up. Go, order now!

Hello 2010

Oh 2010, you don’t know how good it is to see you. Honestly, 2009 had worn out its welcome. I mean, it all started off okay, then got crappy, then okay again… and then it was shit-tacular what with the passing of my aunt the week of Christmas and all.

Don’t get me wrong, there are so many things I am thankful for from 2009. I made a ton of new friends with all the traveling and camping this year – and I got to know a lot of my old friends so much better. (There’s a lot to be said when you’re with a small group of people, weekend after weekend, in places where there are little to no opportunities to shower (except at Nittany – love them, they build showers) – you really get to know those people. And get to love them. Or, in the odd case, not.) I got to cross more places off my list of places to visit – and discover that I love Colorado. I didn’t think I would. I’ve made more time for me this year. I haven’t really done that in years past, and honestly, I’m not going to forget to do that again. What I need to learn is how not to feel guilty when I am taking time for me… but that’s another thing altogether. I’ve met a pretty nice guy, parted ways for awhile and came back to each other. We’ll see how that goes.

If I had been a better blogger, I might have made a list of the things I’ve done in 2009 and a list of resolutions for 2010. I’m not, though. I’m not really the resolution-type, either – I love the idea, but I always break those resolutions then feel so guilty about it. Why heap on the guilt for the year? Screw it, no resolutions. I do have a few goals, small ones, but that’s it.

• Be a better blogger in the new year. I’m not talking blog every day, because we all know that’s just not gonna happen, but make a more conscious effort to blog. It’s here, I should use it.
• Be better about taking pictures and uploading them. Also, attempt to take a picture every day, Project 365 style. Will I succeed? Probably not, but at least I can try. Maybe even try more self-portraits. And try not to be so damn critical.
• Try to get some organization in my life. Right now, my life is a mess, physically. I need to do something about it.
• Figure out what to do with the shop this year. I’ve been putting off making a decision one way or the other for so long for so many reasons… I need to do something for me.

So, that’s it. That’s my focus for the year. I’ve gotten a start on the organization, since I spent my entire evening rearranging and reorganizing and scrubbing surfaces in my kitchen. It’s a start.

It’s WAY too early for Christmas stuff, but this made me smile

It is absolutely way too fucking early for Christmas stuff out in the stores – I mean, sweet Jebus, it’s not even Thanksgiving yet – however, when I saw this at a Walgreen’s in Newport News on Friday I had to smile.* A Christmas Story is, quite possibly my all-time favorite Christmas movie. Every year, I try to stay up for the 24 hour marathon on TNT – and fail miserably. I always fall asleep around 2am and wake up at 8am. Without fail. Every damn year. (I linked to its page on IMDB in case you have lived under a rock since the early 80′s and don’t know this movie. If that’s the case, I’m not sure we can be friends. Just sayin’. You don’t have to like the movie, you just have to know of it and have seen it.)

So, this is my one early Christmas concession for the year. Christmas is my favorite holiday and for me it always has its official start when Santa arrives in Herald Square at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Period. The day after Thanksgiving, however, the floodgates will open. I’ll be playing Christmas music (not all the time, but a lot) at the shop – gotta love XM – will be planning the girls night in showing of Love Actually in our PJs, and generally planning out the perfect holiday season.

* Yes, that does mean I saw Camping Boy over the weekend. More about that later. Briefly, it was a great weekend and we were both very sorry to see it end.