North Carolina Getaway

Thank you all for your prayers for my cousin Cameron. My Aunt said that the Holy Spirit was present in the courtroom that day. The courtroom was packed and there were very few people present with dry eyes. I wish I could have been there too. Cameron is surrounded by a lot of support and love and God continues to be faithful. Here is a link to the newspaper article about the trial and his sentencing.

Here we are just across the North Carolina border on Thursday afternoon. We're here until Sunday and are having an amazing time. Did I mention it's just the two of us? I do miss the kids, in fact I was crying after dropping them off with my mom...but man is it nice to focus on each other for a few days and not worry about taking anyone potty or wiping any mouths.

That evening we ate at a local seafood restaurant across from our hotel. As we were being escorted to our table the smell of WESSON filled the air and I noticed everyones plate that we passed was overflowing with deep fried seafood. My plate came out covered with whole deep fried catfish (with tails) over a bed of deep fried hush puppies...not a big fan of fried food, but it wasn't bad. Catching a movie after dinner

On Friday we went to the Biltmore Estate...America's Largest Home. This was definitely a highlight of the trip for me. We spent the whole day there exploring the house, garden's and winery. It's hard to describe the beauty and vastness of this place...just breathtaking. The 250- room home was built in 1894 for George Vanderbilt and felt like a castle. It was overwhelming to imagine the lifestyle of the family that lived there. When guests visited they each had their own personal butler or maid to attend to them. The home has an indoor bowling alley and swimming pool and the fourth story housed the many servants that waited on the owners and their guests. We toured the house and grounds and were only allowed to take pictures outside the house. Lunch at the outdoor cafe' next to the house.

The beauty and vastness of the gardens is impossible to catch on camera. I kept finding myself just saying "wow" the whole day.

...a quick kiss behind the rose bushes

There were so many little paths and trails and out of nowhere you'd come up on tons of little hidden unique spots while walking.

After exploring the grounds, house & gardens, we toured and sampled at the winery located on the Biltmore grounds.

Such a fun and memorable day!