Taste of Wine

Reading this title and seeing my previous post about a Night with My Bestie and you might think I partake in the wine beverage too much. Well, that's not the case. I do enjoy wine, very much so in fact. But what is the biggest gift giving holiday that just passed? Christmas!! That's right, this girl got TONS of wine for Christmas which leads to drinking it afterwards. Not a bad gig, I know. But just felt the need to explain.

So anywho, another Christmas gift I got was a little taste sampling box of various wines. I have to give a big KUDOS to my girlfriend Missy for locating this awesome present. Basically it's a box of little samples of wine. You rate the wines and you can send off (with a 20% coupon included) for your favorite bottle! Take a look:

The pretty details on the box

The cute little box they all came in!

All of the amazing stuff that comes in. A rate card, the samples & details on the
wine and winery.

All the various samples...going to enjoy this!

The sample I selected for the evening.

So as you can see I tried one sample and it was awesome. I felt so sophisticated picking out my selection, smelling the wine once open, swirling around in the glass once poured and trying the first sip. (Yes, I was a bit of a snob while drinking this. But the classy box dictated that behavior! LOL) And here's me enjoying my nice sample (picture taken by reluctant hubby):

Bailey Painting

Continuing my posts about favorite Christmas gifts, I have to include one of the most thoughtful and specific gifts I received. If you know anything about me, it's that I LOVE my Chihuahua Bailey. I don't have any human babies, but Bailey is my child and has been for 6 years (GULP!).

So this year when my bestie Amanda McCrowell, from Walk a Day in My Flip Flops, and I exchanged gifts, I knew it would be good but I was really thrown for a loop when I saw what it was....

That's right, a painting of my amazingly handsome Bailey!! Here's what he really looks like for a comparison:

Now, Amanda herself didn't actually paint it. Another colleague of ours did. But she orchestrated the painting and was VERY specific that the illustration include Baileys unique trait which is his chocolate brown color. (If you're familiar with Chihuahuas you know that chocolate brown isn't a traditional color of theirs which is one of the reasons I HAD to have him!) So yeah, that was this year's most specific, unique and cherished gifts. It currently sits in my foyer so as soon as guests arrive and leave, they will see my precious little boy's face (again, he's my child so this behavior is normal...right? lol). Eventually I think it'll make its way to a nursery when it comes time to decorate for one. I think that would be cute, in a little baby Luce nursery have a photo of our first "child". ;)

Anywho, I totally love it. I mean who couldn't love that face! Amanda's really up the ante for next Christmas....I'll be prepared!

My NEW CAMERA!!!

Yup, that's right...this girl asked Santa for a NEW camera and he delivered!!! Well, at least in the form of my in-laws that is. (I have awesome in-laws, what can I say.) :)

So guess who's in the mood to take more photos with her handy dandy new camera? Just call me the next Peter Lindbergh except without all the mad skills and celebrity clients. So I bet you want me to dish all about my nifty new piece of equipment, well it's a Nikon Coolpix S1100pj 14 MP Digital Camera. It has 5x Wide Angle Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3-Inch LCD and Built-in Projector...that's right a projector built in!! Pretty badass if you ask me. What camera has a PROJECTOR in it! May seem excessive, and in a way it is, but I LOVE it.

Since I can't very well take pictures of my new camera, I've decided to let the Amazon listing showcase its splendor...

It's pretty light weight, weighing less than 2 pounds. But let's get back to the badass accessory it comes with...the projector. This camera allows for instant sharing of both photos and movies! Photos can be projected up to 7 feet 10 inches at an image size of up to 47 inches diagonally. It also has business functionality as you can use the remote to flip through the images or movies. Not sure I'll need that in a presentation anytime soon...but who know, might spice up a meeting here or there! ;)

Again, it's not a necessity for a camera (and certainly one I didn't think I'd love so much) but  I'd like to share a personal story. On Christmas Day while opening up my gift, I immediately began taking pictures. My lovely sister-in-law decided to hold up a finger of hers in my direction disguised as picking her nose.... I was a good 5 ft or so away from her, so an original camera would be able to zoom in on it but then I'd have to pass it around the family for the evidence to be seen. However, with my Nikon that was not the case. A simple click of a button allowed me to project the photo on the wall for all to see. And with simple zoom, everyone could see exactly what finger she was holding up...clear as day!! Not going to lie, it was pretty awesome to catch her in that and we all had a huge laugh at her expense.

I really love this Christmas gift and can't wait to show off all the pictures I've been taking. Watch out Peter Lindbergh, there's a new photographer in town!  

New Year. New Me. New Blog

I read this really great post the other day from Melissa at the Inspired Room titled 'What I learned About Blogging' and it really got me motivated to start blogging again. Truthfully, I'm not really sure why I stopped. I know I got crazy busy at work but you can always find time to jot a little something. I also had issues with my camera....the fact that I didn't have one! I know that doesn't seem like an issue, but I'm a very visual person. So no photos, no blog. lol.

Anywho, no more excuses. I'm back blogging again and I'm excited about it. It's a New Year, a new me and a new look to my blog! Do you like it?? I have lots to share given my hiatus. The first on the docket will be Christmas! Doesn't seem all that long ago (not last year for sure). ;) I had a terrific Christmas making memories with family and friends. How about you??

In the upcoming posts I will be detailing out my most awesomest gifts! They really do deserve their own individual posts...that's how awesome they are. I'm not materialistic (at all) but I really made out this year & would like to shout-it from the rooftops! So here's my promise to be back tomorrow with the first in my present series...see you soon!