Our Married Couple Best Friends!

Jess and Brandon are really great friends of ours. We were asked a few months ago if we would be willing to set aside a day to go to Ohio's wine country with them. We were more than excited for this outing and had been looking forward to it for such a long time.

It all worked out perfect. After our week in Port Clinton we drove east of Cleveland to enjoy Geneva on the Lake-- after a fun filled and beautifully sunny day with great friends we headed to Pittsburgh to start our weeks visit there. Having the opportunity to hang out with friends that we have not seen in a good while was such a gift. Our time reminiscing, catching up and discussing the future left me feeling so fulfilled at the end of the day. Matt and I always enjoy our time with Jess and Brandon and leave wishing we had more time.

So, to Jess and Brandon... Thank you for a wonderful St. Patty's day! Thank you for your friendship, your love and your desire to continue making memories with us. It means the world to us.

On our walk through the town of Geneva... we came across this guy... 

An Alpaca! So it seemed odd and we wondered why an Alpaca would be hanging out unleashed outside of a gift shop. But we quickly excepted this oddity and headed inside. While we were inside we discovered a lot of Alpaca fur clothing and that seemed to help make the connection of why this animal was chillin' out front. As we moseyed the store Matt realized that the Alpaca was headed for the street, and then he was in the street and then cars were honking quite vigorously. 

Matt quickly got the attention of the store owner, who proceeded to "run" or waddle down the street after his run away Alpaca. This sight was definitely a spectacle for the small town and we were kind of excited to be a part of it. Matt and Brandon followed after the store owner to see if they could help. After one failed attempt to re-leash the animal they were successful in bringing him back to the store. All in a days work in Geneva-- apparently.

Then we headed off to the Old Firehouse Winery. The weather was amazing, the water was gorgeous and the company was perfect! 

 

 We stopped drinking wine so we could enjoy a great Mexican meal it the town of Geneva. 

Matt was able to capture a fish trying to jump up the water fall. So many failed attempts but super entertaining to watch. Can you find the fish?

We found a covered bridge... pretty awesome. 

And then it was off to another winery. This winery is in a church. How neat-o is that? Here we finished our day with Ice Wine. Talk about delicious. 

In the church.

Our Ice Wine! Now I know why Ice Wine is sold in such small bottles. Quite sweet, and a small glass is perfectly satisfying.

This is a gorgeous winery. The South River Vineyard. Check it out and make a trip. It's hard to believe you're in Ohio.

So I have to add this tidbit of the day...  Sometime around our visit to the covered bridge I felt a tickle on my upper outer thigh. I was constantly itchy my leg but figured it must just be the seam of my jeans. We proceed to another couple wineries and finally end up sitting outside at the South River Vineyard where we enjoyed our Ice Wine. The itch came back, but this time I felt a small bump under my jeans. I pitched it and headed straight to the bathroom, I was quickly realizing that this itch was a bug where it didn't belong. This friend below was what I found. To prove to Matt and my friends... I brought my friendly bug back to the table with me. I had the itchies the rest of the day. 

 Thanks again Jess and Brandon! We can't wait for our next visit!