Piece of my heart.

"She was incomprehensible, for, in her, soul and spirit were one - the beauty of her body was the essence of her soul. She was that unity sought for by philosophers through many centuries. In this outdoor waiting room of winds and stars she had been sitting for a hundred years, at peace in the contemplation of herself."   Fitzgerald, you make my heart swoon.  

I cannot think of anything more beautifully written.  Words are powerful.  Words have magic.  Words inspire.  Words motivate.  Words can you lift you up.  Words can weigh you down.  Choose your words wisely.  Place them carefully and meticulously together.  Sing them, don't shout them.  

I selfishly want to pack the world's most beautiful words and hold them close to my heart, for always. Don't worry, I won't, I won't.  Create beauty, spread love, share the inner workings of your heart.  

For in that way you shall forever have a piece of me.

xx

Momma, I want some ice-cream!

"Life is uncertain.  Eat dessert first."

Ernestine Ulmer

I consider myself an ice cream connoisseur of sorts.  Have you ever met someone that would gladly eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?  Hi, my name is Renata, pleasure to meet you!  No, seriously, if I could (man, I wish I could) I'd stuff my face with ice cream every single day of the week.  The ice cream aisle at the grocery store is by far one of my favorite places.  My preferences on flavors vary.  For a long while I would only eat mint chocolate chip ice cream.  After a messy break up with the mint chocolate chip I moved on to the espresso chip.  It was more than a rebound, it was infatuation.  However, no ice cream in all of the Milky Way Galaxy could have prepared my taste buds for what I was to experience in San Francisco.  Life will never be the same...

I must warn you, the San Francisco posts may well go on into the new year (I insist on re-living my adventure, someway, somehow).  Sorry I'm not sorry.  Moving along, shall we?    Boys and girls, if you ever find yourself strolling the streets of San Francisco and you come across Bi-Rite Creamery, STOP.  Clear your schedule and wait in line (yes, there was a line, a mighty long one to be exact).  Have an appointment?  Cancel it.  Have a date?  Reschedule.  Hungry?  Perfect!  If you've read this post, well, you know exactly how I would describe my encounter.  Truth-be-told, I probably would have eaten all the flavors on the menu.  However, salted caramel and honey lavender screamed, "Renata, Renata, eat me! eat me!".  It was an Alice in Wonderland moment, who was I to resist.  Of all the ice cream in all the land, Bi-Rite takes the cake.  You know that age old question, "If you were on a deserted island what would you bring?".  I finally have an answer.  I would take the Bi-Rite Creamery next to Dolores Park.  I-am-just-being-honest.  Sorry husband.  For once the reviews were spot on.  Bi-Rite Creamery, come to Florida?  Please?  Pretty please?

I devoured my scoops quicker than you can say "yum".  The husband and I then walked around the neighborhood chanting in unison, "Oh-em-gee".  Okay, maybe that was just me.  The husband did agree, best ice cream ever.  So, we strolled, we talked, we laughed.  We looked at each other and agreed, this was one hell of a trip.

If you live in San Francisco and have somehow not heard of the Bi-Rite Creamery (do you live under a rock?), I suggest you take off your pajamas and head on over.  Planning a trip to San Francisco?  Don't you dare forget to add this gem to your itinerary.  Your taste buds will welcome the surprise. 

xx

Napa Valley or bust!

A couple of weeks ago the husband and I took a fabulous trip to California.  The Northern part of California, to be exact.  You probably already know my feelings about the West Coast.  If you don't, well, you should read this.  If the stars would align themselves just right, I'd pack my bags and to California I would go.  Seriously, bye, bye Florida, hello Pacific.  However, today, I am right where I need to be in Sunny South Florida.  So, Sunshine State, you're kinda stuck with me.  It's been a long run.  I think we can manage a few more years together.  Back to my phenomenal week.  Actually, for the sake of this post, we are going to talk about one day.

Once we made the decision that we were heading to San Francisco, we knew at least one day would be spent amongst the vineyards.  Napa or Sonoma.  Napa or Sonoma.  We pondered on which to visit, finally deciding on Napa.  Then came the decision on whether or not to book a tour.  Normally the husband and I like to do things solo.  We like to stop when we want and stay as long as our little hearts desire.  So, it seemed like a fantastic idea to explore Napa Valley on our own accord.  Yet, since this would be our first time in the Valley, we did not want to get lost.  Therefore, we opted for the tour.  And for that we are thankful!  Felipi and I also decided that we would rent a car and drive to Napa Valley from San Francisco. The drive alone made the trip worthwhile.  Every minute was a chance to stare out into the sky and be thankful for being in the presence of beauty personified.  So, my advice, rent a car and explore, explore, explore.

