Hi Bloggies! Thank you so much for all of your kind words on my new job. I had to keep quiet for a few days while everything got sorted, so being able to finally share my excitement with you made it all the better . In case you can’t tell, I still can’t believe this is my life right now!

Having said that, things are still pretty nuts over here. I’m finishing up my part-time work at Hume, have started my new position at Delaplane and am still living under my sister’s kitchen counter (in other words – I need to find an apartment!). You would think that after finding a job, fining an apartment should be a breeze but I’m starting to think that it’s actually the more complicated task. Boo.

Anyway, that was a long way of telling you that Dining and Dishing is going to have to be scaled back for a while. I want to do the best work I can and settle into my new life as best I can and so that’s where I’ll be focusing my attention. In the meantime, I’ll still pop in as much as possible. And hopefully (one day) when I’m settled in at work and settled into my new home, I can come back more frequently. I hope you understand!

But what is a post without photos. So please enjoy the re-cap of our wine tasting extravaganza last Sunday…to celebrate new homes and new jobs and new lives and new beginnings for everyone!

Linden

Aspen Dale

Barrel Oak

At least when things get crazy, you’ve got good friends  in the same boat to laugh and cry and celebrate and commiserate and drink too much wine with .

As you may recall, a little over a month ago I returned from a bloggy-break with some big news. After almost four years, I’d handed in my notice at my editorial job in hopes of finding a path to my dream life/career. I thought semi-unemployment would be kind of boring and that I’d have all sorts of time to cook and share my job-hunting, wine-pouring adventures with you. However, these past few months have turned out to be anything but!

At the beginning of September, I’d officially finished my job. A little over a week later, my relationship ended and left me feeling pretty blue. A few days after that our lease expired and I moved in with some friends, to stay until I was back on my feet. A few days later, my car was rear-ended. A week or so after that, I headed out on one big road trip from DC to Cleveland to Toronto to Cleveland and home to DC. I arrived back in town on a Tuesday night, as I’d been offered some interviews beginning on Wednesday. Upon my return, I had to leave the house I’d been staying in due to some unfortunate circumstances. And so that Wednesday between meetings, my air mattress and I moved onto my sister’s studio apartment floor.

But after two months of almost nothing, I interviewed Wednesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday and Friday here in Virginia and out in California. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any more ridiculous, they took an overwhelming turn for the better. And now I can finally announce…I’ve got my JOB!! I’ve been hired as the operations manager at Delaplane Cellars. I’ll be managing the tasting room, wine club, winery communications etc. I have such an amazing feeling about the position, the winery and working in the most beautiful tasting room I’ve ever seen . I just have to pinch myself.

It’s been two of the craziest months of my life, no doubt. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy road when I finally ripped the band-aid off and left my job. But I could not have anticipated the rollercoaster that came next! It’s certainly not been without plenty of frustration and plenty of tears. But in the end it’s all been so very worth it, as the thought of finally going after the life I’ve been dreaming of makes me smile so much my face hurts. And it’s only just the start!

And at least for this moment everything really is great, just look at that .

When I shared with you my pictures of Hume the other day, they were actually just some random snapshots I’d taken with my point and shoot while I had some downtime on a slow Friday. But they turned out so lovely, I was dying to see what my fancy camera could do! So the other day I took it for a spin around the vineyard. Here are some faves .

I’m not a pro photographer by any means but I think with scenery as gorgeous as this, the camera and the person behind it matters very little! I’ll be working at that lovely spot on Saturday and might be doing some wine tasting of my own with a few friends on Sunday. Let’s meet back here Monday, shall we?? Have a great weekend!

I am a food picture taking addict. If you flip through either of my cameras, that’s probably all you’ll see! But it’s a bad habit because although I’m always happy to share pics of the food I’ve enjoyed, I don’t often get to show you those I enjoyed it/other things in life with!

Luckily my parents took plenty of photographs this weekend and have sent them along for me to share with you today.

First, check out this girl!

