It’s time to say goodbye…and embark on a new adventure

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Crazy, fun, hectic, a little exhausting, sometimes painful and maybe even a little embarrassing. Worth every single moment.

Today was my last day as an employee at Sones Cellars. It’s is the end of an era. I have poured, sipped, blended, savored, punched down, picked grapes. I have stood on the bottling line, behind the bar and at countless events since January 2011. It’s the longest I have ever held a single job.

And it has defined my goals, dreams and my latest course of adventure. Without the Sones Family and the Sones Cellars Family – I would have never considered applying to the Bordeaux International Wine Institute and I wouldn’t be leaving the country in 10 days.

So today – despite the nostalgia and a bit of sadness – we celebrated. With wine-glass margaritas (because what else could be better on a hot Saturday evening), chips and home made salsa and guac, good friends and a lot of laughter. Followed by a delicious dinner at my favorite Santa Cruz Italian eatery – and a Sones Cellars Team tradition – Tramonti.

To all of the friends I have made over the past 30-some-odd-months:  Thanks for sharing the journey! You will be missed.

T-2 Weeks

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Today marks two weeks. The final countdown has officially begun. As have the final preparations. And the nerves.

Yesterday I mailed in the last of my documentation and school fees. This afternoon I booked my final flight – from Paris to Bordeaux. And I booked a hotel room for my first two nights in the city – just until I can officially sign my lease.

The shopping list is rapidly dwindling – as are the errands. The tailor, the shoe repair, the beauty supply store, the hairdresser. Just a few more stops and I will be ready to go.

Now I really can’t put off packing and cleaning any longer. On that note – I’m going to go work on cleaning out my closet.

Shoes! … or not!

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I can’t put it off any longer. I am rapidly running out of time. I leave in a little over two weeks. (Cue the panic attack – how did it get here so quickly?)

About two months ago I tackled the armoire and the clothes in the closet. Several trips to Hope Services and the consignment store later – I still have more than enough clothing. A month ago I cleared out the drawer of nail polish – yes a whole drawer – and got rid of about 50 bottles. Earlier this week I went through all of my makeup and slimmed things down to one small bag.

But I have been putting off cleaning out the rest of my closet – shoes, purses, the storage rack holding all my sweaters, scarves and cold weather gear. It seems so final and more importantly – daunting.

So today I started with the shoes – I figure stages are much easier. Less daunting – maybe. What I learned was I clearly have a problem. Ok to be honest more than one. I a) have a tendency not to throw things away and b) I shop too much. There I have admitted it.

Shoes

Giving up all these shoes!

Witness the aftermath. These are the shoes I am getting rid of. Yes that’s right. This is the pile I am getting rid of. Note the yellow cardboard box filled with – yup you guessed it – shoes. And this doesn’t include the boots I have yet to dig out from under the bed and the pile of shoes I still haven’t made a decision about. But all in all it was easier than I expected. There were shoes in boxes that I forgot I even had. Clearly this was a long overdue project. And there are still more shoes than I can carry with me when I leave.

On that note I’m going to go wash the dust off and find something more pleasant to do.

UPDATE: Eight pairs of shoes found new homes with my cousin’s girlfriend, four with other family members and the rest will be donated to the American Cancer Society Discovery Shops.