Sunday with Stacie – Volume 9

Happy Mother’s Day to all who are celebrating this special day today! I’ve said this in the past and I will say it again now. I have a love/hate feeling about this holiday. I hate it because my mother is no longer here. Yes, she lives on in my heart and in my mind (and she’s often in my dreams). But I miss her so much. She was taken way too soon and I’d do anything to replay some of those years over again. However, I’m eternally grateful to be a mom to my 3 children and a grandma to my 4 grandchildren. I’m so proud of all of them and the things they’ve accomplished. They’re all kind and caring people and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them. In the meantime, I will be enjoying the time we spend together.

So, for this week’s Sunday with Stacie post, I thought I would share a little bit about my trip this past week.

Our first stop on the trip was San Francisco. I did a little bit of shopping and window shopping too. I knew that I didn’t really need a thing, so I was good and practical despite the temptation of all of the luxury shops right outside the door of my hotel. As I noted in last weeks post, we also went to the San Francisco Botanical Gardens and the Japanese Tea Gardens. Both were beautiful with everything starting to bloom this time of the year. My favorite thing that I bought in San Francisco was this GORGEOUS lipstick that I bought at the flagship Sephora store. I probably would’ve bought more makeup but they were out of the shades in the products that I wanted to try.

Downtown Sonoma. One of my favorite casual outfits. Tank / Pants / Slides

Next we headed to Napa and stayed downtown at the Napa River Inn, which is a cool historic hotel. My hubby was going for a more authentic experience rather than a total luxe hotel. It was nice. We stayed in their big suite that had a separate living area, a fireplace and the bathroom had a clawfoot tub. We were close to all of the shopping and restaurants. We’re not wine drinkers, but we still had a great time with so much to enjoy. My favorite thing was seeing all of the gorgeous flowers everywhere. I’ve never seen such an abundance of healthy roses that were the size of my hand.

Our day trips included Calistoga, St Helena, Sonoma and the Jack London State Park. The views on our drive through wine country were spectacular. It’s fun to see all of the wineries even though we don’t drink wine. I think I read that Napa has over 400 of them. Most were huge and beautiful. We had lunch one day at a beautiful and delicious farm to table restaurant in St Helena called Farmstead. Be sure to check it out if you’re ever there. We enjoyed walking around in Sonoma in their town square. One of the crops grown nearby (other than wine is olives). We went to an olive oil tasting and bought a few different types to try when we get home.

This bag is my carryall/carry on tote bag that I traveled with and I love it. It was totally worth the investment. It came with three different sized zipper bags inside that I keep my travel essentials in. I like to say that this “holds everything but the kitchen sink” because that’s how I travel. I like to be prepared for anything.

Thanks for reading today’s Sunday with Stacie post. I hope you’re having a wonderful day with your beautiful families.