Thanks to my roommate and model, Kim, for letting me post her pics and being my new box opening partner in my videos on the page. She had THE BEST facial expressions and reactions! You have to visit my page to see the video. The last one was posted just before heading off to Napa on Black Friday. And yes, for more wine tasting.
When you get a delivery and mystery box at home, you may know what you’re getting. But if you buy products online you’re not really sure how they look and feel in person. That is, of course, unless a personal experience encouraged you to buy one for yourself! When a Stella & Dot box arrived, I love recording Kim opening the box and opening each individually gift ready boxes to unveil the sparkle inside. I am then explaining a bit more about the pieces and about Stella & Dot. It’s fun! Enjoy and make an order today!
Looking for other ladies to get styled, share their love for fashion and jewelry and earn free product credits or commission on everything you sell! My favorite is getting a sale notification from across the country by someone I never met! If that’s you, please do say hello!
More wine but at Menlo Tavern in Menlo Park, California
Happy 2020!!! It is already one week into the new year and I have already made progress and had a setback on 2020 goals. Ay me. But there’s still time to pick it up! And I picked up a glass of wine or two to kick off the new year. Cheers!
Crossing off this month’s travel goal was to spontaneously head to Paso Robles, California for New Year’s Eve. New Years Day was filled with wine tasting and dinner before heading back up to the Bay Area. Though I have been to one of the two wineries we went to, I am now up to logging 85 California wineries. Progress is slow but hey, it’s still progress.
Our first stop was Tooth & Nail Winery. Not many places were open on New Years Day. Normally I would prefer to go to a winery that I haven’t been to yet but I didn’t want to spend too much time looking and being picky. It was a new year and it will be a new experience with new wine.
As we approached the winery, I recalled a birthday outing to Paso a couple of years back. My sweet friend and fellow Event Planner, Tori, helped plan the day, even with my dog, Bevo! What a well-traveled dog. We enjoyed being outdoors and a band playing. It was a great day.
January first brought a chill and the ‘moat’ around the castle-like building was bright ice blue. The large Christmas tree still stood in the entrance in front of the twisted staircase. To the left was event space and to the right was the tasting room with art, a long bar, multiple long communal high tables, couches we had at my old restaurant and a fireplace.
Troy greeted us and he was full of energy and very pleasant and knowledgeable. I asked for a pen to take notes on the wines and he obliged. More notes to come on the wines themselves.
They were also offering 50-cent chicken wings. So much for starting off the year with healthy food. I got six, Kim got six. And plenty of wine.
Buffalo
Asian Seasame
One of the cool things about a few of their wine labels was that they were not only very artistic but interactive. When the camera is used on an app and aimed at the artwork on the bottle. It came to life. Having been to Pompei, Italy, the animation was really cool. See it on my Instagram.
Hunt Cellars was literally down the street and closer to the busier main road than Tooth and Nail. The parking lot was smaller and the grounds were much greener with a gazebo. Up a few steps, onto the porch and thru the single door, you enter a smaller tasting room with a piano, Christmas tree, bar top and two 4-top circular tables. We were welcomed by Stan and he gave me the tasting menu to write my notes on.
Taking my time with the wines I enjoyed, we spent quite a bit of time here. I even played with some shots of my Stella & Dot jewelry. We chatted with a gentleman that owns his own winery in the Central Valley. And I met ‘the Mayor,’ half of a couple from Southern California but moved up to Sonoma and left because they preferred new world wine.
Another great day out wine tasting. I’ll find my tasting notes and update this post when I have a moment but thanks for reading. There is wine being grown all over the world. Just because you are in or visiting California, you can try other regions outside of Napa and Sonoma, especially if you’re able to return to our state. Let me help you plan your trip to the Golden State.
Leaving my mark #onebusybee
Have you been to Paso Robles before? What did you think?
From CDG airport to Hotel Gabriel in Paris to walking to the Notre Dame to a boat ride on the Sienne and a long walk back to our hotel on Day 1. We were ready for crepes. We were about to gain all the calories we just burned. I was OK with that.
“Creperies are aplenty in Paris and this was the treat we needed to end our evening. Step up and order the blue canopy after reviewing their long list of options on their menu board. I had the nutella and banana crepe and asked for whipped cream. Don’t mind too much that they frown upon the whipped cream. They do offer it so, order it if you like. I did and it made the crepe so much better. I just wish they had strawberries or ice cream.“
Chez Georges 11 Place de la Republique 75003 Paris France
I found the above review I wrote on Yelp and wondered why I didn’t post it on my blog. It’s where it belongs after all! More to come because…
What is your must have thing to eat in Paris on Day 1?
