The Review – So why did I give Haight-Brown Vineyard one Stiletto? Let me start at the beginning.

Today we are celebrating our one year anniversary.

And decided to make a day of it by going wine tasting something that both Robert and I have wanted to do but have both never experienced. So I came across Haight-Brown Vineyard on the Internet. It looked like a lovely little place very rustic and it’s also part of the Connecticut Wine Trail. So we decided to take the 1 1/2 hour trip to Litchfield. The drive was beautiful I’ll admit driving up route 8 is very scenic there are mountains covered in a light layer of snow and beautiful bodies of water very peaceful.

So we finally arrive at the Vineyard.

And I practically run into the place cause I had to use the potty (that word is courtesy of my years as a preschool teacher). Did I mention that Route 8 is so scenic there are no rest stops?

Now there were cars outside but we walk into what seemed to be a completely empty building we wander to the second floor where the Tasting Room was. Not a soul to be found at this point I’m pacing and making quiet a racket in my boots as I thump around the hardwood floors but yet no one seems to be coming. After what felt like an eternity to me but was probably actually more like 5 minutes Rob wanders around the side of the counter and is seen by a woman sitting in her office she ask if she can help him and he points in my direction. OK she shouts give me a minute at this point I’m about to die and I spot the bathroom at the same time she decides to wander out of her office. So I tell her we want to do the wine tasting but I have to use the restroom first.

I get out of the restroom and she’s already served the first taste and Rob has wandered into the bathroom himself. So I sit at the bar and say, oh it’s our anniversary and we decided to do a wine tasting we’ve never done this… She replies with “that’s nice” asked where we are from and quickly tells me what wine I’m drinking and Rob at this point isn’t even sitting with us. So I ask is there a specific way to drink the wine since its our first time and we don’t know what we are doing. Her reply “just swirl it to get the oxygen in it” hmmmmm ok so I’m thinking ok is she going to explain the different wines? Or offer us the wine and cheese deal or wine and chocolate deal? Is she going to tell us what wines they make at the Vineyard? But I realize shortly that this is as she put it her catchup day so she rushes us through the tasting. Aside from giving us the basic this wine is that this one is this she offers no other information unless we ask.

I can tell that Rob is getting irritated and holding his tongue because he doesn’t want to sour our day. So I figure let me see if I can get this woman to engage so I start talking about the taste and smells of the wine she periodically responds to anything that’s directed to her but little else. She focuses on relabeling wine bottles and only stops to refill our glasses and give us info on the next tasting.

Finally we are done with our tasting which I think took all of 20 minutes and I say do you have a cork I can buy to re-cork the bottle to which she replies you can just reuse the cork that it comes with. Mind you we are sitting in the shop with chocolates, corkscrews, gifts but she doesn’t offer us maybe you want to get this one. Hey it would be more money for them and sometimes the corks especially if I open it end up to wrecked to reuse.

So why the one stiletto? Honestly I would have given them 0 stilettos but we did buy 2 bottles of wine which I have to admit we’re delicious and…..

They also have really cool massive wine barrels outside and the building was really pretty. Now had she been engaging, giving us information on the history of the vineyard, the wines, how we should drink it, what we should look for in a good wine i.e. Color, smell, ect. Had she cued into the “it’s our first time” comments when we first walked in or offered us the different tasting options they would have gotten a higher rating. The only thing I learned about wine today was that I do not like Reds.

As many of you know I hold workshops and groups and besides it being our first trip to a wine tasting as a celebration of our first year as husband and wife the visit was also to see which wineries I would put on our list for our group outing this spring and what better then visiting a beautiful location to enjoy a glass of wine and learn new information.

Maybe I’m wrong maybe I’m expecting way to much for wine tasting but I had a vision in my head of learning something new while celebrating a happy day, creating a memory and eventually sharing it with my friends.

Needless to say Haight-Brown vineyard are sadly off the list on to our next winery for hopefully a better experience.

