Host a Blind Wine Tasting Party

Last year, two of our colleagues and friends entered into a debate about whether or not the price of the wine determined its quality and tastiness. The conversation resulted in a blind wine tasting party that is now a Fitzgerald tradition. If you enjoy wine, at any price point, I highly encourage you to host your very own blind wine tasting party. You won't be disappointed with the results!

First step is to identify your guest list. This year, we intentionally brought together couples that we keep hoping to connect with but for some reason or another, our schedules do not seem to match up. J and I enjoy bringing together friends from different aspects of lives. It is both fun and an open space for us to truly walk in community with others.

Once you've determined your guest list, you can invite them to bring their favorite bottle of wine. We like to leave it up to guests to choose a white wine or a red wine, and award a prize for each category. You could have folks sign up if you'd like or even assign regions from around the world. There are lots of fun ways to personalize this aspect. Our guests this time around really loved red and we ended up not having a white wine in sight {fine by this red wine lover!}.

Part of my wine love involves the bites to eat that often accompany the sips. Our guests were also asked to bring an appetizer to share. Wine + small bites for dinner. My kind of party, for sure.

For my food contributions, I made a healthier buffalo chicken dip and a baked brie in phyllo cups with a walnut and craisin garnish.

As guests arrived, we invited them to choose a number to attach to their bottle of wine. I found this free printable here.

When the tasting began, each guest received a scorecard to rate the tasting. I like to give a few minutes in between tastings for chatting and preparing for the next sip. As we tasted each wine, we identified the number on the bottle but keep the secret of whose bottle it was and what type of wine it was. For us, it lead to a lot of fun guessing as to who brought it and what type it was.

We prefer to provide mini cups for the tastings and then toss them out each time. You could also provide guests with one glass and a dump bucket if you preferred that. I also recommend some palate cleansing snacks such as: crackers, goldfish, etc. for guests to munch on in between samples.

After all of our tastings were complete, we asked guests to vote for their favorite white wine and favorite red wine. In the case that all of your guests bring one type, liked ours did, have them vote for their top 2. As we announced the top selections, the bottles were revealed! After that, everyone was free to enjoy glasses of any wines they chose.

The winners of our categories took home gift certificates to the newly opened Mini Doughnut Factory, a personal favorite of ours {get the cotton candy one!}.

Of course, decorating for your party is also a fun aspect. Or at least it is for me. A few little pretty things go a long way.

For this party, I used a roll of brown butcher wrapping paper to create a table runner, picked up a fresh tulip plant, and used some thought provoking cocktail napkins to spur on conversation. {I pick up cocktail napkins all the time for this purpose and to be sure that I always have fun ones on hand.} You can use any embellishments you'd like to represent you and add a little fun for your guests.

Write down your own great ideas and invite your friends over for a lovely and lively night with good wine and even better company!

If you're curious about our winners from this year, the favorites were:

Cupcake Black Forest

Dreaming Tree Pinot Noir

Yellow Tail Cabernet Sauvignon

Cheers!

Weekend Staycation

J and I have been married for almost 4 months (I promise to write about that soon!). How has the time flown so quickly?

Since the new year started, we've been busy bees at work and in life, making the transition to marriage and living together. We decided at the beginning of the year to take a day off in March to give us a long weekend together to celebrate our datingversary and reconnect after what we anticipated would be a busy few months. Two days off, no tasks, no lists, and adventures. They were so fun. And, so good for this girl's heart.

If you are in the Tampa Bay area, there are some good finds I suggest. Wherever you are, take a weekend to enjoy your city and get out to explore!

Welcome to our staycation!

We ended work on Thursday and took off in our already packed car to head to the sweet downtown streets of Dunedin for their St. Patrick's Day festival. I've married an Irish man so I anticipate this always being a big holiday in our home. The streets were packed with fellow celebrators. We made our way down to the Downtown Dunedin Deli for a burger (definitely give this spot a try). I know, not very Irish, but the festival surprisingly lacked Irish food so we opted for J's next favorite thing.

We spent the night in Dunedin and dashed out early in the morning for a quick breakfast at the famous Kelly's. A yummy breakfast with lots of pours of coffee is just the perfect start to the day, right?

We spent the rest of the day tucked away at the beach. It was surprisingly chilly for a March day in Florida but when you have your sweetheart and the waves are crashing, what could be wrong. Both of us enjoyed our newest books and soaked up the afternoon. 

Of course, no visit to the beach would be complete without a long walk and lunch picnic. For lunch, we picked up Publix sandwiches/wraps and enjoyed them waterside at a little park J discovered. My husband really likes to ask fun hypothetical questions to get your mind going. Sometimes I don't want to play along, admittedly, but I was glad I did on this day because it led to some sweet life conversations that you just miss out on having in your everyday normal life.

