Wine Tasting...

On Labor Day, I went wine tasting with a group of friends! What fun to explore the subtle bouquets of the local wineries. But, I learned a few things about wines in general:

1. White wines made in steel barrels don't taste the same as white wine made in oak barrels or with oak chips in the barrels. I hadn't realized that there was such a divergence in the wine community about the choice. Apparently the implementation of steel barrels proves to be more economical for smaller vineyards. The tradeoff is that the white wines have a less "woody" taste.
2. The Bordeaux region of France doesn't like others calling wines made out of grapes from Brodeaux, "Bordeaux wines." Thus, "Bordeaux" wines from other locales are blended and called "Meritage" wines.
3. Vineyards go to a lot of trouble to make the wine tasting room and wine tasting experience so pleasant that you can't leave without buying some of there wine.
4. Tasting with cheese or chocolate can dramatically change your impression of the wine.

As it was, I ended up picking up four new bottles of wine. One is an exceptional dessert wine that I'm going to save for a special event (called Rosso Dolce). It tastes a lot like chocolate. I think I'll have to make a chocolate souffle to go with it. I also found a great red called an Alouette. It's a sweeter red wine. I also found a Vidal Blanc and a Seyval Blanc. Both are great end of summer white wines.

Return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte

Recently, I've pondered the difference between those living the single life and those living the family life. One of the things I've realized is that once you are married with a family, you mark time differently.

For example, my incredibily beautiful godson just turned 1. 1! What a great milestone! But for the last year, his mom and dad have measured time in rolling, teething, sitting up, the addition of foods, standing, and walking. Similarly, my newly married friends have marked all things from the date of their wedding. "Six months before we got married, it was Christmas!" Neither of these things are bad, though, I will admit to feeling a touch of envy at this alternative calendar.

Therefore, I am determined to make my own calendar for the next six months. This next three months will revolve around the joyous return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. I was so excited that I splurged and had a triple venti fully-fattening Pumpkin Spice Latte this week. It was heavenly. Ahh...time is good. And, at this point, it's only three more months until the Maple Machiatto, and after that, it's Peppermint Mocha time. Life can pass quickly when one measures the calendar with Starbucks!

So, for all those who have no milestones to measure the passing of days, I invite you to tick of the months by embracing your favorite blend.

Random Encounters

Part of living the TSV is dealing with random conversations about your marital status, or rather, your lack of being married. I've gotten quite good at shrugging these things off with a, "I'm enjoying living God's plan for me right now." End conversation. But sometimes, people just don't stop.

Take my landlord. From the first time I met her to pick up my keys, her first question was....are you married? It has been her only question since then. Recently, when I needed to re-sign my lease, I did so at her place of employment. She's a perfectly pleasant, somewhat older Chinese lady. And this is how the conversation went:

Me: Hi, I'm here to sign my lease! Your husband left a message.

Her: Oh! Hi. I not recognize you. You get skinny. Look tired. You still work?

Me: Yes, still working. Long hours recently.

Her: Oh, no good. I no recognize you....too tired.

Me: I know. I'm glad to be re-signing my lease, though! It's nice to live close to my office.

Her: You still no married?

Me: No, I still live there by myself.

Her: Oh...no married. Why you no married? Why you not meet nice boy?

Me: I don't know...maybe I work too much.

Her: Not work so much. Meet nice boy. Get married.

Me: Thank you for letting me re-sign.

Her: You stay until get married.

Me: Umm...great. I need to get going. Have a great weekend.

Suffice it to say, it was not one of my shining moments. You see, if I genuinely didn't want to be married, I would be able to say so. And as funny as the encounter was, she was asking really difficult questions--like, why haven't I met a nice boy. It was a humorous reminder to always have faith in the plan.

The Transitional Single Vocation

So, this is my new blog, in which I will extend to you my adventures as I live out the transitional single vocation.

What is the transitional single vocation? Well, first off, I'm using the word in a Catholic sense. For Catholics, a vocation is how we are called to live out God's plan for us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

"The vocation of humanity is to show forth the image of God and to be transformed into the image of the Father's only Son. This vocation takes a personal form since each of us is called to enter into the divine beatitude; it also concerns the human community as a whole."

Important thing about vocations--we each have one! How cool is that? Well, it's pretty cool until you have to figure it out. Or you are waiting to live it out. Or something like. For Catholics, there are three vocations: priesthood/religious life, married life, and the single life.

The priesthood is for men who wish to serve the Church--after the Sacrament of Holy Orders, priests are able to say the Mass and bring us the Eucharist (the Body and Blood of Christ). The religious life is another way in which men or women serve Christ and His Church in a special way. The married life and the single life are pretty self explanatory.

So what is the Transitional Single Vocation (TSV)? Well, it's what I like to call myself. I don't have a calling to be a religious sister in the Church; in fact, I know that I'm supposed to be married! That's my vocation. Alas, I'm missing a critical piece--the man I'm supposed to marry. I'm sure there are a lot of you out there, single and waiting to be married. This blog is my attempt to chronicle the adventures of my living of the TSV!