A blog tour

Today I'm doing something a tiny bit different.

A few weeks ago, AnneMarie (of Chemobrain Fog) reached out to me to see if I'd be interested in writing about how I write.

Well, initially I was hesitant. I didn't really think I had much to say about my writing, but it was AnneMarie asking and I knew there had to be more to the story. So, I replied "um, I would"

You see, when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, AnneMarie was one of the first people who reached out to me. She reached out on twitter, where she figuratively held my hand, listened as I vented, worked out the what if's, and became a shoulder to cry on. I can not even adequately put into words just how much she was there for me.

So, when AnneMarie asked, I said yes. Because I knew she would have done the same for me.

So. Here I am today. Participating in this blog tour. Or chain. Call it what you will, but I agree with AnneMarie that chain doesn't feel like the right fit, so a tour I shall call it. On this tour, each blogger answers the same four questions and then passes the torch (metaphorically) to a couple of other bloggers, with the hopes that my readers will go read some new blogs and maybe make a few new friends!

And now, on with the Q&A session:

What am I working on now?

So, um, yeah. Aside from this blog not much. Sometimes I sit down and wonder "do I have a book in me?" Someone once asked me this question and I didn't know how to answer then. I still don't know. Some days I think I absolutely have a book in me. Most days I think, um, maybe a small pamphlet. And the rest of the days I think not at all.

Someday I hope to actually figure it out. Until then, I will continue to write on this blog as life and time allows. If some more writing opportunities come up, and they feel like a good fit, I would consider jumping on them.

How does my writing differ from others of its genre?

My writing is different, I believe, because this isn't a niche blog. I write about pretty much anything and everything. This blog started as way to document the things I had made ... so often the items I hand make are given as gifts, but I wanted to have some record of them. When I started this blog (which was not my first or second one) I didn't even think of myself as a writer at all. I imagined it would be a lot of pictures with a little writing. But I quickly began writing more - more descriptions about the pictures, then I started to post when I didn't have pictures. It still took my a long time to think of myself as a writer. In fact, it was just this calendar year that I said for the first time, when asked what I do, that I write. And what do I write about? Well, everything!

I don't consider my writing scholarly, or researched. It is more of what I think blogging was born out of: web log. Yes, the word blog comes from web log, a log of things on line, that was shortened to blog. This is my log, of how I'm feeling on any given day, of what I'm making on any given day, what I've cooked, what I've read, what I'm watching on tv, where we've been, where I want to go, etc, etc.


More on the side of diary, without being a here's-my-deepest-darkest-secret-diary, but just what's going on at that moment.

Why do I write what I do?

Um, mostly, I write what I write because I can. Does that make sense?

It's kind of however the spirit moves me when I sit down. When AnneMarie first asked me to write about my writing process, I told her I would (as I said above) but added "But my writing process isn't so much a process as throwing up words."

It's what I consider a pretty accurate description of what I do. There are all these thoughts bouncing around in my head, and I come here to get them out. As a said about, this is my log. Some days it's wordy and moving. Some days it's "I ate today. The end."

How does my writing process work?

Can I say, see above, because if so, guys, see the above answer.

In that vein, and because this is not academic work, I do not usually proofread my work. Most days I forget to spell check it.

It's probably something that drives people reading this crazy. Occasionally, someone will point out when I've made a typo that makes it hard to understand what I'm trying to say. I am immensely grateful for this! I know I should proofread, but on the same vein of thinking of this a a log, a dairy, etc, I wouldn't spell check my diary, so I don't think to do it here.

That said, and kind of a side note, I LOVE (and I mean REALLY love) to proofread other people's work. I'm really good at it. I used to love that part of writing for academic purposes. Actually, I loved all the parts of writing a research paper. I've often said that I could handle doing research for other people. Especially if I got to use note cards. A lot of them. Arranged just perfectly. But, I digress ...

I'm okay with being really relaxed on here. It's me. This is my space. My home so to speak. And while you are here, you should feel free to take your shoes off, kick your feet off, and relax with me!


