5.25.2012

Thankful For :: 921 - 930

Sometimes you simply have to make time to do things that are good for your mental health. Back in December, my brother gave us two tickets to the Biltmore for my 30th birthday, but there was never a good time to go. You know the excuses: family shindig, work, laundry, other projects, too busy, need to rearrange the sock drawer. After our plans to go last week on Peter's birthday fell through, we immediately rescheduled for this past Monday. Peter took a day off, I unplugged from social media, we grabbed our camera and were on the road by 7:30. After a slight detour ("Pamela" - the GPS - led us to the wrong destination ...  or perhaps it was operator error), we pulled into Parking Lot A at 8:53 AM, well ahead of the tour buses, school groups, and other chaos that arrived by the time we were done with the house tour and off to the gardens.

Photobucket 

It was a glorious, relaxing day, completely unplugged (especially since I accidentally forgot my phone at home), free to do whatever we wanted - which included splurging on a lot of non-diet-friendly foods. The house, as always, was amazing and I never get tired of it. The last time we were there was for our 1st anniversary, eleven years ago, and we had as much fun this time as we did then. The best part, really, was just getting away from the routine of every day life and taking a day for the two of us.

Photobucket

This week I'm thankful for...

921. Free tickets to the Biltmore from my brother

922. Having cash to spend so that it was a guilt-free day

923. Biltmore ice cream

924. Wood-fired pizza and gourmet cheese plates

925. Discovering that something you're already buying is 40% off {happy dance}

926. A comfortable car to take on road trips

927. Oh, did I mention - ROAD TRIPS - how we've missed them!

928. Unplugging

929. Art, beauty, color, plants, and the ability to enjoy it all

930. A day off to relax and enjoy each others company

Photobucket

Photobucket

What are YOU thankful for today?

6 comments:

  1. Anne @ Modern Mrs DarcyMay 25, 2012 at 6:49 AM

    Jealous! I'd so love to go one day. Have you ever read anything by Witold Rybczynski? He writes fascinating things about architecture and urban planning, and his A Clearing in the Distance talks in depth about the creation of Biltmore. Interesting stuff!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C.G. KoensJune 15, 2012 at 12:20 PM

      No, I haven't read any of his work, but that sounds interesting. My brother is one of the people who is allowed to take photos and create products for the Biltmore, so we had a very interesting conversation about the history if it (and the Vanderbilt hunting lodge that was torn down - ouch!) and the rooms he had been in - very cool!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMay 25, 2012 at 8:11 AM

    Love that your GPS's name is Pamela...I call mine Gloria. Sounds like they could be related ;)

    Sounds like a perfect, refreshing day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C.G. KoensJune 15, 2012 at 12:21 PM

      I believe that every GPS should have a name. It makes yelling at them so much easier. :-)

      Delete
  3. Molly PageMay 25, 2012 at 8:23 PM

    We have a picture extremely similar to that from OUR trip to the Biltmore. Except you're not in it... we are. :)

    Happy Long weekend, friend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C.G. KoensJune 15, 2012 at 12:20 PM

      What?! That's so odd that we're not in your photo... ;-)

      Delete

A reminder: there are more than 400,000 words in the English language, please use them wisely.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails