Way back in August, I was invited to a girls retreat in Napa for a 30th birthday. I was pretty chuffed to be invited seen as it was only my second week or so in the ward. I thought it would be a great opportunity to get to know the girls a little bit more. I was right! It was such a fun trip and I am so glad I was invited.

We have lucked out with our ward here, I love it. People have been so welcoming to us and there is a lot of other young families, like us. When we got our home here, we were without all of our furniture for about two months. Without really knowing who we were, we were given tables, chairs, bean bags, pots and pans, crockery, cutlery, bedding,  a travel crib, toys and even treats to use until our container arrived. We’ve been invited for meals, playdates, days out etc. Stephanie (whose birthday we were celebrating) was one of the first people I met and she has gone out of her way to help our family feel welcome.

Here is the general itinerary we followed that Brittany put together:

Friday Night
· Check-in @ Hotel/drop bags off and freshen up 🙂

· Oxbow Public Market: Olive oil and vinegar tasting (free). Grab dinner as we explore all the yumminess around (lots of gourmet foods ~oyster bar, salads, chocolate sampling, etc.) Closes at 9 pm.

· That night at the hotel: Hot-tub, card games, and CHAT! Probably should go to sleep by midnight.

Saturday 6th of September:
· Grab breakfast at hotel and leave by 9:00 am!

· Scenic drive with vineyard stops along the Silverado Trail

-Silverado Winery (walk around grounds)

-Sattui (vineyard and awesome cheese deli) Grand picnic style lunch

-Visit Yountville (bakery)? –depending on time

-Castle Tour in Calistoga (May need to pay for this -1hr. and can sample grape juice –probably close to $10-$20 per person)

-Sterling Winery (self-tour and supposed to be gorgeous!)? –depending on time.

· 6:30 pm St. Helena: Visit boutiques and art galleries in downtown area.

· 8:30 pm Birthday Dinner and Gift Giving: Reservation for 12 at the Tra Vigne in St. Helena.

· Drive Home

I thought it was pretty funny that a group of Mormons were in Napa Valley visiting wineries and something I may not have really thought about doing myself, but it was a lot of fun and interesting too. We tasted grape juice and chocolate instead of wine, so that was fine by me! Of course, the scenery was beautiful and reminded me of Italy; there was even a ‘castle’ that we visited. The food we ate was delicious and what’s not to like about an evening spent in the hot tub chatting to new friends?

Below are some photo’s I took while the battery held out. Imagine how many more photo’s there would have been if it had lasted longer!