It just happened that we chose an awesome tour with an even more amazing guide.  No joke, it was superb.  Our group was pretty awesome as well.  I mean, we had a soon-to-be doctor, a bioengineer, a mechanical engineer, an accountant, and two Bulgarians turned Coloradans.  Should you decide to go to Napa, and you are looking for a tour, look no further, go here.  Our tour consisted of four different wineries (yes, four different tastings).  I opted for two and a half tastings (the husband and I shared the fourth).  Damn you gastritis!  Casa Nuestra was hands down my favorite vineyard.  Their wine was pretty effin' amazing as well.  The second photograph is of me standing in front of the Casa Nuesta grape vines.  Ah, such beauty.  We were even able to enjoy lunch inside a cave.  Which I was extremely thankful for because Napa Valley was like being stuck in an inferno.  Holy heat wave.  They were not joking about those microclimates.  

The photograph above was inside of the cave at the Paoletti Vineyard.  Yes, the very cave that we enjoyed our lunch in.  That cave was the bomb.com.  I mean, who has their very own personal cave on their very own personal vineyard?  Answer?  The Paoletti Vineyards.  I mean, dude, the owner had marble statues throughout the entire cave.  Yes, marble statues.  Of whom do you ask?  Well, Shakespeare, JFK, Marilyn Monroe, Churchill, and his lawyer (yes, his lawyer) to name a few.  And now I can check off "lunch in a cave" off my bucket list! Hip, hip, hooray!  How many of you can say that?  Don't burst my bubble!

Our last vineyard was the Rutherford Grove winery.  It had the most amazing views of Napa.  I left the group and took a walk just to absorb all the sunshine and green that nature had to offer.  I mean, you do not encounter such pure beauty every day.  It was such a serene and peaceful experience.  My entire soul was overpowered with happiness.  I mean, I had pretty great company, I had pretty great wine, and the view was more than I could have asked for.  It almost felt like the universe had come together for the sole purpose of making me happy.  Thank you universe, your kind gesture did not go unnoticed.   

You must be thinking, well, she said the tour had four vineyards, why did she only mention three.  Well, my friends, the third vineyard was an utter disappointment.  The gentleman responsible for the wine tasting was absolutely dull.  Actually, he would have had to be present to be dull.  So, I retract my statement.  The gentleman in charge of our wine tasting was absent.  Or, maybe he was just a mute?  A mute robot?  I don't know  Everything he did was mechanical and rehearsed.  His heart just was not into it.  The only interaction he had with our group was when he would come around the table to pour our individual glasses of wine.  He made no point in actually getting to know us.  He made no effort in engaging the group.  Which, if you ask me, is exactly what you SHOULD do if your duty is to handle the wine tastings.  Am I wrong?  So, I can't remember his name and I can't remember the name of the vineyard.  Perhaps it was because everyone was a little tipsy at this time?  Hmm, yo no se! 

Yet, the other three vineyards were so amazing that it did not even matter.  During that time the group was able to bond a little more.  Our odd little group of nine made the day just a little bit sweeter.  Once the tour was over it was sad to see everyone part ways.  In a sense they had been part of what I consider to have been a nearly perfect day.  Everything was in our favor.  For that one day everything was just right.  It was a fine day.  Makes my heart heavy just thinking about it.

If you haven't been to Napa, go. Go, go, go.  If you have someone special to take on this magnificent journey, well, even better because there is no comparison for happiness shared.  I couldn't have asked for a better someone to partake in this adventure.  Husband, none of this would have been the same without you, thank you.

xx

Who said anything about being average?

Source

I like to write.  It is as simple as that.  Words are my passion.  For as long as I can remember the thought of putting my thoughts on paper thrilled me.  The simple notion of having my ideas as something tangible warms my heart.  That is why I started this here blog.  Yet, I am not your average blogger.  No-sir-ree-bob!

In my humble opinion it is more about quality than quantity.  So, what you will find here, if you choose to stick around, is writing.  I mean, isn't that what this whole blog thing is supposed to be about?  Simple, honest, heartfelt?

