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What Is It Like Dining at The French Laundry? Dreamy & Sublime!

July 8, 2021July 7, 2021

Dining at The French Laundry has been a dream of mine since my passion for food, restaurants, and the presentation of dishes bordered on obsession. This world-famous, three Michelin Star, pinch me I’m dreaming restaurant is the place where food lovers spend an evening of a lifetime.

Seven years ago, my wish to dine at The French Laundry came true and Craig and I experienced this spectacular dinner for the first time. As expected, it met every one of my expectations and more. The entire food adventure was dreamy and surreal, delicious and memorable. I wrote about my experience here on the blog way back when I first started Adventures of Empty Nesters.

Fast forward to 2020 where it was a challenging year for everyone. (I know it’s an understatement!) We put our travel dreams on hold and continued to postpone and cancel every trip, every adventure. However, it was time for me to plan my 2021 60th Birthday celebration during this lockdown even where we saw no end in sight. But I planned it anyway! Always the optimist and planner, I thought, why not, let’s plan something, we can always cancel.

The Wonderful Smells of Life in the Pacific Northwest & Other Observations

June 2, 2021

What are the smells of life that evoke an emotional response? I have so many, do you?

Ah, the wholly different and wonderful smells of my new life in the Northwest.

Back in 2014 when I began Adventures of Empty Nesters, I wrote a post called, “Do certain smells trigger a rush of memories for you? and it was all about smell memories and my family.

I have always associated certain smells with people, places, and experiences. Maybe it was a perfume my teacher wore, or the aroma of a glorious meal while traveling, or the familiar scents of the holidays. Do you associate meaningful smells with exceptional memories?

Travel Connections : Look What I Discovered in Maui!

May 26, 2021

Why do we travel? One reason: For travel connections

I am often asked – Why do you travel?

Whenever or wherever I travel, I look for special connections, unique moments, and delightful conversations. What do I mean by travel connections?

My goal is to gather stories, backstories, inspirational stories, and going deeper into the lives of the people who live in these glorious destinations. Now that is traveling! Of course, we visit the local attractions, but there is so much more.

Tell me about the food you grew up eating? Please share with me your favorite local place to relax and soak up the surroundings! What cafe do you go to with your girlfriends? Where can I see a gorgeous garden or unique architecture? I want to dive deep!

I ask questions like: Who did you meet on the train? Where were they going and should you go there too? These are the best parts of travel, the connections we search for and often just stumble upon.

Here is my most recent travel connection story!

A Juicy Springtime Cocktail & Savory Appetizer with Melissa’s Produce

May 14, 2021

Just for you! A Springtime cocktail for toasting friendship & family!

Spring is the perfect time for a new cocktail adventure! I just love bright new beginnings, sunshine, handcrafted cocktails, and a beautiful asparagus appetizer to accompany the tasty beverage.

We have been raising our cocktail game and consistently trying to include the very best organic ingredients and search for empty nester-friendly recipes. I found a gorgeous Blood Orange Margarita on Instagram, created by The Bitter Fairy. We have made it two other times already and thought it was time to share it with you!

The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift Idea – Very Clever & Smells Amazing!

April 21, 2021

A Clever Mother’s Day gift for the Moms in your life!

Are you searching for the perfect Mother’s Day gift? Something that is not the “same old thing”? A lovely present that is unique and clever? Lucky you, I have a suggestion!

Come Walk With Me to the Eastside of Seattle & Visit Kirkland, Washington

March 31, 2021

The Eastside of Seattle – Visit Kirkland, Our New Home

Come over to the Eastside of Seattle and visit Kirkland, WA. Eight months ago, we made the challenging decision to move to the Pacific Northwest to be close to our newborn grandchildren.

We sold our perfectly appointed Empty Nest in Southern California and bought a modern, sleek home with a view of Lake Washington. I have written about our experience HERE and HERE, and for the most part, I would say we are thriving.

Life’s Simple Pleasures – A Recipe for the Perfect London Fog

March 16, 2021

Life’s Simple Pleasures

Among the many lessons learned from the Covid quarantine, embracing life’s simple pleasures must be at the top. Life was so restricted that we needed to look for happiness in different locations.

Where I would normally embrace going out to a new restaurant, this was now not an option; shopping in a fun boutique, nope, not happening. We all ended up just accepting the circumstances and staying home to stay safe.

We cooked, we learned, we read, we baked, we did puzzles, we stayed home.

In our house, we created Cocktail Adventures– I was so desperate to talk about travel and share travel stories that Craig and I created a video series where we shared our favorite cocktail recipe and paired it with a travel memory. Click here to watch – these videos were pretty popular!

15 Books About Food & Travel That Saved Me During the Pandemic

March 10, 2021

Books about Food and Travel!

How did books about food and travel save me during the COVID pandemic? They provided me a way to escape during a challenging time and envelope myself in a world that means so much to me. Exploring interesting destinations, reading about exciting adventures, and real-life memoirs about chefs and food entrepreneurs is my passion. In addition to a personal escape, reading as much as I do helps to make me a better writer! As a brand ambassador and travel writer, the lockdown was particularly agonizing because I wasn’t planning and experiencing travel, nor was I working.

Some days were slow and relaxed, while others were depressing and sad. Most of us felt this way during the Quarantine, right? Confusion, sadness, and a longing for normality were the catalyst for my positive, uplifting reading choices.

The New Empty Nest: Home Design to Live, Love, & Work

February 25, 2021

A peek into the home design of our newest Empty Nest!

Home design is personal. What appeals to some will definitely not appeal to others. As we decorate and fill our homes with treasures, the only people we need to please are ourselves.

Craig and I have moved many times; this would be our 7th in 37 years. Why did we move so many times? As a young married couple, we were finding our way, looking for the right city to raise our children, and then after our nest was empty, we chose to downsize.

The downsize was the most significant adjustment, not only because of the new tiny footprint but also because we moved away from our friends and the city where we raised our family for 27 years.

Moving on… pun intended!

Our Move to the Pacific Northwest: An Update & Kirkland, WA Pictorial!

February 16, 2021February 15, 2021

A Six Month Update!

Our Crazy Move to the Pacific Northwest!

Our move to the Pacific Northwest has been challenging, sad, wet, sunny, exciting, exhilarating, and so very different from our old life.

Back in Southern California, we had downsized and renovated our Empty Nest, which was just perfect for two. We enjoyed our small, quaint home, relaxing back yard, proximity to family and friends, and warm weather.

We made the hard decision to move to Kirkland, WA, to be nearer to our newly born grandchildren, James & Josephine.

There has been a lot of adjusting and the climate takes some getting used to also! New dry cleaners, grocery stores, dog sitter, you name it, we had to find it! And, with a much bigger house that needed inside paint and new furniture, we embarked on another home project!

However, this move provided us the time and accessibility to watch these babies grow up, support our daughter and son in law, and begin our life as grandparents. Flying from California every time we wanted to see them would be a hassle and we wanted to be more hands-on. Luckily for us, we could work from home long before COVID offered this newest possibility.

I want to dive into the house design choices, but I will do that in another post. I have been updating my audience through Facebook and Instagram, but many of you do not participate in social media or miss these posts, and I wanted you to know what it was like living here!