Christmas 2022: NC

After leaving the RV in Jacksonville, we drove 6 hours to Charlotte, NC.
We spent two days there enjoying time with Grandad and Nana.

Mikaela and David came to town from Sarasota to see everyone as well!

We showed them a few of our favorite breweries in the Charlotte area.

Ella drove in from Boone to join us too!

Makenzie flew in from Iowa where she had been spending some time with Gavin and his family. The girls had fun shopping at South Park Mall with their Christmas money from Grandad and Nana.

Our next stop was the mountains of NC. We rented a chalet on a mountain in Seven Devils and used it as our home base for a week.

We picked this location so we could be close to the girls. We are not a stranger to snow, ice and cold temps, but this round of weather definitely slowed us down for a few days.

It was really cold!

Seeing the girls was our purpose for being here, so there was no question that even though the roads were bad (icy), Shannon was going to make sure the girls were with us.

With everyone at the cabin safe, we settled in for the next 72 hours.

The fridge was full of all of our holiday favorites, but we were in need of a sugar fix. Mak treated us to her new Christmas sugar cookie recipe she learned in Iowa.

They were awesome!!

It took a few minutes, but the animals eventually figured each other out and were able to relax together.

The cabin had a nice set up for hanging out with a great fireplace to gather around talk, play games, and watch movies.

Ashley and Mak made a new appetizer, a spinach and cream cheese Christmas tree. It was yummy! We made it again for New Years with buffalo chicken dip, these are both keepers.

Christmas morning sunrise was picture perfect. A great reminder to be thankful for each and every day!

Somehow even when we say that Christmas is going to be small, it still seems abundant. Even Caper agrees.

So cool to have all three of our girls together with us for Christmas. With Mak having graduated and Ella scheduled to graduate in May, we are very aware that this may be the last Christmas we spend all together, now that the girls will be out working in the real world.

This Christmas did bring a new addition to the family. In the early Fall we said goodbye to our dear Gracie who lived a long and healthy life. A lonely Makenzie quickly adopted a kitten from the humane society to help heal her broken heart; meet Saba.

The girls are all so thoughtful of each other, as they hand make cards for one another and buy very personalized presents. It is so much fun to watch the exchanges between them.

Addie got exactly what she wanted, a big Marvel poster for her bedroom wall on the RV. Mak’s big gift was apple airpods.

Ella’s big present was a home brew kit. She is loving her fermentation classes and being the supportive parents that we are, we wanted to make sure to encourage these studies… She talks about becoming a wine maker or a brewmaster one day.

Shannon and Ashley received so many awesome gifts from our girls, but the best gift of all was getting to spend quality time with them.

Shannon made homemade sticky buns and they turned out perfect! It was a super delicious addition to the rest of our breakfast feast.

The remainder of the day was spent chilling, until it was time to cook again.

Finally on the 26th the temps started to rise and we were able to venture out. Mak went to work at Red Onion while Shannon, Ashley, Addie, Ella and the dogs took a day trip to Greensboro to see Ashley’s siblings.

After a relaxing and cold week, it was time to head down the mountain.

We said goodbye to Boone and Grandfather Mountain and made our way to the Asheville apartment to visit Don and Mel.

Mel had planned some amazing things for Addie’s 18th birthday. The first of which was a house tour at Biltmore for the three girls.

Addie has been wanting to tour the house ever since she read the Serafina books written by Robert Beatty that take place at Biltmore.

The boys entertained themselves by taking in the sights at a nearby rooftop establishment partaking in libations.

We were excited to see Grandma Kim and get to spend some time with her while we were in town.

We celebrated New Year’s Eve by going to a nice dinner and being home in bed by 10. We are so old! Unlike our children, who rang in New Year’s with style.

Addie and Mel made another memory with a New Year’s Day “polar plunge”. It was about 55 degrees out and the pool was heated, so not exactly polar, but it was perfect for them!

On our last day in Asheville we visited one of our favorite spots, The Grove Park Inn. Each year they host the National Gingerbread Contest with participants of all ages. The gingerbread creations are truly amazing.

It was a beautiful winter day just cool enough that we could sit outside and enjoy the mountain view with spiked hot chocolates in our hands.

Grove Park holds a special place in our hearts – Shannon and Ashley have been coming here since we were in college. We have celebrated many birthdays here and have even hosted a grand company Christmas party there.

It was a super fun week. We had a great time in Asheville exploring the town and spending time with Don and Mel.

With our visit coming to an end, it was time to get back to RV Aventis and keep exploring Florida.