“Wine was a tranquil sea content to rest on its laurels until a pebble was thrown into it. And the ripples from that pebble spread throughout and awakened the entire world of wine. Oakville is where that pebble landed. And it was Robert Mondavi that threw the pebble.”— Hugh Johnson.
Covering wine for the Napa Valley Register is sometimes so grounded, reminding me more of chats with the salt of the earth people I know and love from rural Montana. Sometimes though, like last night, it’s this surreal world of luxury and wealth that I will never feel like I belong to. And the latter is ok because I live for the former.
Getting to cover the celebration of the newly reopened Robert Mondavi winery somehow straddled these two worlds. There was crazy luxury and glamorous people and an astronomical investment into the property. But, there were also these little moments of legacy, of this bold man who came into Napa Valley and said to the world that this place is special. Of this grounded, and maybe sometimes foolish belief that David beats Goliath.
So I will not take with me the John Legend performance, the aged pork, or the priceless magnums of wine that were opened and enjoyed. I will instead take with me the incredible glass of 2006 To Kalon I-Block Fume Blanc sipped on a chair in front of that infamous vineyard. I will take with me the man who threw a pebble into the sea.
“Maybe that’s enlightenment enough - to know that there is no final resting place of the mind, no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom, at least for me, means realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go.” — Anthony Bourdain.
The Vaughn-Cousins Holiday Card:
Our first married Christmas and we are just so filled with peace, love and excited bliss for our future together. Thank you to everyone who helped make this year so incredible. From new jobs (both of us!), a new town, new friends and one incredible wedding weekend we are just so snuggly and happy looking back at this year.
Love Forever and a Day,
The Vaughn-Cousins ❤️
(PS not pictured @cali_bear_the_bulldog asleep on the couch with her tongue out)
My Husband. My beautiful, kind, generous, wonderful husband. Today is his 40th birthday. While I have only know you for six years, I can’t wait to be with you for the next 40 and beyond. I love you forever and a day and a bushel and a peck.
I mean look at some of these photos. Look how handsome my husband is! These are just SOME of the many amazing photos from our wedding but these are some of my favs ❤️
Please wish Keith a Happy Birthday today!
BearTown Forever + The Whole Museum. I love you @kcuz
The funny thing about the best day of your life, is that the universe keeps moving on. But I will forever remember this day, this collection of beautiful moments all centered around the incredible love story @vaughntr and I have written over the last five or so years. It’s amazing to look back on some of those moments and get to relive all of the joy and love and messy tears of joy from our wedding day, and now all of you beautiful people get to do that too. I love you so so much darlin, thanks for making every day the best day ever.
Planning 📋: @nickithewolfe
Venue 🚜: @rusfarmweddings
Flowers 💐: @blumhausfloralco
Rentals : @encoreeventsrentals
Photo & Video 📸: @loveandwolvesco
Photo Booth 🖼️: @bloomingphotobooth
Signage, cups, etc 🪧: @designs_by.p
Dress 👰🏻♀️: @luv_bridal
Hair & Makeup 💅🏼: @brush.the.salon
DJ 🎤: @foxsounds
Cake 🎂: @redbirdbakery
Catering 🥗: @sagecatering
We are the luckiest. A last minute shower thrown by @hash_witch & @katherinekeeley_ with amazing in person pre brunch with @mauravaughn and @dkudler . We love you all so much. I can’t wait to marry you @kcuz ❤️❤️❤️
First, and certainly not last, #magiccon is in the books and I don’t even know where to begin describing how incredible this weekend was.
I joke that finding Magic: The Gathering almost two years ago is my version of a mid-life crisis, a hobby I could latch onto and invest time and money into. But, after this weekend, it has become so much more — I am in love with this crazy challenging card game and the community that surrounds it.
Highlights of the weekend:
• Participating in my first big tournament! Such a rad learning experience that instilled confidence and a thirst for more competitive events.
• Watching this year’s world championship was so dang cool. Getting to see the best in the world do what they do ignited a competitive spark in me I didn’t know I had.
• Meeting some of my favorite content creators, @numotthenummy and @tolariancommunitycollege . So dang cool to meet these legends, and I had great interactions with both.
• Sharing a brief conversation with @jimdavismtg . Jim’s content was some of the first I encountered when I started playing MtG on the computer, and I can honestly say I wouldn’t have charged head first into learning the game without his consistent mix of entertaining and educational videos (and that theme song, holy cow that theme song).
There’s so much more I want to talk about, but the last thing I want to mention is the incredible woman I get to spend the rest of my life with @vaughntr . She got the tickets to the convention, and I think she also fell a little in love with Magic this weekend too. Plus she looked bad ass riding the dinosaur! I love you, thanks for being my partner in crime.
If you want to know more about this game, just holler at me! In the meantime, I’ll be battle planning my competitive journey while continuing to brainstorm how I can use my talents and experience in things like writing and journalism to add value to this community that made me feel so welcome.
#magicisforeveryone #magicthegathering
