Happy Anniversary!

Ana and I celebrated our 4-year wedding anniversary this past week! On October 23 (our actual wedding date), we went to our favorite resturant, The Old Siam! Here we are with the owner and chef of Old Siam, Eddie. He's a great guy and a wonderful chef!

These are the flowers I gave to Ana. I took them to her workplace so she could enjoy them throughout the day. Ana had to work on Thursday, the 23rd, but I took off to get a few things done in preparation for evening out.

We went to Raleigh the next day, October 24, to eat at Bahama Breeze! Here I am just outside the resturant next to my Miata :-)


Here we are right after our delicious meal at Bahama Breeze. This was a fun place to celebrate our anniversary.

Ana, smiling prettily, waiting for our dinner. Ana ordered a salmon salad while I ordered their chicken caesar salad!

Here is a short video in the resturant :-)

Our Little Switzerland Trip...!

This past week my parents, Ana Maria, and I went to Little Switzerland, North Carolina for a few days of peaceful respite in the mountains! We stayed at the Big Lynn Lodge on top of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The weather was perfect -- 40's at night, and 60's during the day! I love autumn in the mountains! The first night we enjoyed hearing the wind in the trees as a front pushed through the mountains. The next day was full of sunshine, although we still needed our jackets and sweaters. We only spent Wednesday and Thursday nights-- the time flew by! But it was great spending time with my parents, who also had a great time.

Dad is pictured here standing beside the main lodge where we had our meals each day. Breakfast was our favorite meal. We had waffles, pancakes, eggs, sausage, grits, toast, and plenty of coffee :-) We were able to sit beside the glass enclosure that overlooked the Catawba Valley! There is a piano in the lounge area, so we couldn't resist singing a few hymns one afternoon. The lodge employees remarked how much they enjoyed our singing :-) It was a lot of fun. Downstairs in the basement is the recreation room. We enjoyed playing a game of billiards there! I have to say that Mom did a pretty good job!

This is a view from our cabin porch. Isn't it beautiful! I could have stayed right there on the porch for hours enjoying the view!

Ana grabbed this picture of Dad, Mom and me in front of our cabin. Our cabins were actually a duplex. So my parents and we were able to share a mutual porch.

Here I am on the veranda at the main lodge. Behind me is the Catawba Valley.

On Thursday, we visited an apple orchard where the trees were hanging full of apples! The owners were all set up with a store where there were all kinds of apple products for sell, such as apple pies, apple cider, etc. We bought a couple of pecks of "jona gold" apples, some jams, and some homemade fudge!

These beautiful red dalias were blooming at the bottom of the steps of a neighboring cabin. We couldn't resist taking a picture of them!

Here are Mom and Dad sitting across from us enjoying a delicious slice of peanut butter chocolate pie -- a house specialty! Behind Dad is the Catawba Valley -- we enjoyed a great view at every meal. As a matter of fact, we sat at this same table each time we ate!

Yours truly, enjoying a very nice moment, rocking and admiring the beautiful mountain views!

Ana loved sitting out on the porch too. But as you can see, she's alittle bit more cold-natured than I :-)

Here is a short video of the last few moments of our stay. It really was difficult saying goodby. Time flies by so quickly, doesn't it. We should enjoy every moment our Lord has given us, and to treat it as the gift that it is.