more wine please

Every year VA provides us lushes with a fantastic summer event, the Virginia Wine Fest! Just because Jonna and I just moved into a house doesn't mean we don't feel 100% comfortable abandoning everything that needs to be done in order to drink massive amounts of wine; because we did.

Throughout the move and the next week Jonna had a terrrrrible chest cold, so she decided that she wasn't going to take the bus to the fest in Centerville. Instead she decided to drive out a little later in the morning, and Alicia decided to join her. Brother and I headed to Bailey's in Ballston to eat a quick breakfast and potentially meet up with friends. Leo found us and we ran into Michelle and her friend Shawndel. Kristen, Jay, and Robin were also at the bar but I failed to find them before everyone was corralled onto the 12 buses leaving from one of the many bar pick up point locations. Brittany had bought her ticket for the buses in Clarendon, but we met her at the field once we finally arrived.

We first ran into a giant bouncy obstacle course, which I of course had to test out and enjoy. I managed pretty well considering I was wearing a dress, I probably only flashed a few people. Michelle joined me briefly, but then we were pulled off the bouncy fun because it was time for wine. No offense to VA, but I'm really not a huge fan of its wine. Of course I still taste many different types from various wineries, but never really came out completely satisfied. I tend to stay far away from the whites as they're typically far too sweet for my liking. A few tastings had a sangria mix, which was a nice change up. Eventually we ran into Kristen, Jay, Robin, and peoples and agreed to meet up again later for lunch and a bottle (or two) of wine. The day was hot, but not too hot. Kind of like a Goldilocks kind of day. Brother, Varun, Brittany, and I saw a magic show that was pretty impressive. The magician was entertaining and made fun of himself for being a magician, which I think added to his performance. Afterward we met up with Jonna, Robin, Alicia, Kristen, Jay, and Todd to enjoy the music and sun. Around 5pm Jonna decided she was going to drive back home and offered to take the girls back with her. So instead of leaving on the bus at 6pm, the 5 of us piled into Jonna's car for the drive back to Arlington.

Once we arrived at Chez Quebec, we decided to continue the wine fest in our own fashion. Initially this started as enjoying more bottles of wine, then we added some snacks, and more wine. Eventually we got really hungry and ordered delicious pizzas to go along with our wine. We are in the process of looking for a backyard patio set and fire pit, but until then we have a few random chairs and a tiny little table. We also used my tiny shower clock radio for music and entertainment, which turned into musical interpretations by the lovely Kristen, Robin, and Alicia. At some point I brought out my old dance costumes, pompoms from highschool, and my graduation cap/gown, to share with the group. Everyone picked out costumes and started dancing around the yard in random colors and costumes while singing. Best impromptu dance party! We didn't last long after that, it had been a long long day in the sunshine while drinking wine. Wine fest was a huge success.