A bittersweet weekend

Hot Air balloons right outside from where I work...a daily sight!

Last week Mom and Dad were supposed to fly in to Napa to spend a week visiting Katy and myself. However, since Kylie was a week late arriving to this world, they cancelled their flight as they did not want to miss the birth of their first grandchild. Katy and I were very upset that we would have to wait a little while longer to see Mom and Dad as it has already been over six months since we last saw them. However, we definitely understand and cannot wait ourselves to be home home just so we can see that precious baby.....whenever she decides to arrive.

On Friday Katy got good news as she interviewed for a job just outside of Charlottesville at an outpatient clinic and was offered the position the same day. That same afternoon we received word that Katy would be inducted into the Lee High School Sports Hall of Fame! So, despite the disappointment of not getting our expected visitors, we did receive some good news that day!

The next morning we were supposed to be meeting my boss, Angel, and some of my co-workers, Nikki and Taylor, for brunch, but when we arrived at the restaurant we were blindfolded and led down a city block to the Napa Valley Wine Train where Angel and my staff had booked us a reservation. We could not believe it! The Wine Train is a well known tourist attraction in the valley and one we had talked about doing, but never got around to. This is a perfect example of the amazing people I have had the opportunity to work with this summer. So, for the next several hours Katy and I enjoyed a train ride in an old refurbished locomotive all the way up the valley to Calistoga while drinking wine and dining on gourmet cuisine. Katy had seared Ahi Tuna and I  had a vegetarian dish with roasted peppers stuffed with yams, snap pea ravioli, and grilled zucchini. The best part however was an amazing appetizer plate that was piled with all kinds of delicious foods. The views were wonderful and the company even better. Katy and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and could not get over the fact of how sweet the people I work with are to do something like this for us.

That evening we walked back to the downtown and ate dinner at Carpe Diem...which was incredible. Katy had a spicy calamari and chorizo dish while I had a grilled flat bread topped with smoked chicken and chorizo, mushrooms, zucchini, caramelized onions, marinara, and cave aged gruyere, all of which is topped with an organic Sonoma coast duck egg! To drink we had some watermelon wheat beer from a popular Micro-Brewery in San Francisco called 21st Amendment.


On Sunday Katy and I drove to Benziger Winery in Sonoma and took an hour tour and tasting of the estate. It is a very cool place and definitely worth checking out if ever in this area. We had a great time and appreciated the recommendation from Dave and Sherry who went there while they were out visiting us.

That night we had dinner with Angel and her family. One of my closest friends from work, Isaias, was also there. We had a very nice time visiting with each other and I am so glad Katy got to spend some quality time with some of the people I have gotten so close to over the past three months.

So, despite missing Mom and Dad, it was a nice weekend with good news and some fun times. Tomorrow, Monday July 25th, we will pick up Josh from the airport and we will also start our last work week in Napa. This too will be a bittersweet experience as we have so greatly enjoyed this time, but are ready to be back home with friends and family.

Camp SPF Staff