Christmas at Biltmore

I have wanted to experience Christmas at Biltmore for years and this year we made it happen!  We had the opportunity to visit and I couldn't say yes fast enough!!

The weather was pretty nice, slightly chilly but at least it wasn't snowing!

I always love the center with all the plants, those windows!!

The banquet hall was beautiful!!  That tree was HUGE!!

This is the Breakfast Room, my kinda place, a room just for breakfast ;)

My favorite room in the whole house, the library!  So many books and it is so cozy.

I told Kyle we should have counted all the trees in the house, they were EVERYWHERE!!

Mrs. Vanderbilt's room, can I move in??

I loved this tree, all the stars hanging around were so whimsical.

We smelled this before we saw it...a gingerbread version of the Biltmore House!  I loved it!!

So many cute Christmas details!

We finished with the house right before the sun set so we caught that beautiful golden hour light.

We also picked up an apple cider that was delicious!!

Such a gorgeous view, mountains as far as you can see.

We made sure to stop by Antler Hill Village on our way out and as soon as we drove up I fell in love.  There were lights EVERYWHERE and it was so magical!!

This tree was the most amazing thing!!  So many lights and it was beautiful just to walk through.  They also had a fire pit and you could roast s'mores.

So magical!

We had such a great time, Kyle kept mentioning how much he enjoyed it.  It was a great start to our Christmas celebration.  Have you been to Biltmore?  What is your favorite season to visit?  I have now been spring, summer and winter.

Trip to NC: Fall Leaves, an Apple Orchard and Murals

It's been a while since I have put up a post...sorry y'all life got crazy.  We traveled to NC a couple of weeks ago and since I haven't posted anything I thought I would share a recap.

I saw this mural on instagram and saw that it was in Asheville, I knew we had to make a stop and see it.  I am a big fan of Dolly Parton, she's done so much for her town, she is so talented and smart.  This mural was beautiful!!  If you are in Asheville it's on Haywood Road by a beauty salon (google it).

This mural was across the street from Dolly so I hopped over and took a picture with it as well.  There are so many fun murals all around Asheville, I definitely want to check them out in the future!

We made a trip to Grandad's Apples on a whim and had such a great time!!  It was chilly and dreary but it was such a cute place!

The pick your own was closed down for the season but it was still pretty to walk through.

They had a small animal area with a couple of goats and a donkey.  They had a feeding station where you paid 25 cents and poured some food in a cup on the pulley then you cranked the pulley and it dumped food for the goat.  He jumped up and ate out of the one we did and y'all I loved it!  

They had so many activites, some free, some you paid for but it was really cute.

They had a little children's area with lots of things to play on and some things to take pictures with...not just for kids.

We also stopped by the bakery and picked up a few things.  I got an apple cider donut and my husband got a fried apple pie.

Yes to apple cider donuts!!  I have heard ravings about these guys for so long and I finally got to try them.  They really did taste like apple cider and they were delicious!

We also had to try some of their cider options.  I got the cider slushie and my husband got the hot cider.  The cider slush was perfectly tart while the cider was spicy and sweet.

You could also purchase apples by the bag.  It was a really fun time and definitely worth a stop if you are in the neighborhood.

You never know what you will see in the mountains, we drove up on three turkeys crossing the road (why did the turkey cross the road?)

My parents got to come up on Sunday and we had lunch together with Kyle's family.  It's hard living so far away from family but it makes you appreciate time with your family all the more.

We had such a great little short trip to NC, always good to spend time with family.  My husband and I always love going back to the mountains.

Trip to NC: wedding, lake and food!

We just recently got back from a trip to NC to attend the wedding of Kyle's cousin (pretty much sister) we also decided to go to the lake and make a mini vacation out of it.

Free Tea Day happened to fall on the day we were driving out so we stopped and picked one up.  McAlister's tea is my favorite!

We got to NC around 9 that night and then made a trip to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  I pretty much always get the Fresh Start breakfast, that blueberry muffin y'all!

I had the honor of being a bridesmaid in Kyle's cousin's wedding so we attended the rehearsal dinner.  I was off my game and didn't get a picture of our dinner but it was delicious!  I had pest chicken and green beans, salad, mashed potatoes and the biggest slice of coconut cake I have ever seen in my life!

I spent the night with the bridesmaids and we talked, hung out and discussed marriage.  I didn't know any of the other girls going into the wedding but they were so sweet and inviting I had such a great time getting to know them.

Wedding day started with a Starbucks run to get the bride some coffee and then on to getting ready for the big day!

Photo by Jessica Gardner

Photo by Jessica Gardner

Photo by Jessica Gardner

Photo by Jessica Gardner

Photo by Jessica Gardner

Photo by Jessica Gardner

Such a beautiful and sweet wedding.  I was blessed to be apart of the special day.  We had such a great time seeing family and friends and making new friends.

After the wedding we started the next day with a drive to the lake, but first we stopped at my favorite bagel spot.  Bruegger's Bagels is my absolute favorite.  I got a cinnamon sugar bagel with cream cheese and they also had coconut coffee for summer which they should make a thing year round because it was AMAZING!!

I have been coming to Lake Lure since I was a baby, my grandparents have a house on the lake and I have been so blessed to be able to grow up at this lake.  Fun fact, Dirty Dancing and The Last of the Mohicans were both filmed here.

Not a lot better than starting the day off with coffee by the lake.

 

There was a little family of ducks that would swim up to the dock a couple times a day and we would feed them.

Such a beautiful lake, the mountains are my favorite!

My family also got to come up for the day and it was so great to see my parents and sisters, just missed the brother.  We went on boat rides, floated around and hung out.

Here's a picture of my grandparents' house...just kidding this is the castle on the lake.  It is so gorgeous and I would love to see what it looks like inside.

We only had one rainstorm but it left us with the most beautiful sunset.

We had such a great trip, it is always nice to get back to NC and see our families.