Life…How Hard Can It Be?

I was able to help my mom and step-dad move into a new home on Saturday. (no, not the one in the picture!)  I was so excited, as it is a move I have been waiting for for a few years now. They lived in North Carolina after they married a little over 10 years ago, and it was hard for me to have my mom so far away, but I enjoyed visiting her when I would get the chance. It is soooo beautiful there!!! And, of course,  it’s the home of my “magical” place- the Biltmore!!!!  I get weepy just thinking about it! I dream about it on a regular basis, actually. I even have viewmaster slides of it which I pull out and look at wistfully from time to time. 

The Biltmore was built at the turn of the century by a very wealthy man named George Washington Vanderbilt. He built it for his wife for a wedding present! It was originally intended to be MUCH smaller, but turned into this incredible and breathtaking palace! It’s been featured in Architectural Digest, and many movies have been filmed there as well. (see “Being There”)  I want to stay in the Biltmore hotel, breathe in the oppulence of the surroundings!  I WOULD stay in the actual house, but that isn’t allowed. (arg!)  I think I was actually a guest there in a former life. (Ok, I don’t really believe in that stuff, but maybe I was related to someone who stayed there and it’s been passed down through my blood.) The first time I ever went there, it was like going home! Truly!

There is a fantastic buffet restaurant there called the Deerpark Inn that serves top-of-the-line gourmet dishes in an elegant setting, for under $20 a person! I will miss it!!!! There is a cute little petting farm where the kids can pet the animals. Eason loved it when we went.  I told my hubby that he WILL take me there someday- Oh yes, he will!

So, this was pretty much a travel log. I didn’t intend it to be that way, but now that it is, you can have a great idea for a place to visit with romance, and beauty, and luxury- all rolled into one giant sprawling estate!

Oh, Biltmore, I will always cherish our time together. I will miss your smooth dark woods, your vaulted ceilings, your breathtaking views. There will never be another for me.

Oh, and Mom…. I’m really glad you’re in Utah now! Sorry, forgot to mention that!