Nothing could be more beautiful than a sunny day, wine and good company. That’s exactly what happened last year on September 12th. I remember the day had a slight chill to the air with the promise of fall just around the corner. I finally decided I would use my spa gift certificate I received for my birthday. With a new color on my nails and wonderful new haircut I was well on my way to awesome day. This was also the first day I wore my hand-knitted t-shirt sweater I worked on all-summer-long. It was a gorgeous orange cantaloupe color. I even had a matching silk scarf with a hint of teal that I picked up in Galena, IL the previous week. Everything was coming together; it was just one of those perfect days.

With my new look in place, my husband and I made our way to Geneva, IL to experience the “Festival of the Vine” that they hold every year. All the shops in Geneva partake in this event by offering either food or their own wine tastings. We headed to our favorite destination “The Little Traveller” located off of 3rd St in the downtown district. While there were plenty of people, the atmosphere was pleasant since most everyone was relaxed from all the wine tastings.

I remember experiencing many different wines and had most fun picking out the “one” that we would take home to enjoy. Walking hand-in-hand we strolled down the streets and took in all the sights and sounds of the festival. Later, we had a lovely dinner at home that evening which rounded out the perfect day we had together.

To celebrate this event, I wanted to make sure I captured the day in my journal to chronicle our time together. It is amazing what a simple visual journal entry can offer to me over a year later. I simply just look at an entry a recall all the wonderful moments that inspired the creation of the page. I even remember taking the time to pick out certain distress inks that would give the background of the page an aged fresco look that spoke of wine and song. To round out the journal I drew in a wine bottle and grapes that I colored in using Derwent Inktense pencils. I also choose to use my newfound faux calligraphy skills that I was practicing on around that time to place as a focal point on the page.

I can’t think of a better way to memorialize a moment in time that stays as a perfect day in my memory. I hope this post inspires you to start journaling your life and memories too.

Until next post…