Saturday, January 17, 2009
Cameron Hughes, Lot 95
I tried it...Cameron Hughes, Lot 95; Valle Central, Chile. 2007 Meritage; 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 15% Carmenere. I loved this wine, it was fruity and had a nice smooth finish. The man at costco definitely made a great recommendation and it was no wonder I grabbed one of the last few on the shelf.
Matt even tried sipping on this one, he's trying to acquire the taste for wine. To tell you the truth I just don't think it will ever be, he doesn't like any adventurous food or drink. He's your typical, good 'ol meat and potato kind of guy. Whenever it comes to your not so typical tasting things he's not usually a fan of them, like (my favorites) sushi or boba drinks.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
My first bottle-BV Cabernet Sauvignon
On our vacation I tried and enjoyed a Cabernet Sauvignon. Red wines aren't typically what I choose to enjoy, however after drinking and talking with a Red Wine drinker, I've decided to venture out and take a stab at drinking them. From the advise of the fellow Costa Rica vacationer, I'm going to test out a different brand of Cabernet here and there and keep track of which ones I do and don't like. Apparently, BevMo has a 5 cent sale a few times a year where you buy a bottle and get the second for 5 cents. That is when she told me to go and stock up on the ones I've come to like. So this blog will serve as my memory of the wines I have tasted, my wine journal.
I was at Costco last night and bought a Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, by Beaulieu Vineyard's (BV), Signet Collection for $7.99.
I came home and tried it and it was good. This is my first one, so maybe I'll reflect differently on it as I try others... My first impression was, earthy; it definitely left an earthy flavor in my mouth that became less distinct as I finished the glass. I don't know if it was a no no to be eating shrimp with this, but I noticed a different taste after I began eating; I do know that wine tastes differently, and should be paired, with certain foods (I just don't know what those combinations are yet).
To be continued... my next tasting will be a bottle made by Cameron Hughes, Lot 95; Valle Central, Chile. 2007 Meritage; 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 15% Carmenere. A man at Costco pointed this bottle out as a great table wine (whatever that is...lol) and they were almost sold out of it. I'm taking any recommendations I can get at this point. I never even knew that there are blends of wines out there. So much to something that you think might be a simple thing...wine!
I was at Costco last night and bought a Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, by Beaulieu Vineyard's (BV), Signet Collection for $7.99.
I came home and tried it and it was good. This is my first one, so maybe I'll reflect differently on it as I try others... My first impression was, earthy; it definitely left an earthy flavor in my mouth that became less distinct as I finished the glass. I don't know if it was a no no to be eating shrimp with this, but I noticed a different taste after I began eating; I do know that wine tastes differently, and should be paired, with certain foods (I just don't know what those combinations are yet).
To be continued... my next tasting will be a bottle made by Cameron Hughes, Lot 95; Valle Central, Chile. 2007 Meritage; 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 15% Carmenere. A man at Costco pointed this bottle out as a great table wine (whatever that is...lol) and they were almost sold out of it. I'm taking any recommendations I can get at this point. I never even knew that there are blends of wines out there. So much to something that you think might be a simple thing...wine!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Need to find a new church
Ok, I'm very sad to admit this but... since I started school, about 1 1/2 years ago, I haven't been to church one single time. Honestly it takes everything I have to study and get good grades. My weekends are the only time I have to study and get my work done. I suppose I was a bit overzealous over school in those first semesters, feld I had to learn EVERYTHING without missing a beat.
Not that I don't need my weekends anymore for studying, or that I shouldn't be overzealous about school and take it seriously; more importantly I need fellowship with believers and God working closely in my life. Now I remember how terrible it felt in the early years of my life not knowing God. I don't like it to say the least, and one of my first priorities after moving will be finding a new church. Hopefully there is someone out there who can lead us to a nice one in that area. Please don't hesitate to throw me a bone if you have even heard of a nice church near San Bernardino, Riverside, Redlands, Loma Linda or that vicinity. I'd appreciate it!
Not that I don't need my weekends anymore for studying, or that I shouldn't be overzealous about school and take it seriously; more importantly I need fellowship with believers and God working closely in my life. Now I remember how terrible it felt in the early years of my life not knowing God. I don't like it to say the least, and one of my first priorities after moving will be finding a new church. Hopefully there is someone out there who can lead us to a nice one in that area. Please don't hesitate to throw me a bone if you have even heard of a nice church near San Bernardino, Riverside, Redlands, Loma Linda or that vicinity. I'd appreciate it!
Trip to Coco Beach
We made it to Coco Beach, about 10 minutes from our Villa, for some souvenir shopping. Our cab driver Luis dropped us off for a few hours to shop. It is a small town a few hours was plenty of time to get it all done. Makayla had brought some school supplies to give to some needy students in Costa Rica. This was personally the highlight of our outing, maybe our trip. Luis took us to what is equivalent to our ghetto where very poor people live. We parked the car and got to meet several boys who were out playing soccer. We had to move quickly because the whole village started to come to see what the Gringos were bringing them. Their ages ranged from 8-12. We gave them all of the school supplies we had and asked them to share with their brothers and sisters. Were they thankful to have these pens, pencils, paper and other school supplies.... pretty humbling and touching experience to meet such people. With the struggles they face these boys had happiness and joy in their eyes... amazing!
Tamarindo Beach
Tamarindo Beach was about 1 hour drive from where we stayed. It is known for it's world renound surfing there. We were told that it would be crouded and that we could find a more secluded area, but we didn't find it too crowded at all, I guess we were comparing it to our crowded beaches. So we stayed there for the day, some of us surfed, body boarded and played in the sand.
This is a picture of from the coast.
Here is Makayla surfing on a longboard.
Mo getting up on her board for the first time, only after a local named "the magic man" touched her board.
The girls playing in the sand.
zip line
We had a wonderful time in Costa Rica! We stayed in at Villa Ocotal, which is in Guanacaste. Near Coco Beach for anyone familiar with the area. We enjoyed hanging out by the pool at the villa and we also got out several times for some exploring and fun.
Our first outing was a big one, mud baths, natural volcano sauna, horseback riding and zip lining through the jungle. This was a packaged deal through a mountain resort in Costa Rica. It was about a 1 1/2 hour drive to this mountain resort from our villa. The mud bath was interesting, refreshing... something I've never done before. We washed off in a natural hot spring. Then we continued to the natural volcano sauna. The heat that came in was unbelievably hot and smelled strongly of sulfur. After all of this we changed into our regular clothing and had an outstanding lunch which was made from all the resources right at this resort, no supermarkets needed. Needless to say, it was probably the best meal I've ever had. Finally the grand finale... we horseback rode to the top of the zip line route. Horses were fun, I could tell mine had been up the hill a few times that day, but I did manage to get him up to a gallop for a while. Made me miss having one of my own to ride. Then once we were at the top my panic set in... I was the only one who wasn't nervous about it... until this point. Once I got past the first one my adrenaline set in and I was okay, but I was super nervous about my 3 year old though, panic set in and then never left. If she could have been in my arms the whole time I would have been okay, but she had to leave me to get across with one of the workers. This was too hard for me... then at times she was at the other end for a while waiting for a worker to come along to ride with her... panic... finally the guy took her and I down to the bottom (Ahead of the group) near the last few lines... he had to get back to print the pics he took of us. I was relieved. All and all great fun, but the least nervous one (me) had the most trouble...lol
Our first outing was a big one, mud baths, natural volcano sauna, horseback riding and zip lining through the jungle. This was a packaged deal through a mountain resort in Costa Rica. It was about a 1 1/2 hour drive to this mountain resort from our villa. The mud bath was interesting, refreshing... something I've never done before. We washed off in a natural hot spring. Then we continued to the natural volcano sauna. The heat that came in was unbelievably hot and smelled strongly of sulfur. After all of this we changed into our regular clothing and had an outstanding lunch which was made from all the resources right at this resort, no supermarkets needed. Needless to say, it was probably the best meal I've ever had. Finally the grand finale... we horseback rode to the top of the zip line route. Horses were fun, I could tell mine had been up the hill a few times that day, but I did manage to get him up to a gallop for a while. Made me miss having one of my own to ride. Then once we were at the top my panic set in... I was the only one who wasn't nervous about it... until this point. Once I got past the first one my adrenaline set in and I was okay, but I was super nervous about my 3 year old though, panic set in and then never left. If she could have been in my arms the whole time I would have been okay, but she had to leave me to get across with one of the workers. This was too hard for me... then at times she was at the other end for a while waiting for a worker to come along to ride with her... panic... finally the guy took her and I down to the bottom (Ahead of the group) near the last few lines... he had to get back to print the pics he took of us. I was relieved. All and all great fun, but the least nervous one (me) had the most trouble...lol
Here is Charlotte, she looks a little stressed doesn't she? She was... hard for her mommy to watch.
Our house hunt
We were looking here in OC for quite some time, and with what we could afford were seeing a lot of mediocre condos that were bank owned or short sales. Nothing that showed any pride of ownership. We actually found one that we were pleased with and went into escrow later to find out it had some water damage and mold issues. Nothing we were interested in taking on, so we backed out and decided to take a break from looking for a while.
A few months break from house hunting was nice, because it is sooooo exhausting! Matt and I had a lot of talking and thinking to do. He hadn't been totally please with anything yet, and I was happy with anything he would be happy with at this point. We were at two different stages of the game on what our home should be; I considered it a stepping stone and he wanted a place to call home forever. With what we could afford here in OC, I think he finally realized his forever home wouldn't be in OC.
