Sonoma County, CA

For my (dreaded) big 3-0 birthday on Friday, we packed up and headed to Sonoma County, CA for a weekend away with good friends.  Sara, Kels and Mark joined us, along with my high school friend Mike and his partner, who live in San Francisco.

Corey did an amazing job planning a super fun weekend for us.  The house we stayed in was perfect, complete a birthday cake upon arrival, a hot tub, fireplaces, soaking tubs in nearly every bathroom, room to spread out and great views.  It was a great space to relax and spend time with everyone.

To kick the weekend off, we headed out to downtown Santa Rosa for drinks at Christy's on the Square, followed by a delicious pasta dinner at Ca'Bianca, a cute restaurant in an old Victorian house.  We wrapped up the evening with drinks at Russian River Brewing Co.   Once back at the house, we may have polished off five delicious mini pies of assorted flavors from Petaluma Pies after a soak in the hot tub.  Maybe.

Saturday rolled around which meant a wine tasting tour.  A fabulous driver named Mike picked us up and had bubbly waiting for us in the limo. 

First stop was Lynmar for a picnic pairing - lunch and the wine pairings were amazing.  Corey may have decided to purchase four bottles of wine there.  Maybe.

Next, we headed to Iron Horse Vineyards for some sparkling wine, followed by a stop at Russian River Vineyards.  Between the many tastings and the bar games the bar tender played, this was a very fun and memorable stop.  And another four bottles of wine were purchased by my husband.

We wrapped up the day with a stop at Hook & Ladder Vineyards.  Started by a retired fireman, it had a fun story and atmosphere and was a perfect final stop, and a perfect place for Corey to pick up four more bottles of wine. (Seriously, we will have more wine than we know what to do with once it all starts arriving!)

But the day didn't stop there!  Back at the house, we had dinner to get ready for --- and not just any dinner.  Dinner made especially for us by Chef Eric Lee - most well known as a recent finalist in Food Network Star (Season 8).  He was the nicest guy and was so fun to talk to, and was a wonderful chef to boot. 

Here's the yummy goodness we were able to enjoy:

Appetizers

• Local Artisan Cheeses
• Local Salumi
• Roasted Vegetables and Olives
• Prosciutto and Figs
• Burrata BLT's

1st

• Lobster, Belgian Endive and Avocado Salad with Preserved Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

2nd

• Ham hock and kale ravioli with peppers, ricotta and corn

Entree

• Braised Beef Shortrib
• Mashed Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts, Leeks and Butternut Squash

Dessert

• Molten Chocolate Cake

I don't think I've ever been so full in my life and between a day of drinking and evening of eating, I was all celebrated out.

The weekend was a blast and flew by but when Sunday rolled around and we headed home, we couldn't WAIT to see our little man, who was at home with my parents.  It was great to have some stress-free adult time, knowing Jackson was having fun and in great hands with my parents, but we missed him to pieces and found ourselves talking about him nonstop.

While I'm not too excited to be 30, I had such a memorable birthday and am so thankful for everyone who helped make it so special, and a huge thanks to my parents for keeping our kiddo happy and occupied while we were gone!

(Additional photos can be found here.)