Is she not the happiest post 26.2 mile runner you’ve ever seen? I was astounded by her post-race energy.

After the race, showers and downtime, we enjoyed our celebratory meal which I shared with you a few days ago. But now here are some real pictures of the diners .

Myself and my roomie Jackie. Single girls get to bring a friend to supper .

Louisa and Grantaford

Mum and her little Marathoner

Mum and her much lazier daughter

Mum and Dad

So there you go! I know I always enjoy seeing the faces behind the blog tales and so I thought I’d seize the opportunity to share them today. But after two days of foodie-photoless postings, I feel I’d better make it up to you tomorrow . See you then!

While on my recent road trip, I listened to a book on tape to keep me entertained during the long hours in the car. The plot of the book was completing a list of life goals before a character’s next birthday. The book itself was okayyy but I absolutely loved the concept! And so I’ve decided to adopt it for myself . Instead of “20 things to do before I’m 25” like in the story, I made my own list of “11 things to do before 2012”. And today I checked off my first activity.

I’ve got lots to consider over the next few days and nature is always a good place for some reflection. So I took a solo hike. It could not have been a more perfect fall day!

Just look at that sky. I know I’ve featured Great Falls here before but to me, the view does not get old. I’ve only ever been on a weekend and the atmosphere today was so much different. I barely passed a soul as I trudged along the beautiful trail.

After hiking out to the end of the path, I sat to catch a breath and soak it all in.

Life has been nuts lately. So it was an absolute treat to sit out there soaking in the sunshine and sorting out my mind. Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in what needs to be done, there’s little time to spend on doing simple things that just make you happy. Which is why I love the idea of this list!  I think you should make one too .

Yesterday was a day of much celebration! Louisa did an AMAZING job at the Marine Corps Marathon, with an average pace of 10:33/mile. So proud of her! As my parents were in town to cheer her on, it was also the first chance we had to get together as a family and celebrate Louisa and my mum’s October birthdays. Which of course calls for a special meal .

We dined at PassionFish in Reston, named as one of Washingtonian Magazine’s Top 100 DC-area restaurants. I actually ate here on my own birthday this year and really loved it. So it was high time to make a return trip!

We began with toasts and a delicious crab butter.

I knew from my last visit that Sunday happens to be half-price bottles of wine night. Who could say no to that? We ended up with a bottle of Dry Creek Zin that everyone adored. And at a price we’d normally never pay, it was such a lovely treat.

Zinfandel, Mauritson Family Winery, Dry Creek Valley, California, 2009

For me, there was no contest as to what I should order! This dish sounded like it was made just for me:

Wild Mushroom-Crusted Halibut – Truffle Whipped Potatoes, Chanterelle Mushroom Jus

I absolutely loved every bite of this dish. The fish was meaty and perfectly cooked and the essence of mushrooms and truffles throughout made this so exceptional! Two others in our party ordered the same so I was certainly not alone in my affections .

For dessert, our table ordered a few to share. My very favorite of the bunch was this beauty:

Max Tyson Honey Apple Crisp – Black Pepper Ice Cream

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the pepper ice cream but it was incredible! The spicy tang paired so well with cool ice cream and sweet apples.

Start to finish, a really excellent meal. Now that we’re a bit further out, we’ve got to get more creative with dining options. But PassionFish just goes to show that you don’t have to live in DC proper to enjoy an excellent meal.

So that’s the the foodie highlight of the weekend! I’m back to the job searching/life sorting grind all week but I’m certain I’ll have something good to share quite soon . See you later alligators!

Just popping in to wish my little sis the very best of luck as she runs the Marine Corps Marathon this weekend on behalf of the Washington Humane Society. Her first! She’s trained her little butt off and raised over $1,000 for the animals.

Go get it Louisa Bell! Very proud of you. xo

Oh BOY is life a little nuts right now. So forgive my infrequent postings please, I would love to share everything that’s been happening but I’m afraid I cannot! I really believe that in a few weeks everything will be sorted and I’m going to have some great news to share. But until then we are just going to fake it til I make it!

