Getaway and Reynolda

While my parents were visiting we planned a day and one night away. We started our day at The Table for breakfast.  The decor is so fresh and comfortable.  

My date

We had a relaxed breakfast and the owner had us pick a pastry to take to our Inn to share later in the day. 

Ready to head out on our destination, Reynolda village and gardens. 

This is a picture of the outside of the greenhouse, it has been so rainy and humid here and I did not realize my lens was foggy.

orchids, they were all amazing

The gardens were gifted to Wake Forest but originally were part of the Reynolda estate, which was built by RJ Reynolds and his wife Katherine. 

there were vegetables

grapes

flowers, I love echinacea

the gardens are huge, this is a view back toward the greenhouse

the roses were amazing and there were hundreds if not thousands of bushes

the children's playhouse

Reynolda house, actually I should say a portion of the house because it was too big to fit in one picture

The house is now a museum and you can pay to tour, it was well worth the 14 dollars.  Bill and I wore a device around our neck that you could enter the number into for a room or a painting and you heard the narrator give you history.  At times it was family or staff from the Reynolds family. Much of the original furniture is still present.   In the basement of this house is a bowling alley, shooting range (rubber ducks), a skating rink, bar, ping pong tables, billiard table, changing rooms, squat quart (like racquetball I guess) and a pool. 

The rest of the village, at one time they had a post office, school, barns, and servant quarters on the estate, has been turned into restaurants and shops.

I highly recommend you read The Gilded Leaf by Patrick Reynolds and Tom Shachtman, even if you are not into history it is fascinating.  RJ Reynolds became a multimillionaire with the tobacco industry and his brother Abram eventually developed reynolds wrap.  So much of the Reynold's fortune was invested in Winston (which became Winston-Salem). 

You can visit the gardens for free and of course shop at the village.

 

This building was just down from our Inn and I thought it was cool, it is right in the middle of the road, and it may actually be a residence.

We stayed at the Brookstown Inn, which was built in 1837 and was an old textile mill.

We returned to Mozelles for dinner and it was fabulous. 

We had a great time away!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 10 year anniversary, wow! 

The past 10 years have been full:

PA school

traveling to watch Marcus, Christopher and Alex play sports

graduating and job/house hunting

college for Bill's kids

moving to North Carolina

new jobs

making new friends and keeping in touch with old friends

Sydney Nicole

grand baby Ryder

Griffin Sawyer

death of Bill's mom

wedding for Marcus and Lindsey

nieces and nephews born along the way

wedding for Alexandra and Scott

vacations

We have so many things to be thankful for and at the top of my list is having Bill by my side.  I was blessed the day he said yes.  I am looking forward to another 10 years by his side.

Anniversary Part 2

If you missed part 1 of this post look here for pictures of the waterfalls. Our getaway was our gift to each other but I wanted to give Bill something so I made this tag and my sister mailed me an old key.

Dinner out at The Square Root!  We were both very hungry after all the walking and hiking.

Bill with his wedge salad- baby iceberg, blue cheese, bacon and tomato

I had the signature salad- field greens, dried cranberries, spiced walnuts, shredded carrots and chevre cheese with mandarin orange vinaigrette.

My entree- Salmon, succotash, garlic mashed potatoes

Bill had sirloin, broccoliraab, and roasted potatoes, shredded fried beets on top- love the presentation

they gave us a free dessert since it was our anniversary- triple chocolate cake

our meal was amazing, the service was great, we talked and talked, drank coffee and just plain enjoyed ourselves

If you are ever in Brevard you should eat at the Square Root!

We had a wonderful time and we are so thankful to have friends that will keep our kids and love them while we are away. 

Anniversary Getaway Part 1

Our friends offered to watch our kids for the night so we could have a getaway for our 10th anniversary (actual date August 3rd).   So I planned a trip to the mountains to see some waterfalls,

looking glass falls

Bill being silly of course

It was magnificent

old bridge

lush green vegetation

Moore Cove falls required a hike, about 1 mile round trip

the trail was a muddy mess but it was worth the hike

this puts the size into perspective- that is Bill behind the waterfall

muddy sneakers

oh yes these brave people are sliding down sliding rock waterfall

part 2 tomorrow

Date Night

Last weekend we went on a date....I cannot remember the date of the previous date night (oh yeah does my work Christmas party count?)

Our dear neighbors offered to watch our kids and gave us the green light to go out and have a great time.

Initially we had dinner plans at our club but Bill had a bad cold so we opted for quick dinner at Chick fil a and a movie- The Vow. 

Between dinner and the movie we walked around the mall, holding hands- instead of pushing a stroller or chasing a child, which was nice.

The movie was comical at times and very romantic, yet sad too.  We both enjoyed it very much.

When we got home our little ones were asleep and our neighbors told us we should have stayed out later.

Next time we will!

It is so good to have someone right next door that loves our children and has raised their own.

I am not sure who had more fun, us, the kids or our neighbors.

Happy 9th Anniversary to Us!

Bill and I are celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary.  We initially planned a beach trip but with money being tight we decided to stay home and enjoy 2 days together after dropping the kids at daycare. 

Monday we headed to Greensboro and ran a few errands and then had pizza at Brixx!

All I can say is yummy!

Then we headed to the movie to catch a matinee, Crazy Stupid Love, which was hilarious!
I think we both laughed and cried.

Home to relax a bit and prep dinner

Then we picked up our kids and came home for dinner and then headed out to DiLishi for frozen yogurt.

Tuesday after dropping the kids off we went for a long walk around the neighborhood.  Bill asked me if I wanted to push a stroller just because we are both usually pushing one.  It felt good to walk and hold hands and not have to stop because someone dropped a flip flop.  (We love walks with our kids but going by ourselves is a rare treat)

Then we headed to the pool.  We swam, I read, Bill napped and we had lunch.  We have enjoyed our two day celebration.

Cheers to more years with my best bud by my side.