Snow on Snow, Snow on Snow...In the Bleak Mid Winter Just a Day Ago

Sunday morning, all is calm, all is snow, all is good and all is well. Our route to Nashville is frozen over and the local paper reported all the wrecks and crashes on I-40 that started happening yesterday. We made our decision last night not to venture out onto the highways and stick around the Biltmore for another day. I know you might be thinking, yea, that's a real tough decision. It was, because this means we won't be able to visit with family and celebrate Christmas with them. Although I would not be honest if I said being stuck at the Biltmore is not too bad at all. I mean, we could be stuck at some airport. We extended our stay one more night but as of 11:00 am today, we are off the Elegant Christmas plan. So we enjoyed our last inclusive meal of the plan this morning. They prepare such great food and meals here and the breakfast buffet has to be one of the best ever. Breakfast is totally off the charts and ruins my healthy meal plan but I figure I have all day to burn it off. Roy and I have had a window table seating at every meal. Ah, the favor of the Lord! Our joke on this trip at meal time is saying to one another, "you always get the best view." I did have to remind Roy that sitting across from me at every meal is the best view. He just smiled and looked out the window.
This is the fireplace in the main dinning room. All the fireplaces here are beautifully decorated and very warm and inviting. In the library in the lobby there are two fireplaces with overstuffed chairs and couches arranged in front of them. I have this obligatory check list in my mind, so last night as we sat in front of the fire, I checked that off as having been done. Same goes for drinking hot tea by the windows that look out unto the fields which this morning are really white for harvest.

These are the stairs that go from the lobby down to the dining room or up from the dining room to the lobby. It is one of those half empty or half full observations.

This is one of the fireplaces in the library. The other one is next to it.

Santa Claus came to town and we got to spend some time with him. Very nice man and he has a great sense of humor. Funny it wasn't children wanting their picture with him, it was all us adults who are kids at heart. Guess the kids had already done their business with Santa and didn't want to ruin anything. See those people sitting on the chairs and couches behind us? They were working up the courage to have their picture taken with the Claus.

Lots of women use a photo of themselves with Beth Moore as their Facebook profile picture, I think I am going to do that very same thing except mine will be with Santa. He and I became close personal friends in a wink of an eye last night.



We awoke this morning to the beautiful scene of snow covered trees and mountains. The snow has stopped falling but the wind has really picked up. Bellmen once again are shoveling snow off the sidewalks and pathways. The snow plows are out creating a way to the village and to the house.

This morning I cannot help but think of these verses from Psalm 147- "He sends the snow like white wool; he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes. He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against His freezing cold? Then, at his command, it all melts. He sends His winds and the ice thaws." My prayer is that He will send that command this afternoon so the melting and the thawing can begin.