We had a fantastic wedding and honeymoon and were excited to begin this new chapter of our lives together. 2011 started off with many opportunities I started to focus more on doing what I loved to do which is the Spiritual Life Coaching and Intuitive Sessions and we sold Stilettoteez.com but have been able to maintain rights to our images and continue to design new shirts. Rob began to focus more on www.robertvelasco.com and more photography work started to flow in. The year began for us in a positive note and we were looking forward to expanding our visions and horizons.

Then on April 21st my father passed away.

He died peacefully in my arms after a long battle with Pulmonary Fibrosis. Losing my father was the hardest experience of my life but even that event was bitter sweet. He was suffering during his final days and watching him deteriorate was extremely difficult so when he passed on I was left with a feeling of peace and sadness and was content in that he died knowing he was loved.

A two months later I was let go from my job of 13 years it was the only secure income we had but I left the office that day feeling a sense of joy and freedom. I wasn’t sure how we were going to manage I just knew we would and losing my job didn’t ruffle my feathers in the least bit. I saw it as an opportunity to really focus on doing what I loved to do.

2011 also allowed us to meet new people and make new friends and towards the end of the year I was able to have office space at a local salon where I am available for readings 2 days a week. My readings and coaching expanded and I gained new Clients from places as far off as Panama, Mexico, Chile, and France. And because we’ve had time to travel we’ve gotten opportunities to take photos of places like Eastern State Penn, Cape Cod, Plymouth Mass, Sleepy Hallow and the botanical gardens.

2011 gave me an opportunity to learn a lot about myself, about how resilient I am about how my marriage is and how well we work as a team. It taught me to open myself up to new possibilities, it gave me a quick and harsh lesson on becoming an adult with my fathers death and it allowed me to flow with each situation and enable myself to manage the ups and downs with little to no stress or anxiety.

In all as I say goodbye to 2011 I am filled with sadness for my losses and joys for my accomplishments and life steps. People often ask me how I keep myself so positive the reality is its a mind set you have to flow with each situation and learn to accept everything that comes and in the wise words of Walt Disney you have to dream it for it to come through. So I dream my life into new manifestations, I accept the things I cannot change and am secure in knowing that right at this moment I am where I am supposed to be.

To all of you who have effected and touched our lives this year I wish you all the best for this coming year and beyond.

Happy New Year!

Was it bad? No was it good? No

So lets start at the beginning as Bella Swan is dreaming of her wedding day and dreams that she and Edward are the cake topper on a cake that is created by the dead bodies of their loved one.. my first thought cool cake but Bella takes this to heart and then recreates a death march as she walks down the aisle to get married to her “Soul Mate” Edward Cullen. The scene is dragged out and she ever so slooooooooooooooooooooooooooowly makes her way down the aisle. Was it her extremely high shoes? which she was unable to walk in during the opening scene or perhaps the fact that she knew she’d be dead within a few weeks? I’m going to say it was the shoes.

So during the wedding party there are tons of “family” members from the Cullen side very creepy looking and one of them hates the wolves and well not to bore you at least no one gets eaten during the bridal party after which Edward whisk Bella away to a private retreat island off brazil where they frolic and play in the open sunlight with no vampire going up in flames or glittering like a group of pre schoolers in art class. Two weeks into their honeymoon Bella is pregnant and is being eaten alive by this demon child now at this point I’ve lost track of how long she was actually pregnant because they didn’t give us the sad pathetic scene of her sitting at a window as the months count down.

Now I won’t give away to much of the story the movie wasn’t that bad but I myself prefer the traditional vampire story, Boy meets girl Boy kills girl. But I guess I get the appeal of the whole Twilight Series for the young girls however while at the theater I was rather surprised at the number of adult men who were watching the movie alone not to throw stones but well why?

So here are the CONS

Then the use of the word Forever runs rampant throughout the movie, “I won’t measure our love in time but let’s start forever” yes he measured and Dad I love you Forever, I love you forever Edward your my friend forever Jacob.. forever forever forever was used quite a lot.

In one scene the wolves seem to be normal size yet when they fight the vampires they are inexplicably larger.

stamping? Stapling? oh yes Imprinting in the beginning it’s discussed between Jacob and other wolf while the other wolves who are imprinted to each other making out on the beach. Um Jacob imprints on the baby but they talk about it as if he will become a Big Bother, Protector, and Father CREEPY!

