A Chamber Event with Friends

One of the things I really enjoy about my line of work in public relations is the variety of clients that I work with and the fact that many clients become friends over time.  Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning a co-worker and I got to hang out at The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa to meet people at the Napa Chamber of Commerce Business Expo and at an afterglow that was hosted by The Meritage in their underground Estate Cave.

After an hour and twenty minute drive from Roseville we arrived at The Meritage where we were greeted by a front desk person (Evan) that remembered my name (I've only been there two other times) and we were checked into our pool and vineyard view rooms. Once in my room I worked for a few minutes, while also taking a few pictures of the room (and the view).  Some of the perks of staying at The Meritage ... a bottle of wine from Trinitas Cellars is included in the cost of the room, I got an Old Vine Zinfandel, soaps and lotions that have fancy names, gorgeous views and a beautiful, comfortable room.

Next we headed down to the trade show in what is the largest ball room north of San Francisco and west of Sacramento. We loved meeting many of the vendors, eating some of the food offered by the restaurants and getting in touch with the editor of Napa Patch (an online news site) and the people who are planning the Napa Valley Film Festival.  As the event was wrapping up it was off to the one and only Estate Cave.  The cave is home to Spa Terra, the Trinitas Cellars Tasting Room and the Entertainment Cave.  Every guest was treated to fantastic Trinitas wines, cheese and antipasto platters.

To top off our evening we ate a few pizzas at The Meritage Bar, while finishing off a few bottles of wine that were left over from the event, just one of the perks of being able to dine with the Director of Operations for Trinitas.

This morning we met with our main contact at The Meritage to discuss the event and some upcoming projects, including their expansion project, and then headed to Downtown Napa.  It was my first time seeing some of the ART ON F1RST exhibits, which are all really cool. On our way out of town we made one last stop at the Napa Valley Destination Council so I could drop off a DVD and then it was back to Roseville.

All in all, a great trip, except for the massive crack in my windshield.  I'm hoping that gets fixed on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, just to prove that I have a "variety" of clients, I'll be at Specialized Parts Planet in Rancho Cordova.

St. Patrick's Day 2011

For all intents and purposes I think that for most St. Patrick's Day is the "Hallmark Holiday" for bars, but I'm okay with that. This year, my St. Patrick's Day was quite eventful.  I actually cooked up my corned beef on Sunday (after reading that you have to cook it for one hour per pound, I wasn't willing to cook it after work and have dinner around 9 or 10).

On Thursday, I woke up early, went to the gym and then headed off to meet some co-workers at Brew it Up! (potential client) in Sacramento.  We enjoyed some great Irish beers (including a green one); hung out with Mark S. Allen from Good Day Sacramento (see all clips from "Kegs & Eggs") and the people from Now 100.5; and of course ate a great breakfast.  The breakfast consisted of eggs, an Irish (English) muffin and corned beef hash. A co-worker and I also had a great desert ... an Irish Car Bomb.

After getting back to the office and working for a few hours we were treated to a fabulous lunch with all the "traditional" fixings.  Corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes, potato soup and Irish break (aka French bread from Costco).  We then had what I will call the Irish version of a root beer float, it was very tasty.  After our successful pumpkin decorating contest in October we had a potato decorating contest. "Luckily" everyone was a winner - just one of the many perks of working at AugustineIdeas.