There is nothing like lifelong friends. Jenny and I have been friends for almost 30 years. Each year they come back to STL for Thanksgiving and we get together with the kids. And amazingly, every year, the kids just pick up where they left off like they see each other all the time. I love watching everyone grow year to year. And I love spending time with Jenny catching up. I wish they lived closer.
Shannon and I met in Asheville, NC for a girl's weekend. We stayed at a cottage at The Pines that had two queen beds, a kitchenette and fireplace. It was so much better than staying in a hotel because there was so much more space and we were surrounded by trees.
Shannon brought eggs that had just hatched from her chicks. We made a delicious egg scramble on our last morning.
We got a tip to try Early Girl Eatery. The wait was about an hour so we walked around and checked out the shops in town. Breakfast was worth the wait. Shannon got something with tomato relish that was delicious.
I want to do something like this next year- looks like it was made for a Day of the Dead (Dios de los Muertos) celebration.
We went saddle shopping for Shannon. Dang, saddles are expensive! She didn't find the one she wanted but we did see lots of cute boots.
Then we went on a quest to find a spray for her trees that are getting eaten by a certain bug. We found the plant shop that was suppose to carry the spray but no one could figure out exactly what she was looking for. They also had these crazy plant cloning systems.
After a day of walking and shopping we went to the Bavarian restaurant next to our cottage. Large beers and sausages were ordered.
There were all sorts of German knick knacks like this hat with fishing tackle all over it. The bartender told us where to find live music that night. So after showering we went to Tressas. The band was awesome and we danced for hours. The band may get its own post later.
Before going to Tressas we went to find Shannon a pair of dancin' shoes. She also ended up finding a cute top and sweater!
The next day we found this bakery called Well-Bred for breakfast. We ate well all weekend!
We hit the road to head to The Biltmore Estate. We took a detour through the Blueridge Parkway and thankfully realized we went the wrong direction before we ran out of gas. The drive was beautiful.
The Biltmore Estate was amazing. No photos were allowed inside.
The Estate is incredible- stables, riding trails, lakes, a winery.
After the Biltmore we went to an Italian restaurant and got dinner for carryout. Back at the cottage I actually started a fire that stayed lit for awhile! That night I drove around Asheville looking for a red box which I finally found at a Walmart. I found Bridesmaids which was the perfect movie to wrap up our girl's weekend.
This is possibly our last Halloween having all the Sprich and Lottes kids together. The older kids are getting to the age where they want to go out with other friends. It will be sad to see that tradition come to an end but we have lots of great pictures through the years.
One of the girls in the neighborhood had this Barbie box as part of her costume- amazing! The dad was letting the girls take turns posing in the box to have their picture taken.
Checking out Uncle James' new apps on his phone, always a favorite pass time.
The great candy trade. We had a great turkey and sage chili made by James and mom's traditional delicious chili too.
Halloween wouldn't be complete without a visit with MaMa. Everyone gets a package of her infamous toffee cookies. And tears can quickly be shed if people start stealing cookies from the kids!
My favorite "40" reference! Top 40 sweet cheeks :)
I had a nice birthday week last week. Sharon and I started it off with our birthday dinner night out. First we went to Chuck's Boots. Sharon found a pair of super cute boots. I got my fun cowboy boots a few years ago so I abstained from buying a pair. I did find a pair for $500 that were fabulous! We went out to a great dinner at the new Charlie Gittos. I started with a cosmopolitan, yum. And for dinner got the seafood risotto, delish! We had an uninterrupted span of 3+ hours to talk, laugh and catch up. We finished the evening by exiting through the wine cellar doors instead of the exit. After digging through gift boxes for mints we looked around and realized it wasn't the exit. The ladies at the front desk kindly pointed the way to the exit doors when we came out of the wine room. I have not laughed that hard in a long, long, time! Sadly, I didn't take any pictures that night. We may have to go back to recreate the night and get a pic!
On my bday two bouquets of flowers were delivered. One from the Paul and Amy and one from Sam. They were beautiful and made my day! The Sam bouquet expired before I got a picture. I was going to recreate it but couldn't find the gorgeous Gerber daisies at Schnucks- go figure. The last picture is pretty close to what they looked like. My mom also came out that afternoon and we had a cocktail and watched Oprah.
The Top 40 from the kids. Some highlights: you understand us from the inside, delicious banana bread, you take us on adventures, you taught me how to love.
I look tired- maybe not so top 40 here :)
The night before my bday we went to my parents for dinner. There was a delicious chocolate cake that we enjoyed that night and the next morning for breakfast. I also got a gift card to Barnes and Noble which I quickly used on a great book- Bloodroot by Amy Greene. My mom and dad gave me money which will go toward a zoom lens for the camera they bought for me!
The next highlight to my bday was a night out at MorganLeFays with Sam and Cheryl (surprise guest). We had wine, tapas, and great conversation. Again, no pics, uhg!
The next celebratory portion was a surprise dinner with Chris and Mike. Charlie and I planned to go to Cafe Provencal for dinner. My mom came out to babysit. At 6 when we were planning to leave our phone rang and it was Chris. She rambled on about something and then all of sudden walked in our front door. The four of us headed to dinner. I had my favorite meal- scallops, provance trio, and leak soup- perfect!
After dinner Chris said they had something else planned. We headed toward Maplewood and I thought we were going to a cute, trendy spot. Nope- we were headed to a "Cougar" bar- Fialonis. I walked in and Andrea and Kathi had a front row table right next to the karaoke where the owner sings. And there are "cougars" everywhere. It was hilarious- we sang karaoke, laughed, people watched and had a perfectly ridiculous time.
The next celebratory portion was a surprise dinner with Chris and Mike. Charlie and I planned to go to Cafe Provencal for dinner. My mom came out to babysit. At 6 when we were planning to leave our phone rang and it was Chris. She rambled on about something and then all of sudden walked in our front door. The four of us headed to dinner. I had my favorite meal- scallops, provance trio, and leak soup- perfect!
Drive through the mountains in an area that connects GA, SC, and NC- beautiful views and waterfalls
Crimshaws- the smallest post office in the US
Highlands, NC
Lunch at Pescados
Dry Falls
More of our drive through the mountains
Mica found behind Morris property
Morris' land in Satolah, GA. It has been in his family for generations and is beautiful. It backs up to the state park reserves. 
The trip wouldn't have been complete without a lesson in shooting. 
I actually made a bullseye! 
