Prayer

In the book Driftless by David Rhodes, I read an interesting and lovely description of a character's prayer life. I wish it was describing me.

She prayed in order to participate in the Activity of God, much like a daughter who dutifully cans vegetable--not because she likes vegetables or contributes significantly to the canning process, but because she wants her mother's company.

Elegance for a Day

Now that we are finally unpacked, cleaned, and organized (and I've adequately played with my little hamster), I can spend some more time telling you about the beautiful Biltmore Manor in Asheville, North Carolina. For the few hours that we were inside touring the house, I nearly forgot that we were in America, because the architecture and mere size of the place reminded me of palaces I've visited in Europe. Let's just say I was greatly pleased to discover a place of this magnitude and beauty right here in my country. I was also glad that we visited this place after one of our few showers. I don't think the "country-club" crowd that frequented Biltmore would've been as forgiving of our smell as our usual camping crowd.

First, some history: George Washington Vanderbilt inherited his immense wealth from his father (who was in the railroad business, I believe). When he built the mansion, which was completed in 1898, he was still a bachelor, but, naturally, once he had that epic house, he quickly became the bachelor of the year. He did marry a fashionable young woman named Edith, and despite what you may think, they were madly in love. In one of their lounges hangs this striking portrait of her. We learned that in the course of a day, she would have changed outfits six to eight times, depending on how many meals and teas she attended and how many times she wished to wander her gardens or ride her horse. I can't even imagine owning that many outfits. I'm indecisive enough about my clothes!

George and Edith had one daughter, Cornelia, who was the one who eventually opened the house to the public (partly to earn money during the Depression and partly as a way to preserve her father's greatest work). These three were the people who owned the house, but there were about fifty other people who lived with them, mostly servants and their families. If I had to be a servant for anyone, I think I would choose this family. They seemed very understanding and down-to-earth. Each Christmas, the Vanderbilt's gave all the servants' children presents. Those same children were Cornelia's main playmates. They obviously did not segregate themselves.

Tragically, after fifteen years of happy marriage, George died from a failed appendectomy. Edith was crushed. She was now left to run this huge home all by herself, and money was becoming tight (relatively so, I suppose). Because she didn't want to see any of her servants lose their jobs and be without homes, she sold off a huge portion of her 8,000-acre land. This land became part of a National Forest.

Anyway, enough of the people. Here are some of my favorite places:

- Conservatory. This room was located near the front entrance and ensured that the family always had greenery and life, even during the winter months. The ceiling in this room was remarkable.

This image is from a postcard

- Library. George Vanderbilt was a very well-read man, as evidenced by his collection of 23,000 books. This library houses 10,000 of them; the others are scattered throughout the house in elegant bookshelves. There are so many features in this room that make me smile: the massive fireplace (a full-grown person can stand up inside it), the books, the intricate rod-iron banisters, the two floors, the spiral staircase. But the best feature is actually hidden behind that tapestry. The walkway continues behind the artwork, so that people can get to the other side of the room, which has more books. Also behind the tapestry is a "secret" stairway that goes directly to George's bedroom. That way, he could get to the library quickly and without bothering anyone. Even if I never get a library like this, I think I'd still like to have a secret way to access it ;)

-The bowling alley in the basement. On the other side of the back wall is the chef's bedroom. If guests stayed up late to bowl, their constant noise would keep the chef awake. The next morning, they could expect a poor breakfast.

- The expansive gardens. The man who designed all the landscaping was Frederick Law Olmsted, the same man who designed Central Park in New York City. Doesn't this peaceful place call for a spot of tea? Perhaps chai?

Well, I hope I intrigued you rather than bored you. These are but a few of the things we saw at Biltmore, and I really would encourage you to visit yourself. And if you go, be sure to get the cashew chicken salad sandwich on a croissant roll and the "special recipe" vanilla ice cream. Sometimes I wish I could keep tastes on my taste buds forever :)

Where's Joshie?

Now that Josh has his new camera, he is pretty much always hiding behind it. This picture is one example of what I deal with on a (nearly) daily basis, and it just so happened that he unintentionally camouflaged himself. So, ladies and gentlemen, here is my husband in his natural habitat:

Mingus Mill in the Smoky Mountains

How to Make Your One-Bedroom Flat Feel Like a Mansion

Sleep in a two-person tent for two weeks and live out of your Corolla.

Yes, we have finally returned from our journey down south. It was so great to get away from everything and have uninterrupted time together. I also enjoyed the fact that we weren't connected to anyone via internet or phone (service in the mountains is pretty much non-existent). Yes, the quiet, alone time was good for us :) And now, for some of the highlights:

- The Southern accent. I forgot how much I missed it.
- Having s'mores every night!
- Civil War Days, complete with a battle re-enactment and cannon fire. So cool.

