Back to Norway...sigh.... BIANCHI BODEGA...

I left the sunny warm skies of Argentina to come back to the freezing darkness which is Norway...
Norway is starting to grow on me...but the winters...man... the winters kill me.
After a 16 hours in the air & a lay over in Frankfurt I made it home to my babies & Bjørn... I was able to spend about 9 hours with hubby before he left for Dubai... when did life get this crazy? You know what they say...absence makes the heart grow fonder... (we are really pretty fond of each other by now..)
So about ARGENTINA... WOW ....
5 stars... all of the way talk about being SPOILED.. Some of the highlights of the trip...



San Rafael:

San Rafael is a warm and vibrant city in the heart of Mendoza province, the most important and extensive wine region in Argentina.

San Rafael retains much of its old world charm from the days of the European immigrants from France, Spain and Italy who brought their viticulture skills to create a wine growing oasis.



We were able to visit (hang out) at the Bianchi Bodega... yes, I know lots & lots of people get to visit (something like 100,000 a year) however we were treated like V.I.P.S all the way...
They even raised the Norwegian flag for "us"... didn't realize I was the lone American traveling with a delegation of Norskis..

They promised to raise the American flag for me next time I popped by the BODEGA.... ( I am sooo Spanish aren't I?)

Personal tour through the winery with PONCHO (not his real name.... but that's what they called him)... the Creator of most of the wines.... (how cool is that?)

Me with the MALBEC... my new favorite..

.... tasting pretty much ALL of their wines..

My favorites...FAMILGLIA BIANCHI & ELSA BIANCHI...

7 days & about 500 bottle later...my teeth will never be the same...

I also liked this Bianchi NEW AGE... I guess it is pretty big in the states...it has yet to launch in Norway but I think it is coming in 2010...

Dinner with the BIG GUY...Mr. Bianchi himself....

Yes... I know I look like butt, but y'all... this is like after 24 hours of NON STOP TASTING... I was lucky I made it through the dinner...lets just say... I am P R E T T Y sure they will be remembering the Texas chic for a while... (smile)

To end our stay in San Rafael... we spent the day with water rafting...

Finished the afternoon with about 6 bottles of New Age.. & baby goat... (don't ask)

before we hopped in the car to Mendoza.... da da dum....

More tomorrow...(if my children will let me get near the computer...)

Last night in Argentina....

This is my last night in Argentina....makes me sad. What a WONDERFUL ..W.O.N.D.E.R.F.U.L time I have had....

I already told the people I am traveling with not to be surprised if I break down BAWLING when we touch down in Oslo....I am just not ready to go back to the DARK NORWEGIAN WINTER..

But I do miss my babies and hubby....so return I must.

I have a ton of posts / tons of pictures to share... will have to get busy when I get home this weekend. I am DREADING the 14 hour flight home but it was so worth it.

Thank you to all of y{all who offered to guest post... my computer time is very limited... so I am just reading the comments now...sorry... But thanks again... I will get some of y{all to guest post very soon...

I still haven{t got the hang of these keyboards at the hotel so bare with me... OK off to enjoy my last night ... and maybe learn a little Tango...

Ciao for now.... Be back soon

HORRIBLE, ROUGH, LIFE

Yes..it is a horrible, rough life...but someone has got to do it1

arrived in argentina yesterday...& it has been NON SToP wine and dining..but i am managing...

(OK i am typing on a keyboard with no letters so yáll have to bare with me...)

anywoo... off to my next vinyard... just wanted to let yáll know i survied the freaking 14 hour flight... (soooo worth it!) Am trying to take lots &lots of pictures!

LifE is GOOD!

When I was 12.... a HORROR STORY

The last time I CRIED in a Beauty shop, I was 12.... come to think of it the last time I had an ASYMMETRICAL BOB... I was also 12....



Guess who cried in the beauty shop today? - guess who went in for a TRIM & came out with an

BLEEPING ASYMMETRICAL BOB..thingy?

OKay... I didn't all out BAWL... but my eyes did tear up after she HACKED the left side of my hair off...

I asked for a TRIM... I think I am going to start calling my girl KATARINA...
"the BUTCHER#

I went back and forth this morning...should I trim it? should I not? But seeing as I have been going to the SAME GIRL... with the SAME HAIR STYLE for over a YEAR... HOW COULD SHE SCREW IT UP?

I am the kind of person who will BITCH about it on here...but I would NEVER say anything to the "stylist" because I wouldn't want her to feel bad....

But today my mouth dropped open when I saw what she had done & said "wow...this is waaaaay too short..."

Her suggestion... we leave the right side as is.....

What the hell was I too do? My face is WAY ...WAAAY too round to try to pull off a PIXIE do... so I agreed... I told her we would leave it...but If I hadn't learned to love it while I was in Argentina...she would have to fix it... (hows THAT for putting my foot down?)

She told me NO CHARGE as I crawled out of the salon.."Um, thanks?"

I got in the car & called Bjørn & proceeded with my hysterical breakdown... "SHE BUTCHERED me!" I look like a 60-something ARTSY FARTSY...trying to be something I am not... woman.... " Whhhhaaaaaa....

My darling husband?
"Well I guess I won't have to worry about anyone hitting on you while you are gone!"

"Hey I know.... why don't you dye it MAGENTA for the FULL EFFECT?"

Sometimes my DARLING HUSBAND can be a total ass...


I tried to look up some photos of UGLY ASYMMETRICAL BOBS... but they were all pretty cute... please keep in mind I DO NOT look LIKE PARIS or any of the cute celebrities who have this hair style...

So now the dilemma... I feel like I CAN NOT go back to the stylist even if I DO end up getting used to the new UNASKEDFOR do... I mean, can I?

After she WHACKED the left side of my head off, can I really trust her? - shit... I am back to square one... NO HAIRDRESSER in NORWAY.

I am too upset to take pictures today... but I am sure you will catch a glimpse of the hair in my pictures from ARGENTINA..

I still have NO IDEA what we are going to do when we get there..(Argentina)... but a little birdie told me we would be WHITE WATER RAFTING... woo hoo!! Still, it would have been nice to have an itinerary right?

I SHOULD have set up a couple of guest posters while I am away... ANYONE? ANYONE? (if so, email me within the next 7 hours before I lose Internet for a week)

If I happen to find a computer I will try to post... Eeeek... I am so nervous & excited & PISSED all at the same time...

OFF TO PACK... Catch you from Argentina ...(I hope)

Yet ANOTHER addiction

OK my new friend Amy turned me onto MEGAVIDEO...wooo haaa hhaaa wooo.

How the HELL have I made it 4.5 years living abroad without this WONDERFUL little AMERICAN GIFT....sigh....

All of my favorite shows... at my fingertips.... & some I have never heard of.

OMG...whats with COUGAR TOWN? please please please...don't tell me this has been canceled (like all of the other shows which show up over here 4 years late...)

Courtney Cox...AMAZING.. but whats up with the Drew Carey chic? ewwww... yet another affirmation that I will NOT be doing anything to my face.. OK.. but she is still REALLY REALLY funny... (moobs... man boobs- I am sooo going to use that)

So what else have I been missing? Now that I have EVERYTHING I want to watch, I don't know what the cool new shows are.

My big plan was to download about 26 hours of shows (the amount of flight time to Argentina... however I can't figure out how to download from Megavideo- I can download it... but can't get it to play...; (

3 days till I leave & I haven't even started digging my summer clothes out...yet here I sit, blogging.

OK... so what shows do I have to check out?
& how the heck do I download these shows to play on my ipods? anyone?...