Welcome my fellow winos and foodies and everything in between. My name is Kim and I am so excited you are here! Click over to my about page to get a look as to what my blog is about and what to expect. I hope you enjoy it! Cheers!
“Cue gong sound” OMMMMMmmmmmmmm and cheers. Welcome to this weeks prime and wine post.
I wanted to feature my newest edition to my meditation practice and that is my meditation pillow. I think it has made a difference in my practice because it helps my posture and it is my specific spot that I can put where ever I need to meditate. I feel like I can take my pillow and put it anywhere and it almost helps my mind get ready to meditate. Like a light bulb goes off in my head like oh ok you’re on your pillow time to meditate. Kind of like your evening routine that sets your mind up for rest. These cues help that process a lot.
I wish I could tell you I had this glorious meditation practice where it was absolutely perfect and I did it every day. I do not. I am still learning and trying to develop a daily practice. I know going through YTT (Yoga Teacher Training) will help me so much. I am looking forward to that. I notice a big difference when I am consistent. I have done 5 days in a row for a few weeks and it was awesome but again, I would like to get to the point where it is daily. I use the calm app. It is my favorite meditation app right now. I have tried others and this one is my favorite. I like the daily meditations they have on the app. Its a 10 minute meditation and is the perfect amount of time for me and I feel oh so good. They have sleep sections where you can pick a story out that someone has narrated for you to fall asleep to. I love using this when my husband is out of town because I do not sleep well when he is gone. Matthew McConaughey actually narrated a book on the app. They have a meditation section if you don’t want to do the daily one that is cued up. They also have a section dedicated to music. Some people don’t like the voice cues but I personally prefer that right now because it keeps my mind from wandering off. I am going to link an article I posted on Facebook of the 13 reasons why to meditate. I think you will really enjoy it if this is something you are doing or wanting to do.
I paired this weeks purchase with a fabulous white blend from a favorite winery of mine near Bend Oregon. The winery is called Faith, Hope & Charity vineyards. The white blend is a blend of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. It is light bodied and will please any palate. It is slightly sparkling which I really enjoyed and has a fruity bouquet of apricots and and undertone of apple. It comes in this beautiful refillable bottle.
Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!
Heres a silly pic of Brooke and I because she wanted to be loved on while we were trying to find the perfect spot for the photo.
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Prime and Wine Wednesday!!! I need to get shirts made haha! I actually ordered wine glasses from Women Who Love Wine and they’re prime and wine glasses! I can’t wait to add these to this series!
So I am going to feature my 2018 cyber Monday buy from Amazon. And that is the Furbo dog camera. My sister and I went in on it as the Christmas gift for my dog Brooke. Yes we buy her gifts… and my sister, her Aunt, loves to do that as well.
I have been loving having this camera. It is soooo cool! I can talk to my dog during the day while I am at work or out running errands. I can throw her treats as well! That’s probably the best part of the camera. I feel like when I throw her a treat a few times during the day, it shows her I am thinking of her. I do recommend if your dog is food focused or just loves treats, that you put it up high. I had the Furbo for 3 days and Brooke had figured out how to knock it over and get all the treats out. Sooooo just an FYI haha. The two pictures below are screen shots from the videos I took of her knocking it over and it being on the floor. She is one smart cookie!!
Its got a great wide angled camera so you can see everything going on where you have it placed. It also has night vision. I wish there was an option to have extra cameras to put in other rooms. Sometimes my dog doesn’t just stay in the living room. Sometime’s she likes to go to the bedroom and hanging out there. I set up the camera in our living room as you can see from the picture below.
I have read some pretty awesome reviews where this camera has saved a persons dog and house from a fire. If you subscribe to the dog nanny that Furbo offers it will notify you when your dog is barking, as well as some other notifications. The treats I use are the peanut butter flavored treats that I get on chewy. I will have it all linked below. I also suggest if you can wait for Black Friday or cyber Monday you will get an awesome deal on the camera. We paid $139 for it. But hey if you want it get it now do it!! I do love it!
I paired this purchase with a Sauvignon Blanc from Winc as well this week. Its a Sauvignon Blanc from France. First time ever that I have had a Sauvignon Blanc from France. I normally go with a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand because those are the best in my opinion. This Sauvignon Blanc has bright accents of lime peel, green apple and chalk. I definitely don’t get a chalky vibe haha just more of that crisp citrus feel.
Thanks for reading! Cheers! 🙂
If you ever find yourself in San Angelo Texas I hope this post helps you out. I lived in San Angelo for about 9 months. I found a few restaurants I liked and a few other places outside of food. Spa anyone? I tried to get as many pictures as I could of the places.
Here are couple of my favorite places.
Restaurants:
Twisted Root has some bomb burgers. Unique combinations for sure. They have awesome sweet potato chips, fried pickles and fries. I haven’t had a bad burger from there. And they have gourmet milkshakes as well as some boozy milk shakes. They are delicious!
If you like craft beer this is the place for you. They have a great food of all varieties and really good craft beer. Texas in general has quite the arrangement of craft beer. I enjoyed it very much while I was in Texas.
