Last Day In Sonoma

Our last day in Sonoma was bittersweet as we tried to soak up every last minute of our time there. One group accepted the challenge to try to see San Francisco in an afternoon and the other group opted for the more chilled-out version and chose Sausalito.

Katie, Michael, Annie and Nate ventured across the bridge to experience Fisherman's Wharf, Haight Ashbury, and the ever popular H&M. After trekking up and down insane hills, they told the rest of us that moving to San Fran was not an option.


Blanche, Bill, Alex, Suzanne, Perry, Evan and Sarah took a lazy stroll through Sausalito, enjoying the views, the quaint churches and the weather. Alex and Suzanne upstaged everyone by wearing matching outfits for the excursion.


Both groups managed to get a great view of the Golden Gate bridge in the afternoon, although from opposite sides of the highway.


We braved the wind,


had a little photo op,


and learned all kinds of cool facts about the bridge. (It took 27 years to repaint it!!)


You may be wondering where Adam and Lisa were during all of this... don't worry about them. They were laying by the pool and doing just fine and I bet Lisa finished off book #4.


A highlight of our last night: Moeya's ribs. Evan is still talking about them.


So delicious that Alex had to get every last bit. No matter what.
After dinner we sat around singing songs (oh yes) and then watched a movie outside. It was the kind of night you can't plan or force; its just a perfect setting and the perfect group of people that make it... well, perfect.


I adore this family! This was truly a "once in a lifetime" kind of trip and we are all so lucky to get to be a part of this family. Cheetah and Bill-- you outdid yourselves.


THANK YOU!!

Tour de Segway

Our fifth day called for an early morning so we could go on our Segway Wine Tasting Tour. This was one of the activities that we were all looking forward to as we talked about the trip... and it did not disappoint. We met our tour guides, Gerardo and Hunt, signed our lives away and donned our helmets.




As we got a briefing on how to ride our Segways, my nervousness began to grow. The foot placement, leaning and turning sounded like it required coordination-- something I am lacking. Bill was our guinea pig and was quickly zooming up and down the parking lot with a huge grin on his face and I think we were all a little relieved. We could master these things!!




After a little goofing around (Adam and Evan doing a sychronized Segway dance), we were off on our tour. We took it pretty slow and easy as we made our way to the first winery-- Buena Vista. We had a great guy named Quinn who explained all the wines and give us a history of California wines... and he poured generous glasses. After about five tastings,



the giggles came out, the pictures got sillier and everything was hilarious.



I vaguely remember Blanche singing "You shoulda put a ring on it" at this point and other craziness...



When the guides told us it was time to leave, we hopped back on our Segways and discovered a fun surprise... Segways are SO much easier with some wine in you! We were flying to the next location. We were jumping bumps in the road, taking turns at 12 miles per hour, and breaking with a lot more confidence. A glass and a half of wine at 11am made us Segway pros. Bartholmew Park Winery was the next stop and sweet Heidi tried her best to get our attention to explain the wines. Her attempts failed. We were busy watching Annie and Suzanne reinact an SNL skit,



making jokes about the "Naked" Merlot, and taking "anniversary" pics with our significant others...complete with intertwined arms.





We are such a fun bunch! Back on the Segways, this timid-turned-daredevil group sped to the Vella Cheese Factory. We were so happy to sample the delicious cheeses. I think we all found something we liked. Alex liked them all...



All our tastings done, we headed back to the starting location and that is when our one casualty of the day occurred. Nate managed to jump an asphalt bump and wrestled his Segway to the ground. Very impressive. Nate - 1. Segway - 0.



All in all, it was a fantastic experience. I never thought I would ride a Segway... and definitely didn't think I'd ever ride a Segway tipsy. I highly recommend it. The rest of the day consisted of more naps and more eating. We are experts at vactioning. Tomorrow is our last full day! One more day to live it up Sonoma-style!

Namaste

Our fourth day in Sonoma began with our family yoga class. One of Blanche's requests for the trip was to have the entire dozen perform yoga moves for their enjoyment, or maybe for her own!

From First Impressions

Surprisingly everyone, including Blanche's brothers, gladly participated and even did well as our instructor Elise led us in sun salutations, tree poses, and happy babies.

From First Impressions

From First Impressions

The hour and 30 minute class ended with Savasana or corpse pose.

From First Impressions

The rest of the day was an easy going and relaxing day of sitting by the pool, watching movies, and reading. Bill, Michael, and myself went to Santa Rosa and visited the home of famed horticulturist Luther Burbank who is known for his work in creating hundreds of different varieties of flowers including the Shasta daisy and the spineless cactus.

From First Impressions

The day ended with another fabulous Chef Moaya creation. This time he took us down to Louisiana with his Southern Soul creation that included grits, greens, and gumbo. It was another fantastic day in Sonoma!

Sexy Sardines and a Few Other Things

written by Sarah

We have been in Sonoma for three days now and just about everyone has plotted how they can officially move here for good. The weather is still amazing, the food to die for, and the laughter still loud.

We started out the day celebrating Suzanne's 28th birthday! Perry's mom is very loved and looked super cute in her birthday dress the rest of the day. After opening her presents and reading the cards, we all relaxed on the couches and finished off the coffee.

One group decided to go on a hike to Muir Forest to see the Redwoods. Eight of us loaded up in the suburban and drove to the trail head. With Lisa leading the way, we hiked a little over 4 miles and trekked through a forest that is apparently in a Star Wars movie (you'll have to ask one of the boys for more details). After so much relaxing, it felt good to be active and get a little workout in.


The redwoods were gorgeous and ginormous and now we appreciate the "This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land" song even more.