While in Treasure Island, we had to visit our favorite ice cream shop, The Candy Kitchen. Their vanilla ice cream with peanut butter is just unreal. I added a twist this time and also had their mocha chocolate chip. Yep, it was a great choice!

As if this day couldn't get better, we accepted a last minute invite from two of our friends to enjoy pizza and wine at their home. Talk about a great day and wonderful evening. It was a big ole' heart full kind of day. And this is all just Friday!

Saturday morning brought grey skies, late sleeps, movie watching, and pumpkin protein pancakes. When the skies cleared a little, we chanced it and took our bikes out to ride all over Tampa Bay, stopping at city events happening and Irish bars. Our final stop led us back to the place we first began flirting/finally admitting we flirt at The Dubliner. We also had THE best beer ever here.

Let me introduce you to The Cotton Candy: Half Angry Orchard + Half Seadog Blueberry + Fresh Blueberries = the best beer.

Two days of much needed quality time mixed with rest for us both = a pretty great staycation for us.

I anticipate more of these will be in our future so please share any ideas you have done or have come across - we love exploring and new adventures!

{We also learned on Saturday that I need a comfier bike seat for longer rides, insert soreness.}

Happy Monday! I hope you found rest this weekend as well.

{2014}

I chose not to set any specific goals last year. My usual list making self needed a little space to explore, assess where I was, and chart a new course.

My twenties were largely filled with my professional ambitions. The next job, the next move, the next degree, the next thing on my to do list. At thirty (one), I achieved so many of the things I had wanted to do. What would be my new goals?

Last year, I felt restless. I could not identify what would be the next thing for me. Somehow the things I thought I wanted, like that PhD, did not entice me (yet). I panicked a little. Who am I if I am not busy working towards achieving some big goal? The goal, of course, usually being a new job or location.

It turns out that the next thing I've been hunting for is being right here. Moving to Tampa was a rare opportunity. I could do work I loved. And, more importantly, I could be home. I had never made a decision that was driven by my personal life with work/school second. Never. It was definitely a turning point, but one that I haven't quite settled into yet.

This year, I am choosing to commit to creating more of a life in Tampa and investing deeper in my community. I think it is time to do things a little differently, dream a little bigger.

In 2014, I will:

Relocate to a new area of Tampa. I chose my current location out of ease for work (shocking) but my life is spent in another part of town that is closer to my parents, my friends, and the things I love doing. Lease is up in May so let the moving begin.

Buy a bicycle. This one has secretly been on my list for sometime. I enjoy the idea of biking to brunch or around a beautiful part of Tampa. I feel confident that this will be an excellent thirty second birthday gift to myself.

Grow in my profession. Student Affairs can be a tough profession to maintain. I let myself be a little static this past year while I wrestled with what was next. I want to identify new areas of growth and new opportunities while maintaining my current position rather than seeking out a new job.

Run a half marathon. The fees have been paid and the training has begun. It is good to have a new fitness goal to challenge and motivate you. And, let's be honest, I really want that car magnet.

Satisfy my wanderlust. Travel is my constant hunger. I need a new place to explore. In the que is Florence, Aruba, and, hopefully, the northeast when Kathryn and Bill are home from India.

Commit to writing. Writing makes me completely nervous and in love with it all at the same time. Yes, those personal posts you read, I feel nervous every single time. I have been overwhelmed, in a good way, with the response some of my posts have received lately. I appreciate the messages I get about how a post resonated with someone. Those are my favorite days. So I am committing more time to exploring this passion.

Engage in my church. I found a new church community this summer that I just love. There are opportunities to volunteer and attend a community group that I am looking forward to being a part of.

Be more present with my family. When I get busy, it seems like my family gets slivers of time compared to everyone else. Bless my parents because they have put up with my hectic schedule for as long as I can remember; never complaining about how often I am home or with them. I'd like to create space for more family time.

Discover. Experience. Learn. These are my words for this year.

"Adventure is out there!"

Happy 2014!

A Sailing Adventure

Mallory and I set sail on a beautiful fall morning in Tampa. In the spring, we purchased a groupon for a half day sailing trip. I thought it would just be a fun little morning outing and it turned out to be one of my favorite days this fall.

We woke up early and headed to Tarpon Springs, a cute little Greek touristy town about an hour outside of Tampa, to begin our adventure. On our drive down, we enjoyed some Starbucks and chatted up a storm as we caught up on the happenings in our lives.

Upon arriving, we learned that Atlantis V Charters is a foundation that provides free sailing lessons for youth programs and children with special needs. Their charter services support their endeavors in the community. The captains and crew even donate their time. Mallory and I especially enjoyed learning that our fun adventure on the water also supported a great program.

The morning air was a bit chilly which I found to be perfect! There is something great about being snuggled up, all warm, with the cool breeze blowing and the smell of the ocean all around you. Once out on the water, we sailed out to a little island where we were able to get off the the boat to peruse for seashells and soak up the sunshine. After a few hours on the beach, we got back on board for a sunny ride into shore.

