The number one question we have gotten since opening our tasting pavilion is, "What inspired all of this?" or How did you decide to start a winery?"
And a very close second is, "How in the world do you do all of this?" A winery and two small children? You must be very busy!
And then I slip in the fact that we both work full-time jobs...
Heh, heh...
I am not sure whether to be proud or embarrassed that we lead this crazy lifestyle. But, we are (somehow) managing to pull it all off -- parenthood, careers, and a new business. I think one helps the other-helps the other. We have learned to thrive off the chaos. Our staff and help have all been AMAZING! We absolutely would not, could not (have I been reading too many Dr. Seuss books?) be doing all of this without help and we are so thankful to have good people in our lives who are living up to and adding to our reputation. And while free-time is nearly unheard of these days, we do find some time to unwind with a glass of wine. And wine does help.
A lot.
A lot.
The kids are very much a part of this adventure with us. Don't be surprised if you see one of us walking around the vineyard or winery with a 10 month old squacking on our back or if you find our 2 1/2 year old riding his bike handing out apples from our apple tree to some customers. If nothing else, our kids don't lack in social skills. "My name Ax-el. What your name? You want apple?" he said to some ladies sipping wine last weekend, while pulling an apple from his bucket.
Or,
"I see friends!" he'll call when he sees kids walking with their parents in from the parking lot. Heck, he says it when he sees a group of adults too. "C'mon, Mama. Let's go!" as he grabs my hand to go greet new guests.
I posted pictures recently to our new photo gallery page, so you can catch up on our fun events and all the pictures there!
Wine and Shoes Ladies' Night was a huge success. Aaron questioned me when I told him this "wine and shoes" idea. "You are going to do what? Bring in shoes?" he said skeptically. Okaaaay....that sounds kind of weird."
"Trust me," I told him. "Wine and Shoes. Women will come." And when he started to see the RSVPs rolling in, he got really into it. It was a ton of fun and this will definitely be a regular event! Now Aaron has all sorts of ideas for the next one. He is a skeptic turned enthusiast!
We had our first wedding! Crazy, right? But, an awesome couple contacted us and said that after 4 years of engagement they were finally ready to tie the knot and were hoping we could accommodate an intimate wedding in our vineyard just a few weeks out. Why not? We said. With only 16 people, it was a good way to get our feet wet. What a beautiful night! And a beautiful couple! They toasted with our honey wines and it was perfect!
We hosted the Chamber of Commerce lunch. I said it before and I'll say it again-- We are so proud to live and have this business in such a supportive community with other awesome people and businesses!
And can I just say that for an IT nerd, Aaron is an unusually comfortable, charming, and engaging public speaker.
I mean, you couldn't have shut the guy up if you tried. :)
Did I mention we won our first medal? The Cold Climate Wine competition was a few weeks ago. We entered our Marquette wine and won a silver medal!
Did I mention we won our first medal? The Cold Climate Wine competition was a few weeks ago. We entered our Marquette wine and won a silver medal!
Other upcoming events:
Grape picking--starting Labor Day weekend and going to the end of September
Cigar Rolling Night--September 13th
Western Weekend--end of September (exact date coming)
Boots and Boots-beginning of October (exact date coming)
Oktoberfest celebration--yeah, wineries can do this too!
All right...I'm exhausted just writing about it. I'm going to bed. At least until the baby wakes up...