MURDER

I come from a long line of theatrical, wonderfully nerdy people.  Enjoy.

Salute!  You are invited to the Underwood Wine Estates to celebrate the annual wine festival and grape harvest.

This mystery is set in the wine region of Napa Valley, California.  Five years ago, Barry Underwood, owner of the prestigious Underwood Wine Estates, mysteriously disappeared during the valley's annual wine festival.  A massive search at the time failed to turn up any clues and the case has been in the FBI's unsolved files since then.

Now, five years later, it is once again the annual wine festival in Napa Valley.  Last night, family and friends gathered at the stately Underwood mansion to celebrate.  At midnight, a minor earthquake shook the mansion, causing an old wooden floor in the wine cellar to buckle.  Barry's well preserved body was discovered under the cedar planks.

It is a clear cut  case of murder and these are the suspects!

Tiny Bubbles

Barry's fiancee at the time of his death. Perky and pretty, Tiny has an effervescent personality and a razor-sharp mind. She is now married to the new winery owner, Ralph.

Otto Von Schnapps

A German wine merchant. Boisterous and fun-loving, Otto attends wine festivals around the globe, buying the best vintages for distribution in Europe. It is said Otto's preference for red or white can be influenced by the green.

Marilyn Merlot

Marilyn was crowned Wine Princess at the festival five years ago, then went on to become a Hollywood movie star. She's returned to Napa Valley for the Wine Festival and to gloat over her success.

Ralph Rottingrape

Barry's first cousin and heir-apparent to the Underwood Wine Estates. Long considered the black sheep of the family, Ralph took over as manager after Barry's disappearance and has been running things his way ever since.

Hedy Shablee

The owner of the neighboring vineyard and a fierce competitor of the Underwood's. Barry's disappearance has uncorked a now vintage of troubles for unhappy Hedy.

Papa Vito

Brought over from Italy sixty years ago by Barry's grandfather to develop Underwood Wine Estates, Papa Vito has devoted his life to the vineyards.  Now he just wants to retire and drink a little vino in the afternoon...Salute!

Bonny Lass

A Scottish tourist who has attended the wine festival while vacationing in California. A mystery writer and best-selling novelist, she knows a thing or two about hidden bodies and old wine cellars.

True love?  Or partners in crime?

Otto tries to cuddle up to Miss Merlot...but really what man wouldn't?

Which one of these suspects do you think had the most to gain by Barry's death?  Which on of these suspects is the murderer?

the sweet spot

I'm in a familiar space...in the sweet spot.  I've spent alot of time this year taking and talking about "time off' of travels and plans.  But today I packed my bags, kid bags and dog bags and lined them up by the door.  The plan is to get up and go tomorrow.  We haven't been on a road trip in two months, has to be a record for us.  And this one is super duper sweet because I get to see my husband, hug my parents and sleep in our new house.  It isn't going to be exactly as I envisioned it.  It will be better.  It will be piles of love under one roof, working and living together to plan the future.  Just thinking about it makes me feel strong, makes me proud of my family.


"Suck it up and get it done."  That's what my Dad said last week on the local news (so proud of him all the time) and that is exactly what we will do.  It's just...how we roll.


So yeah, this feels a little monumental, like another step out of the funk and back into the world.  The play lists are cued up, road snacks packed, movies ready to go.  Toss on some comfy clothes and hit the open road.


I know I've typed that before and it feels awesome to type it again.  I've never been one to complain about the long haul to my family.  I really do believe that getting there is half the fun.  Even though the roads to SD are well worn and not full of surprises, I find comfort in every landmark that tells me we are that much closer to home.   I love stopping at the same places to eat the one favorite item only they make or to stop and use the best bathrooms.  I can even tell you which truck stop has the warmest bathrooms in the winter.  I'm the walking road trip to South Dakota survival guide right here.


Big trip tomorrow:)


Big trip a couple of weeks ago.  To Dragonfly Bay.

