napa - day 1

sunday = napa bound! i had no idea how close it was, so the drive was pretty quick & luckily painless since the girls let me ride shotgun due to my body's general hatred for any kind of transportation/movement (damn you, motion sickness.) when we got into town, we stopped at a few visitors centers to get a lay of the land. tara has actually visited a few weeks prior, so she knew a few experienced secrets. we couldn't get into our airbnb until later, so we hit our first winery and had a fun first tasting. the napa scenery is something else - vines on vines with a backdrop of what looks like roasted grass, and every kind of plant you can think of. with how dry it is, we were all surprised how incredibly green and luscious certain areas were, aside from the vineyards themselves. we spotted some gorgeous flowers and even a few olive trees on our drive from winery to winery.

(check out the video i made with my new go pro to get a better visual of what we saw HERE)

after Raymond, we went to Markham and met our friend Kip. He was so friendly, was patient with our silliness, and in the end comped a few of our tastings (which let me tell you was generous because it majorly adds up for a swig of some alcoholic grapes.) the wines at Markham rocked - Kip went off the grid and gave us his favorites to taste, not the wines on the pre-set list. My favorite kind of wine is a dry white, especially a Sauvignon Blanc and theirs did NOT disappoint. crisp cold and totally delicious - so much so we bought two bottles to take home and enjoy later. we also had an exceptional rosé, nothing what i'm used to. it was dry but had a tinge of sweetness that was perfect. Kip also took us back where the barrels were held in a chilly room that smelled of oaky grape yumminess. He said it was a great spot for a photo, and kindly took one for us. Kip, you're the real MVP, thank you for your generosity.

After Markham we deemed dinner was in order, and Aerial and I were feeling the tastings with the heat (roughly 108 degrees) and the lack of food. We chose a highly revered restaurant with a hefty wait, and blitzed over to another small winery across the street while we waited. At that point, i only wanted sustenance so Tess & Tara did most of the tasting there, which consisted mostly of dry reds (not my favorite either.) We finally ate, and it was one of the best burgers i've ever had. We drove to the airbnb, an adorable three bedroom in a neighborhood in Napa, and settled in with a little nap and popped open the Sauv Blanc from Markham (which i could honestly drink for the rest of my days) for a few games of heads up and girl talk.

perfect end to a perfect day - or as tess fondly said all weekend, "what a day to have a day." indeed, tk.

cheers, jkro

san fran

hey y'all, im back!

it's been a minute since my last blog, but i can't bring myself to write about any other than travel - i've read plenty of articles about blog ideas, but most highlight the fact that you're writing as an "expert" on the topic. i'm going to be straight - i have zero expertise on most everything, but i dabble in a few things one of which includes travel. sadly no longer as #eurojules, but now as #postgradjules (shoutout to Eli Thiele for reinventing my hashtag lifestyle!)

my previous boss, and great friend, Melissa gifted me a GoPro for graduation. WHAT A GENEROUS GIFT, am i right? i (we?) have her to thank for the super fun videos & photos to come of my future adventures. which brings me to the reason for this post - day 1 of my graduation present from my bff & big sis, TK. she's flying me out to san francisco to then drive to Napa for a weekend spent with her, her roommate and good friend Tara, and Aerial, her college roommate and fellow kappa delta.

the morning was an EARLY one - dad and i were up and out the door by 4, with a quiet and dark drive to the airport, country music softly playing in the background. after hugs & i love ya's, i stared at the long line ahead to check bags for southwest. normally i carry on, because the airlines in america strive to rob & take advantage of their customers. the options are so limited, the ticket prices are through the roof and the amenities are slim to none. don't want to haul your bag through the airport? pay 50 bucks. want a seat on the flight you already paid for? 20 bucks. thirsty? 4 bucks for a soda. want to breathe? $1 per minute. i mean SERIOUSLY, its a monopoly. in europe there are so many airlines you can actually afford to fly more than twice a year on a flight that isn't at 5am and layovers lasting 7+ hours.

