Friday, March 20, 2015

THE "HOT MESS EXPRESS".......the girls do Asheville.


It was at our last get together that someone
in the group mentioned a "road trip" to see the
"Dressing Downton" exhibit at the
Biltmore Estate in Asheville N.C.
It didn't take but about 3 minutes for us all to agree this
was something we needed to plan....
So with reservations made and tickets bought...and
Five easily agreeable women we were all set to take on
The Vanderbilt's!!
Calling ourselves
The "Real" Real Housewives of Atlanta"
we ended up after 2 days and I don't know how many
Miles....Rose re-named us...
"The Hot Mess Express".....
I think it had something to do with the green feather
Boa's and the little green hats...
Hey....it was St. Patrick's Day!

Here we are at our first stop of the Day....
Mary's Fall Cottage in Greenville S.C.
We decided to stop in Greenville for lunch so we could
finally all get to the infamous
Christmas Tree Shoppe
Because every Blogger has either been or has heard about
the place....

Greenville is a fabulous little town with a great
Main Street....where there are shops and tons of
places to eat and it's just plain pretty....
Here is the "head instigator" off all things
Trouble...
Joyce...of ex-blog "Flour Power".....
Our cute little waiter.....3rd day on the job....
He'll never be the same...
It was Cheri's birthday so here she is taking
off her ring....she will put it around the candle on her
cake and "Make a Wish"...
Better known as
The Two Lucys!!
We laughed for two days straight....
The Gang....
Rose...Cheri....Linda and Joyce...
The beautiful Greenville Falls....
A walk over the "Liberty Bridge"
a Cantilevered curved bridge right in
Downtown Greenville....
that rocks when you walk across it....
I stayed on one end and took pictures...
Linda looking like all she needed was a
stripper pole!!

A talented young man playing his
Guitar in the afternoon sun...
Shopping in the "Mast General Store"
I decided to find my inner
"Housewives of Beverly Hills"
persona...

Lisa Rinna....eat your heart out! 

This is for our friend "Cuisine Kathleen".....
We finally got Joyce to the CTS!
 
Not saying that the CTS sells crap....
Here is a frog lawn ornament holding a
Camera...
After some shopping....
we headed on to Asheville....
Where I promptly made a scene by having the
cooler filled with ice and water fall off of the
luggage cart all over the lobby carpet...
In my defense....Cheri was pulling the Cart
Waaaaay Too Fast....LOL
After a short rest we headed out for dinner at
Cedric's at the Biltmore....
Unfortunately this Shepard's Pie
Looked better then it tasted...
The ground lamb tasted like a jar of
Baby Food....not a good thing...
and I would hate to tell you what that little dish cost...
Another birthday dessert for
Miss Cheri...
After dinner I decided to further make an
A$$ out of myself by trying to ride
Cedric....
Mr. Vanderbilt's beloved Dog...
Linda sat on Cedric more lady like....
Next Morning!
We took the shuttle to the Estate...
We felt like we were at Downton....
We were so excited....
Beautiful and grand from the outside
we could only imagine what the inside would be like...
Joyce even wore her favorite
"Downton-esque" Hat....
And then we got the bad news...
"No Photo's Allowed"
Are you kidding me....
45 gorgeous Downton Abbey Costumes.....
And I can't take pictures....
You can't tell me I can't take a picture....
Granted it's of Rose and she's not in Costume
But it's a picture!
we snuck this while wandering through the
3rd floor hallway...
After the house tour we got back in the car
and drove around the grounds

It was very beautiful even though it's still March
It must be spectacular in the Spring and Summer...

Inside the Greenhouse....
I spotted this adorable little girl....
With her adorable little Converse
Sneakers...

The smell of the Orchids were
intoxicating...
We re-named this the
"Hot Flash House"...
It was getting time for lunch and after not being
impressed with dinner the night before we cancelled
Our High Tea reservation when we found out that it was
at the Hotel and not the Estate....so we drove in to
Downtown Asheville..... not being
overly impressed with that either.....we all opted to drive back
down to Greenville...
Where we stopped at my
Favorite place to eat...
"Grill Marks"...
The girls all agreed it was the best burger they
Have ever eaten.....
They have the best sweet potato fries with an
Orange dipping sauce....
We did a little more shopping...
We all found goodies at the
Tea and Spice Shoppe...
A stop back at the Mast General Store found
Us All bringing home their famous
Mice....and then we were on the road back to
The ATL.....
Where we all decided it was two of the best days
we have spent in a long time...
How often can you say you laughed for
48 hours straight....
and in closing...
always remember this....
Amen to that.....

14 comments:

Cheri said...

OMG Sue, it was a great 2 days and the stories and laughing...well what can I say when your with "The Real Real Housewives of Atl." Couldn't have went with a better bunch of gals.

Ellen said...

Again, jealous. Maybe Marietta should be on our list of places to consider for retirement.

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I am still smiling! It was the best time 5 crazy ladies ever had! I almost spit out my water when I saw my 'stripper' photo. I am a wild and crazy gal! You have great photos of us all having a wonderful time. I can't wait for our next 'Hot Mess Express' trip, but I still need some recovery time from this one!
hugs,
Linda

American Homestead said...

Looks like you had a great time!

Moms Musings said...

You all seemed to be having a good time, wish I lived near you so I could join your "Hot Mess Express"

Helen said...

Your post is absolutely delightful!

Salmagundi said...

You girls have way too much fun!! I do think you should lose the fake red lips, however!!! Would rather see your great smile. Take care, Sally

Linda (more fun less laundry) said...

I enjoyed this virtual trip so much and I'm looking forward to my trip to Biltmore in April! Glad to hear the restaurant review for Cedric's as we were scheduled to eat there! I know about the photo ban but I will store up all those goodies in my head. Sounds like you all had a fabulous time! Linda

Marigene said...

Looks like you all had a great time! I can believe there was laughter for 48 hours straight...

Marie said...

looks like a blast!! nothing better than a girl's getaway! I haven't visited the Biltmore since I was about 19. happy spring!!

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Wow, you all know how to have fun! Makes me wish I lived nearby so I could join you.

Chatty Crone said...

It was so fun to read of all your adventures and go on the trip with you through pictures and stories. Believe me I can understand all that you are saying. The food looked good - the hotel nice - the estate fabulous - were the clothes cool? I bet those gals are tiny!

So glad you had a wonderful trip.

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Sorry I missed all of the fun! Looks like you all had a ball.

Peg said...

What a great trip you had! I'm so disappointed that you could not photograph the costumes but the flowers and grounds are beautiful.