Independence Day

This fourth of July was one for the books.  It was the first time Jason and I were able to celebrate it together, so that made it so special for me!  Last year, we were doing the whole long distance thing.  This year, we had planned to go to the beach, but since there was a hurricane headed straight for us, we decided to spend our fourth somewhere else.  We decided to go to Ashville.  It is about 3 hours away from Charlotte, and we both have been wanting to go there since we moved here.  Why Ashville, you ask?  Well, it is the home of the Vanderbilt Mansion, or otherwise known as the Biltmore Estate.  Anyone who loves art, history, nature, architecture, culture, etc. would absolutely love visiting the Biltmore!  I highly recommend it to anyone.

We spent all day looking around, and we were even mischievous and slinked into parts of the house that weren't for public viewing.... oops!  Really, I don't feel bad about it at all though... I'm the most curious little thing there ever was.  One time I was visiting Nauvoo and we were in Lucy Mack Smith's house, and I opened a drawer in her bedroom and I found a falling apart, hand written journal!  I was so excited!  I showed my Dad and he told me not to touch it, then he told the ladies who worked in the house and they sounded alarmed and they took care of it... ahhhh I just wanted to read it so badly!  I'm too curious for my own good.  Anyway, they didn't let us take pictures of the inside of the house, but the furniture and the art is absolutely gorgeous.  There was still clothing in the closets, and I was in heaven.  The library?  Don't even get me started on the library!  It is filled with thousands of first edition books that are hundreds of years old, and they were like... the prettiest books that I've ever seen!  Picture the library on Beauty and the Beast, only better.  And did I mention it is the largest home in the U.S?  If ever you get the chance to go to the Biltmore, GO!  Jason and I had such a great time!

After we were done with the inside of the house, we explored the gardens and the grounds, and then we went to the winery and they had free wine tasting!  Cool right?  Except we don't drink.... Luckily for us, they had fresh squeezed grape juice, so we took advantage of that.  We sat in the park and people watched, and everytime I saw a dog, I ran over to pet it.  It was just such a good day.  Then we went to dinner at Cedric's and we were able to sit out on the patio of the restaurant and watch the fireworks that the Biltmore puts on every year.  It was so magical.  I love America so much, and I am so incredibly blessed to live here!  On Sunday at church when we sang the National Anthem, it brought tears to my eyes as I thought of our history and those who came before us.  So many people have sacrificed for our freedom, and there aren't words to describe my gratitude for them!  If I know anything, I know that this is truly a blessed land, and that we are in fact, "one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all."  I love my country.  God Bless the U.S.A.