A big weekend trip!

Mary Lawton, Sweet LJ, and I went to visit Biffy and Graddaddy for the weekend. We watched lots of football on Saturday. Mary Lawton shared some snacks with Sweet LJ while they watched the SC-FL game.Mary Lawton played and played. She loved having a big house to explore. She got to try out some of our very old toys, including this horse that was my 1st birthday present.
She got lots of cuddling from Biffy and Granddaddy.
We had a wonderful visit. Thanks for a great time, delicious food, and all the love!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last Thanksgiving I ran a half marathon then cooked and hosted dinner for 8. This year I ran about 3 miles around the neighborhood, and then Sweet LJ and I went to Chateau Elan, where their chefs whipped up a lovely Thanksgiving feast for us.

We took our bikes and went on about a 1.5-hour bike ride when we got there. The hotel guy gave us a map and suggested a route that would take us around the grounds. The map was terrible and apparently the hotel guy never has ridden a bike around the Chateau Elan property. We went through several golf course neighborhoods, which were lovely, but filled with cul-de-sacs and locked gates. Eventually we made it back towards the inn and found this:

A four-story climbing wall. I wanted Sweet LJ to climb, but we noticed it was all locked up. I guessed it was a team-building ropes course, and I was right! Some kind of corporate team-building center. It wasn't just the climbing wall but a bunch of ropes courses in the trees and platforms, with signs along the way like this:

This one made me laugh. We needed this earlier when we had to turn around on yet another cul-de-sac.

Sweet LJ thought it was appropriate for me to pose with this one.

We made it back, tired and hungry, and checked in about an hour before our dinner reservation.

Before dinner, hungry and ready to eat. Thanks to my wonderful friend Kerri for sending me this dress!

After dinner looking tired from going through the buffet line too many times. Did I mention this was a huge buffet with everything you can imagine? Turkey, prime rib, dressing, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, butternut squash ravioli, caviar, crab legs, smoked salmon, and then the dessert table . . . Forget eating for 2. I ate for 4 or 5.

Friday morning we hiked on the nature trail around the property. It was cloudy and a little foggy, but beautiful.
The vineyards are right at the front of the property, which was very cool. After promising myself I wouldn't eat again for at least 4 days, we went to the breakfast buffet after the hike, and I ate. A lot. Again.

We stopped by the Mall of Georgia on the way back home so Sweet LJ could get a new Florida shirt to wear to the SEC championship game next Saturday. There were times I feared for my life--will I get trampled by the Abercrombie kids trying to make the last 15 minutes of the 25% off sale?--but we made it out safely. I even bought a few Christmas gifts.

We had such a wonderful trip. Thank you so much, my sweetest LJ! I'm so thankful to have you in my life and that soon we'll have a sweet little girl join our family.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled with peace, happiness, and thanksgiving.