today was a good day

To quote Ice Cube. Gus and I had a date day and it was really just what I needed. With no family nearby to help with childcare, we have definitely let our own relationship suffer. I felt a tiny bit of guilt leaving Little Miss J at daycare while we enjoyed some adult activities, but it really was the perfect day. We started off at Bouchon Bakery where we literally had the best quiche I have ever tasted. I don't think I will ever make quiche again because I have no idea how they  make it THAT delicious. We dined alfresco despite it being a bit chilly in the morning.

Next stop was Domaine Chandon for a bit of bubbly, because it's acceptable to drink champagne at 10:00 a.m. Plus there was a 2 for 1 tasting if you check-in on Yelp. Don't mind the woman in the background with the extremely Botox-ed face.

Next, because Gus really wanted to go to a local vineyard to learn about a California wine I took him to one of my favorites, Pride Mountain. It's a pretty small/medium sized place that makes 18,000 cases per year. We learned that they had started out just growing grapes and selling them to places - including Mondavi, who used them for his Opus One. In a surplus year, the owner figured he'd try his hand at making his own considering his grapes were being used for Mondavi's top of the line. The estate lies on the Napa/Sonoma border with some grapes in Napa and some in Sonoma. Despite not having a reservation we managed a couple spots on the tour with a progressive tasting. Since it is one of my favorites, I'm glad Gus also enjoyed it and we walked away with a couple of bottles and our name on the list for their Cab-Franc when it comes out in August.

To cleanse our palates, we landed at Dean and Deluca for some yummy sandwiches that we ate outside in the sunshine. Roast beast on ciabatta with mesculun, carmelized onions and manchego. I love manchego. Gus had an Italian with salami, fresh mozzarella and roasted red peppers. Also delicious.

Our third stop was for some more bubbly. We hit the Silverado Trail and landed at Mumm Napa, where we shared a tasting since Gus was driving and enjoyed the beautiful day.

On our way back through Yountville, Gus had to revisit Bouchon for the macarons - one pistachio, one caramel and one raspberry for Little Miss J. Oh, and a chocolate eclair for good measure. As we each ate our respective macaron, Gus tried to convince me that Little Miss J wouldn't like one. Pretty sure it's because he wanted to eat it.

Our last and final stop was a quick trip to the outlet mall for some shopping. A good way to end a date. We still managed to pick Little Miss J up from daycare before we would have had we gone to work and she was pretty happy with her "surprise," as she called it. "DEE-LICIOUS!"

It has been,  all in all, the perfect day. It felt like we were on vacation, but really we had just driven an hour. It's not that I have forgotten how much I love to spend time with my husband, but it was a good reminder that our lives are not always about pottytraining, pull-ups, and trying to come up with the best plan that will minimize the chances of toddler meltdowns.

Oh, and can I add how freakin' fantastic it is to be able to take a shower and not be wondering what your toddler might be getting into?