Happy Diwali!

In the last few years, I have learned that there is great benefit in knowing a little bit about every culture, especially the holidays. It is hard to be an expert on all of them, but a basic understanding is helpful. It gives people more respect for other traditions and beliefs, as well as creating a better camaraderie between people.

Growing up, I hardly knew anything about other cultures. Sadly, the few things I did know were usually stereotypical or half-truths. Other cultures always fascinated me, but my teachers discouraged my classmates and me from learning about them. When we did learn about them, it was always from the perspective of “our way is the right way to live, and these other ways are the wrong way”. (fyi, for any newer readers, I went to a very strange, ultra-conservative private school.)

When I left that environment, I started researching other cultures and learning all the unique traditions that exist. Do I celebrate all of them every year? Goodness no! I wouldn’t have time for anything else if I did. Haha! But knowing about them gives me the chance to make an extra connection with people that I would not have gotten before.

This thought is especially strong in my mind today because I got to celebrate Diwali with some of my co-workers. For anyone who has never heard of Diwali, it is the festival of lights (particularly, the inner light), and it is also used to celebrate the end of harvest.

There are many ways to celebrate this holiday. Some of the most common include: lighting decorated clay (diyas) or paper lamps, cleaning one’s home, creating brightly-colored rangolis (geometrical sand drawings), gambling, and shooting of fireworks. In the office today, we ate some delicious Indian cuisine, watch a beautiful, traditional dance, and painted clay oil lamps. Here are a couple pictures of the lamp I painted:

If I had continued to hold to some of the things I was taught as a child, I would not have had this chance to meet and talk with some of my co-workers. It was fun to see their excitement and enthusiasm, and they were eager to include me, even though I have different beliefs.

So to celebrate the importance of making yourself a better person and learning to respect and include others, I wish you all a Happy Diwali!

I’m Back!

Hi everyone! Over the past few months, I have started numerous posts for this blog, but each time, I got swamped with wedding planning. For anyone who has planned a wedding or been in a wedding party, you will know how time consuming it is, especially once you get to the three-months-out mark.

The good news is that I survived all the craziness, and the best news is that I am now married to a wonderful partner who is eager to combine his dreams and future with my own.

I plan on writing a few wedding posts in the near future – mostly to show off pictures and give props to some of the wonderful people who helped us out. So, keep your eyes open for them!

There are also lots of new vineyard/winery reviews coming, as well as posts about other fun adventures I have had in the past couple months.

For today, I will simply say: thanks for continuing to follow my blog and I’M BACK! Woot!!!

Keswick Vineyards

After many months of wanting to visit, Dan and I were able to go on a Charlottesville area wine tour. Our first stop on the tour was Keswick Vineyards.

Entering the grounds, we were greeted with rows and rows of vines arching over the hills. The puffy clouds and blue sky really showed of the beauty of this location right from the start.

The tasting room at Keswick is nestled in a wooded section of the property and has a beautiful little lawn area right in front of it that is perfect for event games. Inside, Dan and I found out we were the first customers of the day, and we got our pick of locations at the warmly lit bar.

Keswick offers red, white, and rose wines in their tastings. Among our favorites were the V2 (pronounced V squared), the Les Vents d’Anges Viognier, the Consensus, and the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. We were also big fans of their decadent chocolate wine sauce. Mmm…

Dessert we made the day after: Vanilla ice cream topped with freshblack raspberries and Keswick's chocolate wine sauce. Delicious!
After our tasting, we wander the grounds with the tasting room manager looking for a good geocache location. There were lots of fun locations, and we finally settled on one. You can find the geocache coordinates on its webpage.

We hope you have a chance to stop by Keswick if you are near Charlottesville! When you do, be sure to tell them that At The Lamppost says “Hi!”.