The funniest part of our trip was learning that my pal, Mallory, has a bit more of an obsession with Disney than I had previously realized. I became aware of this as she recounted Finding Nemo to me, scene by scene, hoping to jog my memory of her favorite movie. Being the non-Disney person that I am (I know, my poor kids!), I got a good laugh out of this. I mean, she knows the movie literally in scene sequence - its kind of impressive, really!

After our sail, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Rusty Bellies, a great local restaurant. I had some yummy grouper with black beans and yellow rice. Their menu is great and they serve delish hush puppies in a brown paper bag instead of the traditional bread basket, an added touch that I especially enjoyed.

View from the Rusty Bellies patio

After lunch, we decided to do a little shopping in downtown Tarpon Springs where we found a few little treasures. Having been bitten by the shopping bug, we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at a local outdoor mall. We even had an afternoon treat of frozen yogurt topped with goodies.

The whole day was just perfect. We decompressed, soaked up the sunshine, got in some shopping, and spent some good, quality time together. If you are looking for an adventure to plan one weekend, definitely check out Atlantis V Charters (Warning: You'll need to book at least 2 months in advance!).

Bon Voyage! 

Girls Night Out: After Dark

To my great surprise, Tampa has a hidden gem in Brandon. Della's After Dark is a cozy little restaurant that packs a great menu. While it is a deli by day, at night it turns into the perfect setting for a girls night out, romantic dinner, or just a great spot to be with friends over a bottle (or two) of wine.

I recently tried out this little spot with two of my girlfriends and we were pleasantly surprised with the atmosphere. There are only a few tables but rather than feeling cramped, we enjoyed the intimacy it created. Each night there is a live jazz band playing. One thing we especially enjoyed was that the music was not overpowering and we could enjoy the music but still have a conversation.

Corkboard Menu

Their wine selection is great. You can even bring your own bottle which they will happily serve you with no corking fee. The girls had white wine and I sipped on my favorite red, a malbec. For supper, we shared their knock out Baked Goat Cheese Marinara. Honestly, this dish was so good we were scrapping the sides of the bowl.

For our meals, Mal had their pork tenderloin with corn pudding, Jen enjoyed their gorgonzola chicken breast, and I loved their steak au pouvre.

Definitely check out this little spot. Here is to girls nights out! Cheers!

Welcome to the Speakeasy!

To celebrate Mallory's birthday we picked a restaurant that we heard had a great atmosphere, amazing drinks and stellar food. Ciro's Speakeasy & Supper Club in South Tampa did not disappoint. Actually, the only disappointment we felt was when our meal had come to an end.

A speakeasy was an establishment that illegally sold alcohol during prohibition. These clubs were secret and often ran by gangsters during the 20's. While they were often raided by the police their popularity did not diminish. Due to the illegal nature of the clubs, some of them required secret passwords. And thus the premise for Ciro's. You will not find their menu online (part of the secrecy) but you will find phenomenal reviews.

When you arrive at Ciro's you feel a little confused about if you have made it to the correct location because the restaurant is tucked away behind an apartment complex (it does conveniently have valet parking). Earlier in the day, you are given a password for entrance. Once your party has assembled, you are escorted to do the door to give the appropriate password and then the fun begins!

Knock, Knock

We were seated in one of their large lounge rooms. At first, I was a little curious about how this would work because it does not have traditional tables. I ended up loving this set up because, unlike most dinner parties, we were free to get up and move about the room to converse with different folks. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to talk with everyone in our party as opposed to just those that I am seated next to.

The drinks are definitely one of the biggest highlights. Ciro's only sells alcohol that would have been around during prohibition. While there may not be many of the drinks we commonly have today, their mixologists whip up some of the most delicious drinks I have ever tasted. Our server, Chuck, simply asked us what we normally liked to drink and then brought us back something amazing. For our second drink, Mal and I even said just bring us what you think we would like and that was the best drink of the night. I could not tell you what it was (he described it, I don't recall) but I enjoyed every sip.

The food is perfect to share. Mal, Dwayne and I ordered a couple items off of the menu that we wanted to try and then shared our dishes. We feasted on their truffle popcorn, chicken and waffles and crab cakes. No lie, this food was so good that we did not want it to end. For dessert, Mal and Dwayne had the waffles with ice cream. While theirs did look good, I wanted to die and go to heaven over my dessert. I enjoyed chocolate fondue with churros (my fave) and fresh fruit. This dessert was killer. I wanted to just repeat the whole meal as soon as it was over!

Don't worry, I shared

Chuck, the server, made the experience all that much better. He was insanely knowledgeable and provided us with great service. Our meal ended up being about $40-$50 a person but it was well worth the splurge. We had such a marvelous time that we keep trying to make up another excuse to go back, immediately.

If you are in the Tampa area, definitely check out Ciro's Speakeasy or look to see if there is a speakeasy in your neck of the woods.