Twin Falls: A beautiful albeit short hike

There are two things we have heard a lot about since we got to the South: (1) the trails for running and hiking, and (2) the waterfalls for viewing.  We felt like we were in need of a good dose of both so we borrowed a friends book of trails and made a list of great waterfall hikes to tackle in the area. First on the list was Twin Falls. In a nut shell, it is a beautiful hike to a large and gorgeous waterfall, but what we expected to be a 30 plus minute trail run was, in reality, a 5 minute jog.  If you are looking for "pretty" and "easy," this is your waterfall. Check out the pictures below to decide if it's worth it for you.

This is pretty much what all of upstate South Carolina looks like. Trees, rivers, lakes, etc. If you get over the bugs, it is pretty dang green and picturesque. Looking forward to knocking out a few more waterfall hikes while we are here! 

Asheville: Biltmore estate, Beaufort house, and a Beautiful bride

If you read out thanksgiving post you saw that we took advantage of the break from school and work to celebrate a belated anniversary in Asheville, NC.  We experienced some much needed R&R, had a wonderful time in the area, and were reminded of how grateful we are to have each other. To borrow some thoughts from a friend, I can honestly say that marrying Michelle was the best and most important decision of my life and that all others pale in comparison. I feel a rush of peace and warmth every time I remember that she said "yes" and that we have an eternity of anniversary's to share together.

If you haven't been to Asheville, NC it is well worth the trip and is a place we'd like to visit again. We included a few pictures here to give you an sense of the fun that the city holds.

We spent most of Thanksgiving day exploring the vastness of the Biltmore Estate and grounds. Built by George Vanderbilt in the European style, the house was huge and clothed in century old murals, decadent artwork, and rich history.  We were fortunate to be there at a time when it was decorated for Christmas and it the decor was very tasteful and extravagant. A 50 foot tree filled the banquet hall which was already an overwhelmingly expansive room to begin with. Unfortunately pictures weren't allowed inside the house, but we loved exploring the many stylish rooms, the extensive servants quarters, the underground pool, bowling alley, and gym and the home's many other exciting features.

The green house and grounds matched the size and beauty of the house, even during the winter when much of the outdoor garden lay barren.  We were able to explore the green house and scored big when we found the orchid room (orchids are one of Michelle's favorites).

Not far from the house is the family owned "village," comprised of a winery, farm, and a few small retail stores. We took a tour of the winery and learned quite about the wine-making process. While we don't drink wine we couldn't help but appreciate the process and the pretty, classy, bottled package that results. When we saw there was a farm we went to pet the animals of course but the cold of the day won out and we didn't stay long.

There were about two options for a Thanksgiving meal since most everything was closed. You could go to a hotel or high end restaurant and spend an exorbitant amount of money on a Thanksgiving buffet that was bound to be mediocre or enjoy some ethnic cuisine. We chose the later and found a tasty Nepalese restaurant that served food from Indian, Tibetan, and Nepalese traditions. The food was generally good, the service a bit awkward, and the experience memorable. We highly recommend Katmandu to any who are tired of American food or ethnic food cooked the American way.

I surprised Michelle with flowers and an anniversary gift basket (see above) that I was particularly proud of. We stayed in a B&B called the Beaufort house that served some of the best, farm to table breakfast food we have ever had. The accommodations were perfect and the service surpassed both the food and the room. We would definitely stay there again. We also really enjoyed getting to know the other guests at meal times and having a cozy place to call home while we were away from our frigid apartment.

Overall, we couldn't have asked for a better anniversary trip and set the bar high for those to come.

Thanksgiving: Hearts and Stomachs full of Gratitude

In all the hussle and bussle of moving across the country, Michelle and I never got to properly celebrate our one year anniversary.  So, this year we pushed our Thanksgiving back a few days and spent the bulk of the holiday in Asheville, NC (see Asheville post). 

While we enjoyed the minor breach of tradition by eating out at a Nepalese restaurant on Thanksgiving day, we couldn't imagine letting the week go by without ingesting some good ole turkey and the classic turkey day spread.....so we didn't!

