A Bedtime Story | Asheville, NC

Hi my loves!!

I saw a sticker today that said "I wasn't born in Asheville but I came as soon as I could!" I know why. Asheville is be-au-ti-ful! There are so many trees and everything is so green here, I just wanted to hang my head out the window on the way up and give a big sniff!  But of course, I was driving and so I didn't!

We did however take a picture of a ferris wheel on a truck for you.

Everyone needs a truck and a golf cart that matches our bus!
Who do you think is in there?  I don't know...

Linda said to show you this picture. The dog says hi!

A cool truck...

A random man dressed like a grasshopper playing the drums.  

One of our vendors (Print Mail Systems) hosted a dinner and tour through the champagne cellar at the

Biltmore Estate. The Biltmore is so big (178,921 square feet) that you could fit 162 of our houses

inside it. It has 48 bathrooms and 68 fire places. I forgot how many bedrooms but it was over 200! wowee!

Going into the cellar...

On the way in, I saw the funniest looking grapes. 

I went inside but had to come back to show you a picture. 

It wasn't until I picked one that I realized it was probably not a grape.
It's just a flower. Never mind the fact that grapes grow in clusters. haha
I think my brain just decided that it was one since it was purple and hanging in front of a cellar....

shall we continue?

Where they store the wine.

This is a poop cart. Yes, really.

Evidently the Biltmore was originally a dairy farm. So they had traps in the floor to collect manure from the animals. It traveled through pipes and dropped in to carts on a subways system that carried it around the farm to be reused as fertilizer. Pretty clever!

The room where they cork the champagne and wine.

Our speaker

This wine was nicknamed "Hotpants".  It made me think of Daddy...  It even has a pink foil cap. Maybe we should get your daddy one too.  ...a pink foil cap that is. ;)

Here's a picture of the group that I am with. :)
They are a fun bunch! You might remember Ashley from my trip last year. Her husband Greg is behind her. There's another Ashley with us too in the middle and Linda is next to me.
It's a fun tour and you don't have to drink to enjoy it or break glasses. ...hint hint. ;)

This is a display with funny little cans that smell like different things.
(In a nutshell it's supposed to help you identify flavors in the wine).

The one I smelled, smelled like Honey suckle and moth balls.
I'm going to assume that wasn't on purpose. haha.

                                                    down....

                                                              down...

                                                                        down... into the cellar...

This is where we ate dinner.
The milk from the cows also traveled through pipes in the building
and was collected and chilled in this room.

The conference itself is kind of weird.  They shackle you to the desk. You wouldn't have any fun.

Just kidding. Those silver rings are just decorative things on the table.
But you know your mama...

LOOK- I now have 6 eyes and I can see everything that you're doing,
even when I am way down here... so behave!

What else can I do with these things? 

This is more like it-

It's a HALO-  Notice the amber glow behind me...  

This is Thomas Wolfe's shoes. He was a famous writer here in town.

The sign says that he left "Big Shoes to fill".

They are sitting on the sidewalk outside of his house, which was also a boarding house.

Then I went on a short bicycle tour around town.

This was our driver. He was very nice!

Look at this Iron!
It was probably made for whoever uses that fork in Missouri.
Actually, it's to represent the monopoly piece.
Asheville is one of the cities added to the new version of the game.

See the ladies playing music in front of it?

There are a lot of street musicians here.

Look Sophie, someone painted you some flowers....

This is a mini picture of the Woodfin House. 

The real house was built by Nicholas Woodfin in the 1800's. 

Little Angels in the sidewalk around town.

I am so tired though that I had to come back to the hotel early.

So, I am eating dinner in bed!

(At least then I'll get to dream of you!)

And tomorrow, I will get to see you!

This post tonight kind of reminds me of a verse in Ephesians 3:17-19.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

I am really far away and can still reach out and communicate with you in different ways, like talking on the phone and through this post. God is the same way. Just like you know that I love you but you have no idea how much-  None of us can grasp how much God loves each of us too but he's still with us and reaching out to us and anticipating when we can see each other again face to face.)

Give each other great big hugs and kisses. Enjoy those good snuggles now. I'm sure it will be like Connaughton Linguini when I get back. Legs and arms everywhere... Someone is getting squished!

I LOVE YOU ALL BUNCHES!