Can’t make it to a Filipino restaurant? I hear you. I’m sorry if you don’t have one in your area. Three days of being sick, my roommate and I cancelled our holiday party at the house. Wine was pulled to be served, beer was donated by a dear friend, the house was decorated and lumpia was planned to be served. Ingredients sat in my fridge waiting to be used. Feeling a bit better to be productive, music played on my iPhone and preparations begun.
I recruited my roommate, Kim, to help me roll. She says she hasn’t done so in several years but she did a good job.
I fried them up, had a bottle of chili sauce for her and a vinegar mixture for me: vinegar, soy sauce, garlic salt and pepper.
The lumpia wasn’t as tasty as I have made in before. Some pieces can be eaten by itself and not requiring dips or sauces. This was lacking. The pork was missing the seasoning the recipe called, perhaps that was it. Nonetheless, I will try again.
I am happy to have increased my annual travel sales by 43% over my first full year in business! This year, I have booked a honeymoon in Phuket and the Maldives, a Royal Caribbean International cruise in the Caribbean, an elopement to Maui, a first European trip for a 40th birthday to Nice, Barcelona and in between, a girls’ trip to Napa, beachfront properties in Santa Cruz and more! Thank you to my amazing clients and friends for their support and referrals. You have played a part in helping me reach some of my personal goals, gain more independence, and allowed me to see more of this beautiful world. Thank you.
A busty blonde was heading backstage to see my Los Lonely Boys at the June 2008 outdoor concert on the river in Guerneville, California. Who knew this same blonde would become such a dear friend? Of the 49 LLB concerts I have been to since we have encountered each other, we have grown close. She called my late dog, Bevo, her ‘boyfriend.’ Her tween daughter and I shared a concert seat. We have been to a 49er game together, wine tasting in Sonoma and have been trusted with each others furbabies.
Los Lonely Boys concert – Mountain Winery, Saratoga, California Stella & Dot jewelry
Uptown Theater – Napa, California
Posting a photo of what I will be wearing for my best friend’s holiday party in San Francisco, I get a text from my favorite blonde.
“Girl!! I need a Christmas party outfit. Anything you have that would be borrowable?“
A sleepover was scheduled and many outfits were tried on. She took with her two Hot Miami Styles dresses and one I wore for my birthday out wine tasting last year. She also took my favorite Jessica Simpson pumps and great Nine West shoes. To be frank, she looked better in that dress than I ever did. It is amazing she that we are the same height, size and shoe size. Doesn’t she look amazing?
Opening up my closet helped me find articles I haven’t worn in quite some time! I even wore shoes I wore a New Year’s Eve party in San Francisco out to dinner at Buon Appetito. They hurt and will most likely go up on Poshmark soon. There, we were able to catch up as its been a few months since I have seen her. Because it isn’t important, I didn’t realize that we had over a ten year in age difference. We discovered that we met when she was my age. Isn’t that amazing? I love how we have managed to be friends throughout the years. To many more, Teresa!
This One Busy Bee being in between full-time jobs leaves some time to focus on some fitness goals. I am usually at my local 24 Hour Fitness with my headphones on and perhaps a magazine for some Me time. It is a lot more fun with someone this past weekend.
My roommate does not have a gym membership. On the rare weekend days that we are home at the same time, I am able to convince her to join me at the small gym space we have in the condo complex. She has the greatest gym face. It is part pleading “no more,” part a reluctant OK. I wasn’t able to capture her ‘gym face’ this time around but the fact that she and I are both sore, we definitely did some work.
Music is playing from my “Kick 13.1 Miles’ Ass” playlist I used for my first half marathon or the Jennifer Lopez station on Amazon Music. When Kim would sing along, that would tell me she could add more weight. She stopped singing. She’s a good sport.
She would stay for an hour and I would stay in the gym for a bit longer. Today’s Sunday weigh-in was fine. Some progress was made but I have a lot to go to reach my 2020 goal in terms of body fat.
When the land is dry and hiking trails are not so muddy, I am hoping to get back to exploring on foot. Stay tuned for more posts on hikes.
This year has been filled with home improvement tasks. Thankfully I have been home to fix them immediately. This One Busy Bee would rather be on a beach in Maui or enjoying a bottle of wine in Italy than getting really dirty. As a homeowner, you have to attempt to attempt to fix it yourself in order to save money. I have replaced pipes and fixed my washer. The garbage disposal has been giving me some issues. I was able to fix it with the hex key and cleared jams. This time, the same issue was happening but I nearly stripped the hex key.