- Two cave tours at Mammoth Cave National Park. Growing up, my family rarely went into caves, because my mom is claustrophobic. It's been really fun to explore them now with Josh. And speaking of people being claustrophobic, as we were heading through Fat Man's Misery and Tall Man's Agony (very skinny, low-ceiled places), one poor elderly lady started having a panic attack. It didn't help that she had vision issues, so the dimly-lit passageways were doing nothing for her nerves. The rest of us were stuck in the cave behind her as the ranger helped her crawl through. Emergency services had to come, but it still took over three hours to get her out of the cave!

Part of the Drapery Room

The Historic Entrance

- Eating at Chick-fil-a whenever we saw one on the side of the road. I am adequately stuffed with the goodness for a little while, but I will still miss that Chick-fil-a sauce!

- Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Can I say "BEAUTIFUL"? Don't worry, I'll dedicate a whole post to this monster :)

Biltmore Estate, the largest home in the United States

- Our beautiful campsite at Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It was right on the Little River. It was so great listening to the water (and all the bug/frog noises) as we fell asleep.

Josh taking a dip in the river, a chilly substitute for a bath.

- The four-inch long (and half-inch wide) centipede that greeted us when we first got to our campsite. Surprisingly, it didn't faze me. But then again, it wasn't inside the tent.

- All the historic cabins, gristmills, churches, and schoolhouses. I absolutely love learning about the people who first lived on the frontier, about their struggles and their joys. Seeing their houses and the way they lived, is a great way to get a glimpse into early American life. 

One of the many cabins we found in the woods.

- Having friends come up and join us for the weekend for even more hiking and exploration.

At Clingman's Dome, the highest point in TN. Not only was the view spectacular, so was the temperature!

- Accomplishing my longest mountain hike--five miles roundtrip--to Abrams Falls, which was gorgeous. We stopped there to have some lunch and dangle our sore feet in the freezing cold water. I can't even express to you how refreshing that was! And, for those of you who care to know, I gave in and peed in the woods. But that's not the worst of it. I think we showered a grand total of three times in those two weeks. Oh yes, that's how primitive we were. ;) But washing your hair in bathroom sinks can do wonders for your soul!

Abrams Falls.

The Inner Feminist

Have you ever watched a movie and gotten really worked up about its plot? I've been feeling this way a lot recently. Last night, I saw The Duchess (I love Kiera Knightley), and it was a beautifully portrayed story of yearning love and the entrapments of Old English society. What made it worse for me was the fact that this--the terrible treatment she endured from her husband and her hopeless search for happiness--was a true story. I wanted to step into that dining hall and smack the husband around a little bit, scream in his face. How dare you cheat on your wife! How dare you blame her for not giving you a male child! How dare you view her as merely your sex toy!


Which would've promptly placed me in prison. Or an asylum. Or in the case of The Tudors (a fantastic show about the life and wives of King Henry VIII), I would've been beheaded. Maybe I should stop watching things that accurately portray the time periods I fantasize about. Being a woman back then would've sucked, royally. I don't know what kept them from killing themselves.

So, thank you, God, that I was born in a time period where the rights and views of women are heard and respected. Let me use my freedom to its fullest, and maybe, somehow, make up for the injustices done to all those trapped and miserable women of the old days.

On Deserving Things

I've started reading Eat, Pray, Love, because it's popular right now and it seemed liked the thing to do. I'm surprised that I'm actually still reading it, though, because I agree with very little of what Elizabeth Gilbert says. Not to mention that I think she's a very self-centered person who has too much money and time on her hands.

But she did mention something that I'd like to discuss, because it's been bothering me for quite some time now. While in Italy, Gilbert continuously talks about the pleasures she's enjoying and how the Romans she lives around silently applaud her for her idleness. To her, this is the ideal culture, one where people don't need to be convinced that they deserve luxuries and relaxation. Which is exactly what the American culture pushes. You hear it everywhere--radio, TV, on the street, in your own home. You've earned this vacation (or car or ipod or whatever). No one deserves this comfort (or opportunity or happiness, etc.) more than you do.


Ladies and gentlemen, let me explain to you what we all deserve. Hell and eternal damnation. I know, I know, I'm being a complete killjoy. But you know I'm right. We humans didn't do anything to entitle us to happiness, possessions, salvation, or comfort. Anything we have was given to us by the grace of God.

So please, please, don't use that overused word out of context. It's driving me crazy with its lies. And please, please, see everything good you recieve as a gift, not as something to which you're entitled.