And with that, the Q&A session is over.

Now, I get to introduce you to some bloggers you might not have read before. This was hard because I know a LOT of bloggers. How do I just pick a couple? I'd highlight them all, but, I'm guessing you don't have a million hours to spend reading this!

First I'd like to introduce you to Carol Anne. Carol Anne and I first met on twitter. Then I read her blog. Then we became friends on facebook. We've never met in person. I've never been able to give her hug - though I hope someday I can. Carol Anne is an amazing friend ... always there, always kind, always so caring. She's given me a lots of awesome advice and been a great person to vent to.

Carol Anne also is a phenomenal photographer. I LOVE looking at her pictures. (Go, and look at this awesome frozen bubble picture she took) And she has such a wonderful way of writing. You should go and check her out!

The second person I'd like you to meet is Angie. Angie and I also became friends over twitter. {side note: I do have friends outside of twitter, but I'm so grateful for twitter's ability to connect me with so many wonderful people}. Angie writes so beautifully. She writes openly and honestly about life - the struggles and the moments that just make you smile. She shares poetry and photographs. And, as cheesy as it is to say it, she shares a piece of her heart.

And of course, don't forget AnneMarie, who I mentioned up above and tapped me to be a part of this whole thing. She did this tour last week, and you can find her responses here. Carol Anne and Angie will play along next week, and if I can remember, I'll link you to them!

Date Night Adventures

Hubby and I

 So. Forever ago I made a bucket list. That list included going to a taping of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. I love this show. Just love it. If I can't catch it on the radio, I listen to the podcast.

This year for Christmas, husband got me tickets to a taping. These tickets sell out pretty darn quickly. Apparently, my husband tried more than once to get them, but they go so fast! When I opened the gift I squealed a bit. And had to start counting down the days.

But then we realized that the taping was the day after my nipple procedure. But, I was hoping that I'd be okay enough to go, because tickets are hard to get, I really wanted to go, and the tickets were already bought. Also, I wasn't going to delay surgery because that slot was hard to get, I really wanted to get it out of the way, and it was already scheduled.

Now. I look like yesterday I went in and had a large breast enhancement. I didn't, but I have quite a bit of gauze covering me. It looks like a lot of boob under my shirt. Not just boob, but like uneven, weird shaped boob (I apologize right now if this is too much information, but alas, this is how it works).

More husband and I

I changed outfits like 4 times before leaving in an effort to not make anything obvious. I settled on jean skirt, cute sweater and a fashion scarf. Think Kirstie Alley in Look Who's Talking Now. Time was running out before I had to leave. A kind neighbor was driving me to the train station - the plan was I'd train it downtown, husband would grab me from the station and we'd eat quick subs, and head to the show.

Minutes before she came to get me, a filling in one of my teeth popped out. While I was brushing my teeth. Which, for real, is completely unfair. Shouldn't stuff like this not happen when brushing your teeth? Thankfully, the nerve must not be exposed because it doesn't hurt ::knock on wood:: but I was slightly frazzled because, um, a piece of my tooth (even though it was filling) fell out and I was sporting fankenboobs. My kids assured me I looked fine. The filling fell out of the back of a tooth so no one could tell, and they assured me I looked "normal" in my sweater and scarf.

Phew. Friend came. Got on train. Did I mention it was snowing? And kind of nasty? And while I was on the train I noticed that some pretty major accidents/incidents were happening that was causing traffic to not move very much?

Yep. I got to the train station, but husband didn't. He was sitting in traffic. And slowly inching along. We talked - should I go straight to the theater via taxi, wait for him, grab food, not grab food?

The stage! Squee!

I won't lie. I felt so frazzled! This is NOT the date night I wanted. Alas, I sat at the train station for about 30 minutes, he made it, and we rushed to the theater.

We got in, got in line, ate our subs while standing in line. Because, people, this is what 14 years of marriage looks like - date night might mean eating subs while standing in line for a show because that's just how it goes LOL!

