Victoria Wine Festival 2016 #VICWF2016 (Photos)

If you can imagine a beautiful hotel setting, trying the most amazing wines from around the world, and meeting the people that are behind the wines, then you are the type of person that will love the Victoria Wine Festival.

I sure did!

Where: Parkside Hotel, Victoria BC
When: September 23rd and 24th
What: Showcase of over 300 wines from around the world, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Italy, Moldova, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, and USA.

Check out our amazing experience from when we first checked into the hotel until a great ferry ride home.

A big thanks to Heart Press PR for making this a really memorable experience.

Vancouver Cheese and Meat Festival - Sept 2016

Cheese and Meat Festival

Vancouver BC

September 17, 2016

Cheese and meat. 

Meat and cheese 

Cheese and meat. 

Meat and cheese.

However you want to put it, it's all music to my ears. And delicious food in my mouth!

This is the first year for this event and Vancouver was quick to show their love. Tickets almost sold out in the first hour! 

The festival will take place in the most beautiful settings. Attendees will walk at leisure around the grounds enjoying bite size tastes of cheese and meat while pairing the bites with wine, beer, and cider. It is an exciting time in British Columbia. With the abundance of artisan shops, and restaurants in BC showcasing fantastic product, as well as the relaxing import laws on dairy allows us to share the best the world has to offer. 

The event has three tastings at 11am, 3pm and 7pm. They've also created two seminars that provide an intimate look at wine and cheese pairings and the art of charcuterie. 

Some of the vendors that are already making my mouth water are Mt Lehman's Cheese Co, Two Rivers Specialty Meats and Bon Macaron. 

If you didn't get tickets this year make sure to act fast before they sell out!

Cheese and Meat Festival Vancouver 

http://cheeseandmeatfestival.com/

When: September 17, 2016

Where: Terminal City Club

How much: $75-$200

How Do I Know How Much You Care?

  

As I sit here in my bubble bath with candles and a warm cup of tea, I wonder "how do people show they care towards others?" Do I have a certain way that I show affection? Do I like certain things over others, or is it just about the thought that counts. Do I like material things or is it more about the gesture?

I have to say that if you asked me this question 10 years ago my answer would be very different than what it is now.
I truly appreciate the small things. And I know it's such a cliche, but it's so true.

When my dad picks me veggies from his garden and puts them in a bag for me to take home, I know he cares.
When my mom tiptoes around the house in the morning so that she doesn't wake me up, I know she cares.
When my grandma cries on the phone just from hearing my voice, I know she cares.
When my brother gives me advice for building my future, I know he cares.
When my roommate wakes me up with coffee in the morning, I know she cares.
When my best friend invites me to her annual awards gala, I know she cares.
When my best friend talks to me for hours on end, I know she cares.
When my friend comes over to make me dinner because my attempt was absolute garbage, I know he cares.
When my man makes me a bath with candles and tea, I know he cares.
And when he gets me a toothbrush, I really know he cares.
When my favorite coffee shop has almond milk, I know they care.

I just find that having little loving gestures means a lot more to me than having one grand gesture. I feel more safe and happy. I feel cared about and loved. I feel calm and content.

This is probably the sappiest writing I've done but I feel like I don't tell these people how much I appreciate what they do.

We all hear the saying, "tell the people around you how much you love them", and it couldn't be more true. But you don't have to literally tell them that. You can do it in little ways to make them feel loved.

Whatever it is. Show your love.

Love.
Kitten.

Warning! Don't Take Tylenol When You Have a Hangover.

One of the most distinct memories that I have of nursing school is some advice that my instructor gave me on our first day. She said:

“If there’s one thing that you take away from this program let it be this. Do not take Tylenol when you have a hangover."

So the reason is that when you drink alcohol your liver becomes very irritated and inflamed because it has to process all of that alcohol. And when you wake up in the morning your liver is under a lot of stress, so the last thing you want to do is give it more stress by taking Tylenol. 

Tylenol is metabolized by the liver. 

Advil is metabolized by the kidneys.

But how can I deal with my headache? Well here's the thing. You can take Advil because it does not get processed by your liver.

Unfortunately this information isn't common knowledge. I'm sure we can all admit that we tend to drink more than a couple glasses of wine. Over your lifetime this adds up to a lot of liver damage and can take years off your life. So this is a simple way to give your body a fighting chance.

Make the switch. Get rid, hide, give away, or just ban Tylenol from entering your house.

The recipe below was given to me from my dear friends Stephanie and Rick. Always on the cutting edge of hangover technology.

Hangover Smoothie

Ingredients

2 Bananas

1 apple

1/2 lemon

1 bunch kale

1 cup coconut water

4 liquid Advil gelcaps

Add all ingredients to blender. Blend. Enjoy. Take a nap.