This week I'm revisiting an episode from one year ago where I shared a very exciting and rare experience that happened to me while in Bend, Oregon last summer. Enjoy a new intro and outtro to the original episode, where I look back on what has happened after a CRAZY year of life and reflect on if I would have done it differently if given the chance. Spoiler alert: I get a little emotional and a little philosophical.

I'm also highlighting a STEAL of a wine (90 points from Wine Enthusiast and under $15!) that pairs beautifully with this story... and you'll hear about the connection between the two!

Without giving away too much... You'll hear about:

• 26 years of consistent passion and enthusiasm for ONE THING
• How being patient paid off
• My curiosity of how YOU think it went and what you would have done differently!

Song lyrics referenced in the episode:

Oh, how it happened, blew the lid and got a taste, it's some kind of magic

It could happen like it did, Like we awoke, we were still dreaming

When it happened like it did , If I wasn't there, I wouldn't believe it-DJM

This week's Sip Spotlight wine is a Blast from the Past!

Other Links and resources:

Purchase my Sollevato Sangiovese 2022and Sollevato "Fortunato" Red Blend

(Use the code PODLISTENER for 10% off Nikki and Michael's Sollevato Wines!)

Follow me on Instagram to get the scoop on upcoming episodes and behind the scenes looks!

Enjoy some of MY FAVORITE THINGS from our Sponsors:

You NEED some delicious California Olive Oil from our awesome sponsor American Olive Farmer. Use code SipWithNikki for $10 off your order!

Check out Sena Sea's website  to get your hands on some beautiful wild-caught Alaskan fish shipped right to your door! Use code sipandsea for 10% off your order and sign up for their email list (great recipes!) and be entered to win a monthly $50 gift card drawing.

Questions, suggestions and guest requests? nikki@sipwithnikki.com

If you'd like to Support the Podcast, you can buy me a glass of wine and get a shoutout on a future episode!

This, I felt, was the universe just saying, way to be patient. Here's a little crumb, a very cool crumb. And it just was really, really special. Hello, welcome to Sip with Nikki.

I'm Nikki Lamberti here in Sonoma County, California, coming to you on our new release day, Tuesdays. Since Hip with Nikki started almost two years ago, I've always released a new episode on Monday.

And if you're curious, the method to my madness and the motivation behind the change, I find myself working feverishly on your newest episode every weekend. And much of my Sunday is usually dedicated to getting it all locked and loaded.

And I've recently adopted the mantra of let it be easy, life is hard enough. So I'm taken back. Welcome back my Sundays. And I'll be coming to you with a new episode now every Tuesday.

So this weekend I had a wonderful trip down to Southern California for what I believe could have been my 50th Dave Matthews Band concert.

Now, if you're a regular listener, you've heard me mention Dave in multiple episodes and I shared almost exactly a year ago a very cool story of something that happened when I was in Bend, Oregon for the Dave show last summer.

So because a it's the one year anniversary of that moment and also because I was just at another show this weekend, I thought it might be fun to re release the episode because I believe there's a lot of new listeners who have joined our SIP family since last year and you may have missed that episode, but I also wanted to bring it back up to the top of the list because one of the things that I noticed when I was at the concert this past Friday night in LA was that because I have been through a lot, we all have. But especially I've been through a lot since the last time Dave was singing in front of me. Last August, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, December.

And pretty much since then, I've been through surgery, 16 rounds of chemo, and I am smack dab in the middle of radiation right now. And while I'm feeling good and very grateful for modern medicine, it's been a journey.

And in the middle of all this, my dad in New Jersey is braving his own cancer battle with pancreatic cancer. So there's a lot going on.

And while I was so excited to get this hit of joy this weekend, not only from the concert, but then from two days following it, spent at Disneyland with my dear friends Hobie and Justin, one of the things that I noticed during the concert is that songs that usually land one Way with Me didn't.

And songs are even specific lyrics that are usually not my favorites hit very differently this year because my lens is different and my heart is different because of what has been happening in the last nine months.

And so it just really got me thinking about how interesting that is, that something that I know inside and out, which is pretty much every Dave song and lyric, how they change and they evolve and how they land on you, on me, throughout time. And I think that's why I've been a fan for almost 30 years of this band, because it's taking me through all these different chapters of my life.

