Just north of Healdsburg off of the 101 Highway is a unique wine growing region in Sonoma County known as the Alexander Valley. The Russian River runs through the heart of it where oak trees and vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see, and thrive in the sunshine.

The heart of the Alexander Valley is 45 minutes from our front door and we hadn’t visited in a few years, so we invited some of our good friends along, Dino and Heidi who love to go tasting and exploring (we attended the famous Kendall Jackson Tomato Festival with them last year) and off we went to visit some old favorites and new wineries we’ve never been to before. 

The region is really beautiful time of year, the sun is warm but still mild, and the tasting rooms are less crowded before late summer and the harvest in the fall when the large crowds arrive. In June you can sit, sip, and stroll among the vineyards, watching the grapes forming on the vine.

We started our afternoon at Hawkes Winery, next door to the famous Jimtown Store where you’ll catch a scenic view of the adjacent vineyards and can grab a bite for lunch.

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Oh, just editing these pictures makes me miss Maui so much. *sigh* After our three days in Oahu on spring break we island hopped to Maui for another four days of bliss. “Maui No Ka Oi” in Hawaiian means “Maui is the best” and it’s a phrase tossed around by Maui residents a lot – they take pride in the beauty and community of their island. 

We love Oahu, Kauai, and the Big Island too, each has its own unique beauty, yet we find ourselves returning to Maui the most because for us it offers everything we want to do, see, and taste when in Hawaii.       

Here’s a glimpse of our four days in Maui and some of the favorite places we’ve come to love over the years in this beautiful destination.    

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Last week I shared some favorite images from our two days spent in Québec City, today I’ll share some favorites from Montréal.  We had only a day and a half to spend there but oh what a marvelous city!  We were equally charmed by our explorations around town on foot.  

There are wonderful sculptures and fountains around the city, which gave it a European feel but it reminded me of a combination of Paris and San Francisco too with its winding streets above town, vibrant shopping districts, and energetic vibe.

There’s a wonderful old section of town which will transport you to another place in time, it felt just like Paris with its street artists, cafes, and classic French architecture. 

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Brace yourself, this is one of those meeeeellion images posts cause I just gotta share.

Okay.  We haven’t taken a real hop-on-an-airplane family vacation in five years, so ever since we started planning the Haven Conference last year and ever since my brother and his family also moved to Savannah a year ago it made perfect sense to book a flight to Georgia with the whole family and spend the week. 

The trip was personally meaningful to me because my older brother who serves in the military is headed to the Middle East for six months in September so this was a real opportunity to spend time with him and his family before he departs for his tour of duty (so proud of him and our troops!).  Having spent the week, I shall have Georgia on my mind and in my heart forever and ever amen.   

We arrived at my brother and sister-in-law’s house in Savannah, and I haven’t seen them in over a year so it was instant hug/melt/hi y’all have a drink relaxation from the moment we walked in the door.  My sister-in-law who I adore is one of those gals who decorates her home with what she loves and doesn’t give a hoot about what’s in the latest shelter magazines and still her home has so much comfort and style because it’s all about the needs of her family and the things she loves.

I love that kind of decorating philosophy – it makes one feel instantly welcome. 

Our first night was spent on her screened porch which I totally failed to photograph, but imagine pretty white siding and stylish comfortable seating and plants in containers galore with a ceiling fan blowing you as you sip sweet tea and your cares melt away, and quite frankly it’s a little piece of heaven on earth. 

She made us fried green tomatoes and baked garlic cheese grits on our arrival, wow, such southern hospitality!

At daylight we headed to Fort Pulaski to give the kids an education! 

We adults also wanted to get a dose of Civil War history so we toured the Fort and learned a few things from this guide like how “invincible” Fort Pulaski fell in under two days due to a more advanced weaponry. 

We arrived in time to see the cannons fired – I made a little slide show for all of you who love history – I find Civil War history so fascinating and this was a definite highlight (which required covering your ears for the “boom”.) 

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