A weekend rental on the lake with an extra "party room" building.  A big house, party room with a piano and video games, docks to fish from, hiking trails, hot tub, message bed and sauna.  A gift of relaxation for an extended family that has taken quite a beating this year.  A time just for us and our babies to welcome spring and summer in with lazy mornings and completely unplanned days.  Work forbidden, points ignored, make up optional, belly laughs required.






The girls each brought a friend. This is their first traveling sleep over with friends, what a fantastic gift from the best Uncle ever. I spent so much time just watching them, realizing that they would remember this weekend forever. I remember the first weekends I spent away from home with friends in the summer, how free it felt to sleep in a new place, to have no rules about bedtime or a wake up call. I was keenly aware of making sure they got the whole experience, that this would be the benchmark for a weekend at the lake.




There are so many things people try to tell you about being a parent before you are one. And when you are pregnant it's all about the sleep deprivation jokes and warnings about how fast they grow up. But no one tells you how funny your kids will be and how someday after poopie diapers and night terrors, you will want to hang out with them. They will become people who's opinions you respect and who's style floors you.


And our girls have such fantastic friends, who dip a toe in the nerd pool and upon finding it pretty warm and cozy in our family...don't hesitate to jump right in. They contributed desserts and babysitting, dance recitals during our talent show. They take hugs and give them right back, it felt like we just lucked into the best biggest family ever.








The weekend activities flowed organically, inspired by a sight or sound, a quiet moment, the presence of the lake and the absence of any "have tos."

What I did on Memorial Weekend...by fricka:

I had sunrise breakfast every morning with my baby boy, just the two of us early birds.


I laughed until I peed at the monkeys for the monkeys. My mom sent fun stuffs for the babies ahead of time and they got to open them the first morning. It is a shame we lose the ability to get this excited about a stuffed monkey.


Or warm bubbly water...


I kicked off my shoes and put my feet up. Let slippery cold mud coat them, cool green grass scrub them "clean" and the warm sunshine bake them toasty warm.

The little feet did that too.

I also just took it all in. Quietly soaking it all up, letting it fill my heart.

Who is the absolute coolest Uncle ever?  I think you know the answer.

Nature makes city babies sleepy.

Yes, we will remember this weekend for a long time.









My favorite moment? It's hard to say. They Murder Mystery dinner set a high benchmark. So cool it will get it's own little blog post in a moment:)


But I let me show you one that may take the title.


My baby girl has had the fishing bug for as long as I can remember. She loves to fish, the peacefulness of it, it calms her very busy soul. And as I stood on a hill, getting ready for a hike, I looked down to see her bathed in fishing peace.


They were not talking, there was no noise, just the two of them quietly fishing.


And catching fish:)




We are a family that loves traditions.  As us "kids" get older we have begun to establish new ones, like the "parting shot."  A snapshot to commemorate that these people were here together for a time...and are joyful because of it.


Dragonfly Bay 2011 Baby! WOOT!

I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders. ~Jewish Proverb

Such a stunningly peaceful morning.  All the windows open, a cool breeze carrying the last hint of lilac into my office, a toddler content to color on the floor next to me,  a tween sharing a coffee and classical music with me and a teenager blissfully sleeping in.  I'm sure she has heard me knocking around and is just waiting for the knock on her door "Autumn time to get up and get moving."  But there won't be a knock this morning because that would mean the tween and the teen would start their daily bickering rituals and I'm not down for that this morning.


I need as much peace as I can get today because I am on the edge, toes clinging to the side so I don't fall off.  I'm looking down at the chaotic mess below and wondering WTF is going on?  Watching the endless parade of train wreck events truck through our lives and the lives of our friends and family the last 8 months. 

Has it only been 8 months?

I have wondered about the string of perfect days, months, years...the "run" we've been on.  Could it last?  Is there a cosmic price to pay for a series of FORTUNATE events?   I've sensed something creeping up on us, something Grinch like with a menacing grin and rotten heart. But I dismissed it as a built in guilt, compliments of the Catholic church. Guilt for being the beneficiary of far too many blessings.  I sensed it, felt it, but you can't live fearing something "may" happen, so I ignored it. 