I write because I love it.  I write because it makes me happy.  I write for me.  And, sure, I'd love to expand my audience.  I would love to motivate, inspire, and encourage.  Yet, I don't believe it is worth going against all that I stand for to gain one more reader.

You see, before I delved into this universe filled with bloggers and blogging rules and  rights and wrongs and proper etiquette, I had a different set of expectations. A more simple and innocent and pure concept.  Everything I thought blogging was about,  was absolutely incorrect.  

Have you ever been to the grand opening of a bakery?  You know, when all the pastries and desserts and goodies are delicious beyond belief.  And then a few months go by and they have become this larger than life spot where EVERYONE and their dogs go to, still with me?  Well, at this point all the popularity has gotten to their head and the quality of the food, well, to be frank, starts to severely suck (for a lack of a better word).  That is what seems to occur with some of these blogs I have come to read.  

The voice is gone.  The honesty and sweetness evaporated.  What once was. has now become overshadowed by sponsors, sponsored posts, giveaways, and the such.  All of a sudden the blog is 'big' and their voice is gone.  What is left is an inflated head and a lack luster post.  Where have all the modest people gone?

This little space is about me.  My life and my thoughts.  If you are looking for celebrities, you should try 'People' magazine, I hear they are pretty awesome.

If you want to stick around, honey, you more than welcome to, but, we are simple folk here.

xx

I went to San Francisco and hated it...

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco"

Mark Twain

Said no one, ever.   Quite frankly, this girl had to be brought back kicking and screaming.  The fog, the cold summer, the hills, the Pacific, Haight-Ashbury, the Painted Ladies, Union Square, the Golden Gate Bridge, I-loved-it-all.  In actuality, love is not the correct word.  Enamored, bewitched, charmed, enraptured, enchanted, you get the picture? Precisely the reason why I haven't been able to write about my San Franciscan experience.  My heart is still breaking.  Manhattan, you've got some competition.

Enter the great question.  Am I a West Coast or an East Coast girl?  I mean, gosh darn it, I have been an East Coast girl for basically my entire existence.  Yes, for the last 25 years of my awesomeness I have resided in Sunny South Florida.  How could ONE trip to the West Coast sway my heart so?  I think it may be the micro-climates, or the way those steep hills made my calves ache.  After a long day of adventures throughout this magical city I knew it had been a good day if I woke up with achey calves.  Which I did, every morning I was there.  And gosh golly, it hurt so good.

Perhaps, it was a more simple reason.  Like, the ice cream.  If you don't know, well, ice cream is the key to my heart.  Okay, If I am being honest here, anything delicious is the key to my heart.  Especially if it involves catering to my sweet side.  Which leads me to the 'Bi-Rite' Creamery.  Salted Caramel and Honey Lavender were what I would call an orgasm in my mouth.  Damn, my mouth is watering, it was that good.  

I am yet to answer the question that has left my heart in such divide.  Could the West Coast really be my one true love?  Or does my heart have room for both coasts, each one fitted for my ever-changing moods?  My head tells me one thing, my heart screams another.  Story of my life. 

Give me more time, just a little more time, the answer just isn't that simple...

xx

-I will be posting pictures and a complete low down of my fabulous time soon, patience young grasshopper-

Like Father, Like Daughter.

“He promised us that everything would be okay. I was a child, but I knew that everything would not be okay. That did not make my father a liar. It made him my father.”

Jonathan Safran Foer

I truly am my father's daughter.  In all the ways that matter, we are exactly the same.  I mean, the picture pretty much says it all, doesn't it?  

Happy Father's Day.

xx  

Babe, it's your birthday!

“Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.” 
Larry Lorenzoni

2009

2012

Boy, oh, boy, do I love this man!  And today, oh, today is a special day. It's his birthday.  BABE, it's YOUR Birthday!  What day could possibly be more fabulous, more glorious than that?  In my humble opinion, of course.  And, today is the tenth Birthday Celebration we are sharing.  That is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10!  Sure, you are a year older, but, six months from now I'll be right there with you.  A little older, a little wiser, a little more loved.   

You are so loved, so, so loved.  May all your days be joyful.  May all your moments be happy.  May all our days be spent surrounded by the awesomeness that is us, together, I love you.  Happy Birthday, lover!  28, it won't be so bad, I promise.

xx