But also just in the last year, it was just really interesting and got me thinking. And I think it's not unlike wine. There are wines that I've had in my life that were sometimes those aha.

Wines that were amazing and then I've had them again at another time and it just wasn't the same.

And I think so much of how we perceive and experience things, whether it's music, food, wine, really depends on where we're at, our headspace and our emotions. And that's the beauty of what keeps things like music, food and wine interesting and exciting because they're not just one dimensional, right?

They really change depending on context and timing. You'll hear in this episode's Sip Spotlight of a wine that received a 90 point rating with Wine Enthusiast and is under $15.

And let's face it, especially today, that is a rare thing. So I wanted to make sure that you were aware of that as well. So here we go with a revisit encore episode of It Could Happen.

So anyone who has known me for any length of, whether it's in person or through being a listener, you probably know by now that I'm a pretty strong fan of the Dave Matthews Band. Now, you may or may not have the same enthusiasm for this band that I do, but we all have our things. And this has just been my thing since College.

They're local here in Virginia. They've been playing the college bar circuit. And she turned me on to Dave Matthews Band at that time. And then I graduated in 98 and moved to Orlando.

And I don't like to use the word obsessed, but I go to very few other concerts. But yet this is something that I do yearly.

They actually play at the Gorge up in Washington. And at the time of recording this, it is Friday, August 30th of Labor Day weekend.

And they're actually going to be kicking off their three nights of concerts in about two hours and I'm not there. It's hard for us to commit to that now because Labor Day is always getting very close to our harvest of our Sangiovese grapes.

So we were able to squeeze in a concert earlier this week in Bend, Oregon. Michael and I road tripped it up from here. It's about an eight hour drive, beautiful drive up through Northern California and over the Oregon border.

And this was to be my second concert of the summer. So last month I was in my home state of New Jersey and got to take my nephew Aiden to his first Dave Matthews concert, which was so cool.

So if I was a truly obsessive fan, I would know my number. A lot of times when you meet other Day fans, they're like 96, 104. Like they know their concert count.

I don't know exactly, but I've done my best to try to count. It's somewhere between 40 and 50, I believe is where I'm at. We met our dear friends Hobie and Justin. Hobie of episode 13, Dr. Hobie Wedler.

If you have not heard that episode, go back and listen. Hobie and Justin are even bigger fans than me. This was show like a hundred and something for them.

In fact, they were also at the concert last month in New Jersey where I got to take my nephew and they wound up basically at the stage, touching the stage at the very end where Dave Matthews handed them a signed set list and a guitar pick that he used during the show, which they then very kindly passed on to me. So I have this guitar pick which was like the closest thing that I've ever had to even meeting Dave. I have something that he actually touched.

So we have started making this yearly tradition of going to Bend, Oregon and this year we rented a vrbo. And so we arrived on Monday, the day before the concert, drank a Lot of wine, had a great dinner at the house.

And then I always wake up the morning of the concert. It's kind of like Christmas morning for me.

It's that level of excitement and anticipation and usually a little bit of hangover, like Christmas morning, because we have a lot of lovely wine on Christmas Eve. This Tuesday was no different.

Was feeling a little slow to rise in the morning, but got up, made breakfast for everybody, and then I was like, I'm gonna go for a walk. And I just needed to get some fresh air. So the VRBO was in a beautiful little quiet neighborhood in Bend.

And I just walked out the front door, and I was like, I'm not gonna pull up a map. I'm just gonna walk. I don't think I'll get lost. This is a pretty small neighborhood.

And I just started walking through the streets, looking around at the beautiful pine trees around me. And as I get to the end of the street, I can see sort of a block away, there's a school with kids playing in a big field.

So I felt drawn to go that way. Cute little kiddos playing soccer. And that led me to then notice there was, like, a wooden bridge going up and over the river.

So the Deschutes river, like Deschutes Brewery in Bend, was very close to our neighborhood. I knew it was close. I didn't know it was that close. So I see the entrance to this park and this big wooden bridge that goes up and over the river.

So I'm like, oh, perfect, there's a park. Let me walk in there.

