Tuesday 1 May 2012

By Invitation Only- My dream day!




Hi, Happy May! Wow times going by awfully fast!  As you might know by now,  its our monthly "By Invitation only" post, when a group of like minded bloggers get together and offer up their own interpretation on an agreed up on "theme of the month". This months theme is a fun one...... we are each to describe a perfect dream day. So many things come to mind.....being in Rome for midnight mass on Christmas eve, only for it to start snowing lightly while Andrea Bocelli makes a surprise visit to the Vatican singing Ava Maria.....yep that's always been a dream of mine! However other things come to mind, could be just staying in bed all day surrounded by magazines, books, and my favorite foods, jetting off to a spa day with a bunch of friends, being at the perfect beach house with my family on a picture perfect weather day, it goes on...........

On any given day the "ideal"for what would constitute my dream day could change depending on my mood. But my frame of mind right now, which is one of being a little frenzied, very very busy, overwhelmed at times and  desperately needing a serious dose of downtime, has me craving a vacation with a lot of R and R, so my dream day today reflects just that. When I think of getting away to a place that feeds my soul and heightens every one of my senses I can only think of one place.......Napa Valley. So imagine the shock on my face when my husband tells me he is whisking me off to Napa for the day!  Ready to see what it entails? Here we go.......

Wake up at around 8am- You see for me this would be considered "sleeping in" I am normally up around 5:30 or 6 so 8 sounds like a nice civilized time to arise. Oh....whats that I see? Breakfast for moi? My sweet husband has decided to bring me breakfast in bed, a really indulgent kind of breakfast with all the fixings and my favorite kind of coffee...Peets ala french press. Yum! How thoughtful he even brought me the book I am reading, awwwhhhhhh!



Get up to take a hot shower and when I step out, I am met by a couple of beautiful new suitcases on my bed bursting at the seams with a brand new wardrobe all in size 6!  Before long we are off to board our flight, he has surprised me with having booked our own private plane, but being the smart man he is, he made sure its a nice big one, because he knows of my severe claustrophobia...doesn't want me having a meltdown to ruin my dream day!

On board I am lavished with English tea and Laduree macaroons...can't turn those down!
Finally we approach the unmistakable fertile dream valley..the one and only Napa Valley
Off I am whisked to our surprise destination, and see a bottle of my favorite wine, crusty french bread and an assortment of fine cheeses awaiting my appetite (which unfortunately is always alive and well)! We sit just the two of us gazing at the idyllic vineyards, lost in tranquility......

He then tells me the next part of my surprise is that all my favorite people in the world including my sons, my family and all our close friends have flown in  to join us for this dream day! Before long we are seated at a spectacular sunflower laden table with 30 or so of the most important people in our lives. We feast on local homegrown fare paired with incredible wine and its a lunch to be remembered with plenty of laughter and story telling!
After lunch, my husband tells me he has rented a house for us to stay in for our short stay, one look at it, and I am in love with this Tuscan vision!

We spend the afternoon sitting by the tranquil storybook pool seeing which overlooks the vineyard. If I didn't know better would swear I am in Tuscany. I plant myself on the chaise and don't move a muscle for hours,  except to move my right arm to reach for.........
Non stop rounds of fabulous antipasta that is served to us and our guests, as we feast yet again poolside taking in the warm Napa sun and ZERO humidity (even my hair is happy here)!
Accompanied of course by a delectable glass (or two) of some yummy Chardonnay, helloooooo........we are in Napa afterall! Drinking at lunch AND the for afternoon snack is de rigeur!
At sunset we all go in to change, and hubby has stunned me yet again with the most beautiful catered dinner by a famous local chef, none other than Thomas Keller. Way to go!  The weather is perfect, 60's, dry, beautiful sunset, smooth jazz radiates throughout the house and we all gather again for a sumptuous feast.

After dinner we mosey on out to the pool area again where there is a lit firepit and after dinner drinks and all kinds of wonderful stories are shared........

Finally I spy the most beautiful dessert table  under a massive oak tree, with dozens of tiny lanterns sprinkled about...it looks like its out of fairytale! We all walk over and indulge in all my favorite sweets. We sit back by the pool and carry on until the wee hours........

This day has been just beyond. Total Perfection. Surrounded by those I  love and cherish, being in a place that makes me feel alive but relaxed, indulging in all my favorite foods and wines, all the while being a size 6......does it get better? Oh and did I  mention that on this dream day, absolutely no calories count? Talk about icing on the cake! Before long we are boarding the plane to go home sweet home, which I am really happy about because I love home, truly the perfect ending to a perfect day!

Want to know one of the best parts of this dream day? Coming home to this cutie pie........we invited him to come but he told us "he doesnt do" Napa" :)


Hope you had fun with me in Napa Valley..now its your turn, what would your dream day look like?  Would love to know! Wishing you a dreamy day!

Want to see more interpretaions of this dream day? Click here to be taken over to the brainchilds blog, Marsha of Splenderosa. Yep, that glamorous vixen who so generously is offering that fabulous giveaway from yesterdays post. Winner to be announced tomorrow!


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