There was NO glittering! None I’m highly upset about that part.

and Finally the PROS

The Baby was Adorable

So I get ask a lot how I have managed to keep myself so positive considering the year I had. For those of you who don’t know how my 2011 has gone so far I’ll tell you. The end of 2010 my dad’s pulmonary fibrosis kicked in full force. He was placed on oxygen full time and he deteriorated rather quickly. In April during Easter weekend my father passed away. On June 3rd my husbands unemployment ran out on that same day I lost my job, medical insurance and was told that I had to have a breast biopsy.

Now anyone could spiral into a depression as a result of these things happening but the way I reacted to all these losses and life events was the saving grace in my emotional health. As sad as I was on the loss of my father I am grateful that my one hope that he would not die alone came true. On April 21 at 8am my father died in my arms as I talked him through his last moments. I’m at peace with the fact that he knew how much I loved him that he died with me holding him and that he was not alone which was my biggest fear.

The job I had had become very toxic they had released a number of staff targeting those that made the most money. When they told me I was done I felt a weight lifted off of my shoulders and was actually grateful that I was let go. Yes we’ve had financial difficulties but the peace of mind and the fact that now I can focus some energy at doing what I do best has made it a great trade off. With the biopsy I was giving a free one by the women’s center in my town because I had built a relationship with the staff and was given a clean bill of health. And being home allowed me to help my husband push his photography business.

I didn’t look at the losses as a horrible event but focused on the grateful aspects of each one. If this had happened years ago I honestly don’t think I would have been able to climb out of the negative thoughts about what was happening but having worked on my emotional and spiritual health has made a big difference.

Now don’t get me wrong in have my moments of fear, sadness, ect but those are few and far between. One of the important things we must remember is that what is important is not what happens in your life but how you react to what happens.

When you can see the good in all life events it makes things a lot easier which is why I promote the gratitude journals and vision boards, meditation and more.

To read more about my service visit www.readings2011.webs.com.

First on my list is Style With Glee. Style with Glee is owned and operated by Gabriela Lee she is a stylist and business advisor and we’ve had the pleasure to work with her on both sides of her business. First she is our business advisor and has really helped us push our businesses forward in a way that has been comfortable for both myself and my husband. Considering the different personalities she’s actually helped us develop a plan that we are both comfortable with and as a result we are seeing our own business starting to gain momentum. Gabriela has also produced and styled a photo shoot for us it was great to watch her work with the models to make them look fantastic in their clothing and considering that the models where using clothing from there own closets one of Gabriela’s specialties she was at easy with taking pieces and putting together outfits that not only looked great but where stylish. One of Gabriela’s specialties is creating a Look Book using clients existing wardrobe so that they can come up with an outfit with the flip of a page.

Another business we’ve had the pleasure working with is Beauty By Francisca Fran Claros is an accomplished makeup artist and we had the opportunity to work with her during a photo shoot recently and on a personal note I also experience Fran’s makeup magic when she did my makeup for a headshot.

Fran’s work is amazing she has a knack for making the models photo ready all the models looked amazing when they where done and she was fantastic at staying on schedule which is important when you’re working with a lot of models and a little time.

I also had an opportunity to speak to and meet the mastermind behind My Bridal Budget Fouzia Elidrissi. She an event planner whose on the ball and knows her stuff. After having spoken to her I wish I had met her before Rob and I got married it would have made our day much easier and it would have kept us within budget.

So these are my spotlight business’s for today. Oh and let’s not forget my hubby who has taken some amazing photographs of all the beautiful models, brides and cute kids we’ve had the pleasure to meet. One of his specialities is not only great rates but his desire to work with our clients to give them the best possible photos that make them feel fantastic not only because they look great but where able to keep cost down. And we’ve debuted our website this month Robert Velasco Photography.

So for all the amazing photos in today’s post I want to give shout outs to

Gabriela Lee of Style with Glee for producing and styling the models
Fran Claros of Beauty by Francisca for the beautiful makeup
And of course Robert Velasco of Robert Velasco Photography for the beautiful photos.

Princess Voodoo

 And we sent it on the way to a special little girl called Nayelis.

