Biltmore

My parents visited my sister’s family in Atlanta the weekend before Thanksgiving and then were headed to our house to celebrate the holiday.  We made a plan to meet in Asheville for Tuesday night (my parents and I shopped in Black Mountain—I bought a painting I’d noticed when we were there at the end of October—and had dinner at the Sierra Nevada Brewery) and then spend Wednesday exploring the Biltmore.  Jonathan drove the kids up on Wednesday to meet us at the Biltmore near Asheville.  Ella and Jack had never explored the Biltmore, the largest privately-owned house in the United States, so we got them an audio guide (my mom and I got them as well) to help them understand the significance of the house and its history.  The Biltmore was beautifully decked out for Christmas—it was a nice way to kick off the holiday season for us.  We spent Thanksgiving at home with my parents.  It was so nice to have them visit again—they were here in September to watch the kids while Jonathan and I were in Aruba, but I didn’t really get to spend time with them. 

Instagrammin’ in November

Life is good.  November was another great month with adventures with family and friends.

i headed to wild dunes (outside charleston) for a tennis tournament weekend with friends. | the view from our house | ellen and me post practice—matches are tomorrow! | the racquet wars wsrc crew | wearing our shirts, ready to support those in the finals | go wsrc! | fun weekend | another raleigh tournament in the books for jack | ella went to kanuga on a confirmation retreat | the confirmands | how could you not give this girl every treat she wants?? | cutest little bass clarinet player around | checking out the catawba brewery here in charlotte with friends | four friends, four different flights | happy birthday to jonathan—he took the day off and we had fun at top golf and went out to lunch. | happy birthday to jonathan! | donut cake | back to asheville—i met my parents in asheville for a night. | we explored the sierra nevada brewery. | jim and patty | watching the bottling process was pretty cool (better in video). | kellerweiss—my favorite | the next day we met jonathan, ella, and jack at the biltmore (olive stayed at a doggie day care right outside the biltmore). | it was all decked out for christmas. | this was the kids’ first time at the biltmore. | i coudn’t tell you how many christmas trees filled the biltmore—a lot. | the mural on the study’s ceiling | we found the thomas edison bulb on the tree. | it was a beautiful sunny day, not too chilly. | my sweetie and me, in the greenhouse | ella and papa, walking the gardens | one last look at the beautiful biltmore house | wine tasting at the biltmore winery | the biltmore gatehouse all lit up—goodbye to biltmore before we head home for thanksgiving the next day | ella ran the turkey trot 4-miler on thanksgiving day and came in third in her age group. | ella’s ode to bob ross | jack took me on a date to his cotillion dance. | what a gentleman | jack and friend koen