But we got in and everything calmed down for me. The show started (about 30ish minutes after the ticket time but it was fine). And it was perfect!

The show rocks even more in person than when you hear it on the radio. I loved every moment of it. The panel, Peter Sagal, Carl Kasell, everyone was awesome. We laughed, we clapped, we let out the occasional oh-no-you-didn't-just-say-that gasp. It. Was. Great.

Peter, who rocks.

Did I mention that it was great? ;-)

Then the show ends, they say a few things they needed to repeat for editing (which is kind of funny to sit through). After that they answer a few questions and then? Then? Then you get to go on the stage and say hi, take pictures, get autographs of the panel, Peter, and/or Carl. Seriously? Awesome. The only thing that could top it? Is if Carl recorded the message on my answering machine.

Carl Kasell and me!

I was as giddy as a school girl meeting my tween crush. It was awesome. And everyone was lovely. Though, honestly I didn't get to talk to Peter and Carl much ... we were almost last in line and the theater needed to close up soon. Let's be honest, even had I been first, it's not like I would have had a conversation with them. Because I was too busy geeking out over getting to, you know, just say hi.

I also said hi to the panelists: Amy Dickinson, Luke Burbank, and P.J. O'Rourke.

My new bff Luke and I

Luke thought I looked like a grown-up version of his niece, who is obviously a very adorable girl! Then he pegged me to be in my mid-20's. Oh yes, I will bring that up 1,949,285 times the rest of this week .. "and oh, he thought I was in my mid-20's! Can you believe it? Crazy!" Amy wondered if in fact I might be her niece as well. Seriously, can I just lie and say I am both of their nieces? Aunt Amy and Uncle Luke ... that could work right? And it doesn't make me seem like a stalker, right?

Then it was time to grab a souvenir (or two) and head home.

Naturally, I'm wondering when I get to go back and do it again. Though, when we go back, I'd like to do it without frankenboobs or a piece of a tooth missing and without bad weather. I don't think that's too much too ask?

Are you free tonight?

*note: this is a sponsored post, but as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own! 
 
If you are around tonight, I hope you'll join me over at twitter for a twitter chat with The Maker Mom!

Kim hosts #STEMchat (STEM = science, technology, engineering, and math) monthly over on twitter. There is always a lot of great information being shared - I've been able to jump in one before (though I try to make the rest, I'm just never around!) and I had such a good time. Tonight's chat is even more exciting to me as we'll be talking homemade gifts and gifts that keep on giving. And you know me and homemade gifts - LOVE them.

This month's chat is also being sponsored by Little Bits. I haven't had a chance to play with them yet, but they look very fun! And if you want to play with them yourself, you definitely want to join the chat because Kim will be giving a seven bit kit during the chat (and also, over at her blog, so make sure you visit over there as well!)

In addition, littleBits is hosting a creative holiday challenge. It's kind of like Design Squad for adults- dream up a creative project incorporating littleBits, sketch it out and submit the sketch to win. How easy is that?

So, I hope you'll join me tonight over at twitter at 9pm Eastern (8 central) while we talk about the holidays, STEM, and making things (all things that make me smile).

To learn more about the chat, little bits, The Maker Mom, and the other panelist, visit Kim's post here!)

BBSummit12

On Saturday I headed downtown Chicago and attended BBSummit12.

This was no small feat since Friday night I was in tears telling my husband that I was just too tired and I didn't know how I'd even be able to survive {last week was a rough week and we've hit some small bumps with my health and the biggest side effect is lack of energy}. Every day last week (and this week not including Saturday) I've had to nap to just get through the day. But I really wanted to go, so we made some adjustments - I decided to take the train instead of driving. And figured in the worst case scenario, I would just leave early.