Photo from Team Mona Rabiosa on Facebook

 Nayelis is an adorable 3 yr old who although I haven’t met in person she has totally sucked me in with her adorable smile. 

Sadly Nayelis was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (M7) on June 17, 2009, at the tender age of 8 1/2 months old. Nayelis is now 3 yrs old and continues to fight a battle that requires tremendous strength for such a little soul.

The Funny Little Voodoos have officially decided to adopt Nayelis as an honorary member of our Voodoo Family! And there was a clamour in our office when we heard that she had received our special gift.

Beautiful Princess

So we are asking everyone to keep her smile going! Visit Nayelis’ Facebook Fan Page  and learn more about her and her disease.  There’s also information on how to send Nayelis a gift and there is even a BLOG for Nayelis.

So take the time to say hello and support her and her family and most importantly keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

We were happy that our gift could bring such an amazing smile. Pass it on!

Visit the Funny Little Voodoo Dolls  

So what’s my job? Well because I’m a geek at heart I am the researcher, often reaseaching locations for shoots such as the botanical gardens in NY where my husband shot these amazing photos.

Sometime I have to keep the models under control.

And often I even get to pretend to be a model myself.

Although some models are much better at it then I am.

We have fun with it like when testing out Halloween makeup.

Or even non human Halloween costume.

And of course the beautiful brides and grooms.

There so much more but needless to say I enjoy all the hats I wear and all the people and places I get to meet and visit while wearing them.

So if you want to see more photos of some really cool stuff check out http://www.facebook.com/RVphotography2011.

Zombie Voodoo

Along with the “Horror Series” I decided to create my own version of the 31 days of Halloween by blogging about Halloween related stuff. So I figured I’d start with Zombies.

So circa 2009 archeologist discovered two 8th century skeletons that had stones shoved into their mouths suggesting that during the medieval times humans held a belief in Zombies or in the fact that the dead could return to roam the earth.    It was believed that the dead spirits could return by escaping through the mouth.  Evidence suggests that the fear of the dead walking upon the earth began a lot early then our modern-day brain eating zombies on tv.

Haitian Folklore speaks of zombies or Zombi which means “spirit of the dead” in voodoo culture voodoo priest can possess the ability to resurrect the dead.  In South Africa it is believed the dead can be turned into zombies by small children and only the help of a powerful priest can break the spell. During ancient times when there where outbreaks of disease it was sometimes blamed on the return of the dead.

So when did zombies go from being undead that infected people with diseases to the brain and flesh-eating monsters we know today? Well according to history this progression began during the time of slavery when white plantation owners came back from Haiti with sensationalized tales of voodoo practices and Zombies.  Around 1932 Bela Lugosi stared in a movie called “White Zombies ” early zombie movies were based on slavery and race relations the idea of controlling someone and the movies maintained their roots in the afro Caribbean practices and lore.  In 1960 George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead came onto the big screen and that was the  start of the eat your brains zombies we know of today.

What fascinates me most about Zombies is how fascinated we all seem to be with the whole zombies gonna eat my brains mentality.  We have new zombies shows such as “walking dead” and I’ve even witnessed a ‘zombie crawl”.

Zombie Crawl

People fear and are fascinated with the idea of rotten flesh-eating corpse wandering the earth.  Scientists have even debated the possibilities of a zombie apocalypse actually happening and even the Center for Disease Control got involved in the fun when they posted an article on how to survive a zombie apocalypse that received so much attention their website crashed.  There are also ants that exhibit zombie like activity when they are contaminated with a mold that effects their brain. 

 So is a zombie apocalypse a possibility? is it something eminent in our future or will it remain a legend and lore that will continue to morph and change with the times? I’m not sure but according to my sister she’s always on the look out for the possible zombies that might be making their way up her driveway when she is walking her dog on dark nights.  And my hubby has a plan in place on how to spare me from a zombie attack by whacking me over the head before I even get bit.  In the end it remains a legend and lore that will continue to scare us and creep into our dreams and let’s hope that’s all it ever is.

To purchase Voodoo Zombie visit my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/fabulouslyfelt.

Sleep Tight Kiddies