I’m grateful today for surprising moments.

I’m not a particularly adventurous person. I don’t seek out thrills or out-of-the-ordinary things. However I try to never say no to new opportunities.  So when my friend Jennifer suggested we go to a “Field and Vine” experience, I quickly accepted the invitation.

The Field and Vine events are catered fancy meals-complete with wine- served at various farms around the area. The one we signed up to attend was at the Woodburn Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm and Vineyards. I have been there when the tulips are blooming but never during the off-season. I also don’t experience fancy meals often either.

– Tulips in Bloom.

The Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm and Vineyard began in the 1950s as a family farm run by the Iverson Family. It’s still a family farm run by the Iversons, but now draws visitors from all over to see the beautiful tulip fields. On the tour before the meal, we learned that the farm also has other events throughout the year…including a Zombie festival.

The really unique thing about the Field and Vine is meals are served family style at very long rows of tables. It seemed like many people had come with large groups of people and had already reserved seats. This made sense to me- it was almost a wedding atmosphere and it would be an amazing thing to attend with a lot of family and friends. Since a lot of the spaces were taken, we found a place across from each other in one of the long rows.

I was really nervous. I wondered, “So…are we supposed to…gasp…socialize with strangers?” Small talk is not in my comfort zone. But a funny thing happened over dinner…we were able to visit and enjoy the food with people from a variety of places and backgrounds. I enjoyed learning about new people more than the incredible food! At one point, I nearly forgot I wasn’t with people who I had known for a long time. Pretty amazing what a little wine and excellent food will do to the ol’ comfort zone!

To the left of us sat a couple who attends Field and Vines all around the area. They were wine connoisseurs and “foodies” who have signed up for five events this season. They knew the various wineries Jennifer and I mentioned to keep up with the wine talk. They brought a sister along to show her the ropes of a Field and Vine.

To our right were two couples. One was visiting from Seattle as a part of a birthday celebration. The other younger couple were visiting from Dallas, Texas. The Seattle couple were drinking the microbrew made at the Farm and Vineyard. They were also vegetarian so I was relieved to see the Chef made a special vegetarian dish for them to enjoy.

It was fun to hear about these couples and get glimpses into lives that I had not known existed before dinner. The Seattle couple were in Portland for the weekend. He was a retired lawyer and she enthusiastically told me about their recent marathon watching of “West Wing”. Jennifer made sure they knew to visit, “Salt & Straw” ice cream on their trip and Jennifer and Marnie exchanged Facebook names before they parted.

The other couple from Dallas had flown in that morning. She writes a blog and as a part of her writing the blog, she is asked to travel various places and write about them for her readers. Her husband gets to go on some of the trips. I, of course, perked up at her job. The blogwriter, Betsy, said she enjoys writing and years ago started writing a blog about her experiences in Dallas. She slowly started to attract readers and it seems the blog (check it out at: Lipgloss and High Heels) gained a lot of readership and success. It almost took my breath away. She had a dream and made it happen. The Mt. Hood Territory sponsored this trip and one of their stops on the trip was Field and Vine. Small world considering Jennifer and I work for Clackamas County (which helps support the Mt. Hood Territory Visitor Center).

Some of the conversation was hard to hear and therefore stilted due to the deafening noise of excited conversation (which got more excited as the wine was poured and food proved to be excellent).

Chef Pascal from the Allium restaurant in West Linn, Oregon was the chef. He introduced the dishes prior to the meal. Platters were delivered to the tables and about six people shared one platter. The food was nonstop wonderful.

The only course I did not enjoy was the “Wild Boar”. I’m not a vegetarian but I avoid meat for the most part. I tried to explain to the table that I choose not to eat a lot of pork (yes, I did eat the bacon at dinner) because we have a pug which reminds me of a pig. After a few seconds of surprise and bemused smiles, it became established I was not myself, a foodie.

The portions weren’t outrageous. There was enough if someone wanted seconds of a certain dish but there wasn’t too much that it seemed overly wasteful. The waitstaff were especially attentive to the wineglasses. Each seat had a different colored mason jar to drink water from. This was my favorite touch to the whole event because I am crazy about mason jars used in decoration.

Joe, the self-proclaimed foodie to our right, knew the waitstaff by name. At one point, he noted that I wasn’t drinking the right wine for the specific course. He called a waiter over, pointed out my glass, and the waiter grabbed the wine, dumped it in the grass, and refilled it with the correct wine to accompany the dish (I don’t recall which dish because at this point, I was bummed that I lost the wine from the last course).

Jennifer and I had a really good time sitting outside, among people who were completely new to us, and enjoying food that was very different from the usual fare.

Do you ever find yourself in circumstances that you never thought possible? That was me at the dinner. I was talking to people I would probably never see again: hearing stories that I had never heard but would stick with me for a very long time; spending time with a friend in a place she had never been; learning about others who achieved their dreams which I share; and taking in the surrealness and beauty of the evening.

I am grateful for those surprise moments.

My disclaimer: Since a lot of my blog involves my trips to Kenya and seeing the lack of resources there, I am very aware of the dangers of overindulgence. When I treat myself to events such as these, I am doubly aware and respectful of the fact that not everyone can enjoy such treats. My grateful for today also includes the overwhelming gratitude to be able to experience such decadence.