alright, rant is over. after i made it through the lengthy bag check line, i stared at yet another log line for security. i get a little travel anxiety, and if you know me anxiety is not something i typically struggle with. but my senses are heightened and i'm hard pressed to get my tush in a seat on the plane, and anything in my way of that gets me going. after my last flight alongside mom and dad, who sailed to the gate with their TSA pre check, i'm heavily debating dropping the dollas for a quicker process, and maybe even reduced travel angst. made it to the gate & boarded my first flight of the day to vegas. mom mentioned there being slots at the airport, and i just giggled and said "ma i really don't need to be losing money with this whole unemployment bit."

made a quick plane change in vegas and onward to san fran. my college pal, Andrew is a san fran native and was sweet enough to pick me up from the airport for a little adventuring while i waited for tess to touch down a few hours later.

had the best day exploring san fran with andrew - he picked me up from the airport with that friendly smile and hug i've so come to love over the the last four years at UD, and we hopped onto the metro to take into the city. upon arrival downtown we ventured to the hotel to drop off my bags so i didn't scream tourist. we popped into eif's favorite mexican spot and grabbed burritos and a beer to take to dolores park. the sun was shining, the people watching was top notch, and there were a few pups and babies which i so enjoyed. we ubered back into the city to meet the girls, did introductions and walked to the italian festival which was so fun, streets were blocked off with fair food and bands celebrating a gorgeous saturday evening in the city. the girls grabbed some fries & BBQ, and tara treated us all to a cold beer and we people watched some pretty funny people attempting to dance.

andrew hiked us all up the hill to a seriously killer view of the city (while i brought up the caboose breathing heavy. SF is steep kids) and we popped into a few different bars before settling on an irish pub with outdoor seating which was perfect for the temp that night. we eventually caught up with andrew's sis and her pals who are also san fran natives and hit a few more bars before calling it a night. i had been up for more than 24 hours at that point and needed to throw in the towel (though the kate kromar in me didn't want to.)

​thank you andrew for a stellar start to girls weekend, you were the best tour guide and i'm so proud of where you're going in the near future. to napa we go!

cheers, jkro

denver, co

DENVER BOUND on monday! with excessive turbulence, the flight to DIA was nothing short of heinous. my motion sickness was on a red alert and i was thrilled when the wheels touched down on the tarmac. we went directly to the grocery to pick up a few things for dinner before the football game started, and then tessie made dinner for tara, andy and i which was so lovely. we cheered on clemson (TO VICTORY!) and devoured the delicious meal. afterward we played the accent game which had us all in tears before we tuckered out and went to bed.

tuesday the day started bright and early so we could get rolling to the mountains. tess and i had a little breaky & coffee while we wiggled to dancing in the moonlight (my favorite) and rich girl (tess's favorite.) we packed rocky up with our boards and backpacks and set out for the road. typically as passenger i play dj, but tk said she had a playlist in mind. she hit play and was all giggly and so i asked what the playlist was called. "70s road trip! she said and it cracked me up. so unfortunately i drank a lot of water and coffee before we left for the slopes, and i almost had an accident when we were stuck in traffic on 70. i am happy to report that i made it, dry pants and all, but boy was it close. back on the road with an empty bladder and overall relieved disposition -keystone here we come.. 

boarding was SO fun. there was a ton of fresh powder - the mountains have been getting slammed with snow over the last week. no major wipeouts but my legs were legitimately weeping because they were so sore. the wind was blowing so hard it stopped me completely when i was going down the hill. with excess amounts of snow comes excess amounts of traffic for two reasons. 1. people can't drive and 2. there were avalanches (casual, right?) and they were shutting down the highways. tk and i made the best of it listening to 80's oldies and stopping for starbucks. we arrived back home, showered the most heavenly shower, and ventured out for a fresh salad and glass of beer & wine. an exhausting but fun day indeed.