On the way back from the hike we stopped at the most amazing farmer's market any of
us had been to. We bought limes for fresh margaritas and snacks for the rest of the day.

All this produce is another reason to move out west.

Back at our bungalows, everyone took time to lay by the pool or nap--the ultimate luxury. We all knew we had to rest up for what was to come next... The Birthday Dinner... the reason we are all on this fabulous trip... celebrating Blancheetah and her fabulous 50 years. Our al fresco table had been set with sunflowers, the boys played a few rounds of bocce ball, and we kicked the party off in true Texan style with delicious margaritas. It was the beginning of the perfect evening.


Our first course was a sardine. A whole sardine. After initial skepticism, we all decided we agreed with Chef Moaya that they were indeed "sexy sardines." Who knew?

Following our sultry first course, we enjoyed a "palette lifting" melon and champagne soup, and an amazing lamb dish. Our plates went back to the kitchen very clean!

As the cake was being served, Blanche opened her presents. I think we were all so happy to see her happy and it was fun to finally be on the giving end after receiving so much from Blanche and Bill. The toasts to the birthday girl started and
Alex gave us a reason for kleenex right away. The tears kept flowing as we went around the table sharing funny stories, fond memories and all the things we love about Blanche. As the newest member of the family, I felt especially blessed to get to not only share what I love about my wonderful mother-in-law, but also to hear the other kids, spouses, and uncles praise and love on Blanche. I feel very lucky to be a part of this group. Blanche has been more than a mom-- she's a good friend to all of us. Annie summed it up well by saying (through tears) that we "could never thank her enough."



After all the sentimental words and meaningful tears, we of course moved on to the most logical next activity. Bounce House Wars. Yep, that's right. Jousting sticks and all. Most of us stood around laughing as people challenged each other to a duel. Uncle Corley went undefeated for a long time until Adam entered the ring. Annie surprised herself by beating Lisa and Bill kept us laughing by just walking and not bouncing. After several glasses of wine and a full meal, we didn't last long though. The bounce house beat us all.



We finished the night with some hot tub time and more laughter. It was the perfect end to a pretty great day.

Oh, and we made a pact to do this again for Blanche's next 50th birthday...

The Man

A brief post from Suzanne

Meet Bill...

This is the amazing fella who has made this trip possible. Thanks for this wonderful gift, Bill. We love you lots!

Sonoma and S'mores

written by: Annie




Today was super easy going. After a yummy breakfast and laying around talking, Bill was sweet enough to drive us back and forth to the precious little Sonoma square. The city was so quaint and the weather was of course, perfect for walking around to all the shops. Mom's brother, Tony, came to visit today and mom is ecstatic to have two of her brothers here. Before dinner we of course, couldn't pass up the opportunity for a swim meet. Evan, Alex, Adam, and even Tony did some racing. They are still awesome swimmers, with some pretty impressive techniques. We ate another amazing dinner together and then sat by the fire pit and made s'mores. Its so great to catch up with each other. I think we are going to go see some Red Woods tomorrow. Yay. More to come..

Day 1: Blown away...

Written by Lisa Burke

In life sometimes, well actually more times than not, I tend to over heap expectations onto an experience, which usually leaves me feeling let down. Since I've been knowingly heaping all kinds of expectations on this trip for about six months now, I felt increased nerves building as we approached Sonoma. What if the place doesn't look as pretty as it does online? What if the chef sucks? What if everyone hates going on a Segway tour?

In truth, though, from the on-set this day has been relaxing, easy, and full of laughs with a few inappropriate jokes thrown in the mix. We all arrived at the airport on-time and full of energy...even Annie was smiling at 8 a.m. First expectation exceeded. We had the worlds coolest flight attendants on our flight (shout out to Pete and Diane in coach...what, what), and even though we all didn't get to sit together we spent a large majority of the flight visiting each other and catching up. Bill so sweetly upgraded himself and Blanche to first class to start her birthday trip off right (I know for a fact that this exceeded her expectations). I got to hear how Evan and Sarah's first month of marriage has been and was so impressed by how well little Perry did on the flight too.

Once off the plane, even waiting for over an hour for our rental cars couldn't dampen our spirits, and, after a stop at California's favorite "In-N-Out Burger" we were on the way to Napa. The hour long drive took us over the Golden Gate Bridge before we approached Casa Nueva Vista in Sonoma, California, our home for the next six days.

As we toured the grounds, the only effective way to explain our reaction is "Blown Away!" The three houses on the property are so comfortably appointed with large kitchens, plush linens, and warm living rooms. There is a sand volleyball court, batting cages, outdoor kitchen with pergola, Bocce Ball court, and last, but definitely not least, the most beautiful pool we have ever seen. Plush couches and loungers surround the pool area and spa, which is accented by a falling waterfall and rock slide. Each night our outdoor bonfire is rebuilt for us, since Sonoma has a high of 80 degrees and lows of 50 degrees at night. All of this is surrounded by beautiful gardens and areas for conversation. Another huge expectation surpassed.

We instantly made ourselves at home and lounged by the pool. It was just the casual gathering that I had imagined as I daydreamed about the trip, and I looked up from my book several times and just felt grateful. There's no way this trip could fall short of my expectations, I realized, because all I had really wanted was to just spend time with these people and get to know them even better. So, I'm writing this now, feeling even more grateful as this unique group of family laughs around the patio table. Our bellies are full (after our three-course meal prepared by our personal chef, Moeya...and yes, I'm rubbing it in), we've had a few drinks, and we're sharing stories. So, in closing...I am overwhelmed and my expectations continue to be blown away by my surroundings, but mostly by the hearts and minds of the people around me.