Halloween 2019

The yearly Halloween Family picture!

2019

Halloween thru the years:

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Preparations

Twas the day before Halloween..

and the spooky preparations are underway. 

Pointless

 The days have slipped away quickly this month.  So much so that it is two days before Trick-or Treating and we are still working on costumes.  However, it feels pointless as the weather has been holding strong at wind and soaking rain all day and night on Halloween.  Oh well.  The show holiday must go on and we have an annual holiday picture to take.  

Ripley's

October 2000

Gatlinburg, Tennesssee

Ripley's Believe It or Not

October 2019

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Ripley's Believe It or Not

Sure some things have changed over time, but the heart of the matter has stayed the same.

Happy Anniversary, Babe.  

Love you more and more each year.

Closer

Jacob, and subsequently all of us, dove into the world of travel sports this year.  It was a crash course for sure.  The very first day of tournaments sent us straight to Walmart to stock up on things like a wagon, better and bigger water jugs, and a cooler on wheels.  

That was 13 weeks ago.  

Today it all comes to an end.

It was a long season with games every Saturday and Sunday, but it was worth it.  

Although our winning average was not that great, I know Jacob learned a lot and had fun along the way.  As parents it was rewarding to see him grow.   Now for a season of rest before Spring soccer begins!

Jack-o-Lanterns

It seems like I am late to the holiday party no matter the season this year.  Its almost time to decorate for Christmas and we haven't even carved pumpkins yet!!

We did some quick carved pumpkin research, got them drawn on, and let the kids hack away.

Oh these kids...

Rachel's pumpkin - a cute kitty.

Jacob's Pumpkin - crazy eyes.

Holly's Pumpkin - a toilet.

Jim's Pumpkin - Tetris, duh!

Bree's Pumpkin - Hungry!

I'm pretty impressed with how they turned out.  We even took the time to get creative on the roasting of the seeds.  This year we experimented with a cinnamon sugar batch and a Lawry's Seasoned Salt variety.  

Happy (almost) Halloween!

Girls Day

All vacation Jim and I kept meaning to stop at Panera, kept looking for a Panera, kept talking about Panera, but it never came to be.  There wasn't enough time and when we did find one it was too late and our beloved bagels would have been sold out anyways.  Now we are home and back to the normal routine of home cooked meals.  However, with that much Panera on the brain, I found an excuse reason why I just had to drive to Toledo where there happens to be.... Panera.

Cades Cove

Today was the last day of our little anniversary get-away.  We had heard from multiple people that Cades Cove is a must do and is the most likely place to see a black bear.  Since that was Jim's life ambition this trip that is exactly where we headed.  The views along the way and the beauty of the changing leaves was so amazing.  

Pictures never do justice to God's work.

We were advised by a GSM (Great Smokey Mountain) Park Ranger that if we were heading out to Cades Cove and wanted to do some hiking, we should stop at the Middle Prong Trail for a beautiful cascading waterfall.  Well, lets just say that there was a mix up and we ended up on West Prong Trail, not Middle Prong Trail, and there was no such waterfall.  In fact, this 2.7 mile out and back trail did not offer much of anything except a very steep, winding climb and a jungle of Rhododendrons to walk through.  However, the end of the 2.7 mile hike did give us a glimpse of something neat, something normal for the area, something we will never do - a primitive campsite (again, that you have to hike 2.7 miles with everything you need strapped to your back including your food, tent, clothes, pillows, campstove, etc.) that included a permanent bear bag station.

Eventually and much later than planned, we made it to Cades Cove - an 11 mile loop that was settled back in 1818.  There are over 80 of the original buildings still standing in this area including the John Oliver cabin that was built in the early 1820s.

Cades Cove is an exceptionally busy area.  The tourist book states that over 2-million people visit the area every year and  judging by the amount of traffic we ran into in this loop I believe it!  And with views like this, I'd make it a routine stop when I am in the area too.

In fact, if I lived in the area, I just might bring my camping chair and join this gentleman in some life reflecting thinking as well.  

Biltmore

Today we ventured to Asheville, North Carolina to visit the Biltmore Estate.  

We spent almost 6 hours touring the house, gardens, and Antler Village and still did not see it all.  In no particular order, here are the pictures from the day:  

The Winter Garden where guests can enjoy the outdoors no matter the weather.

At over 4 acres of living space, the Biltmore Estate is the largest private residence in America.  

Main Banquet Room

Construction started in 1889 and completed in 1895. 

Less informal Breakfast Room

 There are 250 rooms that include 34 family and guest bedrooms, 43 bathrooms (with indoor plumbing, a rarity in those days), 65 fireplaces, 3 kitchens, a library, indoor swimming pool, and bowling alley!

The view that made George Vanderbilt III build his house in this exact location.

The foundation walls of this massive house are 14 feet thick!

The Library

During World War 2, the Biltmore Estate was used as a safe house by the National Gallery of Art in order to protect historic artwork from Hitler or any other attack.  

George Vanderbuilt's Bedroom

You can find Napoleon Bonapart's chess set in the Library!!

The family's personal living room.  

The driveway from the road to the house is a whopping 3 miles!

Mrs. Vanderbuilt's bedroom since you would need to change clothes multiple times a day and doing so in the same room as your husband wasn't custom during that time period.

The 12,000 square foot horse stable has been converted into little shops and restaurants that feature the original brick flooring, windows, and beautiful gigantic barn doors. 

Above: Private staircase leading up to the third floor

Below: View down into the Banquet Hall from the private staircase

The main part of the house features a 4 story spiral staircase.

 In the center of that spiral staircase is a 4 story chandelier. 

All of which can be seen from the outside of the house.

The main floor of the house has a 90 foot "tapestry" room so its only fitting that directly below it you build a bowling alley. 

If bowling isn't your thing, just step into the next room where there is a hallway of changing rooms....

.... so you can get ready to go swimming!

 When people visited the Biltmore Estate, they would stay for weeks or months.  In order to provide more entertainment for his guests, an impressive 40+ acre garden was created.  

The Rose Garden is home to over 250 varieties of roses.  

There is a 20-acre Azalea Garden with over 1,000 azaleas and a bass pond that is more the size of a lake.  

There is so much to see and learn and do at the Biltmore Estate.  From seeing walk in refrigerators of the 1890's to segway tours of the property, I promise you will not regret your visit.  And if you go at the right time, you might even get to see a crane lifting the Rockefeller size Christmas tree into place!