So for now, let’s talk about what we can talk about. Like my travels and the food I enjoyed while on them. As you know, I went on a little road trip to Cleveland and Toronto. My car and I have come to know each other quite well! Yikes. It was much cheaper than flying and one of the perks of unemployment is that I had plenty of time to make that loop around. So some photos!

In Canada…

The loves of my Canadian life, my old roommates Jenny, me and Aaron out in Toronto last Friday.

And a beautiful Canadian fall hike on Sunday.

In Cleveland Part II…

The prettiest loaf of bread I’ve ever seen from a new little French bakery near my parent’s house.

Some very delish wine. When I’m assigned to selecting the wine at home I always go straight for the expensive rack .

Another chef-Dad meal: garlic and parsley chicken, potatoes, cabbage and creamy cauliflower.

The view from Mapleside Farms, which my mum and I visited on my last day in town.

And a lovely pot of tea (above) and tea sandwiches (below) at lunch in Miss Molly’s Tea Room with my mum.

It was a great trip – so good to see my parents, so good to see my friends and well worth all the driving! I had to head back a little sooner than planned for a few interviews but I think that’s just about the best reason to cut a trip short. So here I am back in VA with fingers crossed. See you again soon…I hope .

Hello from Cleveland!

As mentioned, I’m home for a few days on my way up to Canada. The drive from DC – Toronto would have been a long one all on its own, so I’m taking a break half-way to visit my parents. I figure I should take advantage of this period of semi-unemployment to spend QT with my loved ones in far off places since full-time jobs often don’t leave much time for that. Plus, I can always use a meal or two of my dad’s yummy cooking .

This meal was particularly divine. Jumbo scallops with mushroom risotto and asparagus. Scallops are one of my favorite things ever. And in case you haven’t noticed, mushrooms are my most favorite thing ever. Served with some Seyval Blanc I brought home from Hume. A fabulous weeknight din!

Yesterday, my mum and I went for a beautiful fall walk, did some shopping, took a yoga class from one of my darling Cleveland friendies and enjoyed a lovely dinner at Sweet Melissas. Carrot cake and wine are a totally acceptable post-yoga meal, right?? Today I’m hard at work with the job hunt and tomorrow I take off for Toronto! Time flies when you’re on vacation .

I’ll be back soon with some Canadian recaps!

Hi Bloggies! Happy start of the week.

This weekend was a particularly fun one work-wise, for instead of spending all three days in the tasting room, on Saturday I got to attend the Long Branch Hot Air Balloon Wine and Music Festival with Hume. Lucky for us, while the weather had been HORRIBLE on Friday, by Saturday the skies were clear blue. It was insanely windy and as a result the balloons couldn’t launch! But who cares about balloons when you have sunshine and wine .

And this beautiful view!

Oh Virginia, I love you.

It was an insane-o day of pour pour pouring wine but we did each get a chance to step away for a little bit and visit some of the other participating wineries. And take some pics!

Veritas was my first stop and also my fave of the day. I’ve always said I’m not a Chardonnay person but lately I’ve been finding some steel-aged varieties that I really enjoy. I found one of these very types at Veritas and purchased a bottle for future enjoyment .

Next, I stopped at Barren Ridge. And was lucky enough to have the winemaker do our pouring!

He had some lovely wines.

And then on to Breaux, which I just had to try since they provide most of our fruit at Hume (as we are a newer winery).

And finally Wintergreen, whose wines I did not prefer. Of course there is something for everyone but I tend to prefer dry wines and these were a bit too sweet.

What a fab day at work, right!? I’ve attended a few of these festivals in the past so it was interesting to be on the other side of the table for most of the day. People are quite entertaining near the end .

And now I should say, this week – next will be busy! I’m taking advantage of having a weekend off from the winery and heading home to Cleveland for a few days, before heading up to Cananda to visit my old college roomies (can you say EXCITED) then back to Cleveland for a day or two and finally home to Virginia. So I’ll be in when I can! Enjoy yourselves while I’m gone .