Sweet Home Chicago

I kind of hate the question, "Where are you from?" because I don't really know how to answer it. For the last four years I've lived in South Dakota, but I'm not a South Dakotan. I was born on the Grand Forks Air Force Base, but I never lived in North Dakota. I spent most of my childhood in Marshall, Minn., but my parents no longer live there and I don't really have any ties to the community anymore. My parents now live in Rochester, Minn., but I never lived there, so that's not my "home" either. It wasn't until my mom called Chicago my home that I realized that city is probably the closest thing I have to a "home." I visit the city regularly, lots of my family live in the area and I lived in the area for four years while studying at Northwestern University. That's why I'm so excited to "return home" in April.

When I made my Coffee Cup list, I quickly added two related items: move to a city and find a new job. This is not because I dislike my current position or because I don't like living in Brookings. I just need a change and I really miss the energy of city life. So when I received a Facebook message titled "Looking for a Public Relations Intern ASAP!" through the Gamma Phi Beta Young Alumnae - Chicago group, I quickly responded to Laura, the poster.

The next day I interviewed with Laura and Laurent, two days later I visited Hill and Knowlton's Chicago office to take the writing test and just six days after I saw the initial post, Kimberly in HR offered me the position of Public Relations Intern with the Public Affairs team. What a whirlwind!

I don't really know what I'll be doing as the intern or if I'll have a fulltime job after the internship ends on June 12th, but it doesn't matter. I do know that I'll be paid, I will work in my favorite city and spend some quality time with family. It's scary and exciting all at the same time. Lucky for me, everything is moving so quickly I don't really have time to be afraid, I just have to act and move.

Find Your Inner Peace

When I go to the gym, I like to push my body to the limits. I like to run as fast and as far as I can. I like to lift weights and I love to go to my weekly kickboxing class. I like to sweat, make my heart race and my muscles ache. But this year I wanted to try something new and very different from my usual routine -- yoga.

I heard one of my friends from college rave about her yoga class and my gym offered weekly classes, so I thought I'd give yoga a try. I wasn't really sure what to expect with my first class; it was my very first experience with yoga. And, I found it a little strange.

The class started with everyone standing on their mats, just breathing, in and out, in and out, relaxing music playing in the background. We then proceeded to do a variety of stretches, all with different names that didn't really mean anything to me like like up dog, down dog and tree pose.

It wasn't the bizarre positions or names for the poses that struck me as strange. For me, it was the lack of sweat and racing heart. When I finished, I didn't have that normal feeling of exhaustion like I usually do after a good run or after a hard kickboxing class. Instead, I just felt peace. I mean, what else would you feel after meditating for five minutes in darkness, only aware of your breath, the soothing commands from your instructor and the soft music playing in the background.

Even though I didn't necessarily like my first yoga class, I decided that just trying something once wasn't enough to decide I didn't like it. Also, I kind of liked that feeling of peace at the end of class. After the first class I couldn't tell if it was really a workout or just something relaxing. It only took one more class for me to realize the physical benefits.

Yoga is about developing strength and flexibility. I noticed the strength development at my second class. During some of the poses I had a tough time keeping my balance because my muscles quivered, a good sign to me of an effective workout. We worked hard for most of the class and then spent the last few minutes meditating and relaxing every part of our body. It's just a great feeling of peace and I've found it addicting.

Now, after just a few months of practicing yoga I don't like to miss my weekly class and am thinking about attending more than one class a week. I've also purchased my own yoga mat so I can practice some of the poses at home. I prefer having the instructor for the extra motivation, the variety and the supervision (since I'm still new I don't always know if I'm in the correct position), but I think it will be nice to practice some of the poses on my own.

Trying yoga taught me to love the practice and also that I can't always quickly judge a new activity. Trying something once isn't enough to make a decision. I challenge you to try something new this year and give it a couple of chances before you decide you don't like it. You may find out that you love it.

Wine Country USA

"Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance." -- Benjamin Franklin

I agree with our founding father, wine makes life just a little bit better and for that reason, I wanted to visit Sonoma and Napa during my trip to San Francisco.

Phil, the phenomenal host, drove me across the Golden Gate bridge on that partly cloudy Sunday to take the trip to Wine Country. I couldn't believe how quickly the landscape changed from buildings to rolling hills filled with happy cows (because happy cows come from California).

Phil and I decided to be spontaneous that day and just pull into wineries that we found interesting. Of course we started with the first one that included the sign "Free Tastings." We tasted a mix of red and white wines at Roche Winery; I'd like to return to the beautiful estate someday, maybe take a horseback tour of the vineyards next time!

After Roche, Phil and I visited Viansa Winery, a gorgeous estate, fashioned in an Italian style. They didn't mark the front door very well, so Phil and I accidentally took a tour of the barrell room before finding the tasting room. Here we tried five white wines, including two Chardonnays and an Arneis. I had never heard of Arneis before. I learned that's because arneis grapes are only grown in Italy and at Viansa vineyards. I really enjoyed the crisp, fruity flavor so much that I bought a bottle of the wine to take back with me to South Dakota.


We decided to mix it up a little with the next stop and try some sparkling wine at Gloria Ferrer Winery. We each ordered a different variety of sparkling wine (not Champagne because Champagne is only found in Champagne, France) and shared our glasses while enjoying the lovely view of the Sonoma countryside. Gloria Ferrer serves amazing almonds with their sparkling wine. They coat the fresh almonds in olive oil and delicious spices. We finished the stop with wine-filled chocolates.

At this point Phil and I realized we had spent our entire afternoon in Sonoma County and I really wanted to visit the famous Napa Valley. We decided not to stop again until we reached Napa. We drove until Phil spotted Robert Mondavi Winery: "A symbol of Napa Valley since 1966" and decided we had to stop. I mean, it is a symbol of Napa Valley. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived it was after five, so they weren't doing tastings anymore. But I still had the opportunity to visit the grounds and see the famous archway.

Disappointed that we missed the last tasting, Phil and I climbed back into the car and decided to dine in Napa, since it was likely that all the wineries were closed for the day. But our hearts rose and plans changed when we spotted the last stop on our winery tour: Peju.

Phil and I were first drawn to the winery because of its sign that said, "Hours: 10 - 6 daily." Once we turned in, the grand tower and garden took our breath away, even in the evening rain. Inside the building was even more stunning than the garden, with marble floors and gorgeous stained glass windows. But it wasn't the exquisiteness or the delicious wine that made this my favorite stop of the tour, it was the wine pourer who made all the difference. Not only did he pour wine, make jokes and give excellent restaurant recommendations, but he also yodels. Phil and I lucked out that day because Alan "The Yodelmeister" Arnopole poured our wine at Peju. Google him on YouTube. Of course I bought a bottle of delicious Zinfandel from Alan.

I highly enjoyed tasting the wines, seeing the scenery and spending some quality time with my good friend Phil. I also learned a lot on my tour. I learned about wine, California and how I much I truly love wine. I think I need to add "Drink more wine" to my Coffee Cup List. Because as Ernest Hemingway said, "Wine is the most civilized thing in the world."