Relax.Renew.Remember.

For two months I viewed and reviewed a post from Black Vines http://www.blackvines.net advertising their Summer Vines Napa Edition. This event hosted on September 2, 2023, was designed to be an afternoon of rose wine, sangria, and bubbles, black winemakers, and artists. Quite literally I researched various options from flying to driving, to staying only one night to making it a weekend getaway. I shared the information with family and friends secretly hoping that someone would accompany me up north. I even contacted a few of the Fellowship Winners I met during the Wine Writer’s Symposium earlier this year. No one jumped at the chance. If I can be completely honest, I am not sure why I felt the need to recruit a co-pilot for this trip as I have flown internationally multiple times all by myself. Just wanted company, I guess. Up to the night before the event, I did not give up my quest to attend this end of summer bash. But I did resign to the fact that if it was not meant to be, I could totally accept that. I would stay local all weekend and have a good time no matter what.

While at a concert the night before this event, I logged into Instagram, and I am not even really sure why. A post from Black Vines announcing a contest to win a pair of tickets to the Napa event. I followed the directions to enter. I feel like that act was a last wish maybe more like a prayer to be a part of the festivities. I put my phone away and resumed swaying to the soulful music. My entire crew danced the night away! Talk about joy! On our way home, I checked my IG one more time. There in the upper right corner was a notification that I received a DM. Low and behold, a message from Black Vines letting me know that I won. I am the winner. Wait what?! You mean after months of desiring to be in Napa sipping bubbly, the opportunity is handed to me on a proverbial silver platter and for free no less!

I turned to my road doll of 26 years and exclaimed in sheer excitement and incredulity, “Girl, I just won”! It is approximately 11:00 pm on Friday night when I receive the news. My friend asks “So, we are going to Napa tomorrow”? I respond with a shaky “Should we? I say yes, let’s roll”! A few short hours later, we hit the road with blankets, pillows, an ice chest only filled with cool packs and a package of cheddar cheese, and no hotel reservations. We watched the sunrise as we drove 7.5 hours to our destination. Changing our clothes in a Starbucks restroom and finishing our primping a few minutes from the event space in a gas station washroom, we arrived fresh with excitement. Shout out to my friend Michelle for being so willing to spontaneously jump on the road with absolutely no plan.

McClelland House, Napa

Good vibes, good wine, good music, good food, and great people paired with a beautiful location left us relaxed and soul-level content. I marveled at the graciousness of God, not only did He answer the desire of my heart, but I received a double blessing. The wine tasting was held at the McClelland House http://www.themcclellandhouse.com, a black owned bed and breakfast in Napa. Ever since I heard of this place, I put it on my bucket list. Now here I am enjoying the porch and the garden while striking up satisfying conversation with a group of attendees. We chatted about everything from where we are from to prayer to our favorite wines. Turns out we were talking to a family, two generations of women who exuded love, togetherness, and joy. Would you believe that end of the afternoon, one of the ladies, the auntie came over to us full of grandmotherly wisdom and asked if she could pray. She put her arms around us and beseeched heaven for our journey, for the perfect hotel, safe travels, and God’s favor. Reminded me of my mom, that felt good. We hugged and thanked her for her kindness as we walked towards the car.

Sure enough, just a short way down the freeway, we found a hotel. It was clean and comfortable, and we slept soundly. The next day we followed our promptings and made our way through Carmel and Big Sur before heading home. Enthralled by the gorgeous California coastline, we wound our way through the curves and cliffs. Off to the right we spot the Big Sur River Inn which seemed like an ideal spot to grab a bite to eat. A cool rhythmic beat greeted us as we made our way down the stairs. Yet another delightful surprise, who knew that there would be a R&B band playing on the patio? We shimmied our shoulders to the music while taking in the beauty of Big Sur. Suddenly a memory came flooding back to me. My sister and I floated down this river on an inner tube about 40 years ago. What a full circle moment! Before leaving the area, we made our way down to the river to take a closer look. A group of ladies stood up and asked if we wanted their chairs. One of them offered to take our photo. We excitedly took them up on their offer. After relaxing in Adirondack chairs and dipping our toes is the refreshing water, we made our way back through California farmland towards home.

What an adventure! A 24-hour whirlwind of a road trip that left us speechless, grateful, and

soul-level satisfied.

Jodi

River Springs Inn, Big Sur

A Summer of Rest

I keep getting this one question over and over. For some reason, I cannot remember anyone asking me this since I was a schoolgirl. Maybe I just don’t remember being asked, because I made a practice of living life at super speed, so I could rattle off the answer to this question without hesitation. But things feel slower now although the year is literally flying by; or maybe I am just slower, reflective, pondering what I want to do with myself, my time, my life. What is this burning question I keep getting asked?

What are your plans for the Summer?

