Take a gondola ride with me through the streets of Venice as I share my experience of dreaming about going to a single location in an obsessive manner since I was like 8 years old! How I learned about managing my expectations - and how understanding my expectations or how to convey them has really helped me in my life as a whole.

Wine Highlight of the Week:  2016 Pieve Castelletto Chianti

This wine is from the region of Chianti, It is very hard to give precise borders to the Chianti area in Tuscany. This is because the name of Chianti is traditionally referred to as the area between Florence and Siena where Chianti wine has been produced and not a definite territorial area with boundaries. With time, the area where Chianti wine is produced has grown. Parts of these areas, excluding Impruneta, grow the grapes that are transformed into "Chianti Classico DOCG" wine. If we go beyond the "Classico" area, Chianti wine has a total of 8 denominations, such as Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, and Chianti Rufina, to name just a few, that further extend the territory of Chianti as can be seen in this smaller map to the right.

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Welcome to the episode of where I share my story about when I lived on the road and out of my car for 6 months for my job! It was a wild and wonderful, crazy and stressful time in my life where I felt really lost and I was trying to find my way back to "myself". I hope you enjoy!

P.s. Yes I also use the term "pandering" incorrectly I was meaning to use "Floundering" oops just so you know the word was totally used incorrectly.

Wine Highlight:

2017 StoryTeller "Ever After" Red Blend

Sonoma wine country is brimming with fables (of varying degrees of truth) passed down through the generations, usually aided by a celebrated local wine. Storyteller wines encourage your stories to unfold in ever more fantastic versions. Flavors of smoky oak, vanilla spice, chocolate ganache and juicy dark plum. Lush dark berry fruit flavors dominate the palate.

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Have you ever done something so crazy that you think "THIS WILL NEVER WORK"? Well, that is the story I am sharing today in this episode! I am talking about when I signed up, on a whim, for the TV show "The Voice"! Yes, I auditioned for The Voice...

Wine Highlight of the Week:

Like France’s Vins de Pays, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla is a Spanish geographic indicator for wines from the autonomous region of Castilla-La Mancha. This is a region at an altitude of 700m covered with limestone and argillaceous soils that endure scarce rainfalls. An attractive deep pink with aromas of strawberries, raspberries, and cherries with faint hints of mandarin, this wine is refreshing with plenty of juicy fruit flavors on the palate.

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The story I will be highlighting this week is talking about some of the life lessons I learned while on my first deployment in the Navy in 2011! It wasn't just about circumnavigating the globe in under a year (I know not as impressive as 180 days but still) I learned other important life lessons that I hadn't faced in my life before.

Wine Highlight of the Week

2019 100% Barbazul Chardonnay

Barbazul Blanco is a white wine produced by the Huerta de Albala cellar in Cádiz.

This is a varietal Chardonnay from their own vineyards, planted on hillsides at an altitude of between 100 and 200 meters above sea level. The farm is located between the Sierra de Gazalema and the Bornos swamp, which provides a special microclimate. Warm days with cool nights help keep the acidity in the grapes and allow a slow maturation. Harvesting is done manually and grapes are rapidly transported to the winery to avoid possible oxidation and deterioration. Barbazul Blanco is fermented at a controlled temperature of 12° C for a period of 20 days. A floral and fruity Chardonnay.

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What is your "sport"? I used to be into playing soccer, then I was into swimming and then eventually I landed on my "sport" of SCUBA DIVING! The first time I ever went scuba diving I was 11 in Cabo San Lucas Mexico in the resort pool. Since that first moment "on-air" I was totally in love! Scuba diving to me is the most exhilarating, eye-opening, and amazing experience I have ever enjoyed. I am able to integrate my love of the ocean, wildlife, travel, and photography all into one activity!