I felt grateful to be there and to have just found this beautiful place. I'm usually a planner, not super spontaneous with some things, so I didn't map out where I was going. I just.

Like I said, I just started walking and took the next turn, and that led me to the next place. So as I'm walking, I'm like, man, this is so great. The weather's beautiful. The sky is blue. It's not hot.

And I'm just making some laps around this beautiful park, saying hi to different dogs.

And as I'm about, I don't know, 20, 30 minutes into my walk, I have this thought, and I'm like, it probably wouldn't be that crazy to see Dave Matthews in this park, because I've heard stories over the years, and, yes, I'm a different fan. Facebook groups and things like that, where people have shared stories of, oh, my gosh.

I meet people all the time at concerts because that's one of the things I love is the Dave Matthews Band, family and community, and the fans, the audience are just always super chill, super happy. Everybody takes care of everyone, just joyful. It's just always very positive.

And so you always wind up talking to people and meeting people before the show, and everyone's, oh, yeah, I met him this year because I got, you know, the random number came up in the fan club, and I met him this time, and I ran into him at the hotel lobby and so on and so forth. And. And I've always just been, like, been very patient, and I've always said that any way that I can meet him, I will be so grateful.

But I am also a little greedy with my bucket list, putting it out there to the universe, because I've always said I don't want to just wait in line and take a selfie with him. That'd be cool, and I'd be grateful. But if I'm gonna go for it, I want to drink wine with Dave.

Because what you may or may not know is that Dave Matthews owns a vineyard and winery in Virginia in Charlottesville, where he lived for a long time, where the band got started. And then he also is the partner in Dreaming Tree Wines, which I had to buy a bottle for today's recording.

I think it wouldn't be so crazy to see him. He's been seen running and walking in. In places before the show. And as I have this thought, I look up, and this is far away still.

This is probably, I don't know, at least 50 yards, maybe 75. There's a guy by himself jogging on the path in a black shirt, black shorts, black hair, and he's jogging, and he's jogging towards me.

And I go, now my brain is playing tricks on me, and my eyes are playing tricks on me. Because now I've convinced myself that guy looks like Dave Matthews coming towards me.

And then he's coming closer, and he's coming closer and I'm like, holy shit, that is Dave Matthews coming towards me. So I'm walking, he's running. And I have, after confirming that it was him, I don't know how many seconds going through my mind.

And I've always said if I ever did have an encounter, I would not be the person to interfere or interrupt. I want to be respectful and not be like, can I take a picture? Even though that's how I'm feeling. So I did not stop him.

And right as he is running past me, here are the words that came out of my mouth. Not planned. I said, hello, sir, I know you. I'll see you tonight. And he looks me dead in the eye, Dave. And I eye contact locked.

And he smiles and he says thanks. And he gives me a little wave and he keeps running.

First of all, what are the odds that I would be on that path and he would be on that path and all those things had to happen for that interaction to organically happen. That in itself is crazy.

But the fact that moments before I was thinking, thinking it wouldn't be so crazy to see him here now, I am not super woo woo hippie dippy. I'm probably a little more spiritual than religious these days, but I always do believe that the universe is doing its thing.

But I truly feel like I manifested this. Take it for what it is. You may think I'm crazy, but I have been replaying this in my head since Tuesday. Today is Friday.

And just the fact that I had that interaction with him, but also the fact that I thought it was gonna happen before it happened, gives me goosebumps. And then it makes me emotional cause it was pretty freaking cold. So then he's run past me and I'm like, holy crap, that just happened.

So I turn to watch him keep running. And I did take a video at his back as he's running away just to have proof, because I did not stop him and take a selfie. So I do have that video.

But then my knees got really jello y and I got emotional like I am right now telling the story. So I was like, I gotta call my mom. So I sit down.

There's a little park bench right there on this path along the Deschutes river, where I passed him by shoulder to shoulder. And I sit down on this bench and I call my mom. And of course, mom, love you. Shout out to you little sue in New Jersey.

I call her, and she answers the phone on her Apple watch, which sometimes people do right when your phone's not nearby. But she answers on her watch, and I'm like, hello, Mom? And she's like, you know, I hear, like, crashing. Hold on. I'm looking for my phone.

