Welcome to Wine Wednesdays!

So I have been doing a lot of thinking about things that I love that I want to share with my readers.  And I came up with a good one.  Good because it involves alcohol and because it is (hopefully) educational.  I firmly believe that a good bottle of wine with a good dinner with good people is one of the best pleasures that life has to offer.  There is little else in this world that can compare to the perfect bottle of burgundy with a good piece of prime rib or a beautiful riesling with a roast chicken.  Food and wine go together.  It is the drink of ancient civilizations and the taste of great and wonderful places.

In this new series, I'm going to sharing some of what I have learned about wine from my chef, restaurant, and wine industry friends.  I have noticed a trend that a lot of my friends work with food...and wine...and are really good at eating and cooking...good thing I like to eat and cook too!  =)

For today, I thought I would start with a fantastic summer wine that will be great with all kinds of barbeque and picnic meals.  I had this wine with a roast pork tenderloin over spring greens and fresh apples.  Let me tell you...uh-maz-ing.  And no, I do not have any pictures of either my glass or my food because I got busy with that pretty quick.  =P  Muga Rioja Rosado 2011 was the wine of my weekend.  It is a blend of three Spanish varietals and could not be better.


I had to share this wine with you because it is not a strong taste for those who are not the biggest wine drinkers and it is a very well-balanced wine for those of you who know a little bit more about them.  It was refreshing for a hot day (we had it on Sunday night with a wine industry friend who was over for dinner).  The wine was not harsh - for a rosé, it was incredibly well blended, not harsh for having three different types of wines in it.  Don't expect a strong fruity flavor.  There was a freshness and crispness that was great with the fresh salad and complimented the pork so well. 

Muga 2011 Rioja Rosé  - http://www.winex.com/wine-795744-.aspx#.T9gk5bXIZ5Z

I have included the link to my local wine shop (Wine Exchange in Orange, CA) because they ship around the country if you can't find it in any stores by you.  Plus, it is only $9.99 at Wine Exchange.  (Also, they are not paying me for sharing this information.  I truly love my local shops and it is a small, privately owned shop staffed by people who make sure you have what you were looking for.  I just love Wine Exchange.  If you have visited the place, you probably know why I say I love them. =P)  Another resource I will constantly be pointing you to in my weekly posts is http://www.wine-searcher.com.  You will be able to search pretty nearly any kind of wine, any vintage, and be able to find something about it or where to purchase it.

So begins my series on wine!  I hope you find it helpful or educational...or at least not utterly boring.  =)  In the future, I will try and restrain myself from scarfing down my food before I get a pic to put with these posts.    =)

Hope you have a beautiful day!

home is where the heart is

It seems that everyone has a place they like to call home.  A place that is comforting, safe, peaceful.  Sometimes this "place" isn't physical and sometimes it is.  But I will be honest here.  I have missed home.

My home...or what I have kept telling myself is home...is Honolulu, Hawaii.  If you have spent any amount of time on my blog you know how much I look forward to trips back and the food and the people and my family. But I have been realizing that with a child (and theoretically more in the future), trips back to my "home" are going to become fewer and farther between.

That reality is hard for me.  And I'm not always sure why.  Or maybe I'm not sure why I still look at things this way.

Personally, I have often (and probably always) struggled with finding my identity in my Savior.  And if I am honest with myself about that reality - that I wholly and only belong to Jesus Christ - then things like physical locations seem a little silly.

But if I looked at things a little more deeply and even more honestly...maybe I would see that I miss the moments of quiet I remember having with my Lord on a beach in the morning.  Or when you are on a surfboard surrounded by an amazing ocean.  And I have struggled to find that peace and still since I have left Hawaii... and that probably has more to do with college and marriage and child and my struggle to find quiet time than anything physical...But still...

Homesickness constantly nags and I wonder if I am missing something in my current place.  A place filled with family and friends and beautiful places too.

Then I realize again.  Christ is universally my identity.  I may continue struggling with homesickness but still I am His child.  And even if it takes me some work to hear His voice again, He still speaks to me and hears me - no matter where I am.

I lift my eyes up to the hills, from whence comes my help, my help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. ~Psalm 121.1-2

Hoping you all have a beautiful Hawaiian day!

waiting for a little more summer

So the weather has been undeniably beautiful in SoCal recently.  BUT it has not quite been beautiful enough for me to go diving into a pool or hit the ocean yet.  That could be in large part because I'm a wuss when it comes to cold...like really a wuss.  =P

Let me tell you though - in Arizona, in 100+ degree weather, water is your friend.  And we were in Arizona two weekends ago for a cousin's graduation and spent a bunch of time with family.  Especially since not many family members had seen Hito before this trip.  I had to share some of these pics because Hito got to see another great-grandma.  =)  Bad news is that Great-Grandma has been in and out of the hospital twice since we were there two weeks ago.  =(  Prayers would be appreciated!

 He is still getting the looking at the camera thing down.  =P  Since it was so stinking hot, we chilled in the pool with everyone for a while and got a few cute shots of dad and kiddo in the water.

yup, that's my stylin' baby.  =)  Grandma N. found the floaty and I got the glasses at Target.  Shortly after this picture, they came off.  =P

 Have you started any summer festivities yet?  I am starting to get my calendar out so that I can get bbqs planned!  I am planning on sharing some of my summer recipes - be looking for it soon!

Have a beautiful day!

A little contemplation...

Today is Memorial Day.  And every year I think about the men and women who have faithfully served this country in war and peace.  But this year is different.

As I read the stories of heroism and bravery in the face of death, I am afraid.  Truly afraid.  My brother could be one of those stories soon.  Whether he is one of the men who lives to tell his story or whether others have to tell it for him remains to be seen.  But the people you hear about, read about, who gave their lives so selflessly for their country required a sacrifice of others also.  There were families of wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, who survived their soldier and now with pride and heads held high tell their stories to you.

What am I trying to say...I'm not sure.  Perhaps it is just to admit the very real fear that is starting to make itself known as the date for my brother's deployment grows closer.  A fear that I may be one of those people telling stories.  But even as the fear becomes more apparent, my prayers grow stronger and longer and more fervent to the God who keeps all His children in the palm of His hand and at the center of His will.  I know in whom I have believed and I am comforted with the knowledge that my brother does also.

This is what I am trying to say: keep listening to those stories.  And when you have listened, pray.  Pray because there will always be more stories to be heard and more families in need of comfort from the Great Comforter Himself.

My brother is on the left with his new bride (my new sister!).  Please keep them in your prayers.

back to the grind

So...I have (obviously) not posted in quite a while.  But rather than going on and on about how I have meant to blog (and obviously haven't), I thought I would just give you the reader's digest edition of my life this past month.  And there will be consecutive posts elaborating on some of the more interesting happenings. =) But it is good to be back and look forward to seeing my readers around the interwebs!

• Brother's wedding (pretty big deal and lots of pictures to follow)
• Play dates with Hito and friends
• Good food
• Beach time while in Hawaii
• Good food in Hawaii
• Spending three weeks in Hawaii (technically 20 days but let's make me feel a little better and pretend I had another day)
• Friends having babies!
• Lots of inspiration for jewelry 
• More good food...... =P
• Hito rolling all over the floor
• Also, he is eating solids really well now
• Read all three Hunger Games books (my review to follow)
• Good friends getting married
• And lots more stuff that I will share with you in posts that are coming to a computer near you!

Have a beautiful day, everyone!