V is for Vacation

You'll have to forgive me for not being a more diligent, reliable blogger this summer.  I pack as many vacations as I possibly can into every summer break and I relish the opportunity to travel, relax, and recharge.  Have you ever heard about the three main reasons to teach?  June, July, and August!  I've got more reasons than these for teaching, but having summers off from work is very high on my list of pros.

What I haven't been doing much of this summer is cooking.  I just don't cook the same way (or in the same quantity) when I'm staying at someone else's home.  Obviously.  I haven't been idle, though!  This blog post is long and thorough with a dazzling array of pictures to help you understand what I've been getting into this summer.      

To start the summer break, I spent a week in California wine country with Peter's family.  In addition to a family reunion in Alexander Valley, we also visited wineries, rode cable cars in San Francisco, ate oysters at Hog Island, played croquet, did a beer tasting at Lagunitas brewery, ate at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, and walked on the beach at Point Reyes National Park.  While in San Francisco, we visited a friend from UVA Law and enjoyed a visit to Golden Gate Park and St. Francis Yacht Club.  What an incredible way to start the summer!  

Along the walk to Coit Tower in San Francisco

Cable car! 

Golden Gate Bridge

A windy walk at Point Reyes National Park

Hog Island Oyster Company

We shucked 50 oysters for $35

Jeff, Peter, me, and Lindsay
Post picnic laziness at Hog Island

Sampling beer at Lagunitas Brewery

Lagunitas brew

The boys, waiting for us to assemble picnic supplies at the Country Market

Daniel, Lindsay, Jeff, and Peter
Wine tasting at Lambert Bridge 

Fancy tasting room at Ferrari-Carano

At a family reunion event...and I swear this cigar was Peter's.  

Silver Oak Winery only bottles Cabernet Sauvignon and each year is
surprisingly different because of weather conditions

Peter loved the breadsticks at wine tastings

Jordan, a gorgeous winery in Sonoma

Ferrari-Carano had stunning Italian-style gardens and landscaping 

Family Photo in the wine library at Silver Oak

Lindsay and Jeff
We enjoyed a snazzy wine and cheese pairing at Jordan. 

Ladies in the family, enjoying wine and cheese at Jordan

A blooming artichoke from the garden at Alexander Valley Vineyards

Alexander Valley Vineyards (AVV)

Me and Peter at a family reunion event at AVV

The menfolk (Peter, his father, and grandfather) doing a tasting at AVV

This is where the magic happens at AVV

Another family photo, in the yard of our gorgeous rental property

Potato croquettes with smoked salmon at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa

We tried sardines with hummus at CIA Greystone

Peter and Christi from UVA Law at the Conservatory of
Flowers in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park

The incredible Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco

Watching wind surfers near the Golden Gate Bridge

We got drinks with Christi at St. Francis Yacht Club, overlooking Alcatraz

I'm lucky to have married into a family with a lake house at Smith Mountain Lake because I've spent several weeks there this summer and it's absolutely one of my favorite places.  Being only two hours from Charlottesville, SML is a convenient getaway.  I love to lounge on the dock with a drink and read thrift store paperbacks and decorating magazines.  I throw tennis balls into the water for Holly (the best fetcher in the world) and laugh about her not-so-graceful dock diving techniques.  I cruise around the lake on the jet ski and take friends tubing and kayaking. I've even worked on my water skiing skills!

Steph in her awesome new sunglasses

Lindsay, my sister-in-law

Peter caught a carp from the dock

Me and Holly, floating around the cove

Holly and her friend, Kahlua, ready to fetch!

Friends!

Jess and Nicci share a picnic on the boat

Jess and Nicci tubing

Nicci and Jesse kayaking

Peter and I took a trip to Pennsylvania for my family reunion at Shawnee State Park.  It's a potluck picnic where about 100 of my relatives gather annually to catch up and reintroduce ourselves.  This year, I took along key lime squares and I was quite nervous about presenting a new dessert to a crowd that has its time-tested favorites.  I heard a little girl with a crumby mouthful say, "It's like a lime brownie!"  While I wouldn't describe it that way at all, my tropical treat was one of the first things to disappear!  Success!

Pat and Julie- a few of many cousins at the reunion

My cousin Kelly and me on our walk around the lake

Shawnee State Park in Pennsylvania

Peter walking around the lake with us

Uncle Bob and Steven, setting up the grill

My "lime brownies," AKA key lime squares

My brother, Ryan, turned 30 this summer and we headed to Richmond to celebrate with him.  I fixed a meal of crab cakes with mango cucumber relish and coconut rice (just like I made for my own birthday!).  I also baked a blueberry cobbler which we served hot and bubbly with my dad's homemade peach ice cream.  Talk about delicious!  Ryan loves bowling, so our family went out together to knock down some pins.  I enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with some cousins and spend the day laughing.     

By brother Ryan, who just turned 30!

My cousin Brooke got a strike and put us all to shame.

Peter has excellent form, but Brooke still beat him!

The AC was broken at the bowling alley, so all the girls in the family were
sipping out of one giant pitcher of ice water to stay cool.  Ignore those cups.

Ryan and my dad

My cousins with Peter

My mother, Grandmother, and Aunt at the bowling alley

Peter and I went to Arlington to visit some friends from law school and go to my sister-in-law's surprise birthday party.  Lindsay was absolutely surprised when she came home from work to find 40 people in her backyard, enjoying an enormous pot of paella.  I made red velvet cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting for the party and only one was leftover at the end of the night.  We saw the Washington Nationals play the Colorado Rockies and swam in a rooftop pool overlooking the Washington Monument and the Capitol.  We ate delicious enchiladas at Rio Grande and saw the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, eating his own Mexican feast just a few tables away.  Secret Service employees were seated at the table beside him, wearing sunglasses at night and scoping out the scene.  I'm glad that going out for enchiladas isn't such a big deal in my life.  

Lindsay with her surprise paella dinner and a gorgeous beet salad

Friends: Sean and Shawna

Jeff and Lindsay's fun neighbors, Colleen and Matt

A catered backyard paella party!

My Peter

Happy Birthday, Lindsay!

Jeff and Lindsay
(ps. I made that mini red velvet cake)

Lindsay's sister, Erin, enjoying one of my cupcakes

Law School friends at the Washington Nationals game

Me and Melissa with Screech

Dinner at Rio Grande in Arlington with UVA Law friends (and John Boehner)

To wrap up my summer, I'm headed back to Smith Mountain Lake and then Peter and I are driving down to Kiawah, South Carolina for a week at the beach with my old roommate and dear friend, Steph.  I'm savoring my final days of freedom before school begins, but I'm also starting to think about my new class.  I've been writing welcome postcards to mail to my new students and the idea of a fresh group of kids gets me pretty excited about going back.  This will be my fourth year of teaching, but I always get really nervous just before I meet my new cuties.  Once those adorable 8 year-olds walk into the room, my teaching personality kicks in and it all feels natural. At this moment though, I feel anxious about what needs to be done and how the school year will go.  I can distract myself with a baking project!  I've been asked to make cake pops for my friend Julia's wedding this August and I want to perfect the cake balls before I present them at her dessert reception.  She wants them to be dipped in peachy colored candy melts to coordinate with her color scheme, and I've been trying to get the color just right.  Wish me luck!

I dipped chocolate cake balls in white chocolate and then dyed the white chocolate a peachy color...which appears an unusual orange in these photos.

The chocolate shows through the coating too much, so I'll probably make
a batch of white cake balls for the wedding.

At her dessert reception, Julia wants to present the cake pops
 in little muffin cups on pretty trays.