March 12, 2010 at 7:47am
7 lbs 15 oz , 19 1/2″

So we had a lot of fun doing the Word Scramble and had a LOT of buzz going all over Facebook, Twitter, and this blog.  Thanks so much for playing along.  Melissa and I are so excited and simply cannot wait to meet and introduce you to our little princess, Madison.  We’ve decided on the name Faith for her middle name, naming her after Melissa’s mom’s middle name.  Stay tuned in here for all the details and more announcements about Melissa’s pregnancy and Madison’s birth.

So this past Sunday, December 13, was Melissa and I’s 1 Year Anniversary.  Being that my job is a worship pastor and I lead worship on Sundays, and due to a Kid’s Christmas program I was involved in, we decided to take a trip before our anniversary.  We left on Thursday morning and drove up to Lake Lure, NC.  My Mema got us a great condo:
with an extremely gorgeous view in the back:

It was a beautiful place.  We spent the night watching “Julie and Julia” and cuddling in the living room by the fireplace:

The next morning we left for the Biltmore House.  If you aren’t familiar with the Biltmore, make sure to check out their website.  It’s the largest home in America and was once the home of the Vanderbilts.  The house sits on an estate of 8,000 acres that includes a farm, massive garden, winery, inn, and the 250 room house.  We ended up upgrading our tickets to annual passes so we could go back in the spring for the festival of flowers, in the summer for summer evening concerts, in the fall to see the leaves changing, and again in the winter to see it during Christmas time again.  Here are a few pictures.  They don’t allow photography inside but here are a few shots:

We even had a great meal at this restaurant on our way home:

It was an absolutely beautiful place and we had such a great time being together.  After church and the kid’s Christmas program on Sunday, we celebrated our actual anniversary at The Melting Pot.  When we got home, we even ate a piece from the top of our wedding  cake.  After all the scares that it would taste horrible, it actually wasn’t that bad.  Melissa’s mom must have done a great job of wrapping and freezing it.

I love you with all of my heart, Melissa Marie O’Neal and I can’t wait to share the rest of my life with you.