Longtime Friends

Shelly was fortunate enough to spend time with her good friend, Shelby, on a recent orthodontist visit to NC. 

Free Slurpees on 7-11

Then the girls came back to Virginia for a several day visit. We are making the most of their time with trips to the beach, biking at the oceanfront, crafting at the Mermaid Factory, playing with the puppy, and sharing time being with one another. 

So glad Shelly is getting a much needed friend fix!

Enjoying crab from Chix

Biltmore Weekend

Amidst all of the packing and planning, I decided the girls and I needed a little road trip. So, we headed to Asheville on Saturday. We toured downtown, visited Biltmore, and went to the outlet center. We had a great time and enjoyed plenty of good food. 

At the Urban Outfitters, the fella suggested we get a bite to eat at The Twisted Crepe. It was the perfect spot for this trio. The crepes were awesome and really hit the spot. We stopped in a local shop with all kinds of fun crafts from local artists. Asheville has a unique feel to it. It's filled with eclectic people and sights. A great place to visit. From downtown, we were off to Biltmore. 

The Biltmore house is just beautiful and is filled with interesting stories of its owners. We were lucky enough that the day before was the start of the Christmas tour. There were Christmas trees every where and they were just amazing. The girls and I had a terrific time touring the house and learning about the life of the Vanderbilts. It was Lily's second visit (her first was at age 18 months) and Shelly's first visit. After the tour, we had a sweet from the bakery and a hot chocolate and a chai tea. The perfect way to end the tour on a chilly and rainy evening. 

After we checked into our hotel we decided to take a trip across the street to the outlet center. We found a few fun little items and then went to dinner at a local restaurant. 

Our girls weekend included a good nights sleep and breakfast at the Atlanta Bread Company. It was just what we needed in the middle of all the chaos and craziness. Want a fun weekend away? Head to Asheville.  

Duke Field Trip

So, after the deer incident, I met Lily and her friends at the Museum of Life and Science. I was only there long enough to see the Butterfly House, but the girls all said it was a fun museum.



From there, we went to Duke University for a tour. We had lunch in the gardens (so pretty) and then began a visit of the campus. Such a beautiful school. And, it was a fun chance to stand on the Duke basketball court...even for the many who were UNC fans!

11 Years

It was eleven years ago today that John and I made our decision to leave our jobs in Virginia Beach and move to NC. 

Within two weeks of that decision, our house went on the market, we told our family about our move, and John moved to NC to begin a new job. And by Halloween, our little family of three were living in NC and beginning a whole new life. 

So hard to believe that 11 years has passed since that day. I must admit that the transition to this new life hasn't always been easy. I miss my family in Virginia, dearly. But, I do know that the opportunities and changes have benefitted our family of four. 


And, one of my ongoing goals is to continue to foster a happy life for our family...no matter where we live.

The Red Door

If you live anywhere near us, you'll probably recognize the building in these photos. If not, it's called the Farm Office and I am not quite sure what goes on there. I do know that it's a small building painted white with a large red stripe and the words "Farm Office" in red. Oh, and it has an awesome red door to boot. Each time I go by the Farm Office I think I should stop and take some pictures. And so, yesterday we did. The girls thought I was a bit crazy to make them pose at the Farm Office, but I was glad we did it. Because who can resist a red door????