Anniversary in Asheville

On September 18, Wes and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe it has been that long since I walked down the aisle and vowed to love and cherish my best friend for the rest of my life. I love him even more now than I did then.

Wes found a great deal on 2 nights in a brand new hotel in Asheville, as they were still offering their Grand Opening rates. We decided to take a short trip to celebrate and enjoy some time together. It was wonderful. We enjoyed good food and drink, visited the Biltmore Estate, and before leaving to come home to our boys on Wednesday we had lunch on the Sunset Terrace at the Grove Park Inn.

Our favorite restaurant was a relatively small place called Tupelo Honey. The food was great, and it didn't hurt that the place was crawling with bumble bee decor. We had a delicious dinner there on Monday, the night we arrived, and an equally wonderful lunch there on Tuesday before heading to the Biltmore. After arriving at the Biltmore and paying the outrageous amount we knew we would pay for tickets, we hopped on a shuttle which took us to the front of the Estate.

It was simply beautiful inside.

For sure worth the ticket price to see it once. It was amazing to think that a vacation home like the Biltmore was built and so well appointed in the late 19th century. For example, the home has 43 bathrooms when most people during that time period did not have even one. Wes and I are not the audio tour type. We grabbed a pamphlet containing facts about each part of the Estate and were on our way. We did A LOT of walking and were ready for some R&R back at the hotel. That night we ate at The Lobster Trap, which was also delicious. Can you tell that we love to eat on vacation? We really had a wonderful time and enjoyed our time away together. It was our first time visiting Asheville and it was just beautiful. 

Tax Free

We have lived in North Carolina for about 14 months now. I love living here, much more than I ever thought that I would. The area is beautiful, I love living on a lake. I love our neighborhood- it is quite but we have made some great friends here. The weather is much better than "up North" as the Southerners say, but I do find myself occasionally complaining about the heat. Surprisingly, there are few things I find myself missing about Pennsylvania, despite having lived there for 12 years. That being said, this weekend made me feel nostalgia for PA. This weekend is tax-free weekend in NC. They do it twice a year, but this is the big one, right before back-to-school. This weekend there is no tax on clothes, shoes, and other back to school items. Of course in PA there was never tax on clothes, so that was a big adjustment when we moved here. Of course I had to take advantage of this tax vacation. Friday morning I loaded Owen into the car and we went to Target and the mall and got ourselves some tax-free clothes! A lot of stores have sales to coincide with this event, which is even better. I scored Wes a pair of jeans he needed, a few things for myself, and most importantly clothes for the boys in the next size. Owen didn't have quite as much fun as I did, but at least he was cooperative!