Background
Smart phones weren't a thing when I discovered my excitement for wine and food and travel, but here is a picture from a more recent trip to Spain, where it all began for me. I studied abroad in Sevilla and traveled throughout Southern Spain and Portugal in my college years. Toward the end of my time there, I called home to say I would not be returning, but instead would stay and work at a local coffee shop. My parents immediately (thankfully) vetoed that idea. I was so upset. I dreaded leaving Spain. I left a piece of my heart there as I reluctantly headed back home.
I was raised in an Entertainer's home, with my parents frequently hosting and attending exciting parties and dinners. They have been in a decades-long dinner club they call "Gourmet" which is a group of four couples who meet monthly in one of their homes. The host couple decides the menu and invites a fifth guest couple. Everyone is dressed to impress, greeted with a glass of champagne upon arrival, and the wine is carefully selected to accompany the meal. I have always longed to recreate this type of group with our friends, but it hasn't come to fruition, YET. (Because, kids)!
Instead of serving coffee in a Spanish café, I went on to finish college and have worked in Chicago, Dallas, and now Tulsa, doing advertising, marketing, digital media and corporate communications for many of the Fortune 500 since 2004. While I love the work, I equally love making lists of all the restaurants and wine bars with a soul in these cities to visit with friends after work. 'Conference in San Francisco or New York? Great! Where are we eating?' I love creating experiences. And I can't stay in one place for too long. My to-be-visited-lists have also expanded into itineraries for other cities. I can sit with a glass of wine and plan travel for myself, or for friends and family, for days. I love to get lost in others' write-ups and photos and to dream up my own perfect trip to a new place. I joined a travel agency to have access to all the planning tools I need to bring the most complete, memorable vacation together. I have a unique approach to travel planning that brings the magic out of the destination so visitors can truly experience what the place has to offer.
How I got started
All of these experiences in my life have brought me here, to creating The Field Guide to Wine. The Field Guide will show off the best of what wine travel has to offer, inspiring wanderlust to the most amazing wine experiences around the world. I'm not a sommelier, for now, and that is intentional. Because my aim is much more broad than just the wine. In The Field Guide, we'll show you beautiful spaces and places. We'll bring you exclusive experiences and almost-impossible-to-find gems. We'll help you elevate your next trip or gathering in every way, while also reminding you of some of the great lost arts (like making a toast, curating playlists and handwritten notes) in a wine experience.
Who we are
We are Midwestern wine fans who love to travel and get together over an exciting new glass of something bubbling, pink, white or red (we sometimes drink beer or a cocktail too). We are wine optimists, and try to find the good in most everything (as long as it didn't come from a convenience store!). We went to college and have good jobs. We appreciate fine art, but have a budget. We like to have fun, go to concerts, laugh, cheer for our teams and play games. We go to church most Sundays and have pets. We love family get togethers with our elementary and middle school-aged kids. We are pretty normal people.