I attempted to clean out the disposal as much as I could. I cleared the blades of debris and made sure they moved easily. I took a butter knife and cleaned ‘gunk’ out from the perimeter. It was definitely gross.
I eventually gave up. It was time to dispose of the the disposal. I headed off to Home Depot to purchase another disposal. A hundred dollars later and forty-five minutes of install, clean-up and disposal, we were back in business.
The San Francisco Bay Area is full of music venues. In the East Bay, we have The Concord Pavillion where I have seen B. B. King and of course the Los Lonely Boys. We have the Fox Theater in Oakland where I have seen my favorite female artist, Christina Aguilera. Just two minutes south of Hayward, where I reside, there is The Saddle Rack in Fremont. There, this country music-loving One Busy Bee saw Joe Nichols.
Thanks to my roommate for the invitation to see this good looking country singer. Refreshing my memory with his songs via Amazon Prime Music while I replaced my garbage disposal, I realized I didn’t know that many of his songs! Nonetheless, music in general is great and has health benefits.
The doors were scheduled to open at 7 PM. We headed south thirty minutes and found parking immediately. We waited in line to go thru security and to get a close seat. We found seats three tables back. Kim, my roommate, said this is the first time she has been to a concert there that had tables at all on the dance floor. Waiting for the opening act, I ordered food at the snack bar. With a Yelp check-in, you can get a free appetizer from a select menu they provide you at the menu. I went with the Super Nachos for $9 and the Parmesan tator tots, plus an Angry Orchard cider for me and a Blue Moon for Kim.
The Canadian opening act performed and it was time for Joe Nichols. He looked like country’s Heath Ledger with his long hair. He played my favorite, Size Matters. Plus Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off and here’s I’ll Wait For You.
It is always a silly night with Kim. Our selfie with Joe near the stage didn’t work out but that face!
I unfortunately missed out the Meet & Greet. Joe was offering M&G sessions to anyone that purchased any of his merchandise. Next time!
I am always thankful for the support I have been given. It takes little effort to like, reTweet or comment on a post and it helps small businesses like mine get some attention. On Instagram, I am getting noticed by some popular brands via my Instagram Stories. I am impressed by these companies paying attention to the users, customers and bloggers that share their product with their own following.
STORY SHARES
24 Hour Fitness 55.1K followers This has been my gym for many years now and I have 454 check-ins here on Yelp. Today, they re-share this. It’s a good thing to do. A new year is approaching and people need to select a gym to help them reach their new years’ resolution. I have already outlined my 2020 Goals.
Hoku Hawaii Tours 767 followers Reading a Hawai’i Magazine on a cardio machine at the gym, I came across an advertisement for Hoku Hawaii Tours. As a Travel Agent focusing on Hawai’i, I would need to be familiar with all the tour operators. I learned that ‘hoku’ means star. I hope to one day be able to personally speak on the quality of this company.
Starbread Bakery 1,461 followers With multiple locations in California, the additcting Seniorita Bread bakery re-shared the storefront photo I shared. I also sent it to my roommate via SnapChat (bappletree) who was in Houston for business asking her not to get jealous. She has brought me a box in the past. I have to thank my former Legal Assistant, Eileen, and now schoolteacher, for exposing me to this delicious treat.
Ledson Winery 3,517 followers Ledson is a winery I often send my clients and previous hotel guests to when they visit Sonoma County for wine tasting. My dear friend, Teresa, introduced me to Ledson during a fun wine tasting outing. As a gift, she brought me a tin of chocolate covered caramels. How thoughtful.
AAA Via Magazine 2,547 followers Reading another publication at the gym, this time it was a AAA Via Magazine and an article on Palm Springs, California. I love architecture and the article mentioned tours to some modern homes. One property has a natural rock divides a window of two rooms. How unique. Too bad I didn’t see the mention in time to see if they commented on my post.
LIKES
Rock Wall Wine Company Reporting from their Urban Paradise event recently, I got a fire reaction to my live video.
Cool Whip Making a pie needs this easily ready topping. Thanks for the “100”
COMMENTS
Argonaut Hotel You have to love it when a company has some personality!
Betsey Johnson This #BetseyBabe wore Betsey Johnson blue heels for her 2012 wedding and again for the last time at the recent holiday party in San Francisco. I also gifted my niece a puppy backpack and I got myself a matching wallet here on the Time Flies post. Thanks for the love!
