The other day I received a promotional email from Bare Escentuals asking for “Mom & Me” stories to be shared on Facebook. It was evening and I was busy with the normal routine of things, but I sent a quick message to my three sisters with my instant reaction. I was encouraged by each of them to share. So in honor of Mother’s Day, here is the brief note on my mother, who is one of the most amazing women I know.

I thought about writing about how my mom hardly ever does her makeup and still looks amazing, how she taught me that we are most beautiful when we are active and happy outdoors, that beauty comes from inside–and not being too fat–and that working in the mud is good for your calves, glutes, and your skin.

I love my mom!

As I look forward to spending some quality time with my mother tomorrow, I hope all of you have a chance to reflect on your own stories. Feel free to share them here, and enjoy reminiscing.

There is often some stress in change. Not always negative, but stress nonetheless. So when I agreed that we could recarpet our home next week I prepared myself for the massive amount of “shifting” required. It’s like moving out, then back in to the same place. There’s also the shifts in routine, the shifts in perception, and the shifts in behavior to deal with this brand new part of your home that is unavoidable because it’s always underfoot. It’s the flooring.

What I hadn’t planned on was repainting before the new carpet gets here. In theory, perfect timing. In reality, well, I hadn’t used the word perfect given my class load and full time job leaving weekends to get caught up on research and writing.

Turns out, sometimes imperfect timing can lead to fantastic results. The room we are painting has never been cleaner, and the project may have energized me in unexpected ways. Here’s to perfection by accident.

And I’m okay with these kinds of walls. Less barrier, more statement of purpose.

Valentine’s Day gets mixed reviews every year. Some of my friends hate it. Some say it is their favorite holiday. I land somewhere in the middle. Overly commercialized “moments” have never drawn me in, and yet it is fun to get a box of homemade sugar cookies and scribbled cards from my niece and nephew, and somehow rewarding to have my partner call me from work gushing about the beautiful flowers that were just delivered. The question is, am I selling out if I participate? Am I giving in to the commercial machine? Perhaps I can take a step back and think about outcomes this year.

The kids love giving gifts, writing cards, and are so proud of what they are able to present. Would I ever want to take that away from them or devalue it?

All weekend I have seen couples being kind, thoughtful, romantic, and downright cute with each other. I’m not talking about excessive PDA. I mean there has been a spirit of gentleness and caring for the most part. Do I wish to mock a holiday that has brought more of this attitude to the surface?

And finally, we get to break out the bubbly. I’ve been holding on to a couple nice bottles and this weekend has provided an excellent opportunity to pop those tops and enjoy. The day is starting out with brunch at TMacs (T. Maccarone’s), which will include delicious beverages. The rest of the activities for the day (finishing a finance paper and a PowerPoint presentation) will require a celebratory drink when completed. And I believe that there is a nice line-up of classic films tonight for which the only appropriate drinks would be Champagne or martinis.

Here is hoping you have a beautiful Sunday, regardless of your feelings about Valentine’s Day. And remember how fun it can be to add some bubbly to a Sunday morning. I think we will start off with a little Riondo Prosecco, maybe the Pink Prosecco, and we will go from there.

Photographs by Richard Perry/The New York Times

We are all familiar with Gary Vaynerchuk and his gen-crazy style of marketing and wine tasting. But the truth is, the guy is incredibly successful. He is a tour de force in the wine world, gathering more new wine lovers than any other wine critic or writer in the world, I’d dare say. The following is an article in the New York Times. Check it out.
The Pour – This Wine Critic Can Drive People to Drink – NYTimes.com

One of my favorite episodes contained this description, which is also mentioned in the NYT article.

[W]hen he talked about another pinot noir from the Sonoma Coast, a 2006 Kanzler, he seemingly went off the deep end in describing its flavor:

“You hit a deer, you pull off to the side of the road, then you stab the deer with a knife, cut it, and bite that venison, and put a little black pepper and strawberries on it and eat it, like a mean, awful human being. That’s what this tastes like.”

I’ve got to love his ingenuity, his uniqueness, his passion. Gary Vaynerchuk makes me laugh: bottom line. And for that reason, I will continue to support his crazy antics. And I can guarantee that I’ll learn something along the way.

Posted via email from rootvik’s posterous

Posted via SMS from Amy’s posterous

A year ago today… I posted this interview with Annette Bergevin and Amber Lane of Bergevin Lane Vineyards. Since then they have continued to impress. So I wanted to make sure this interview didn’t get lost in the shuffle.

Link to the original: Bergevin Lane and the People | amyrootvik.com

They’ve recently done a fun video for American Winery’s “Straight from the Source” series.
This provides all sorts of interesting details, like the drama of the paint. Will it ever match the floor? Perhaps you should visit to find out.

Also, I love the candor or their blog. Find it at http://bergevinlane.blogspot.com. As I noted in the interview, they seem to love the people… and people love them. See pictures in their latest post from Spring Release 2009.

More and more and more great Walla Walla wine. Gotta love it.

I wrote a guest post for Jeremy over at the Union Bulletin on what makes Walla Walla wine special. I talk about a few specific wines with tasting notes, at least my style of tasting notes.

I could take the time to pick apart my own article here, but I’ll spare you the horror of my self-editing. Suffice it to say, I think there is something profound about this place–Walla Walla. And the wine made in this valley embodies the magic, the kind of hopefulness that springs up from deep within as we grow, as we find ourselves in a global market but still focus on hand-crafted goodness–quality wine made with pure intentions, for love of the land and the harvest. Okay, I love the wine itself too.

What do you think makes Walla Walla wine special? I want to know. Leave me a comment.

May 28: What makes Walla Walla wine special?

Check out this great video from Jeremy Gonzalez.

Thought you all might like this. Ashley is a star in the Walla Walla wine scene and I’m a huge fan. Glad to see even more publicity for her.