Plans? I actually have no plans. And if you know me, then you would agree that is different than my norm. I am always going here or there or doing this or that. When I started writing this blog post I had no idea that just a few short weeks later, a virus would cause me to spend days in bed dozing off and on while watching hours of Hallmark Movies. I did not know when I titled this post “A Summer of Rest” that I prophesied my own future. This rest is welcome. This rest is necessary. When it is time to pull out the suitcase again, when it is time to make some fabulous plan with my trusted friends, when it is time to hit the road on adventure, I will. But until then, I am gratefully content for a season of rest.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Blue Suspenders

June 17, 2023

I showed up ready for the transformation. Wow, that sentence is giving me life. I was referring to the process of changing my hair from its naturally curly state to straight; reading the words “I showed up ready for the transformation” just hit with an unexpected impact. I would say that I digressed, but that is absolutely not the case. I needed to both write and read that sentence.

I scheduled an appointment to get my hair done. I love going to the shop not just for the results, but for the experience. Can we pause again on that sentence please? “…not just for the results, but for the experience”. Isn’t that exactly what the journey is all about? I love going to the shop because I get to spend time talking about things that matter with my hairstylist. Our families go back years. She asks about my family to make sure that everyone from my dad to my son is getting along just fine. She shares stories with me about her parents, her travels, and the exciting things happening in her life. I regale her with stories about my adventures, the people I meet, and all of the ways God shows up and out. We talk about therapy and working through the difficulties of life from grief to tragedy. And I believe that most of us agree that spending time in a salon with the right people can be a form of therapy.

Depending on the time of day, you can meet a whole host of characters sitting under dryers undergoing a process, kicking back in the waiting room looking like a Before picture, or bouncing out the door with a new attitude. This particular time, a gentleman showed up in the shop. My angle towards the mirror caused me to hear his voice before I could see his face. As she slowly ran the flat iron through my strands, I heard her say “How you doin’ Mr. W?”. My stylist used his full last name, but I respect his privacy. This man has no idea the impact he made on me or the fact that I am writing about him. He answered back like a gentleman from a different era. His words were slow, clear, and intentional. They exchanged niceties. Once again, my hairdresser was checking to see how this one and that one was doing. He responded “Oh they are doing just fine”, like a man with southern roots, although I have no idea from where he originates. Just then she slowly turns the chair and I get a full view of Mr. W.

Blue jeans, a freshly pressed button-down blue shirt, and a pair of blue suspenders. He wore a clean pair of tan shoes and sported a phone case on his hip. With a nod of our heads and a smile, we acknowledged each other. I spoke first “Hello sir”. He replied in a way that did not require an auditory response from me; a simple nod of respect for his age, experience, and stature communicated all I needed to say. For those of you who know, you know. As he walked away, my hair magician said “I have been in the hair business for over 40 years, Mr. W has been in it longer. I buy all of my drapes, clips, combs, etc. from him. You see, back in the day salesmen would come into the salons and sell us all of our supplies. Most people purchase their items online, but I still buy my items from Mr. W. He is the last of his kind. People don’t do business like this anymore.” Wow, what a privilege to witness their exchange and to meet Mr. W.

During this appointment, we talked about healthy boundaries and being mindful not only of the energy we bring, but of the energy we allow in our space. Some energy is too expensive if it costs us our peace. I am so thankful for the beautiful souls I crossed paths with during my beauty shop session. I left with a new ‘do and positive feelings because of the people in the room. I came ready for transformation and certain that the entire experience would fill my joy cup as much as my results.

This picture hangs in the salon bathroom

Jodi

Happy Father’s Day

I have two dads.

A 30-year-old conversation revolutionized my perception and thereby my life. When I was about 10 years old, I was playing at a friend’s home. Her father asked me a few questions about what my dad did for a living. I replied with an overly drawn-out story about the woes of growing up in a blended family. He listened attentively nodding his head at times. When I got out all I wanted to say, my friend’s daddy replied enthusiastically “You have got to be the luckiest little girl I have ever met. You were blessed with not one, but two dads who love you tremendously. You must be pretty special!”. Thank you Mr. B for the perspective shift. You gifted me for life.

  1. Photo 1 was taken in the bell tower in Slovenia in 2022. The story on the Travel Page is about seeing Lake Bled with Dad M.
  2. Photo 2 was taken at the Buchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada in 2023. That story will appear in a future post.

I want to wish you a happy Father’s Day. What is celebrated today may make you feel a myriad of things. To those of you whose dads are transitioned from this life, my heart is with you. To those of you who have stepped into father roles to non-biological children, I applaud you. To everyone struggling, I send compassion your way. I cannot end this post without acknowledging God. Thank you for taking care of me; good looking out.

Jodi

Respite for the soul

http://www.morninglavendercafe.com

There is something healing about pretty things and words. The comingling of art and language produces a world of dreamy possibilities. I believe that each can absolutely stand on their own, but the downright deliciousness of the pairing opens portals to our heart. “A picture is worth a thousand words” advertising executive Fred R. Barnard said. The idea is that a solitary photo can convey more meaning than a gathering of words. While I do not disagree, the writer in me leans heavily into expressing myself through the powerful flow of thoughts written down. The adventurer in me swoons over gorgeous photos. I feel no need to choose, or should I say I am selecting to use both. My blog is my unfolding journey, a story that I am sharing as I make my way about the earth. My intention is to share simple joys and extraordinary moments that are birthed through grief and gratitude.

You are welcome in this space!

Jodi