Thankfully, taking the train was the smartest decision I made. And I didn't have to leave early. I think the excitement of being there, around all those wonderful people kept me going. Because BBSummit12? Was, in a nutshell, Ah. Maze. Ing. Seriously. Some things need to be noted. A. It's my first blogging conference ever {I know I can't believe I haven't been to one yet either.} B. I know the organizers and they rock so I knew it would be fabulous. C. I knew I'd see a lot of friends there, which stems my social anxiety by a lot. {Yes, I get nervous going to groups and meeting new people, especially a lot all in the same day. And I forget how to have conversations when my anxiety creeps up, so I end up being one of those people where you are like "Hi! I'm Sarah! So nice to meet you. How are you?" And I'm all "Fine." I know, it's awesome and by awesome I mean not.}


Anyway, all of this rambling to say that I had an amazing time. I learned some wonderful things, walked away with some great tips, met some new people, didn't embarrass myself too bad, and will try to get back to it next year for sure. And oh, did I mention I won something? I did. A new motorola Xyboard tablet (thanks Verizon!).

But the best part for me, truly, was getting to meet so many of my favorite on-line friends face-to-face and to get to hug people (both old and new friends). Seriously. Don't get me wrong, the Hard Rock Hotel was awesome, the food was delicious, the speakers and panels were fabulous. But the hugs, were the best part. {Get ready, here's the sentimental part} Over the last year I have had so much incredible support. And so much of it has come from the internet - from twitter friends, from facebook, from blog readers. Many of these people I've never met face-to-face. They send notes of encouragement, virtual hugs, smiles over the good news. It is amazing. It's even more amazing to see these people face-to-face and give them a hug.

I didn't take enough pictures. Okay, so I hardly took any pictures at all, but here are just a couple:

Amy and Rita!
*Note, Rita is wearing a bathrobe ... read why here!

Jen and I

Melisa, Tracey, Michelle and I



Jen, Jenn, and I

There were so many more people I met, got to hug, see. It was amazing.
Is it to early to buy next year's ticket? Because I really want to go back! ;-)

What a week.

It's been quite the week around here. Mostly because of some majorly raging hormones on my part. Which sucks for my family and well, anyone who has to talk to me! Someday I will have to write more about that, but for now just know this week had some highs and lows.

Thankfully, yesterday it all seemed to go back to normal. Just in time too. Because last night I got to go out to dinner with Kim and Tracey! And if you don't know them, go check out their blogs when you are done reading here, because these two ladies are wonderful and fabulous! And can I just tell you how awesome it was to get out of the house and chat with them?

In some fun news, Kim is house-hunting and starting a new vlog series that I think is awesome! It's called Property Sluts (but don't worry, it's less tame than it sounds!) and I think you should watch it. Tracey was talking about how she got her tickets to Blogher (umm, why yes, I am jealous!) but still has to cover airfare, so you know, feel free to sponsor her should you be looking for an awesome person! =) Other than that we just chit-chatted. I kept interrupting (completely unintended too, I swear, I really am not a horribly rude person I think I was just overcome with joy about getting to talk to adults! At a restaurant! With no kids around!) And dinner was just yum too (we ended up going to Sweet Tomatoes - and oh my. It was my first time and I hope I get the chance to go back soon!) Also, I got something fun to bring home and try out, and should I like it, I'll tell you all about it soon!

In some other fun news, tomorrow I'm going to host a craft day here. Just a few ladies are coming over. I have one planned for December too. I hope they go well, this I something I'd like to do every month or at least every-other month. Because it is much more fun to make things with company then without company. So hopefully I'll have some fun reports about that to share with everyone.

Speaking of stuff coming up - I do have one very exciting thing coming up that I can't wait to share and talk about. And then one warning, there are some really awesome give-away's going around (in time for holidays I guess?) that require some blog posts about them. I promise not to turn the blog into post after post, but a few are too sweet to pass up, and at least one of them will extend the prize to anyone who comments on the winner's post.

Aside from that, just working away on making things. And reading. And trying to keep the house a little bit clean. And needing to feed everyone ;-) Hope you all have a great weekend! =)

Big night.

