Hey...Fat Bastard!

Good Friends.

That is exactly what the night was full of and that is exactly what was written on the back of our Fat Bastard Pinot Noir.

Last night was a night at the Nelsons. It was a night full of laughter, story telling, secret sharing, amazing food and wonderful wine. On the menu was a mixed salad, angel hair pasta, chicken, broccoli and asparagus along with home made garlic bread. It was a meal fit for kings, but enjoyed by queens.

The Red and the White flowed as myself and 7 of my very close friends enjoyed a lovely meal made possible by Jessica and her mother Joan. Keeping company was Kristen, Chimere, Holly, Jennifer and Judy.

There is something to be said for a night with your friends. After the storm we had over the weekend, being able to get outside of the house and spend some time with the people that are closest to you really helps you forget about all of the other worries that life may throw at you. You learn things about friends you may never have otherwise known, laugh about childhood memories and begin to make new ones.

Sitting at the Nelsons dinner table last night we did all of that. Sharing pictures of the past and taking new ones of the present, we all realized that we have so many things in common. We are all very strong, very willing and very loving women. Ranging in age from 20 years old up into, well...mom age. ;)

We shared stories of what its like to be in love in our twenties, in our thirties, forties, and forward. We learned what its like to be a mother, to be a daughter, a sister and a best friend. We prayed, ate, loved and grew closer as friends and family.

The wine I selected last night was purely based on the label. Fat Bastard. How can one not stop and pick that up? Fat Bastard is a wine from Southern France. It was developed by an American and a Frenchman. They came together as friends to create this product. It was a 2008 Pinot Noir that was very subtle on the front, with flavors of raspberry, strawberry and blackberry, but extremal dry and full of oak in the back. It had a huge finish that lingered. Cutting the oak with a delicious homemade carrot cake was the perfect combination.

The website, www.fatbastardwine.com boasts that this is a wine to be shared with friends and it is encouraged to make memories.

Even when trying times are upon us, when life deals us the wrong cards, we can always count on our friends, our families, our sisters and know there is someone there that can relate to our issues, problems and life's desires.

So, I tell you all, grab a bottle and call your closest friends, share and make memories.

Cheers!