This was my favorite place. I would eat here every night. I loved their wings, pizza, salads and steak. They had a great cocktail list, beer list and wine list. This is definitely my favorite spot in San Angelo.
The Grill was so convenient for us. It was a minute down the road from our apartment. I liked there food and the cocktail menu. They had great happy hour specials for cocktails. They would also do seasonal cocktails. I wasn’t overly obsessed with there food but it wasn’t bad at all.
The owner of this restaurant Kellye is a sweetheart. She actually catered a lot of our events at work and everything was always delicious. She has this restaurant as well. She knows how to throw down in the kitchen for sure.
I scream you scream we all scream for?….. ICE CREAM! Home made ice cream and different flavored waffle cones. It is all to die for!
There were a few bars to go out and listen to music and drink. I really liked this bar because they had a great outdoor section. Definitely a good time.
I saved the best for last. Oh my gosh… the grounds of this vineyard are straight out of Europe. They are beautiful. I couldn’t believe it when I was walking through. I felt like I traveled somewhere else and I wasn’t in west Texas. Even on their website it says “Come experience the Rhone Valley of France right here in West Texas.”
Secret Vineyard was my favorite place to go for a massage. I went to the same person while I was in San Angelo. Her name is Stacey and she does an awesome job. She reminded me a lot of the 2 people I saw back home in Buffalo. So she made me feel right at home.
The salon I was going to doesn’t have a website. But they do book through Vagaro if you use that app. Its called Burlap and Paisley. It’s such a cute place. The interior is very Texas like. Rustic and bright colors. It is located on 322 N Chadbourne St.
I was getting facials once a month back home so I wanted to continue while I was in Texas. I started seeing a woman named Beverly. She always did such a great job when ever I saw her. She really helped me clear up my skin and she always took such good care of me. If you go, there are 2 buildings. When you pull in its the one on your right not your left. I made the mistake of going into the salon first and I sat there for a few minutes and no one could figure out where I was supposed to go until someone finally connected the dots.
I found a great place to get my eyebrows waxed. Lynda did my eyebrows once a month. She is very good at waxing. She also books through the Vagaro app as well. I think she was going through a name change as well. It may be under Sunset Strip now.
Since I am a huge tea drinker, I was so excited when this place opened up. They have a huge variety of tea. They also had specialty drinks like the one pictured above. I hope more nobilitea stores open up around the country.
Those are my favorite spots in San Angelo! I hope you enjoyed this and it was helpful if you are ever in the area. Cheers!
Bibliography:
“Home Page.” Christovalvineyards, http://www.christovalvineyards.com/.
Cheers! and happy wine not Wednesday!
I am so sorry there was a 2 week hiatus. I should have started this series when I was done with moving and settled into our new place. 🤦🏻♀️ (*Face Palm*) But thank you as always with being patient and kind with me.
Its prime and wine day everyone! Pour that glass of wine and log onto your amazon account. My apologies to your husbands and credit cards haha.
This weeks item is blue light blocking glasses. I have seen some insanely expensive and I a like why?! I don’t think anyone should spend more than 20 bucks on blue light blocking glasses. and thankfully…. amazon came in hot with the chic style and awesome price of $16.99.
I bought 3 pairs…. yes I did. I couldn’t decide what color. And I actually use all 3 pairs. One is in the bedroom, one is in the living room and one is for work. I can’t tell you how much this has made a difference in my sleep from wearing them often. Who knew something so simple could help my sleep. If you have any more questions on anything I post feel free to reach out here in the comments or on my instagram in the comments section or DM me!
The pictures below are of 2 out of the 3 pairs because I use the one pair at work. The tortoise pattern is my favorite for sure.
This week I am pairing this amazon find with a Chenin Blanc that I got from the Winc Club.
I wanted to start a new series on my instagram but because I don’t have as many followers as some other influencers, I need to utilize my blog more. I wanted to have a swipe up option in my stories and I also wanted to utilize “like to know it” app but I am also not “popular” enough for that. I am not complaining I swear. Yes it is frustrating because that would be easier but its ok! I will work with what I got and I hope this takes off.
I am constantly pouring myself a glass of wine and jumping on amazon. Can you relate? Friday night sessions, making wish lists and or buying too much stuff? I think amazon is awesome. I am always purchasing stuff I realized I didn’t get over the weekend while running errands. Like hangers and sandwich bags.
I will try to throw in unique items each week and common items that your household could use. I will feature one new product a week on Wednesdays. As well as a new wine. Or that is a the plan to do that. I may switch it up with a beer or cocktail but the main theme is Prime & Wine.
So Happy Prime & Wine Wednesday!!! Here is the first item I want to talk about.
Do you own air pods? I have had mine for over a month now. I love them. They are so convenient! I am so glad I finally bought a pair. I bought a silicone cover for my airpods so I could find them easier in my purse and protect them a little more. I didn’t want to spend $15 or more on a simple case. I have seen a lot of cases out there that are like $30 bucks! uhhhh no thanks! So I found a silicone case rated very well on amazon for $8.99. And it is prime so this case will be in your hands in 2 days.
