{anniversary weekend away}

I'm sure you are all tired by now of hearing about our anniversary, but I still have more to share! I'm a big believer that relationships should be nourished, and every year together should be celebrated. Robert and I had an amazing weekend away, honestly one of the best weekends of my life (as cliche as it may sound). If you haven't heard the story of our tradition, I'll update you really quickly. 

We had the In N Out truck at our wedding three years ago, and then went up to wine country for our honeymoon. On that trip, we bought a bottle of wine to drink on our first anniversary. When our first anniversary came around, we decided to get In N Out and drink our wine to celebrate. We found ourselves back in Los Olivos on our anniversary weekend, and got another bottle of wine to drink on our second anniversary. We've been celebrating our marriage this way since, with a great bottle of wine and burgers and fries from In N Out every year. It's definitely one of our favorite days of the year!

This past weekend, we had our annual trip up to Los Olivos for our anniversary. We go up there probably once every other month at least, so we decided to do something a little more special this time around. Not only did we get a hotel room (at the Ballard Inn, which is absolutely adorable, by the way), but also hired a driver to take us around to a few different wineries that we don't normally go to. We tend to stick with the same places every time we're up there (it's what happens when you're a member at a few different places), but there are so many amazing wineries to choose from! 

For this trip, we visited Sunstone, Roblar, and Demetria on Sunday, and Palmina in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto on Monday. We actually went to Demetria on our honeymoon three years ago, and hadn't been back since, even though we remember it being incredible. If you ever find yourself in the Santa Ynez Valley, you just have to make a trip to Demetria. Tastings are by appointment only, but it's completely worth it. Their "tasting room" is literally a kitchen, and they serve you outside on their terrace. The view is absolutely beautiful, and they are so friendly! Not to mention the wines are some of the best in the area, in my honest opinion.

Sunday night was dinner at the Ballard Inn, and it may have been one of the best meals of my life. I had cauliflower soup to start, and seriously? I can't even describe how amazing their soup was. Robert had the duck, and I splurged on a strip steak that was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Again, you have to stay here and eat dinner if you ever have a chance. 

We decided to make the trip into Lompoc on Monday, since we've heard so many great things about the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. If you love just really good wine, in an unassuming place, you should try it. These tasting rooms are located in a small industrial complex, but don't let that deter you. We only made it to one tasting room, Palmina, and I was amazed. Not only was their service the best, but they opened and served so many more wines than I ever expected, including a 2003 Nebiolo which was...probably the best I had all weekend. I had to buy a bottle of their sparkling as well, and I'm so excited to break into it for a special occasion!

So, that was our weekend in a nutshell. And if you want to know what we got for next year...we choose an amazing pinot from Demetria. If you know us at all, you know that Robert and I aren't big pinot noir fans, so this is definitely a surprise. This year, for our third anniversary, we drank a bottle of Carhartt syrah (big and heavy and very "California-y"), so it's going to be fun to try something new next year!

Have you ever been to Los Olivos? If so, what are your favorite places?