Ronan Farrow!!

For once the highlight of Taste of Charlotte wasn't the food (still good, lots of samples!!)..this year, MSNBC had an area set up.."Growing Hope". You could plant your hopes in their garden and they gave us a free tree to take home too. And best of all, Ronan Farrow was going to be there from 1-2 pm. That worked perfect for us and we got to meet him. He was really nice. Ronan is the son of actress Mia Farrow and Woody Allen. He is estranged from Woody and many believe Frank Sinatra is his real father (he looks just like him too). He is a lawyer, activist and has his own show on MSNBC. I was thrilled to meet him and know we will see great things and more from him in the future.

Dennis Vineyards

I am finally doing my write up on Dennis Vineyards. A group of us went in March. I know it is kind of near South Charlotte and it was really really good..they had a ton of different wines, all affordably priced!
I tried the Carlos Sweet (v good), Nectar (tropical!), Spring (my favorite, very springish, and that's the one I bought), Christmas (love my Christmas wines!), Sweetheart (Valentinesy but my note says too dry), and Cherry (a little tart). It was so fun. My friend Terri is really good at finding these deals on Groupon..this one included a tasting for 2, 2 glasses to drink there and a bottle I believe for like $12. She is so good at finding fun outings like that. I would like to go back to that one or find out where they retail because it was super good and they actually had like 30 or so you choose to try!

Here are pics from the trip:

I always have to get a picture with the winery cat! That is the PETE in me, making things extra fun!

Amazing Read

I actually read a book in just a few hours last night! It was "Finding Me" by Michelle Knight. Michelle was one of the three girls who were held captive for ten years in Cleveland and were finally freed last year.  It was soo amazing, and hard to grasp the reality she had to go through. Very horrible and made me feel grateful for my freedom and cleanliness. She truly had to live in filth and terrible conditions. It is a good read.

Adult Lessons from "The Brady Bunch"

Growing up, "The Brady Bunch" was my favorite show. I wanted a house with stairs (done), and have all five seasons on dvd ready to parent with them--any life lesson there was pretty much an episode for that. 

I never really thought of it as an adult show until a few years ago. I was re-watching the first episode (the wedding episode where Mike and Carol Brady got married). As a kid, I never really thought about it being their SECOND marriage. 

Carol Brady says: "A few years ago I thought it was the end of the world".

My mouth flew open! She knew just how I was feeling having lost my husband! I felt terrible, like my life was over. 

Mike Brady replies: "But now it's a new beginning, for both of us".

Carol: "No, for all of us"

Mike: "That's right-the whole bloomin Brady Bunch".

I never gave much thought to their stories before they got married..who knows what they have may have encountered. Supposedly Mike was widowed (his wife may have had a horrible disease or died suddenly in an accident, we don't know)..Carol was "supposed" to be divorced but they wouldn't let them put that on the show..however I think that is GENIUS of creator Sherwood Schwartz to leave it ambiguous because that way all women, no matter what their circumstances, that have had a marriage or relationship end can relate to her. Their lives seemed happy, perfect, idyllic but the reality of it was it had been some hard times. 

It also occurred to me that Carol totally scored in her second marriage..she got a live in maid, Alice who was funny. Pretty much stayed out of the way, yet ran the household and always wrote the dinner menu on the chalkboard every day. Carol really didn't have to do much (or work). It occurred to me after re-seeing this episode that maybe I, myself, needed to have a little higher expectations for Hubby #2 (does anyone know any guys with live in maids?!!) I was married to someone who was really wonderful, so I have always felt that maybe if there is ever another marriage, it would not be quite so great. This show basically says, you can have a good second marriage.

I don't know what the future holds for me and honestly it scares the crap out of me. But it is comforting to see someone on a tv show that I so admired growing up going through a similiar situation. Maybe tomorrow I will re-watch this episode. I am so proud that a show I so loved as a kid is still teaching me in my adult years as well.

RIP Ann B Davis ("Alice")