My first real snow.

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This weekend Joseph and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. Through Jetsetter, we stayed two nights at the Inn at Southbridge in Saint Helena, California. Staying in Saint Helena allowed us to see more of the Napa Valley than we did last year when we came to Napa for our honeymoon.

Once we were in the Napa Valley, we made a short stop at the Napa Valley Museum near Yountville. It is a very small museum but they seem to have family activities if you live in the area.

The Inn at Southbridge was a quiet and fun place to stay. The king bed was super comfy and we enjoyed sitting in front of the fireplace. I especially enjoyed the abundance of fresh fuji apples in the rooms and around the hotel. The Inn is centrally located next to a health spa, pizzeria and winery. As guests at the Inn at Southbridge, we had access to the pool area and gym facilities at the health spa next door.

Our first night in Saint Helena, we decided to try Pizzeria Tra Vigne (the pizzeria connected to the Inn) for dinner. We ate the delicious garlic rolls. Let me repeat, the garlic rolls were absolutely amazing and unique. We also ordered the Ducati pizza for the main course, which was super good, and affogato for dessert. When we got back to our room, we found an informative newsletter full of historical information and things to do in the area plus some yummy chocolate dipped cookies.

For breakfast the next day, we enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at the Inn which included lots of fresh fruit and an assortment of pastries and cereal. We had actually planned to have brunch after hot air ballooning with Calistoga Hot Air Balloons, but it was cancelled due to winds which made for unsafe flying conditions. We thus decided to go into Napa and on the way we picked up our favorite dessert wine Violetta from Grgich Hills.

We decided to hop on the Napa Valley Wine Train and enjoy a special champagne lunch. It was definitely a great way to see the Napa Valley and spend time with each other. The couple across from us on the train was celebrating their 54th wedding anniversary.

We then ventured into Oxbow Market and enjoyed a delicious chocolate velvet cupcake. It was quite crowded, so we decided to walk around downtown Napa a little. We loved the ice cream at Annette's last year so we grabbed some cones. Then we filled ourselves up with more ice cream by going to Gracie's Table around the corner to relive last year's delicious dessert of French pressed coffee poured over vanilla ice cream. Sadly, the dessert was no longer on the menu but the awesome waiter decided to hook us up with a shot of espresso poured over some ice cream scoops (basically affogato). Walking around we found a quaint hobby store and got some YO-YOs.

That evening we went with room service, which is provided by Pizzeria Tra Vigne. We got the garlic rolls again, and ordered the ravioli and shrimp pappardelle.

Since the weather conditions were not ideal the original day, Calistoga Hot Air Balloons offered us a spot for the next morning. However, when the next morning came, the winds were still too high to fly. Thus, we enjoyed another continental breakfast at the Inn and took our time to check out. We enjoyed some delicious burgers, fries and shakes for lunch at Gott's Roadside across the street. Before leaving the hotel area, we "cashed" in our complimentary wine tasting from the Inn at Merryvale Winery and tried their Silhouette and Profile blends. Even though it was chilly outside, we wandered Main Street a little and munched on cream puffs from Model Bakery and decadent chocolates from Woodhouse Chocolates.

It was definitely fun cruising along highway CA-128 in the GTI. We stopped to take some footage of the lakes and rivers along the way.

I had a great weekend celebration with my husband. Napa Valley was once again an enjoyable retreat.

Joseph and I spent lunch on the Napa Valley Wine Train in the Vintage Dome car, which is a private car including a four course meal with complimentary sparkling wine. We travelled between Napa and Saint Helena admiring the gorgeous views and taking note of top rated wineries. It was a delightful adventure through the Napa Valley as our waiter provided us with insightful history and excellent tips and service. The train's lunch service runs from 11:30a to 2:30p and they also have a dinner service (and Murder Mystery Dinner Theater too). I highly recommend enjoying this trip if you are in the area. We took some excellent photos and it was just nice to relax on the train while the vines and mountains passed by.

Happy tasting,
--Sarah

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We went on a historic river cruise along the Sacramento River this afternoon. It was a gorgeous afternoon in the sun and on the water. It was like going on a private tour through history since it was just Joseph, me and another guest. The crew was awesome and fun to hang with.

Happy sailing,
--Sarah

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I made some crab tacos and they were awesome.

I'd definitely make them again. Happy eating,
--Sarah

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This puzzle was definitely a challenge. It took me about a week to fully assemble.

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