I do hope that everyone had as lovely a Valentine’s Day weekend as we did. Highly recommended is the Beltane Ranch in Glen Ellen, CA. Situated on a gorgeous landscape just off a main road, this working ranch provided a wonderful breakfast on the patio, tennis courts, their own wine and freshly made EVOO, and fresh baked cookies and tea available 24 hours!

Sitting on the wrap around porch, taking in the view of the surrounding Sonoma County, was the most refreshing experience of all time. I definitely can not wait to return. Hopefully next year, only this time as a married couple!

We had a lovely hike while in Glen Ellen at the Jack London State Park. Little tip: do make sure to arrive with 10.00 for park entry fee and 4.00 per adult for entrance into the London’s private cottage. There is so much to do in this quaint town! The folks at the Benziger winery are so kind and helpful. The Glen Ellen Inn restaurant, where I was finally able to track down Kobe beef for my honey to try. Though domestic, it still afforded the exact experience I knew it would; Best. Beef. Everrr, he emphatically concurred. The Wolf House or Jack London Saloon is a nice small town watering hole with your typical pub fare, worth a look if you’re interested in cheap drinks and a lively game of pool.

Our first night we actually stayed in Santa Rosa, my old stomping grounds if you will. We had an awesome dinner with exceptional brew and cider at Third Street Aleworks before walking over to the Roxy Theater for a showing of Deadpool. Not your typical lover of this so called ‘holiday’, I would say that this movie was one of the more epic highlights of our weekend. Don’t get me wrong, enjoying regional oysters  with adorable heart shaped ice placed just so in the middle of the plate, eating the most decadent (and free) dessert, all while staying at the beautiful Beltane were amazing experiences to sat the least. However, there’s something very special about laughing hysterically with the one you love as you thoroughly enjoy a crude comedy. An avid film buff and comic book lover, I would have to place this date on the top of my list.

During breakfast the next morning, just before we were to depart for Glen Ellen, I was very pleasantly surprised (to the point of tears) to hear that my future hubby fiercely defended me and our decision to NOT have children in attendance at our wedding. After all, love is compromise, and I was more than willing to allow for a small baby to be permitted to the wedding when if it meant the attendance of a beloved cousin. However, numerous out of control toddlers of other family members was something I was not prepared to waiver on. We both agreed during the tour of our venue, that children would not be permitted, due to the historic and delicate nature of the mansion. Come to find out, most of our attendants are 100% OK with taking a 4 hour break from their familial duties to rock out at our kick ass party. That said, when we left for the country there was still a bit of tension regarding this subject, both of us not wanting to spoil a beautiful weekend, we left it off the table. So to find later that we had actually been on the same page the entire time was a blessing. You will hear me tout time and again the importance of open communication. It truly helps to lay the foundation of a successful relationship, for which to build that happy home upon. Too many times we bicker over miscommunications, this could easily be avoided by just saying how we feel.

While I am on this rant of honesty, I must admit that I disrupted my ketogenic process yesterday with Oikos yogurt. Oh the shame! Check out those nutrition facts though, when attempting to get into a ketogenic state, it is imperative that sugar and carb intake is at an optimal low. My bad. I had gone two days with no grain, including breads, crackers, chips, and sugar! I though I was going out of my mind. The babe and I chose to get healthy for numerous reasons, and what better way than to go to the extreme right? Well I am here to tell you, bread and grains I can do without no prob, sure I miss rice, toast, jam, and cookies, but honestly its this lack of sugar that has begun hitting me the most. As the excess insulin begins it’s aggressive search for a new home,  we now find ourselves in a state of lethargic crankiness also known as the ‘ketosis flu‘. The body will eventually need to burn excess fat in its place, so hooray for burning fat instead of empty calorie sugars. Oh and seeing the dentist less, and my tummy/bowels are very happy now. Guess there’s no better way to test the waters of compatibility than to prove we can still co-exist as grump monsters. Luckily, I made sure to say bon voyage to sweets in the best way possible; by going to our cake tasting at Little Bliss Cakery! O.M.G. Yuuuum. Selected a few mini cupcake flavors and a two tier cake; strawberry champagne for me, and vanilla with chocolate fudge filling for him. Can not wait to see our final product.

Much more to come on this wonderful (lol) dietary process, and how fun the coming weeks will surely prove to be!

Cheers,

e. darby