An Amazing Birthday Adventure & One Year Blog Anniversary!

Hi guys n gals!!!

I've missed you so!

First off... it's my blog's 1 year anniversary! I must, from the bottom of my heart, thank all of my readers for taking interest in my blog, and for their loyalty and constant well wishes. You guys add an element to this whole poker get-up that really makes it a different and amazing experience for me. Most players don't get to experience what I'm fortunate enough to experience. I know just how lucky I am to have the support of so many incredible people out there behind me all the time to cheer me on. Thanks to your loyalty, your re-tweets/shares, and your constant shout-outs, we've managed to pull in an average of over 4,000 readers per month this year. I know we'll have triple that next year ;)

Love you all!!! Smooches!!!!!!! <3

So anyways... Borgata was meh. I mean, obv Borgata is awesome, but I didn't win heaps of money as I had so clearly mapped out in my head. I pulled in a few bucks with one final table. I came into it probably around 3rd in chips, but ran bad over the course of 5 face up hands to an eventual 9th place finish.

Hope wasn't lost, as I managed to accrue quite the massive stack in the Borgata WPT Main event. I entered day 3 with a top 20 stack, and was busted within a few hours. I lost a top 3 stack pot when I got in AQ vs 66 on an A36Qr. That was a big bummer for me.

All wasn't lost, as the bust-out meant that I had more time to focus on my little sister's upcoming wedding... which was only days away. I drove right from the Borgata to the wedding location. As maid of honor, I got to, for the first time, experience what it's like to be in a wedding. It was an incredible event. My sister put in so much hard work, and it paid off!

A few weeks off, and I was back out on the road again. For my birthday, which just passed in early October, I had an opportunity to try a new experience with new friends. See, when I was partaking in the Cabot Charity Event at The Borgata in August, I met an incredible saint of a woman, name Sharon, and her dollface husband, Terry. The instant I met them, I could tell that these people were the realest. We became immediate friends. I came to find that Sharon and Terry owned their own vineyard in Concord, VA called DeVault Vineyard. Well, it couldn't have felt more like fate when they told me that their Fall Wine festival at their property was the very weekend of my birthday! Holy (insert appropriate word)!!! How perfect, right?!

So, I packed up, and again hit the road. Boozer the cat and I drove from Pennsylvania to Virginia on my actual birthday. Some kind of day huh? Well... that's what some might think. I, however, love these drives. I'll be honest that the older I get, and the more I drive, the less exciting and in fact more painful it becomes(what a work out! You have no idea what a 4 day marathon one-man drive can do to you)! However, I get these moments every now-and-again, when I'll be driving, and the sky is just right, and the temp is just right, and the scenery so perfect.... I become humbled. I feel just absolute and immense sense of gratitude. It's not really aimed at anyone or anything...maybe just a general gratitude that the universe is the way it is and that my life is the way that it is. I may not love each aspect of my life, but I love each stroke of color that makes it what it is.

The drive was lovely.

Sharon and Terry were sooo freakin' welcoming, OMG I can't tell you. Despite being Jersey natives, they've really masterfully transitioned into the whole "southern hospitality" role quite well ;)

 What I saw there warmed my heart and soul. Their vineyard is a family run operation. Watching their family interact and work together gave me a glimpse of a dream that I, myself, have. It might be one of the first times in my adult life that I've seen something like this in a real life situation. It was truly touching. It shows me that it is possible to not only have, but maintain happiness, love, and a feeling of warmth no matter how big your family may grow to be. With how much love these people have in their hearts, it's impossible to spend time on their property without feeling apart of it. 

Things kicked off the morning after my typical late-night arrival. The family was up at the crack of dawn(probably at the crow of the rooster...ya...that's probably real life...). Prep work began, everyone and everything was a'buzz by noon. I was fortunate to have Cody aka grandson aka a 5yr old as my trusted(not by me, but allegedly by everyone else on site) golf cart chauffeur. He filled my afternoon with many giggles, and a nice tour of the 32 acre property before the festivities kicked off. Here's a little of the amazingness that is their family farm!!!

           

The family runs an extremely tight ship there. With all hands on deck, they managed to cater to a massive crowd that turned out for their Fall Wine Festival! Vendors lined the vineyard, mom and dad's sporting children on their shoulders arrived ready to go for a night of fun! The afternoon started with tasting the wine selections of many local wine makers. They all come to represent their brands. Buy a DeVault wine glass at the entry, and use it all day to taste wine (it was like so cheap omg!)!! Love that idea! There were food vendors too...one of which, Stoney Badgers, I can personally vouch for as being completely amazeballs! They brought along several smokers and provided some great, freshly-smoked pulled pork. Nomnomnomnom. There was even a Budweiser truck with taps built right into the side of it!!! I don't even like beer, but holy appropriate word... that's absurd, no?!          



Throughout the day, live music could be heard from their on-site stage. Kids got their faces painted, partook in a costume contest on stage, took hayrides, went swimming in the on-site pool, and competed in a pumpkin tossin' contest. The best part of their operation is that the kids are all kept busy so that parents can drink and have a great time. Even more, the activities for the kids end up being so much fun that even the adults end up joining in! What semi-drunk adult doesn't wanna throw pumpkins into the dirt?!!!! Get real! This place is a place for families to get together and cultivate magical memories. I really loved this entire event and everyone that I got to meet there! That little pumpkin throwin' cutie above is my new boyfriend, Carter. We love each other and there's nothing wrong with that ;)

 The festival was a big success! Everyone had a blast. The next day, the family showed me a little bit of what living in Virginia is reallllly about!

Since we got the drinkin' out of the way the night before, now all we had to do was ride the Harley's and go shootin'! The full Virginia experience! I'll tell you what though... amazing! These folks really know how to live!

I had the absolute best time in my weekend visit to DeVault Vineyard.  I hope any of you who live in the area do yourself the favor of going to visit this amazing family and their incredible estate. The wine is increds too! Try Mr. D's. That's where it's at! You can order it online at their site too, which is linked above. So many thanks to them!

Also, for those of you who may be interested in some coaching, I'm running a training seminar at their vineyard on November 2nd, 2013. I'll be posting a blog with further information on this event in the next few days here. For anyone interested, don't hesitate to email me, at therealmanderstaking@gmail.com or you can contact DeVault Vineyard for more information.

Thanks for reading!