Wine Highlight: 2018 Ménage à Trois Silk

Ménage à Trois Silk Soft Red Blend is a blend of Pinot Noir with seamless cherry flavors, Malbec with velvety softness, and Petite Sirah with alluring depth. To further illuminate the wine’s unique texture and flavors, the blend was enhanced with a hint of sweet, spicy French and American oak. With its alluring fragrance of dried violets and berries, Silk beckons, promising an unforgettable experience. Succulent cherry and ripe raspberry flavors mingle with delicate hints of rose petals and toasty spice and glide gracefully across your palate like liquid silk. Seamless and lustrous, Silk is the luxurious encounter you’ve been craving.

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I am so excited to share about my ultimate "pride and joy" photo I've captured of my career (as a civilian). My perfect photo was taken in Outer Banks, North Carolina during the Christmas season. I started my adventure that night at Elizabethan Gardens and then I ended up at the Bodi Island Lighthouse where I overcame a Photographer's struggle of trying to capture the perfect shot...but night photography without a tripod is stupid tricky! Listen for more!

Wine Highlight of the Week:

Notes from the 2017 Stoners Red: Three aromatic grapes meld together producing a complex bouquet of violets, boysenberries, and black olive. But that’s not all – throw in some herbs and cloves, eucalyptus, and strawberries planted in a pot of wet earth and you’re left with the world’s strangest recipe for delicious. Stoners Red is a savory bottle of GSM that finishes with a bit of raspberry. Drink now or save it for that freshly foraged elk steak and a side of mushrooms. To order your wines from Sol Stone or to learn more about them visit their website - www.solstonewine.com

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*CONTENT WARNING*

This is not a normal episode...Thus the title "Off Script..."

In this episode I am sharing a side of my life I have not shared...with many people and then here I am sharing it with the entire world.

When I was in the Navy (and in previous episodes, I've mentioned it a few times) my last deployment, in 2014, that year nearly killed me.

This episode contains matters of sexual assault, PTSD triggering details of crashes...I wanted to give FULL disclosure before releasing this episode.

It isn't pretty - but it is real. And I believe that it is important to share what is real - even if it is painful to share.

Please be gracious

I gotta tell you - the first time I ever took my daughter on her first flight...I was terrified! Even being as seasoned and experienced as I am with traveling I was still so nervous the first time I boarded a plane with my six-week-old daughter.

Wine Highlight of the Week:

This is the wine that started my love of white wines! I never had much interest in pursuing white wines but when I tried this wine...it changed my world. This stunning bright and pale straw-colored wine breathes a soft white peach and bartlett pear on the nose with hints of minerality and lime zest. Full flavors of stone fruit and passion fruit reveal themselves amid a supple mouthfeel and finish with juicy lime and slate on the palate....and they ship! www.willorch.com

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The year of 2015 was a seriously difficult year for me. Why? I was leaving the military after four years of service (not as long as most people I know) but in those four years I had seen and experienced A LOT. Transitioning out of the military wasn't the hardest part - it was learning how to survive...

The Wine Highlight of the Week: 2016 Purple Heart Wine

The 2016 Purple Heart wine is crafted from hand-selected lots of pristine Sonoma County fruit, with both Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley vineyards figuring prominently. This medium-bodied offering opens with bright aromas of raspberries and cedar that precede richly textured notes of dark fruit and black currant on the palate. The wine’s finely balanced tannins give it a long, velvety mouthfeel with hints of caramelized brown sugar lingering through the finish. Drinking beautifully upon release, it will continue to gain complexity and grace with 4-5 years of cellaring. To purchase your bottle you can find this wine at most Kroger stores in the United States or on their website www.purpleheartwines.com

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In this episode, I share my story about how I got into the world of wine! It was an interesting "accident" that landed me into a world I now love and am a little obsessed with - and I couldn't be happier. Pour yourself a glass and get comfortable!

Blended wines are a particular specialty of Australia, where Syrah is known as Shiraz. The two are well-known French varieties that have been successfully transplanted down under Cabernet Sauvignon is best known for its role in Bordeaux, while Syrah climbs the steep slopes of the Rhone Valley. In Australia, the two combine (sometimes along with Cabernet Franc) to make a rich, full-bodied red that is the basis of some of the country's most famous wines.

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