When life gives you lemons, you find a winery!

I have been referring to 2020 as the lemon year. I have been listening to Ashley Tisdale’s “Lemons” and Miranda Lambert’s “Bluebird” songs on repeat. I have found that listening to these songs has given me so much strength and has provided the realization that sometimes things are not going to go our way, but you just keep going.

This past week, Tara and I were supposed to be in Boston for this amazing conference. We have been beyond ecstatic about this upcoming event, but due to COVID it was cancelled just like every other event this year. We decided to still be creative and have a fun girl’s day. My Mom posted about an event called “Yoga with Kangaroos” at Barn Hill Preserve. I knew this was something we had to try, so we bought our tickets and set out to Frankford, DE.

On the way to the event, Tara and I were so excited that we tried to get there as fast as possible while still maintaining the speed limit. We were two minutes away from the location when I heard a ‘pop’ sound. Our assumption was that I might have blown a tire, but everything seemed normal, so we decided to press on.

After 2.5 hours, we finally made it to Barn Hill Preserve. We did miss the entrance on our first attempt because the GPS will take you to the turn after the green tent (Tip: turn at the green tent). We raced out of our cars and hurried to set up our yoga mats. My sister, brother, and Ms. Cindy were already there feeding these joyful kangaroos carrots and petting them.

Meeting the kangaroos was so magical. When petting them, I thought they would be very jumpy and their hair would be very coarse. To my surprise, they were calm and their fur had a fluffy, velvet feel.

The staff at Barn Hill Preserve were so great, they made sure everyone got to interact with the kangaroos and they let guests stay longer then the class went to hang out with the kangaroos. We have already signed up for “Sipping Wine with Sloths,” which we will definitely report back to you on that event. Barn Hill Preserve also has family friendly events and they even offer free Animal Education Programs to schools across the country.

After our amazing kangaroo experience, we were planning on finding a vineyard, but in typical Shannon and Tara fashion, our plans changed. Our reason for this unexpected change? A flat tire. Our suspicions earlier were right. Luckily, we found a tire shop roughly a mile away from where we were. They couldn’t fix the tire, but they had my tire in stock and were able to replace it that day.

After the unexpected tire situation, we all needed some wine. We decided to go to Salted Vines Vineyard & Winery which was only five minutes away. This gem of a vineyard was a Joanna Gaines dream with magnolia wreaths, matte black farm doors, tin bars, and wooden tables with metal chairs. Due to COVID, they were not offering tastings and seating was not allowed inside. They seated us at their outdoors patio looking out to the vineyard. The setting and view at the vineyard were tranquil and serene. Even though tastings were not offered, you could order a flight. For our flights, we each got to select any four wines on the menu. One of the most popular wines was there 2018 Pinot Grigio and 2019 Steuben, but our favorite was the Fredonia. We both bought a bottle to take home.

This winery also offered wine sangria slushies. We all decided to try the swirl sangria slushy and we were all so overjoyed we did. Tara and I loved this vineyard so much, we are already planning a second trip in two weeks for “Sipping with Sloths.”

After having a wonderful girl’s day at the vineyard, the tire company called to inform us our vehicle was ready. Once we arrived, the gentleman was surprised how unfazed I was with the unexpected cost and the whole tire situation. I told the gentlemen: “It’s 2020. what can you do?” They laughed and agreed; this is just life.

Let us know of a time when things didn’t go as planned and what you did to rectify or alleviate the problem. Did it involve wine? We hope so! Also, we would love to hear what your go to wine is after these types of situations.

Cheers,

Shannon & Tara