NC Thanksgiving Trip Recap

I fee like we just got back from Thanksgiving with family and we are already preparing for another trip, this holiday season is flying by!

We had a wonderful time in North Carolina spending time with family, eating way to much food and relaxing.

My family came up to spend Thanksgiving with Kyle's family for the first time and it could not have gone any better.  We both have really great families that get along really well and we all just had a good time.

This may look gross to some of you but y'all it was delicious!!  Last time we were in Asheville we had breakfast at this cute little diner and they had livermush (I love livermush).  I requested that we go back on our next trip and it did not disappoint.  Nothing fancy, just good southern cooking. 

Ironic enough we saw this group of wild turkeys that walk around Kyle's grandparents house.  His grandpa feeds them and they walk right up to him.

We missed most of the fall leaves this year but it was still beautiful driving through the mountains.

I also tried out the new Cinnamon Cookie Latte from McDonald's and y'all it was delicious!!

This picture is really special as my brother is deployed this year and we got to facetime him and included him in the family picture.  We had such a great time with our families and are looking forward to seeing them again soon! 

How do you Fair? Dixie Classic Fair Memories

October is here and with it that ache that has become all too familiar.  Akin to homesickness for a place that is so familiar it feels like home.  To many it is just a county fair, a place for food, rides and fireworks; for me it will always be about friends, family and so many memories made.

I grew up raising and showing animals (pigs, sheep and beef cattle), the Dixie Classic Fair was always a favorite part of the show season.  As a child I loved riding the rides and eating all the cotton candy and candy apples I could get.  As I got a little older I found my favorite spot on the fairgrounds was not the midway but in the livestock barn.  The people were what really made the difference.  Many of them have been there my whole life and have watched me grow up.  The support and friendships made throughout my years of showing are some that I will always treasure.  Even though the livestock show brings a fair share of competition in that barn everyone works together and supports one another.

  I miss the early mornings before the sun was up, washing the cattle on the wash rack, late nights cleaning up, and taking a quick break eating lunch together on the showbox.  It was hard work but those times spent with my family are priceless memories that I will always hold onto.

I'm sure all of you have a similar spot that you love and miss, the Dixie Classic fair is mine.  It's where I grew up and the home of so many memories.

I have been attending the fair since before I was born, my first trip was in utero.

It's true what they say "Banners and ribbons will fade but the memories will last a lifetime."  Winning was nice but being able to share that with my family was even better.  I know my parents were proud of us each and every time we went in that ring, first place or last.  

Just looking at this picture I hear the whir of fans blowing, cattle mooing and I'm back in the barn. 

There's not a lot that compares to the feeling of walking into the ring and giving it your all.  Fellow showmen, enjoy your time it goes by so fast.

"It's sort of in your blood.  You don't think about the long hours or the money.  You do it because you love it." -Ross Haberfield

As I sit here eight hours away, I hold on and reminisce on the years spent and the memories made.  I can almost smell the scent of shavings, hear the announcer giving class results and feel that rush of walking into the ring.  

The fair will always hold a piece of my heart and I am forever grateful for the place it has had in my life. 

Lake Lure's Hidden Treasure

Nestled in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains is the most beautiful Lake Lure.  This is the lake I grew up on and it will always hold a special place in my heart.  One of my favorite attractions to visit and show people when we go is the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge.  Once the original traffic bridge built in 1925, it closed to traffic and was turned into a beautiful landmark of flowers in 2011.

I love walking through all the flowers and seeing how they turned something old and historic into something new that adds such a beautiful touch to the town.

They have new additions all the time and they had added so many little Fairy houses and magical little extra touches.

They also added a little Secret Garden which I loved!  When I was younger I watched the movie and read the book, I wanted my own secret garden so bad!

So many cute planter accents.

 If you happen to be at the lake it is such a neat place to walk trough and check out.  

They also have a little cafe at the beginning of the bridge so you can get some coffee and pastries.

Weekend in NC

My husband had spring break (shouldn't everyone have a spring break????) so I took the opportunity to take some time off work and we took a trip to see our families.  We spent the first half of the week with my family and the second half with his.  Since we live 6-8 hours away it was so great to get the chance to see everyone. 

I said we were on "spring break" but we had two different days of snow.  It was definitely pretty to see but I prefer it when I don't have anywhere to go.

My littlest sister had her 19th Birthday (what??) a couple of days before we were there and she wanted to take a day trip to Boone, NC.  This is home to Appalachian State University which is where I graduated school and met my husband.  We stopped in the Mast General store and picked up one of these cute mugs.

It ended up being me, my husband, my two sisters (Rae and Christy), Rae's boyfriend and my parents.

I had such a great time walking around campus and seeing old spots.  Students were on spring break so the campus was a ghost town.  That meant more options for cute pictures that would usually be full of people.

I made sure to get a picture in front of the sign...believe it or not I had never gotten one.

Such a good day spent with family!

We walked around King Street downtown and stopped in some cute stores, so many new ones since I graduated.

My littlest sister just started her own blog, go check it out here.

The second half of the trip we spent time with my husband's side of the family and really just took time to relax and hang out.  I actually didn't get any pictures (#fail) but we had a great time!

Dressing Downton experience at Biltmore

Since my husband and I are moving in July my mom has been coming up with things she wants us to do before we live so far away.  This time it was to go to the Biltmore house, now they had a special event going on for Downton Abbey...so I mean we had to go...

They had a display of the costumes from the show displayed throughout the house.  It was so neat to see the detail of the outfits.  When you see them on TV you just get a glimpse of them and don't get to see all the beautiful embroidery, beading and detail.

It was such a beautiful day, perfect weather.  It was so nice and not too hot.  Fair warning the house is not air conditioned and I have been in the summer when it is quite warm...I much prefer it in the spring.  Although I still want to go in the winter and see it at Christmas.

You can't take pictures inside the house but here are some pictures of the gardens and the outside:

My littlest sister (who is not so little anymore) got to come along with my mom and my mother-in-law.  I had so much fun sharing the day with them!

This was a little decorative plate in one of the gift shops and I just loved that quote. 

This was a display in the gift shop.  Here is just one of the beautiful costumes we got to see.  And I just love her :)

They had so many Downton Abbey items and I absolutely loved it!