Ridgecrest

After our weekend with family, we drove over to Ridgecrest which is near Asheville, NC. It is a Baptist Conference and Retreat Center, and we spent 3 days there just relaxing. It was SO nice. Coming from Houston and 80-90 degree weather, I wasn't so pumped about having the temp drop to 30 degrees in the evening...WHAT?! I don't even have a big, winter coat! But upon arriving and being out in the 60 degree weather during the day and cool evenings, it was wonderful!

We spent the days walking around campus, rocking in rocking chairs (as much as you can rock with a toddler in tow), playing mini golf up on the mountain, visiting the Biltmore (Yes, I got to go...so cool!), visiting local and historical sites, and eating at yummy restaurants.

Swinging on a porch swing...

Such a big boy

The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC

Many Presidents and other famous people have stayed

here throughout history. It is such a beautiful place!

Any time we leave Houston, Jonathan is on the hunt

for a Dunkin' Donuts. He is a fanatic. So when we pulled into

Asheville, before I knew it, that was marked on the GPS!

We made 2 trips there in 3 days.

He ate (almost) a dozen French Crullers...jk...well, not really.

One of our days at Ridgecrest, I drove into Asheville to see the Biltmore House - home of the Vanderbilts. It is the largest home in the United States, and it was absolutely mind blowing. It was very cool to see all the rooms restored to what they looked like when George Vanderbilt lived there in the late 1800's. I loved getting to tour the home and see what life was like for them back then. It was pretty elaborate and HUGE!!! Such a beautiful place.

The GIANT spiral staircase in the Biltmore House.

Too bad I couldn't take pictures of the inside. It was amazing!

Ridgecrest has a miniature golf course about halfway up the mountain. As I ran in to the pick up our clubs and balls from the front desk, I noticed a big paper on the desk that said "BEAR ALERT!" My heart started to beat really fast; I asked the man at the front desk if they saw bears often. He casually replied, "Oh, we haven't had any reports here in the last 3 WEEKS." HUH?! So, needless to say, I was a little on edge while playing mini golf.

Brayden learned how to play, and it definitely made for a non-traditional game of mini golf with him picking up and hitting each of our balls every time. Ha!

Jonathan's "wedge" to help get Brayden's ball in the hole.

So peaceful.

God is Amazing

It was the perfect time to be in the mountains of North Carolina to see the leaves changing. We drove up the mountain with most of them being green, and drove down the mountain a few days later with them being fiery reds, oranges, and yellows. It was pretty incredible.

As we were driving one day, I looked back at Brayden sitting in his carseat and said, "Brayden, look how pretty the leaves are!" Without skipping a beat, his response was, "GOD IS AMAZING!" As he repeated this over and over again to me the next few minutes, I was so moved that he is learning how great our God is through the simple things of life.

He learned this phrase from our church's VBS Superhero video where one of the day's theme was "God is Amazing." I love it that he is really learning and absorbing these truths and applying them to everyday life. Our God is amazing, and I'm thankful that my 2-year-old reminded me of that fact that cool, fall day driving through the mountains.

Getting a Good Shot...

Trying to get good posed pictures with kids is (most of the time) next to impossible. We had a good laugh on this attempt. The kids were cracking us up. Graham and Brayden loved YELLING "CHEEEEESE" together every time a picture was snapped. These pics are inside a big tent. Uncle Steve actually pitched a tent outside in the mountains, and the boys loved playing inside.

Sometimes you have to physically turn

their heads to get them to look at the camera. Ha!

YAY! A great one!

Cousins

Growing up, I was super close to my cousin Shelli. Now that we're grown up, we live far apart and don't get to see each other as often, and I so wish we lived near each other! We got to meet up while in North Carolina for a couple days, and I was SO excited to finally meet her 2 precious kiddos. Graham is just a couple months older than Brayden, and from the moment they met, they were running circles in the mountain house (even though it was 10pm!). They had so much fun together...2 very active little boys made for some extreme fun.

Jonathan, Brayden, Mike and Graham

by the waterfalls

Two 2-year-olds splashing in a bathtub = FUN!

Oh the mannequins...I was scared of them when I was little,

but Graham seemed to love the little girl.

Thanks Aunt Sherry & Uncle Steve for the presents!

"CHEEEEEEESE!"

Mountain Vacation

This past week, we have been on vacation in North Carolina. It was a much needed trip, and it was a very sweet time to visit with family. We met up at my grandparent's mountain house in North Carolina and got to spend the weekend with my Dad, my Grandparents, my Great-Grandmother Ruth, my Aunt Sherry and Uncle Steve, and my cousin Shelli and her husband Mike and 2 kids - Ellie and Graham. It was a great weekend full of memories!

At a local waterfall

The view from the mountain house...INCREDIBLE!

The leaves were so vibrant...reds, oranges, yellows...

It was pretty stunning!

Family picture with my Dad

Grandmother and Granddaddy Bruner and me

Aunt Sherry and Shelli

Mike and Shelli with Graham and Ellie...TOO cute!

Great-Grandmother Ruth with Brayden

It was very cool to have 5 generations

in the same house together!

We're praying for Grandmother Bruner

as she begins her next round of chemo this next month.

Sports Stud

The boys love going to local high school games together!

Brayden even got "PHS" painted on his face from the cheerleaders

at the Porter HS football game. He thought it was SO cool.

Playing baseball in the backyard...a natural, like his Daddy!

(and yes, Jonathan is trying to get him to practice as a lefty!)

*** I'll start posting pictures from our vacation to North Carolina next Monday.

Rockets Game

Date night with my hubby

at a Rockets vs. Cavs game...

Recent Custom Paintings

Lately, I've been creating a few new custom pieces for some family and friends. Here's a glimpse at some of my new pieces...

Colossians 1:10 for my niece Emsleigh's room (24x30")

4 piece collection for my niece Emsleigh's room

(4 - 12x12" canvases)

Romans 10:9-10 for our New Member room at church (2 - 24x36")

See more of my art at: My Facebook Album or My Etsy Store