And all kinds of rustling. And I'm like, mom, Mom, I have to tell you something. So it felt like it took forever for her to actually get the phone to her ear.

And then whenever I am Joy crying, which, you guys know happens often, Joy falls out of my face. Especially if I'm calling my mom. I have to start off the convers, everything's okay, because I don't want her to worry that something's wrong.

I'm like, everything's okay. But I just had a really cool story, and then I told her what happened. And I'm sitting here still in the park on this park bench.

And as I'm telling her the story, I look up and he's coming back around. Like, he's coming in the opposite direction towards me. Like he's done another lap in the park. So I'm like, mom, I gotta go. He's coming back.

So now I have a little bit more time. And of course, it feels like an eternity that I'm having this debate in my mind.

Like, okay, the universe is bringing him back in front of you for a second time. Does this mean it's your time to stop him? Put out your hand shake, take a picture, tell him you make wine.

And I just keep going back and forth and back and forth. And the super respectful, amiable Nikki still took over in that moment.

And as he jogged by me, he obviously acknowledged that he had just seen me a minute and a half ago, two minutes ago, whenever it was. I don't know, the time is all jumbly, but he just looked at me again, waved to the side, smiled, and kept running. And I did nothing.

I'm in awe and grateful that this happened in such an organic way. First of all, he was by himself. No security, no hat, no glasses, like, not trying to hide in any way.

And that's one of the things I've heard over the years of people that have interacted with him is that he's just super down to earth. That was really cool. And the fact that I was alone. Michael was playing golf that morning, and I was by myself. And it's just like, holy cow.

In the last couple days, as I've retold the story, and then I was like, oh, my gosh. I have to record this as a podcast and replayed it. Like, when I get into bed at night, it's like a reel running in my head.

And sometimes when I replay it, it's exactly as it was, and I don't stop him, and I just say, hello, sir, I know you. See you tonight. Ooh.

And then sometimes in my head, I replay it when you would probably do the same thing, whether it was Dave Matthews or your idol that you want to meet. And I'm like, oh, what should I have done?

And one of my friends, Heather, from the wine haters episode, Heather, who does not like wine, go back and listen to that episode. She's like, you should have started running alongside of him. I'm like, oh, yeah. Because that wouldn't have been a hot mess. So I'm curious.

I would love your reactions and your thoughts to this.

Send me an email nikkioupnikki.com and let me know what would you have done in that situation when whether it's him again or replace Dave with your idol and they're jogging, would you have stopped them? Would you have fist pumped? Would you have put your hand out? Would you have run alongside?

Or would you have just left the phone in your pocket and just had that beautiful, organic moment that the universe clearly orchestrated?

After I called every one of my family members in the park and told them that story, then I had a walk back to the house where my friends Hobie and Justin, the even bigger Dave fans, were. They were in the house doing some work, and I walk into the living room of the vrbove and I lay down on the floor of the house, and I go, I'm dead.

And they're like, oh, my gosh, are you okay? Like, they were actually worried. Like, no, I have a really cool story. And then, of course, I told them the story.

So anyway, we went to the show that night on the river. It was phenomenal, and I truly believe that was just a bonus interaction.

I'm still gonna be patient for my opportunity to truly meet Dave, to introduce myself, to talk about wine and to drink win with him. But this, I felt, was the universe just saying, way to be patient. Here's a little crumb. A very cool crumb. And it just was really, really special.

You guys again, here we are three days later, and I can't even talk about it without getting emotional. I just wanted to share that with you. And of course, as always, there is a sip spotlight, sips by light.

Because as I mentioned, Dave is a partner in Dreaming Tree Wines.

Now Dreaming Tree, the label and the wine has been around for a long time, but they just recently changed where they make the wine, the winemaker, and a real focus on sustainability and they even changed their packaging.

So I bought a bottle today in preparation of this recording and I had not bought Dreaming Tree except for some concert venues will sell it at his show. Like when we were at the show in New Jersey last month.

They actually will sell you like a full bottle in a carafe and we buy the and then just drink it throughout the show.

So that's the time I will typically enjoy it, but usually it's something that I drank earlier on in my 20s, early 30s, before I was really a wine nerd and then just have gotten away from it drinking other things. So it was fun to go into the store. I actually found it in Target here. This is the Crush, which is the red blend.