Since the day Matt and I have known each other I've thrown out the idea of moving inland. However, he was born and raised in OC and loves it here; the notion of leaving this beautiful weather and commuting to work wasn't in his plan. Me, I'm flexible and portable too, I'll live anywhere once... But on our break from house hunting I reminded him that his older kids were getting older and will be on their own before he'd blink an eye. He secretly started doing some research on the homes in the city his older kids live in. He finally let me in on what he found and was interested in looking at homes there.
We were about to leave on a trip to Costa Rica returning after the new year, so we told our realtor that we would like to begin looking in that area after we returned. However, this one particular home seemed absolutely perfect and had been on the market since May and was being sold by the original owner (unlike most which are bank owned or short sale properties now days). So we decided to look at it and a few others while we were out there that weekend. Matt definitely had reservations about this at this point, and I heard about it the whole way out there, "you know this isn't a for sure deal, we are just looking" he kept saying. I understood that and agreed, especially since we were about to leave on a vacation, but that one house was laying on my mind (and his too). He told me before we left, besides his apprehension, "I can guarantee that that "ONE HOUSE" is the only one I will like". We saw it, and yes it was "THE ONE".
We made an offer then opened Escrow on December 10, 2008. It has been a long and hard road and it has had a few curves along the way but it looks as if the road of escrow is coming to an end and the new road of home ownership is to begin in a few weeks! Our realtor keeps saying that we shouldn't call it our own until the day we close, but we are on the home stretch here (I can feel it in my bones).
The new house is in Grand Terrace, only a few blocks from the older kids house. Is has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms is about 1300 sq ft. A pretty small house, but it is on a HUGE, 10k sq ft corner lot. It has a workshop built onto the garage and RV access/parking on the side. Matt is especially ecstatic to be closer to the older kids and of course Charlotte is too, but she can't quite understand yet what is going to happen. I an very thankful too, it hopefully will bring all of us closer, not only by distance but emotionally too... this move has been long overdue.
We are scheduled to close escrow by the 24Th, which is in a couple of weeks. So I am starting to get a little nervous here, just haven't been able to really do anything since escrow is so volatile... Now we are just going to bite the bullet, go forward and start calling it our own ... here is the first step.... a picture of our new house.
A few months break from house hunting was nice, because it is sooooo exhausting! Matt and I had a lot of talking and thinking to do. He hadn't been totally please with anything yet, and I was happy with anything he would be happy with at this point. We were at two different stages of the game on what our home should be; I considered it a stepping stone and he wanted a place to call home forever. With what we could afford here in OC, I think he finally realized his forever home wouldn't be in OC.
Since the day Matt and I have known each other I've thrown out the idea of moving inland. However, he was born and raised in OC and loves it here; the notion of leaving this beautiful weather and commuting to work wasn't in his plan. Me, I'm flexible and portable too, I'll live anywhere once... But on our break from house hunting I reminded him that his older kids were getting older and will be on their own before he'd blink an eye. He secretly started doing some research on the homes in the city his older kids live in. He finally let me in on what he found and was interested in looking at homes there.
We were about to leave on a trip to Costa Rica returning after the new year, so we told our realtor that we would like to begin looking in that area after we returned. However, this one particular home seemed absolutely perfect and had been on the market since May and was being sold by the original owner (unlike most which are bank owned or short sale properties now days). So we decided to look at it and a few others while we were out there that weekend. Matt definitely had reservations about this at this point, and I heard about it the whole way out there, "you know this isn't a for sure deal, we are just looking" he kept saying. I understood that and agreed, especially since we were about to leave on a vacation, but that one house was laying on my mind (and his too). He told me before we left, besides his apprehension, "I can guarantee that that "ONE HOUSE" is the only one I will like". We saw it, and yes it was "THE ONE".
We made an offer then opened Escrow on December 10, 2008. It has been a long and hard road and it has had a few curves along the way but it looks as if the road of escrow is coming to an end and the new road of home ownership is to begin in a few weeks! Our realtor keeps saying that we shouldn't call it our own until the day we close, but we are on the home stretch here (I can feel it in my bones).
The new house is in Grand Terrace, only a few blocks from the older kids house. Is has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms is about 1300 sq ft. A pretty small house, but it is on a HUGE, 10k sq ft corner lot. It has a workshop built onto the garage and RV access/parking on the side. Matt is especially ecstatic to be closer to the older kids and of course Charlotte is too, but she can't quite understand yet what is going to happen. I an very thankful too, it hopefully will bring all of us closer, not only by distance but emotionally too... this move has been long overdue.
We are scheduled to close escrow by the 24Th, which is in a couple of weeks. So I am starting to get a little nervous here, just haven't been able to really do anything since escrow is so volatile... Now we are just going to bite the bullet, go forward and start calling it our own ... here is the first step.... a picture of our new house.
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