Dinner with the Magic Man

This past week my friend Melanie invited Josh and I over for dinner.  She told me they were also inviting their friend Brandon to join us.  I know--right now this post sounds pretty boring, but don't worry, it is about to get interesting.  In addition to having dinner with us, she informed me that Brandon would be performing magic for all of us in preparation for a show he is doing in Texas next week.  Yes, magic.  I have to admit I was a little apprehensive.  I didn't know what to expect.  I was nervous he would be weird and his tricks might suck and I would feel really awkward watching him perform for who knows how long.  At the same time, I was curious and kind of excited because I didn't know what to expect.  How often does someone invite you over for a private magic show?!!  So, Josh and I made our way up to Melanie's house on Saturday with an appetite, wine and open minds.

When we arrived at Melanie's house I looked around trying to figure out where the performance would take place.  Melanie recently had a baby (a ridiculously cute baby, I might add), so most of the house is covered with toys, baby bouncers, boppy pillows. . . you get the point.  I figured he might need some space, so I asked Melanie if we would be going down to her basement for the show.  She was very casual and said we would just clear off the table after dinner and he would perform there.  At this point I'm still confused.

A few minutes later Brandon arrived.  I have to admit, he is the most charming man I've met in awhile.  He wore all black and reminded me of a much younger, drug-free, happy-looking version of Johnny Cash.  Yeah. . . . really he looks nothing like Johnny Cash except for the outfit.  Anyways.  After the introductions, we had a delicious dinner prepared by John, Melanie's husband, and got to learn a little bit about one another.  Then, just like Melanie said, we cleared off the table; Brandon got situated; and he started to perform what he called "close-up magic."  It is exactly what is sounds like.  I was literally sitting right next to him at the table while he performed card tricks, coin tricks, and various effects with cups and wooden balls.  He even used Melanie's own coffee cups for some tricks.  I was seriously impressed.  Not only was he a great magician, he was also very funny and entertaining.  I've never met anyone that passionate about magic before--what an interesting guy!  We all had a ton of fun!!

If you are looking for some entertainment this holiday season, or any time of year, I would totally recommend getting in touch with Brandon.  PS.  He also performs on Pearl Street when the weather is nice.  For more info, go to: http://www.brandonkparker.com/

Ghetto Blasting in Napa

On October 28th, my husband and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary.  To celebrate, we flew out to California and visited the Napa Valley and San Francisco.  The majority of our time was spent in the valley since neither of us had been there before.  It was lovely.  We visited lots of different wineries, ate picnic lunches, tasted wine straight from the barrel, indulged in beautiful hand-made chocolates, ate amazing dinners and had a wonderful time together.  We stayed at a nice hotel in St. Helena, so we were able to walk to all of the local restaurants and shops.  During the day, the town was buzzing with people traveling to nearby wineries, so it was nice not to have to drive or park.  During the evenings, it was nice to be able to have a bottle of wine and not have to worry about getting in a car.  However, it was very strange to walk down the streets at night.  They were totally empty.  We had to ghetto blast with our iphones so there would at least be some sound.  We spent a lot of time jamming in the parking lot of the hotel under their carport to stay out of the rain.  You can see our pictures from the trip in our photo gallery (on the left) or by clicking here. 
To tide you over in the mean-time.  Here are few pretty shots from the trip.