wednesday we slept in a bit, i worked on a video for zeta recruitment, and tessie and i skipped breakfast and had a little guac dip while snuggled up on the couch watching friends for a bit. we made our way into the city, taking bridges with pretty views while

the denver sun warmed us. we walked down 16th street mall and popped into ya few places. i snagged a north face on mega sale and dress possibly for graduation (! panic people) and then we ubered over to a brewery where we met tara, andy and ty for apps and brews. after drinking them dry (kidding) we went back to t squared'a place for some games and giggles. we were up pretty late and everyone started to glaze over so the boys headed home and the gals packed it in.

thursday tk and i started the day off with some eggs & friends - because how else would one start a day? after we drove to golden - about 20 minutes from home - to go to the coors brewery for a tour. tess is an avid coors drinker (rightfully so) but i am a budweiser gal for life. the tour was really neat, and we got a few samples at the end and because coors is partnered with so many distributors they had quite the selection. after the tour we drove home, walked to a cute little place for a burger and finally had little mans ice cream which i was beyond thrilled about even in 20 degree temps and heavy snow. we bundled and off we went to the pepsi center for our first NHL hockey game.

we've both been (habs) fans since living in montreal, but we've not had the pleasure of attending a game. tessie led the way to our seats and she kept walking down towards the rink and i started laughing and looking around wondering where in tarnation we were going. five rows back from the glass, tess moved her way into a row and parked it. i just gaped at her and squealed OH MY GOSH!! as it set in we'd be sitting so close. thank you a million times over for the lovely surprise tk, i can't imagine anyone else that i'd want to spend my first professional hockey game with. we giggled our way through the entire game - high energy and exceptional music (more 80s inspiration for the video) and had a blast cheering for the not so valiant avalanche. "im going to go off on a limb here and say we really need to work on our defense for next season." tess' thoughts on the team accurately describe the 4-1 deficit after three periods. nonetheless, we grabbed a beer (i found a budweiser!! colorado disowned me the second i ordered it, i could feel it) and cheered for the home team and enjoyed every second together.

friday rolled around much too soon, and i wasn't at all ready to go. i wanted to get moving so tess could rest before work (yes, she is in fact a superhero) but i just wanted to hang around for another week (or two.) we walked in the denver sunshine one last time to a cafe where we shared a cozy breakfast before she dropped me off at the train station. teresa, i am infinitely grateful for sharing my last christmas break with you. thank you so much for sharing your time, home, friends and love with me this week - i'll be back so soon denver!

cheers, jkro

about a year ago

HI FRIENDS. it's been a quick second hasn't it? well, a year ago i was (rather, tess was) packing my bags oh so carefully in order to fit everything i needed and keep it under 50 lbs. i really can't believe 365 days ago i hopped (who are we kidding, i RAN for that flight that i almost missed thanks to a significant delay on my first leg) onto a flight to take me across the pond to a place i'd never been before to start a new life for five whole months. 

a few days ago i told dad that we we're nearing the anniversary of #eurojules, and i said that i was jelaous of my last year self and wished that i was packing for the adventure again. "really? knowing what you know, you'd go again?" he said. "dad, i'd go in a heartbeat." and i mean that wholeheartedly. i joke with my pals now because when they bring up #eurojules i say. "DANG she was the coolest chick. i want to be her again."

so for the next five months, i'll be yearning to be abroad and probably crying over my timehop remembering the adventures, the people, the laughs and the sheer crazy fun. i'm forever grateful for everyone that loved me a little extra & kept in touch over 4,000 miles away, especially the original squad (jack, katie & tk.) 

maybe i'll pick up blogging again.. though the driving force for that was to tell the beloved homies about my eurojules adventures. i still have adventures, just a little more average than say jet setting to ibiza, spain for the weekend. dayton ohio is still just as cool, just a different kind of cool.

cheers to you eurojules, but double cheers for senior jules ready to take on her final semester at the best school in the nation. fly for life, am i right?

cheers, jkro