Strange Beginings: an Epic Adventure

I've always thought I have good ideas and that everybody should hear them. This is probably why I have been considered rather talkative since I was young. As I got older, I found out (to the frustration of my friends) that this chatty part of my nature is amplified by alcohol. So, when my bestie, Jessi suggested writing a blog about our adventures in wine (shameless plug: she has a blog too-frombeneaththecork.blogspot.co​m-it's awesome, check it out!) I thought "What better way to combine my need to over share with my love of wine?"
So here it is: Strange beginnings: an epic adventure.

In the beginning, there was wine.
Growing up, wine was not a stranger in my house... but it was usually something that my mom had made out of Welch's grape juice in a glass gallon jug with a balloon on it on top of our refrigerator. You want a drink that will knock you on the floor before you realize it, this is it. (I've been meaning to try making some using her recipe but I haven't worked up the nerve yet)
My parents were never ones to deny us a sip, but only a sip... (probably to deter us from drinking until we were old enough to realize that there was alcoholic drinks out there that actually tasted good) and up until college, this was really the only experience I had with wine. Then, I was introduced to the wonder that is boxed wine...ugh! I tried it once and I will probably never try it again unless forced to drink it at gunpoint.
Sometime in the middle of this, my older sister Betsy introduced us as a family to quality wine, wine that was more than $8 a bottle and proved to us why you should pay more than $8 a bottle. I enjoyed a glass with my family but I didn't really get hooked until I moved to live with my other sister, Laura.
One of Laura's old college professors owns a vineyard outside of Lexington, NE. She started drinking his wine and introduced me to Mac's Creek. It was amazing... and I was addicted. The problem was, Laura didn't share my blooming love affair with the vine, she was more of a one-night stand wine drinker. But Laura also introduced me to my future bestie, the aforementioned Jessi.
Jessi and I started irregular wine and cheese nights, quickly learning what wines we liked and what to pair them with (we still don't have it perfect but we're improving).
It was during our novice wineaux years (2009-10) that we heard about the Nebraska Wine Tour, and while it was too late to get a good start at it, we decided to attempt it in 2011. Jessi kept an eye on the website and we attacked that passport with a corkscrew and cheese knife as soon as we heard it came out.
Now here I am, writing a blog about wine and my adventure into the Nebraska wine scene. We are hoping to hit all of the vineyards/wineries and tasting rooms on the list while trying to convince anybody who will listen to try the tour themselves. I have high hopes for our adventure and many to come.... and if all else fails, we got to drink a lot of wine along the way!
My dad once said that the thing he loved most about me was that I can find the silver lining in almost any situation. Well, Dad, I hate to burst your bubble but I don't see the silver lining... I see the bottle half full.