Saluda, NC

From June 19-25, we were able to spend the week with Jamie's family in Saluda, NC. We rented an 18 bedroom home there that used to be an Inn and restaurant. It was called the "Saluda Inn." It has a winery in the basement that they open up once a week during the evening and have wine taste testing and different little foods. There is no air conditioning, but window fans and overhead fans can really cool the place off. Jamie's mom and her four siblings' families all came up. At one point there was about 45 people staying in the house. Each of the siblings took one day to cook breakfast and supper. Lunch was on your own--even though there were a ton of leftovers to choose from. The food was fabulous! I finally gained some weight during my pregnancy.

I was really worried about trying to entertain the children during that week. But, I was pleasantly surprised that the older cousins entertained my kids the whole week. Each day they would go off into one of the rooms or on the porches and "plan" their show for that evening. Their show consisted of Eli dancing when they were trying to think of something else to do, lots of jokes--even from the audience, skits--such as Katie as the "candy girl" or Eli as "Elvis" or all of them being the "Schmingles" wearing orange cones on their heads. It was hilarious and each night was better than the last. They were all very creative and I know that they really created some great memories of that week.

"Candy Girl" skit

The "Schmingles"

Chris and Rhonda found a great little spot near a waterfall that the kids could go wading in. It was only about 6 inches deep and very cold. The cold didn't seem to bother the kids. Katie had blue lips, but didn't want to get out of the water. They really enjoyed playing with their little cousins in the creek.

The first Saturday we were there, Eli got to go kayaking with many of the cousins down a river with some white water. He and Nana were in a kayak together. He had a lot of fun even though they got stuck on a few rocks. I'm so glad Jamie's mom was willing to go so that Eli could go. I couldn't go since I'm pregnant and I would have hated for him to miss such a fun opportunity. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but if I get some from anyone else, I'll post them.

We had a blast this week. We hope that it might be something that we do again. It was such a memorable week spending time with Jamie's cousins, aunts, uncles, and all of their families. I am very fortunate to have married into such a sweet family that love one another so much!