Michelle spear headed the effort to cook a turkey, homemade stuffing, potatoes, sweet potato crunch, a garden salad, and a couple of pies (blueberry and apple). Once again (no offense moms, grandmothers, aunts, et al.) Michelle's turkey and pies were the best I've ever had. Though the pictures don't do the meal justice, I included a few below just to wet your appetite.

As per usual, we cooked our turkey in a crock pot, in the oven. Somehow the turkey comes out perfectly moist and flavored. Michelle had it seasoning in one of our 5 gallon utility buckets (see above) and it was seasoned to perfection.

I was in charge of the sweet potato crunch, a southern favorite. Neither of us is a huge fan of candied yams but we figured this regional alternative might be worth a shot and it was. It was so sweet though it was pretty much a third pie with an almost warm, pumpkiny flavor and consistency. Yum!

Michelle tried a new trick and instead of using a pastry cutter to "cut" the butter into the pie crust she froze the butter and grated it into the mix with a cheese greater. It worked like a charm and made a delicious crust.

Delicious (see above)!! And the pie was great too. :)

Oh, this picture just reminded me. Michelle made a fruit jello as well. Overall a great spread and we were careful not to make too much of the things that don't keep well (Mashed potatos two weeks later are not so good).

We were so grateful to have this yummy food after having a wonderful trip in Asheville. We are so fortunate and feel truly blessed. More than the material things we have, we are so grateful for our family and friends and for technology that allows us to stay connected through conversations and the exchange of pictures and stories. We are grateful to those people who have welcomed us to the South with open arms and are especially grateful to our Father in Heaven and His son, Jesus Christ, whose arm's are stretched out continually in mercy and love. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

The Move: Part 3

Welp. Only took me four months to get this post up. (sigh). Our last leg of the journey was from St. Louis to Clemson. It was by far the longest portion of the drive with the craziest drivers. Atlanta, hands down, is the worst city I've ever been in for poor driving. BUT. St. Louis is beautiful. We stayed with the family of a work friend of Garrett's. They took us out that night to show us the town.

Crossing the bridge into St. Louis.

The St. Louis arch is GORGEOUS and stunning. I thought it would be cool, but it really was amazing. There is a museum underground beneath the arch that is pretty cool as well.

AND. They had a Great Dane named Audi. And she was gorgeous, mild mannered, and friendly. I love big dogs.

We got into Clemson late that night, found a hotel to crash in, and then checked into our apartment the next morning. Amazingly, our moving box showed up only a few hours later. All in all we were pretty blessed with safety and schedules fitting together.

Wining and Dining: First Impressions from a Food Critic

Though we can't eat out often on our college student budget, we try to get out and explore the local eats when we can. And since we are in bbq country, we figured we better try out some good southern style bbq and grilling (there is a difference). 

We had a free Saturday and decided we'd start with exploring downtown Pendleton which fits on a single square block. It's got the requisite art gallery, antique shop, family owned restaurants, and quaint cafes. It also hosts a robust, two booth farmers market. We actually really enjoyed ourselves and tried out the village bakery and the islander pub and grill (show cased below). We had heard about the Islander's onion rings and stopped there first. A little thin and a little greasy but we'd go back to try some of their other menu options.

Michelle unsurprisingly found the resident dog and it, of course, fell in love with her. This antique store had a bunch of old life magazines that we were tempted to buy and sell online in response to the Magazines recent demise. Still might head that way and give it a shot....

Everything at the bakery looked so good but we were not disappointing with our choice of lemon bars (one of our mutual favorites).  The weather, the lack of obligations, and the yummy food made this a very relaxing and enchanting day. 

We heard of the smoking pig long after we saw it. It looked the part of a southern bbq and advertised a large pig sign out front, its namesake I suppose. They smoked their meats and doused everything in sugar and oh was it good. We tried out their brisket and chicken and it all just melts in your mouth. The mac and cheese (an overrated, nearly mandatory southern side), fries, and sweet potato crunch were soooo good. Get there early because it gets busy fast!

 

We are excited to try out a few other places that have been recommended to us. More food updates coming your way soon.