Thankful

What a week! Finally the store was buzzing with happy shoppers loading up on wine for their Thanksgiving dinners and parties, the deliveries were slamming through the back door faster than we could wheel them out and the days simply flew by….so much more pleasant than when there is not much to do, no one to help and no wines to price and put up, the slow days are kind of a bummer but the high energy of the holiday season seems to just suck me in… love it.



The week was made even better with the visit of our son Jeremy, home for three days, (he works retail back in Louisville so he had to be back for Black Friday) 20 pounds lighter…a sight that kicked me into full “mom mode” as in, “You’re so thin, are you getting enough to eat?!” a phrase I never thought I would use but use it I did….and growing an afro, not sure how I feel about it yet, he looked so different, still Jeremy just older, come to think of it maybe the fro had nothing to do with his, “new look” maybe life is making him look older, working, going to school, paying bills, dealing with roommates…dunno, but he is wearing the face of a young man rather than that of a little boy and he is wearing it well, (afro or not) I could not be more proud of him. Wish we had more time as he was being pulled in a million directions between wanting to spend time with us and getting a chance to visit with his old friends…he will be back in about 4 weeks for a longer visit so I look forward to spending more time with my sweet young man.


I was off on Tuesday but was called in to help because the shop was so busy, man was that good news….in these times of economic hardship being so busy that we need to call more staff in is a very good thing. I got to work a little early Wednesday morning and there were already customers waiting, from there the day just got busier and busier, we were running, assisting customers with turkey day wines, slicing open cases, the “clink-thunk” sound of price guns could be heard in each corner of the store and best of all….we were having a blast, laughing together, singing along to the holiday music Randy had loaded into the CD player and chatting with the customers while we rang up their purchases. Everyone was in such a good mood that it made it difficult for me to leave but alas we were having our Thanksgiving Wednesday evening at my In-Law’s so as much as I wanted to marinate in the energy and attitude of the shop I had to get home and pick up the boys so we would not be late for dinner.




This “day before” dinner really worked out well for us, Amy and her husband were able to join us as well as my sister Tessa and her husband Wayne, (who always seems to be working on Thanksgiving) so we had a full table of people that I adore, for that I am beyond thankful. We started the evening with a bottle of R.H. Coutier Grand Cru Brut Champagne, (a Wine of the Year pick for Merritt and a wine that has a full page feature in the December newsletter) then on to Agrapart 7 Cru Blanc de Blancs, both absolutely wonderful and a perfect segue to the multiple shots of tequila that were to follow…don’t ask me how we got, there but before I knew it the shot glasses were being clinked and the musky, cement like flavor of fine tequila was clinging to all of our palates. With dinner we drank; 2006 Herve Azo Petit Chablis, 2007 Vincent Pinard Sancerre, 2006 Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet Monthelie Rouge and for the cheese course my red wine of the year pick, 2006 Chante Perdrix St. Joseph. The wines were lovely, the company was wonderful and the food was quite tasty….for the second time that day I hated to leave but I was getting buzzy and we needed to get up really early to get Jeremy to the airport for his 8:40 am flight back to Louisville, hugs, kisses and “thank yous” all around we headed home and fell into bed.


Thursday morning I went to wake Jeremy up, I shook his shoulder and told him it was time to get up. He kind of grumbled a bit and turned to look at me, he held his gaze for a second, (maybe trying to focus) turned on his side and raised the covers for me to slip in behind him….yes, he is wearing the face of a young man but he is still baby enough to cuddle with his mom….day could have ended there and I could not have been happier! Next thing I remember was my husband giving us both a shake telling us it was time to get up already. With Jeremy dropped off at the airport I headed off to work the Thanksgiving shift at The Wine Country, a short shift, (although Randy snuck and extra hour in us) 9-2 and again a great vibe was bubbling in the store. We were really busy and ended with a record sales day for Thanksgiving….Hooray!



Drove home feeling a touch pooped but all in all in good spirits, prepared our turkey and got it in the oven, flopped down in one of our comfy chairs and nodded off for an hour. I woke to the smell of the roasting bird in the oven, the sight of my sweet husband watching football and the overwhelming feeling of happiness that can only come from back to back days of great energy. We ate our dinner in front of the television, (bad I know) talked about how proud we are of Jeremy, how lucky we are to have such amazing people in our lives and how even after almost 15 years together we like each other so much….a real day of thanks. I was also thankful that I had stocked up on my favorite little quaffing wines because I was blissfully sipping my way into a wine soaked, warm fuzzy feeling coma….I woke up on the couch at 1:30 in the morning, makeup and clothes still on and a soft glow radiating from the television that my husband left on for me…blind as a bat in the dark, so he leaves the television on as my trail of breadcrumbs for when I finally make my way to the bedroom….washed my face, jumped into my jammies and crawled into bed.



Really amazing week….but wait….there’s more, today is only Friday dontcha know. So just what could make this week any better?? Um, yeah….only my most favorite wine tasting of the whole year…Best of the Best Champagne. Tonight we will be tasting all the Champagne that flipped my lid this year, the wines that stunned me with their grace, knocked me on my ass with their power along with the wines that simply made me say, “damn”. A sold out crowd will join me on the tasting down memory lane and I cannot wait to share these wines with them, listen to their comments, watch them look from their glass to me like, “Oh My Gawd, this is remarkable” and just be surrounded by people that love the bubbles as much as I do….these people are the reason I get to do this job, this job I love….guess that is one more thing to be thankful for.


To all the readers of this silly blog I want to say thank you and I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday, rich with tasty food, delicious wines and lots of laughter with your loved ones. I am humbled and immensely flattered that you all, (or yall’ as my now living in the South son says) continue to read my silly rants, stories of drunkard behavior and random musings about whatever….I started this thing on a whim, (and request from Nancy) 6 months ago thinking no one would read it and yesterday, (Thanksgiving…kind of ironic) my page views clicked past the 7,000 mark…unreal, really…Thank You.