Hi. I’m Jen and I’m Drinking the Whole Bottle.
No, wait. That sounded wrong. Let me explain…
About Drinking the Whole Bottle
Drinking the Whole Bottle started as a blog about inspiring others to live life in its fullest of flavors—sometimes it will be sweet and sometimes bitter—and to live it well we have to embrace all of it; tasting—and if we’re lucky—enjoying every drop we can. I know this because in the time span of four months, I got married, moved abroad, and became a mother (in that order) and learned that life moves pretty quickly and if you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it. (Or maybe Ferris Bueller taught me that…either way.) In short, Drinking the Whole Bottle is about our expat family, celebrating and savoring every last drop of life with humor, courage, and love. It’s about sharing our personal adventure, in hopes that it will inspire you to live the kind of life you want.
The kids were born in the Dominican Republic where we lived for 6 years and we now currently live in Guadalajara, Mexico. I’m not sure how long we’ll stay or where we’ll go from here, but for now, we’re drinking the whole bottle, Cerveza Series style.
Why Cerveza series? Check out the answer to that and more FAQs here.
What can you expect from
Drinking the Whole Bottle?
This is partially a metaphor for life.. and a confession
The truth is I like drinking wine celebrating. But DTWB isn’t just a wine-drinking mommy blog. Every day I get to live a full glass of life doing only the things I want to do: mother, write, love, and celebrate. Because if it’s wonderful – enjoy the hell out of it and if it isn’t – move the heck on because why waste our moments on things that don’t make us unashamedly happy?
This is partially a LOVE letter.
There is nothing more or less grand about our love story than anyone else’s. All love stories are grand but honoring them is the difference. Ours began in the copy room of an elementary school in New Jersey and every day since then has been an actualization of that sweet, copy room meeting: our first apartment, our rescue dogs, our wedding day, our kids, our move abroad. This is certainly part love story.
This is partially a FAMILY chronicle.
One of my biggest concerns when we were moving abroad, was having our family and friends miss out on our kids’ milestones and childhoods. This became my answer. If I recorded all of the moments, we would always be connected and we would always be reminded that family is made by shared experience and not location.
This is partially a SELF-HELP PARENTING guide.
Parenthood is pure delight, raw comedy, and absolute love… and really effing hard. When I became a parent for the first time I was drowning; I wasn’t sure I could keep my head above water… until I started writing about it. I began to understand that parenting, like all great adventures, is about self-exploration, overcoming struggles, and a good notebook to document your journey.
This is partially an ABROAD manual.
We never imagined we’d like living abroad enough to stay – we were just a bit tired of the general instructions of our routine lives. Living abroad has its own set of directions too but with space to make your own rules. Navigating life abroad hasn’t been easy at every step but we’ve never regretted it.
This is partially a COMEDIC screenplay.
Two American newlyweds living abroad in a country where red lights are a suggestion and not an actual traffic law, already had the makings of a hit comedy. Add two toddlers and two dogs – one that’s blind – and we’re talking Oscar nomination. Hmmm… who would play me in the movie???
This is partially a reminder to let life INSPIRE you.
Stop. Look around. Focus. Really see the small drops of life that make up the big glass. A good hug. A belly laugh. A warm pair of leggings on a chilly day. A cold beer on a hot day. Watch your kids when they don’t know it, when they’re chasing butterflies or squealing in total glee. In those few seconds, the universe reveals itself and forces us to take notice. It says, “Look how magnificent this life is. Look at all the world has given you. Let it in.”
SO ARE YOU READY TO DRINK THE WHOLE BOTTLE?
This isn’t advocating drinking a whole bottle every night, though if you did I’d be the last to judge, but this is about trying everything. At least once. Even if it’s a small sip. Don’t hold yourself back or leave yourself one regret.
UNCORK YOUR LIFE TODAY.
Don’t wait another day to start enjoying your moments: use your expensive China tonight, burn your good candles TODAY, open your finest bottle NOW. Don’t wait.
To help you, start right here with me and some of our reader’s favorites. Pour a glass, enjoy each sip, read along, and think about your own adventure just waiting to be sipped and savored.
This is your life, friends, your very own adventure. So drink it up.
Every. Last. Drop.
P.S. Before Mexico, we lived in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for 6 years where both the kids and this blog were born. My heart still misses island life and our Mama Juana style.
