February in Napa...

...is one of my favorite places & time of year to visit.

I am obsessed with Napa in February.
Why you might ask?
Because of this:
Hello, yellow mustard plants! Gorgeous! I love them!

This past weekend, my college roommate Brittany* & her husband Mikey came to visit us.
Mikey had a conference in San Fran & Britt called a few weeks ago to see if they could stay with us! I was so excited because we haven't seen them since the Fall of 2007 when we were in Colorado for a visit. Kate was only 8 months old!

*If you live in the Denver area & need a Dentist, check out Brittany's dental practice that she opened 3 years ago, Lodo Dental*

Brittany & Mikey were both raised in Colorado and when I suggested we go to Napa for the afternoon, they were thrilled. And, so was I! That meant I could look at all the mustard!

My mother in law took the girls to the zoo for the afternoon, and the 4 of us headed to Napa for a few hours. As soon as you drop into the Napa Valley, you see this:
Beautiful yellow mustard growing throughout the vineyards & vibrant green hills.
The pictures don't even do it justice. It is simply gorgeous!

Our first stop in Napa was Cakebread Cellars. Cakebread is one of my favorite wines, but I have never been wine tasting there because they are always booked! (We made an appointment this time).

We had a wonderful tour & then a sit down tasting. (and, it was only $10)

Mikey & Brittany were so giddy the whole time & kept saying they couldn't believe they were in Napa. It was fun. It also made me realize how I take for granted how close we live to Napa!

Britt & I, college roomies!

Vineyards outside of Cakebread:

After Cakebread, we headed over to Dean & Duluca for lunch.
I had one of the best sandwhiches I have ever had... a warm turkey, pesto & havarti sandwich. It was amazing.
After lunch, we had time for one more stop, so we went to Rombauer Vineyards.
Rombauer is off the Silverado Trail, so we had to drive a little to get there, but that just meant we got to see more mustard plants:
Rombauer has beautiful grounds & is set up on a hill with a beautiful view of a valley.
It is one of my favorite places to visit. They always have flowers in bloom there.

Mikey & Britt at Rombauer:

Kevin & I:

Mikey & Brittany enjoying the view:

More mustard on our way home (told you I am obsessed with it):
It was so great having them stay with us, even though it was a quick visit. There is just something about the college roommate bond. It is so special. Even though we haven't seen each other in years, it felt like it had only been days. It was so fun reminiscing about our old college days.

My favorite part of the weekend was having them stay at our house & watching them interact with our girls.
I am so glad they got to meet & hang out with Kate & Claire.
Both girls fell in love with them (how could you not?).
The day after they left, Kate kept asking us,
"Where are my friends Mikey & Brittany? I like them."

Mikey & Brittany don't have kids yet, hopefully staying with us didn't scare them from ever wanting kids. My favorite line from Mikey this weekend was,
"I love your girls, but this visit confirms we are going to wait a few more years to have a kid."
Thank you for your honesty Mikey, thankyouverymuch! :)