Happy Life, Happy…

How do you finish the above? I am sure you have heard it as Happy Life, Happy Wife, right??? Well, today I would like to talk about happiness. What is it that makes us happy? As a Whiskey Lovers Wife, I can tell you that it is not the actual WHISKEY that makes my husband happy (although it certainly does help!) For him, it is all that goes into the making, tasting, and drinking of the whiskey. I have learned it is quite complicated to explain why this makes him so happy, but it does.

Now, here is where I get to tell you that when my husband is happy, I AM HAPPY. But, I am pretty positive that he would say that when I am happy, HE IS HAPPY. Marriage- it’s a giving and sharing and giving back. I might venture out to say that since my husband has become a WHISKEY LOVER, it has strengthened our marriage!

I explained in my first post that I am truly a wine girl. I love wine. However, I have started to really appreciate tasting whiskey. Why? Because it is something I have learned while spending time with my husband. Because I already have knowledge of how different alcohols are made/produced (once upon a time, I was the valedictorian of my Seattle Bartending Academy class of a long time ago and bar tended for a short time in college, but to hear the rest of this story, you’d have to have drinks with us first!), therefore able to have a better understanding of terms my husband talks about, thus creating more avenues of conversations for us. As a married couple who both work full time in education, have two kids, and very busy lives, sometimes it’s hard to just find the time to sit and enjoy a quiet conversation with one another. Whiskey, though, as provided this.

As a couple, we have gone to distilleries together, we have done a little weekend vacation where the kids stayed with the grandparents while we enjoyed a couple days exploring and learning about new distilleries and types of whiskeys. And as a family, we have a few more day trips around our beautiful state and now this summer we will take a family trip to Scotland! So you see, whiskey really is a tool that is creating memorable experiences for our whole family.  (Watch for a blog in two weeks that discusses smart parenting practices to teach and demonstrate responsible alcohol consumption and use. I will be sharing exactly what are boys perspective is on all this.) 

My husband is happy. He has found a hobby he is passionate about. And more than that, it is something he feels capable about, knowledgeable, and able to share with others. And that is important. In the past, he picked up beer brewing and wood-crafting as hobbies, and while he did well, (and we acquired lots of equipment so he can always go back to those things, and at times he tinkers with them still. It’s good to know how to do a variety of things!), the fact of the matter is, he was missing something. I think it was the feeling of being able to involve others. I never helped him make beer, and my role with wood-working was to pretty it up after something was created. But it wasn’t done TOGETHER. He needed me to really know the details about HIM. (To read about that, please go here!) With whiskey, my husband is able to share himself- his excitement, passion, know-how- with me and create opportunities for closeness.

Happy Life, Happy. Period. 

To learn more about building strong marriages, check out StacieStoneyCoaching.com. No, whiskey drinking will not be encouraged, but learning what your are passionate about and how to work together as a team and learn from one another will be the focus! After all, that is where The Whiskey Lovers Wife really is coming from!

 

 

 

Learning to love Whiskey

Hi! I’m Stacie. I’m The Whiskey Lovers Wife. And this is my first blog entry here, but you may have met me before as mrspageantmommy or at my business StacieStoneyCoaching. 

You can read more about me on the About the Wife page. Today, I am going to share with you my experience of going from a Wine Girl to a Whiskey Lovers Wife, and how I am learning to love the fine art of whiskey tastings.

It all started a little over 6 months ago when I begged my husband to go to Las Vegas with me, as we hadn’t been there for a couple years and I really do love the sights and sounds and SUN in Vegas! Both my husband (his name is Josh) and I are not big gamblers, and we are actually a bit on the cheap side. So, as any good deal hunting gal does, I scoured the internet for all the free things we could do while in Vegas AND found some great Groupon’s to use, like the Eiffel Tower Experience. One of the free things I found was a Whiskey Tasting Class offered in the Venetian Hotel at a place called Vom Fass. Visit their website here!  

Outside of the Venetian in Las Vegas. At 107 degrees, even the phone was sweating!

Well, that is where it all began. Josh and I learned some basics about whiskey and how to taste. We were given historical background and geographical knowledge as to why the Scotch (whiskey from Scotland!) tasted so different dependent on the area of Scotland it was made, that Bourbon can only be from America (originally it could only be called Bourbon if it came from Bourbon County, Kentucky!), and what kinds of grains are used in each type of whiskey. Josh was hooked. He loves learning and the content captured him. Then there was the tasting. 

I can tell you, I don’t remember learning about the art of nosing, but I do remember being told to breathe out my nose to let the alcohol be released so I could actually TASTE the flavors of the whiskey. While my husband did this like a trained professional, I felt my nose hairs burn and I could barely swallow the vile stuff in my mouth. From that moment on, I was done with whiskey and I gave all my tastings to Josh. (No, he didn’t complain!)

Now, I have to be perfectly honest with you. I love wine. Like really love it. I appreciate the way it is made, from the grapes lovingly grown and harvested right down to the way the wine is bottled and marketed. I dream of working for a winery because I whole-heatedly love the product so much, I could get anyone excited about it. And I realize, that is how my husband feels about whiskey.

Through the past 6 months, I have encouraged this new passion of Josh’s. After all, I AM a Life Coach who specializes in helping others pursue their purpose in life! What kind of wife would I be if I did not do that for Josh? So, we have done several distillery tours in downtown Seattle,

At the Westland Distillery in Seattle

in Woodinville, and nearby in our more local areas of Olympia and Tenino (all in Washington State.) Stick with me long enough and I’ll talk to you all about these different distilleries and what I have learned along the way. I am SO encouraging, in fact, that recently I booked our family trip this summer to travel through Scotland! The original plan was always to take my oldest son, who is an 8th grader this year, to Scotland when he graduates high-school as his last name and father’s family (I was married previously) is Scottish. Now I suppose Luke will be the luckiest kid in town to travel to the UK for his 8th grade graduation!  Our youngest son is in the 3rd grade and has already decided that we should live there! 

The past weekend was a Meet-Up that Josh belongs to, called the Capitol Scotch and Whiskey Club, where they paired dark chocolates with whiskeys. I decided to go along because of the promise there would be wine for those who did not want to try the whiskey. Once we got there, I decided to be brave and do the tasting. After all, Josh has had me tasting much of his collection at home and I felt somewhat confident that I would no longer burn out my nose hairs! 

Let’s just say, I think I like this whiskey stuff. Like, really like it. Don’t take me wrong, wine still has my heart, but I am understanding why Josh enjoys tasting whiskey so much. One thing I have realized is that when one tastes whiskey, it is not to throw it back and get drunk. In fact, Josh takes a really long time (an hour sometimes) to finish a dram. When I open a bottle of wine, I seem to go through it a LOT quicker than what Josh goes through whiskey. He really takes the time to savor it.

So, with all that being said, I really hope you will follow along as this Whiskey Lovers Wife takes you on a journey of all things whiskey, and many things NOT related to whiskey but more about family, marriage, and even my version of a whiskey workout! Stay tuned, my friends! 

Stacie and Josh at Woodinville Whiskey