So this past Saturday was quite the night for me. I'm not sure why I haven't blogged about this sooner other than, well, life!

So a few weeks ago I was invited to a gathering to celebrate Kristen Chase's new book The Mominatrix's Guide to Sex: A No-Surrender Advice Book for Naughty Moms at Kenmore Live downtown. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to make it - husband had plans for the night too and it can be hard to find a sitter. But my mom saved the day and said she would watch the kids.

So at 4:45 I boarded a train and headed downtown. I was wearing jeans, nice top, and my athletic shoes (to keep the feet happy). I walked by Kenmore Live studio and saw Kim wearing a gorgeous dress. At this point I seriously considered turning around and taking the next train back home. I thought I would die - and was also internally yelling at myself for not asking about attire. I always wear jeans. It doesn't dawn on me sometimes that the rest of the world does not. But I sucked it up and went in anyway (thank goodness I did - that's coming later).

I really wanted to hide in a corner as more people came in dressed nicely - much much nicer than I. Yes, this is all I could think about for the first 45 minutes. But I got to meet some new people and see my new friends from the Galena trip and that made me feel better!

Then it was time to watch Charles Joly and Chef Nick Lacasse from The Drawing Room make drinks and food for us!

Charles making us some really yummy - and more powerful than I am used to drinks

Nick made us some very yummy scallops. I'm sorry, I was much too hungry to take a picture of them - but trust me - they were so tasty. And with some asparagus. Now, 5 years ago I wouldn't touch that but these days - I LOVE asparagus! I wish it were fresh all year round!

Then some comedy troop did some comedy. I giggled a lot which I blame on the drinks we were given ;-) And then Kristen talked to us! She's such a sweetheart - it was so nice getting to meet her (even if when we were first introduced all I could think about was what an idiot I was for not dressing nicer LOL!)

Then it was time for the give-aways. 3 lucky moms went home with new hedge trimmers. No for real, hedge trimmers. Which probably would have excited my husband a lot more than it did me LOL! But after that - they raffled off a brand new kenmore elite appliance. You will never guess who won ....

Yes - for real. Do you see my look of complete surprise (even though I had been praying and wishing because I need a new washer and dryer so badly dh and I have been talking about it since oh, this time last year?) And how Kris was able to snap this picture - wow, I'll never know, but I love it and thank her! And also, I completely look so much like my mom it's the first thing I thought when I first saw it!

So then I'm pretty sure I floated down by Kristen and I'm not quite sure what all happened - I think I hugged her a couple of times. I was kind of shocked. Eventually I remembered to, you know, call my husband and tell him! And yes, I teared up while telling him.

I think I'm still slightly shocked. For real. I can't believe it. So soon this

but in red (I think) will be coming to my house. Seriously! Oh my! I just can't even believe it! So so so excited!!!

So I floated for the rest of the party. I think I laughed a lot. And said wow! a lot and probably said I can't believe it a lot. It's all just a slight blur. The Kenmore people interviewed me. I'm told video might be coming soon. Maybe I'll share it here - maybe if I preview it and think I look completely ridiculous I won't LOL!

So after all of that - right before we left I remembered I never did get a picture with Kristen but I finally got one (after all, it as her I had come to see!)


As we left, we were all given copies of her book (signed! Yay! I love nothing more than getting signed books!!). We were also given an induction cooker (so neat - but I haven't cooked on it yet - this weekend hubs and I are going to play around with it but we did boil water just to see how fast it would go. 4 min 40 secs!!)


And when I got home I realized we were also gifted an American Girl Doll package from Chicago Embassy Suites! How amazing (and perfect) is that? My mom is also a huge American Girl Doll fan, so considering I got all of this because she watched the kids, I've already promised she can come with us! =)

Holy mackerel. So yeah, Saturday was a pretty big night for me! I'm so grateful and so thankful and still a little shocked! LOL!

