The Wine

When Jason and I got engaged our friend Mike, who we refer to as "Mike's Pick's" for his wine picking ability and wine knowledge, gave us a bottle of wine from 2005 (the year we got together) and instructed us to hold on to until 2015 when we had our 10 year date-a-versary.  For the past 7 years, we have carted this bottle of wine with us through several moves, across the country and back and back again.  And finally, the time has come to open it!

Last night for our 10 year date-a-verary we opened the wine and drank it. The whole bottle.

We thought it was good, but we also couldn't  tell if it was corked or not.  We think it was a relatively nice bottle of wine, but our limited wine knowledge left us wondering "is this good?" ,"is it bad?", "Is it corked?", "what kind of wine is this?", "am I tasking minerals and berries or rotten vines?".

Regardless of whether we knew if we liked the wine or not, we had a great time with this bottle for sentimental reasons. Not to mention how nice it feels not to have to worry about babying that bottle anymore. We're free!

We open it. Wonder, "is it corked?"

Those silver markers last a while...

Wine label 

Taste

Taste

10 years together

Today is mine and Jason's 10 year anniversary of being together. It's pretty crazy to think:

1) We've been together for 10 years!

2) 10 years has passed since that?!?

3) How did 10 years already go by?!?

4) Are we old?!?

In any case, despite the wonder at the passing of time and our desire to stay forever young, I can't imagine any 10 year span without my Jason.

I love you.

And to show it I made a grid with 10 frames, one for each year. Just think how tiny the pictures will be when we reach 20 years, 30, 40, 50...can one even fit that many pictures in a grid?!?

Looking back...

I discovered this thing where I can look at the old pictures from my blog. They are saved all together in an invisible file in the sky somewhere and what fun it is to look back at them and reminisce. Here are a few of my favorites:

Practicing yoga at 6:30 am in our little Hillsborough house. Viktor joins.

Hula hooping in our Hillsborough yard with my hoop from Jason. What ever happened to my hula hoop?

Strawberry picking in Hillsborough. Skipping down the aisle. 

Hammock water happy place

Alex! Boat!

My favorite meal ever...20$ Whole Foods salad

Passed out in Bryce's jeep after a day at Carolina Beach with Jessica and Bryce...circa 2011?
Was it too many Miller Lites or too many Britt's Donuts?

Another lake goodie. I like the look on my face to Jason in this picture.
Love and Funniness. 

Reading a story to kids at camp the day Viktor came to CFS. 

Book club! Man, I miss those ladies.

Edie pooping at the South Dakota KOA campground "pet walk", which was actually more of a dirty field.

Campfire chillin' with Marissa at the New River Gorge this past September.

The New River. I do love to sit on rocks by the water.

This guy. 

Radishes and Avocado?

Yummy french bread, pepper jack cheese, avocado, radishes, pink himalayan sea salt

I would NEVER buy radishes. I don't think about radishes. Like, as far as I'm concerned radishes don't even exist.

This weekend, however, I came into a large quantity of radishes and when life gives you radishes, I suppose you make radish-ade.

Or in this case, you make a radish, cheese, and avocado sandwich, which is DELICIOUS. 

Radishes, I'm sorry I shunned you. I still probably won't buy you, but next time I come into some radishes I know exactly what to do.

Carolina on my Mind

Our most recent NC trip was totally awesome. A wedding, family, friends, coffee, beer, sun, warmth, the best food, Carolina Beach, Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, Raleigh, Lexington, the lake, disc golf, so many serendipitous run-ins, and just the fullest heart that I ever did have.

I realized it was a great trip and that we're supposed to be there when I didn't even feel the need to touch my phone for a majority of the trip. I didn't want to Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat, obsessively check my email, or any of the other addictive phone behaviors that I've cultivated. 

Here's a few key shots from our adventures (though I didn't even take that many pictures while I was there because I was just that present most of the time):

Me and Mama downtown Durham style

Jason and his Dad, lake style (ps- unfortunately, I did not get a picture with Jason's mom...sorry, Cathy!)

Driving the boat with Doodle, the not dog

Lil' sister, me, beer, sun

My hottie hubby rocking the NC short shorts!

Making good burgers runs in the Roberts family

A new addition since our last visit: Kegerator!
Complete with one of my favorite beers of all time, Yuengling!

Relaxing on a porch by water, my "happy place"

Best Donuts of All Time: Britt's Donuts, Carolina Beach, NC

Wedding swag

Pre-wedding beer where we serendipitously got to watch the heartfelt first dance from another wedding

Siblings all grown up and friends now

Kat and Adam's first dance...love these two

And a special fox napkin gift.
Thanks, Peggy!
I love foxes.

Sometimes I get sad that I left this place, but then I remember that it took leaving it to realize just how special it is. The lifeblood and soul here are palpable. Now that we have left it for a bit, it will making coming back that much sweeter.

Doing fun stuff

The sun is out and the pollen isn't (yet) so we've been trying to make the most of the nice days. Disc golf, Dexter with the dogs, slacklining, cooking out, beer drinking, tree climbing, doing handstands (and falling out...not pictured), and even a day trip to Portland today.

Jason "teeing off" at Alton Baker

Bringing along the dogs makes for a fun family trip

Dexter Lake

Jason slackin' and Viktor posin'

From a few weeks ago...a swoopy tree trunk makes for a good beer drinking ramp

climbing trees

Edie enjoys the scenery

our little spot

Slackline Tree Pose

Beautiful Angel

Harder than it looks

Ice Cream at Salt and Straw in Portland

Next week, North Carolina!

I. Can't. Wait.

I tried...

To take a picture of the beautiful beast with a flower in her hair.

She wasn't really feelin' it...