I am pairing this buy with a Sauvigon Blanc that I picked up at trader joes. Vibrant, Fresh and Fruity! Cheers!!
2018…. wow what can I say…. sooo many things, sooo many feelings. I will keep this short and sweet though.
As I get older the years are just flying by. I used to think I would never hit a certain age and that it would take forever to get there. That is not the case after all…lol. Did anyone else feel that way as a kid/teenager? We were so quick to grow up and sometimes I wish I could just go back to that time because it was definitely more care free.
This year was definitely more stressful for me. There were so many changes that happened and I think years of stress caught up to me because I now suffer from stressed induced vertigo. It has subsided a little and some days I can go with out being dizzy. It unfortunately took till August before leaving for Texas for me to find this out. They wanted to put me on anti-anxiety medication but suggested I start with yoga and meditation. Now that’s my kind of prescription. This diagnoses has taught me to slow down for sure. I definitely am more of a “1 day at a time” sort of girl now. I do worry and stress about the future and even tomorrow sometimes but that is ultimately out of my control. Which is also hard for me to let go of control when it comes to that.
On a happier note. I traveled a lot. I even made it to Oregon twice! That never happens and it makes me so happy that I was able to do that. Bend is my happy place. Oregon in general is but Bend is just a slice of heaven in my eyes. I have a whole blog post coming on my love for Bend Oregon.
I did a lot of simple and fun things the first couple of months into the New Year. I tried new restaurants, visited a salt cave, and enjoyed a bloody mary festival. My husband and I took a 2 1/2 week trip to Europe in March. We went to London, Paris, Rome, Alberobello and Berlin. It was an epic trip. We saw so many things, ate so much food, and embraced different cultures, especially when we were in Alberobello.
After our Europe trip I celebrated my 26th birthday and then headed to Seattle for a weekend getaway and to see some friends. Shortly after that I was at my friends bachelorette party in the Finger Lakes and then I was in Oregon celebrating my friends bachelorette party and visiting my family in Bend. My niece was born while I was in Oregon. When I got home from Oregon I started preparing myself for the move to Texas. We were 2 months out and I was preparing myself for a big change. Before we left I went and saw Beyonce and Jay-z live with my friends. I also made the decision to get re baptized. This was very important to me. One of my good friends got married as well. My husband and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary. And no… no babies. Just sooo many happy moments I had this year.
Moving out NY for the first time was super scary for me. I was excited but so nervous at the same time. I had never lived away from western NY. We were going to a town no one really knew. Middle of nowhere Texas…haha…west Texas. I was looking forward to the time I would spend with family I hadn’t been able to spend much with while growing up.
I made a quick surprise trip to Bend Oregon in November to surprise my cousin. It went over super well!
Texas has been quite the adjustment. Its been beneficial in some cases and stressful in others. It has definitely showed me that I am ready to find a place to settle down, just to be in one place and start putting roots down. I am very over the unknown feeling. I hope and pray my husband can figure that out in the new year. Whether we end up in NY or my dream can come true and we can live in Bend. We will see! There are so many things I am ready to do and start doing for myself career wise.
My word for 2018 was calm. I didn’t have concrete resolutions. At least any I can remember. I decided my word for 2019 is enjoyment. I want to enjoy every thing life has to offer, everything god is putting in front of me, enjoy this journey through life and where the next year takes me and my husband. I hope everyone has a wonderful New Years eve!
Cheers! And Happy New Year!
This will be short and sweet. I just wanted to have a more heart to heart post with it being the holiday season.
I am sorry I have been gone. I explained on instagram that I have not felt particularly motivated and creative. After my dog got sick my main focus was getting her healthy. And now a month later I feel very confident that shes ok and is on the road to healing. I feel motivated again because I decided to make a YouTube channel and separate my monthly favorite posts and subscription box posts. I am going to be doing those on my YouTube channel as well as some vlogs of trips I take here and there. Thank you for understanding and supporting me through this process. I don’t feel so bogged down anymore with all the posts I want to make. It will switch it up for me and keep it interesting.
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It’s the end of another year and the eve before Christmas. I was reflecting a lot this holiday season because this year I am in Texas for the holidays. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving that was actually enjoyable and carefree. I actually wish more of my holidays back home were like that.
I really am “grapeful” for my family this year. I miss my family back home and I am thankful for the good memories we had. I am thankful for spending the holidays in Texas with family I don’t normally get to see or spend time with. I am thankful for my husband. I am “grapeful” for my dog being ok and healthy. I am thankful for my job, my apartment, my job, the sunshine, the warm weather and not having to deal with mounds of snow this winter. The list could go on and on.
Do you take the time each day to write down what you are “grapeful” for? I love using the 5 minute journal app now and that’s what I do every day now. I really encourage anyone to do it. I think it is so helpful for your mental health. What are you “grapeful” for? Is there anything in particular that you are “grapeful” for?
Cheers! and Merry Christmas!
Kim
My YouTube Channel: NamastayGrapeful