My Fabulous Weekend!! Part 3

So Sunday morning we had to wake up very very early. We had to be here:

by 6:00am! And the picture is blurry because I still felt blurry LOL! No, it's hard to read but it says Galena On The Fly. Yes, I started my day with a hot air balloon. No, I have never taken one before. No, it was not tethered. Yes, I was pretty nervous. Yes, I'm glad I did it because yes, it was amazing as it sounds!! Well, those are the questions that I've been most commonly asked about!

But in all seriousness - the hot balloon ride was amazing. Just amazing.

So you walk up, and things look like this:

Then they fill it up with air using a couple of huge fans - which is pretty neat.

Our pilot was Andy - a very nice guy. Also, he has a great sense of humor and handled our group very well I would say ;-)

The sun was just coming up during all of this. Just watching the sun come up was amazing and beautiful. And as someone who is NOT a morning person at all - I don't often see the sun rise.

Now, looking up inside the balloon - very very neat. As a reference, the black circle at the top is 20 feet in diameter!!

And just some random pics from the ride:

And a celebration for a successful trip!! =)

I just felt so lucky to be up in the air - the world is gorgeous and so picturesque it's amazing.

So after that - we headed on over to Galena Log Cabins, where be still my heart, there is also an alpaca farm. Just amazing - I will be writing all about our time there later this week - I have so much to share (why yes, yes, I did buy yarn there!). We were able to take the Alpacas on a walk - so much fun!!

This is Ben:

Ben and I are now buds. I wish I could have taken him home with me =)

Also, you should know, it's hard to line up alpacas for a picture, but I think we did a good job!

This is Sherman - I also got to walk him. He was fun to walk LOL!

I have so much more to say about being at the alpaca farm and so I will write about it again later - so be prepared. And I will probably never stop talking about alpacas ever again because I am in completely head over heels in love with them and really wish we could have alpacas in our back yard LOL!

Now after all that amazingness, we headed off to Chestnut Mountain - which seems like such a fun place to also take a family vacation. In the winter - skiing, snowboarding, lessons, lots and lots of fun! My husband would probably love it! He is the skier in the family (so far that is!). There is a game room, pool, and a very fun looking slide that I hear takes about 3 minutes to go down!

So you can go and have fun even without snow. Also, they are along a river and you can do boat rides and tours - I would LOVE to come back and do some of that =) Also, it just looks pretty

I looked out across all of this and wished I were a painter and could come back, get situated on the patio and paint away. Well, I guess I could do it now, but that might be a discussion for another day ;-)

In addition to great places to stay (including rooms with lots of bunks that could easily accommodate groups!) they have wonderful food. We were treated to lunch there and again, another divine meal. Oh my - Galena has good food everywhere! LOL! I'm pretty sure I gained a few pounds with all of the great food they had - and the Sunset Grill there did not disappoint!

And after all of that, it was time to head off into the sunset and return home. I was so sad to leave everyone - I may have only known one person when the trip started but I had such a great time with everyone I really do miss them so much! I'm so glad that I was able to go and I know I've said once-in-a-lifetime opportunities several times while talking abotu this trip - but so much of what we did really and truly was.

I just cannot thank the Galena/Jo Daviess County CVB enough. And also a huge shout out to Kim for working on this trip and inviting me along =)

*Just a reminder that this trip was sponsored by the The Galena/Jo Daviess County CVB.
** Part 1 of the trip is over here.
*** Part 2 of the trip is here

My Fabulous Weekend!! Part 2

So, last time we stopped off at lunch - which was completely delicious! =)

After lunch we walked on over to the Galena History Museum. What a great museum Galena has in it's town. There are some fabulous things on display - and they have so many things in their collection that they can rotate in and out! Seriously, if you are in Galena - take time and stop into the museum. There is even a lead mine you can look down in - which Galena is known for!

On display is a replica of a dress worn by Julia Grant - which I thought was gorgeous. A local seamstress made it based on a painting of Julia! Which is even more impressive in my book!

There was a display of children's toys that I just fell in love with - forget the kids, I would LOVE to be able to have some of these! LOL! I snapped a pic of the sewing machine - it was too cute!

