Back from my hiatus

All the wedding planning and increased work activity forced me to take a break from blogging for a while, but now I'm hitched, better at time management, and ready to resume my blogs.

I still have to figure out what I want to say about the wedding and the honeymoon. It's always difficult for me to decide how much of my personal life I want to discuss on such a public forum, even if only my friends and family know about it.

Right now, Jud and I are pretty busy with the house and thank-you cards. We got our license copy back in the mail yesterday, so my plan for Thursday is to spend the day trying to get my name changed. I think I'll head to the DMV first in case the SSA needs to keep the license for a while.

Here are some tips and tidbits I learned on my honeymoon:

• It's definitely worthwhile to schedule tours at the small, family-run wineries. Not only do you get better wine and a more personal tour (sometimes with the winemaker), but you get tastings at a much better price.
• The Charles Schultz museum in Santa Rosa, CA, is definitely worth a visit.
• Bring your own music with you to San Francisco because the area does not have any good radio stations.
• Never ask a tour guide at Mumm Napa "Did you just say you add chardonnay to your blanc de noirs?"
• One of the workers/owners of the Flora Springs winery has a daughter in high school who is looking for a major that would help her improve the environment.
• The "Chiles" in Chiles Valley is pronounced "ChIles" not "Chee-lays."
• There exists at least one winemaker who is disappointed his daughter became a doctor instead of a vintner.
• It's helpful to speak French if you're in San Francisco.
• No matter how cute they are, how well they complement your outfit, or how comfortable they feel in the morning, never wear high-heeled sandals on the day you plan to explore Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, etc.

Also, when Jud and I finally turned on the TV on Saturday evening, we saw Alton Brown's new TV show "Feasting on Asphault." The first place he visited happened to be Jud's and my favorite barbeque restaurant--some place in Cashiers, NC, whose walls are decorated with license plates--The Carolina Smokehouse. Mmm.