It was $13.99 and I love the new packaging.

So one of the things I notice and I appreciate is they've gone away from the foil capsule on the top and that is something that a lot of producers are examining just because it's an extra piece of landfill and carbon footprint. And is it really necessary to get a wow packaging.

But on the old packaging on the foil they had the lyrics from the song Dreaming Tree printed on it and now they've just replaced it with just a little sticker around the neck and it says long before these crowded streets, here stood the dreaming tree. So again, that's a Dave song.

And when I was looking on their website today figuring out what one I wanted to buy, this 13.99 red blend actually got 90 points from wine Enthusiast, which is a very reputable publication that I follow for scores and ratings. I just thought I would pour my some and enjoy it while I shared this story with you. So cheers. Taking a sip. It's very fruity, it's very ripe.

When I look on their website, dreamingtreewines.com, which of course I will link in the show. Notes There's a note from their winemaker.

His name is Grayson Stewart and he says Crush is a special blend hand selected from some of the best grape varieties California has to offer. Rich and decadent with delicious jammy flavors of raspberry, dark cherry and a long soft finish. A truly versatile wine.

It pairs well with friends and great conversations or podcasts by almost 48 year old women who had a personal interaction with David. I added that last part. It does have a quote from Dave though. And in Pure Dave fashion. It's abstract and interesting.

And this is actually the same quote that's on the back label, and it has some artwork that I'm gonna guess Dave drew. He does that. And it says, two hot dogs in a pickup. A hot day, two dogs chase a stick thrown into a pond again and again.

The older, slower dog never gets the stick and moans at the effort, but always goes in, quote, maybe this time from Dave Matthews. And I thought, is that me? Am I the older, slower dog who's been waiting and patient and thinking, maybe this time.

So just a lot of synergy and a lot of cool things happening. One last thing, just a note to the title. So Dave on his newest album has a song called It Could Happen.

And I like the song, but, like, of all the songs on the new album, it wasn't one that really resonated with me until he sang it on Tuesday night. And I'll share the lyrics in the show notes, talking about just, it could happen. And it's we awoke from a dream.

And as he was singing this hours after I had interacted with him, notice I'm very specific to not say after I met him. I didn't meet him. I had an interaction with him after that happened.

And then hearing him sing that song, it took on a whole new meaning of it could happen. It really happens. There we have it. I just wanted to share a very special thing that happened to me this week.

Pair it with a very special, lovely, and very affordable wine. Check out Dreaming Tree. You can get it in most local retailers, totalwine, wine.com, all of the above. But put on some Dave and enjoy it.

And I hope that you get to have your moment one day. It could happen. So my hope is that your takeaway is that maybe with a little bit of positivity, you could manifest something wonderful for yourself.

And I'll tell you, I still go back and forth on that second time he passed me, should I have said something? And a year later, I look back on it and I'm like, yes, I should have. I should have stopped him.

Only because in the days following this, I saw other fans who must have been in the park at the same time as me sharing photos of themselves with him. So other people must have stopped him and he didn't say no. And so I'm like, oh, I should have done it.

So my year later life lesson from that is, don't be so damn polite, Nikki. Seize the moment. You were kind of respectful one time, but the universe was shouting at me the second time.

Here he is again and I should have listened. So it just goes to show you that a little time in between can also change how I probably would have reacted.

Check out Dreaming Tree Wines for that Awesomely priced under $15 Crush Red Blend. You can find it at pretty much most retailers that carry wine.

A wine that you cannot find in any retailers is my wine, Solevato, and one day I'm going to share my wine with Dave and tell him that the meaning of Solevato is joyful and uplifted and relieved and no longer worried. And he's been a big part of that in my life and I can't wait to tell him that when the time comes.

So check out Solovato wines.com website and link is in the show notes and be sure to use the discount code pod listener for 10% off your purchase.

Listen in next week for my episode with Dr. Hoby as we taste some delicious snacks at Disneyland and get his perceptions as someone who was born without sight of the smells and the sounds and the sensations of the happiest place on earth that's coming to you next Tuesday. And whatever you do between now and then, I hope that you sip well la.