Our story begins here.
Wine + Love
Dreams deferred dry up like a raisin in the sun.
Dreams realized get crushed into gorgeous grape juice to be shared with the world.
Let’s start at the beginning
I had done all of the right things. I had graduated high school with high honors, was accepted into my first choice college, rose to the top as President of my cohort for the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry Division of Dental Hygiene, began my career in Phoenix, Arizona as a successful clinical dental hygienist, faculty member, published author and acquired my Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership.
On paper, I must have looked amazing. On the inside, I was decaying. I was burnt out, and I had fallen out of love with the beautiful profession I had built my whole life acquiring.
I was lost, I felt misguided, and quite frankly: I had no clue what I actually wanted to be when I grew up.
I bought a guided journal; my desperate attempt to help connect me with some sense of mental organization.
The first prompt in the journal: “if you could do whatever you WANTED for the rest of your life, within reason, and money was no object… what would you do?” You see, here’s the deal: most people would say “I want to lay on a beach with a cocktail!” but after two weeks, that gets old. So… what would you do for the rest of your life if money didn’t matter?
I wrote, “I want to drink wine, talk about dental hygiene and save homeless animals”.
Then I read my handwriting, smiled and thought to myself: “How dumb”
And then it happened.
Within weeks, I built my first dental speaking program which I proudly delivered at Aridus Wine Co [a local wine bar in Scottsdale], I attained my Level I Sommelier Certification and started purposing a portion of my proceeds to non-profit local animal shelters.
I had literally built a business of drinking wine, talking about dentistry and saving homeless animals.
I was living my dream;
or so I thought…
As quickly as my dream evolved, my entire world began to completely unravel.
In October of 2018, my mother suddenly, tragically and needlessly passed away; an oversight due to inadequacies across the medical community. Through the pain of a broken heart after losing Mom, my best friend in the whole wide world, my rock and my father suddenly and unexpectedly passed away a short 24 months later.
Despite the abundant positivity and joy Mom and Dad had always encouraged me to give this world, I was completely devastated and thoroughly broken.
But Mom and Dad clearly had a greater plan for me…
They sent me him...
…and this is when the magic really happened
I must admit: going on a first date with him 2 weeks after picking out the clothes Dad wore to his funeral was perhaps not the best idea, and what Dale saw when he first met me was a woman whose heart had been torn, worn and shattered. Nevertheless, this Midwest boy treated me with kindness, and he stole my heart when he kissed me, for the very first time, in front of the tasting room bar at Aridus Wine Co.
My world has never been the same since.
Ours is a love that has been arranged by stronger forces than we truly understand, and what was borne of tragedy was softened by kindness and empathy. My heart began to slowly trust again, and with it came the openness of sharing dreams I had only held inside.
“Babe, I know this sounds crazy, but I want to distribute my own wines to the dental community. I want these wines to speak to the empathetic and humanistic side of what it means to be a provider… and I want to be able to give back to the community through these wines”
What most men would have said: ‘that makes no sense’.
What he said: ‘let’s make it happen’
And this is when i knew he was different.
The Wine Op
The Wine Op was instated and with it came a myriad of decisions that needed to be made. We began meeting with winemakers, conceptualizing wine labels, and purchasing glass bottles. We knew we needed to work with Lisa Strid of Aridus Wine Co, as my respect for her wine-making skills and the sheer history of what Aridus wines meant to my business seemed too perfect. Lisa is part of the 15% of female winemakers blazing a trail in her industry, and I knew I needed her delicate but powerful approach to creating gorgeously curated wines.
We spent hours designing, masterminding and wine tasting [I know you feel sorry for us for that; it was tough work] to launch our first two complimentary blends: The 9two5 and The 5two9.
The Launch of The Wine Op
We invited our family and friends to join us at Aridus Wine Co’s tasting room: the birthplace of my speaking career, the first-kiss and the launch of The Wine Op to celebrate in this new endeavor. With those we loved most in this world, we hosted an evening of charcuterie, wine tastings and…
While we launched this wine as a beautiful part of our love story, it continues to thrive as a deeper love story, and that is the love we have for serving our community and the impact of our legacies. Thank you for being such a beautiful part of the work we are able to do to serve others.
With love,