The 20th anniversary ring cost a little more than I wanted to pay, but "she's worth it".

Add to that, it's NASCAR weekend in Sonoma. Who put a racetrack in wine country? We can't get the room we want. We "were" going to go on an AAdvantage miles ticket, but if we travel Friday/Monday the mileage requirement is higher than the miles I have. Basically, you have to go Wednesday and return on Tuesday to use 25k miles, otherwise, it's 45k miles. So, we would be left buying 2 tickets and not being able to stay in the places our friends recommended.

So, we're going to Santa Fe, instead. I have 2 free Southwest Airlines passes (which don't have restrictions and black out dates), a free Casita near downtown Santa Fe (wife's family). So we will be out just food and rental car for the weekend.

We'll do that instead and keep our money. Any wineries near Santa Fe? My wife will be just as happy and we don't have to fight crowds.

So, Santa Fe, it is.

Glen Austin