I also took a picture of the old switch board - as a nod to grandma's who used to be operators:

Now before I continue, let me just take a few minutes here to get serious - this museum has so many wonderful things, but like so many small museums is struggling to get by. Now, I'll be the first to admit, I love going to the big museums, but I really love going to small museums like this one. They almost always have a local bent, most of their collection is donations - things that would be very difficult to part with because selling donated items makes you lose trust with possible future donors. So in all seriousness - much like the Galena History Museum - I bet you have a history museum near you - it might be much smaller - one floor in part of a different civic building (that is how our local history museum operates). Go, visit the museum, see what treasures they offer. And donate a few dollars (or you know, a lot of dollars) if you can. Because it's important and each local museum is absolutely different from other local museums in that it is celebrating your town's history. And yes, we do visit ours - my kids go in there. I have met the curator a few times (although probably not often enough for her to recognize me, but I do know her!).

Okay - back to the museum. After looking around, and getting to talk to Former Pres. Grant and his wife Julia

(yes, actors LOL!) my companions and I were escorted upstairs to the collection. I wish all visitors to the museum could do this, we donned white gloves:


And we were able to look around at the whole collection. I've never seen this part of any museum before - all I can say is WOW! It's amazing. We got to see so many fabulous things - pictures, clothes, purses, shoes, weapons, trunks, etc, etc, etc

(this was marked as from 1830's! I'm not one to normally want to hold guns, but I mean, really, I'm not one who usually gets to look at so many amazing things from history either!)

I can not thank Nancy (she's the executive director) and the Galena History Museum enough for this. This was completely a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me!

So after that amazing trip - I mean really, how can you top that? Oh, why you can take us all to a FABULOUS house in town - the Seal house. This house has been decorated just so amazingly beautiful - it certainly belongs in a magazine somewhere. And the owners - Brad and Roth - are just wonderful. Well, you'd have to to open your house up like that I think! (And here is where my camera ran out of battery, so we're going to use all of Kris's pictures for the rest of the day)

After looking at their gorgeous home, we headed off to the Galena Cellars for some wine tasting!

I might have gotten slightly embarrassed at some points and blushed a little (or a lot). ;-)

But it really was a fabulous time!

Now, I am normally not a wine drinker, and I tried each wine to be a good sport, but didn't like them. I've never found a wine I liked. But our server - who was just the sweetest - told me she thought i'd like the last two we tried. And color me surprised - I did! So I bought a bottle of each and brought it home. Now, my husband laughed in surprise when I told him because he thought I'd never meet a wine I like. Well, thanks to Galena Cellars - I know exactly which type of wine I like - so fun!!



The Blackberry wine has already been opened and I'm enjoying it a glass or two at a time =)

After giving us all that wine to drink - it was time to go check into our room and get ready for dinner. Well, no, we didn't have a room - we were treated much more kindly than that - we had two houses we stayed in. Wow - and by house, I mean really gorgeous, wonderfully clean, no clutter, lots of space, and beautifully furnished house. All courtesy of Eagle Ridge. The house was so nice - I could easily live there full time and be happy =)

And then it was dinner time. At Fried Green Tomatoes. Who, also served the best fried green tomatoes I have ever eaten in my life!

At this point I wish I could share smell, taste, and sound with you - because all the food smelled and tasted divine. Oh, I felt like I was being completely spoiled. And sounds - had you been there you would have heard much talking, laughing, and just all of us having a wonderful time. Well, except when the food was first served. Then you would have heard silence as we all dived in! So so so delicious. I wish they would deliver to me when I'm at home ;-) I would order out a lot! LOL! =)

After that - it was quite late. And so it was time to go to bed! I'll write about Sunday's adventures later! =) Because Sunday was amazing too!!

*Just a reminder that this trip was sponsored by the The Galena/Jo Daviess County CVB.
** Part 1 of the trip is over here.
*** Part 3 of the trip is over here.