But here we are.

And this too shall pass.  What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.   If you're going through hell, keep going.   A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn.  God doesn't give us anything we can't handle.  When life gives you lemons...get a good wheat beer, toss them in and throw it down.  That's what I've been doing this week.

My parents and my soul mate are homeless.  Torn from their beautiful home in a frantic evacuation, fleeing from a man made flood.  Taking everything...EVERYTHING from the house.  Working almost 24 hours a day for 3 days to save whatever they could before leaving.  Ripping up carpet, removing doors and built ins before walking away for 2 months? 6 months?  Not knowing what will remain when they can finally return.  It is true that they are fortunate to have warning, to save their possessions and know they will be safe.  But the price you pay for knowing, is the pain of waiting.  Waiting for your home to be inundated with water and left empty and exposed for months.  Waiting to go back to see if it will again be the home you made together, or if it is gone.


And yes, they are safe, their friends and neighbors are safe.  It is a blessing.  And yes, when it comes down to it, it is just stuff.  But, a house is more than just a big pile of "stuff", it is a home, that holds the lives that pass through it, the energy they leave behind.










Everything leaves an imprint on a home.  Every hug, tear, argument, dance, sprinkling of laughter.  It stays and lives and seasons a home until it is uniquely you.  To have to run away from it unexpectedly is devastating.   To know you are leaving it behind, unable to protect it... heartbreaking.


My parents are strong, resilient people who have never been handed anything. They have taken that "mid western work ethic" and spent their entire lives maxing it out.  Everything they have was gained through sacrifice and unflinching dedication to the entrepreneurial spirit, to their ideas and to their business.  And while others may cling to the rewards of their work with an iron fist, my parents feel blessed and feel a responsibility to share their blessings, to take care of others.  And they do.  And this year more than ever.  It breaks my heart, that after the longest, most painful of winters, my parents will not get to find peace in the new life of spring.  That my mother, who spent 3 days sitting beside her dying sister, waiting for Maria's peace to come, has now spent 3 days deconstructing the home she and my dad built together for 18 years.  3 days of another kind of passing, and now the waiting.


I have spent much of this year being sad.  At the moment, I'm just really frick'n mad.

Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things.  Allow yourself a moment of grief when life's misfortunes visit you.  However, do not spend your days building a monument in honor of them.  Better to lose count while naming your blessings than to lose your blessings to counting your troubles.  We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.

But mad is not a productive emotion and I don't linger in mad for very long, because it destroys me.  I prefer to take mad...and turn it into a positive action.  To transform negative energy into a good deed.  The world does not need me to toss "mad" into the universe.    So I'm  off, packing up the kids and going to help my family make a home in a temporary place.  The evacuation is done, but there are a lot of  hugs to give, laughter to be found and plans to make.  There is a future to prepare for.  An incredible future that includes us living in the same area, participating in their grand children's daily lives, building a business, impromptu dinners and shopping trips, morning cups of coffee sitting side by side instead of computer monitor to computer monitor.  


Regardless of what is happening right now, we will not abandon the potential of the future.

  

I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.

Some come from ahead and some come from behind.

But I've bought a big bat.  I'm all ready you see.

Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!

~Dr. Seuss

I miss you

Hello blog.  I haven't seen you in a long time.  I miss you.  I have pretty pictures to show you and grand tales of adventure, murder mystery and spring adventures to share with you.

But I am sad.  Once again my family has been hit with "stuff" and it has rendered me speechless.  I know right?  Who knew.  But I'm tired, and I'm worried and I'm sending all my energy to my Mom, Dad and Husband right now.  What I don't send to them, is spent trying to keep my kids positive about change, patient with the changes and reassured that everyone is safe in South Dakota.

It's been a rough year so far blog.  And the hits keep coming.  But I know you will be here, waiting patiently for me when my speech returns.  And it will.