It’s Official!

31/08/12 10:19 PM

Today weΒ made it official!

We have a signed contract for the lease for

Belle Grove Plantation!

We traveled to Richmond this afternoon and finished the review of the final draft of the lease contract and signed it. This has been a long time coming! We started on this journey on July 16, 2011 when we arrived at Belle Grove to see it for the first time. Four hundred and twelve days later after working on planning, researching and meeting after meeting, we are turning the page to the next chapter of our bed and breakfast!

So what do you do after signing a contract that will forever change your life?

No… you don’t go to Disney World!

We headed home to Chesapeake and made a stop at one of our favorite day trip places, Colonial Williamsburg. Williamsburg has always been my favorite places to go when things got me down or when I needed to clear my head. It is just one of those places for me.

We decided to stop and get dinner at Merchant Square at The Trellis. We have been here many times and I have to say it’s the best place for dessert! “Death by Chocolate” is one dessert to “die” for!

We started dinner with a wonderful salad and breads. We had a selection of Corn Bread, Rye and Pretzel Rolls. If you have never had a Pretzel Roll, you must try them! They are so good! It was served with butter, olive oil and cracker mustard.

For dinner Brett had Homemade Papardelle Pasta. This was House-made Egg Pasta with an Assortment of Mushrooms in Butter and Herb Stock and Aged Farmer’s Cheese.

I had one of my favorites, Shrimp and Grits. Shrimp and Grits can come in many different recipes, but I have to say this is one of the best. This one is SautΓ©ed Carolina Shrimp with Trellis Bacon, Local Bok Choy and Cheddar Grits in a White Wine Lemon Sauce. I asked to have the Bok Choy left off.

For dessert, you guessed it, Death by Chocolate! This is a study in chocolate – A Seven Layer Chocolate Torte with a Hand-Rolled White Chocolate Truffle, Chocolate Ice Cream and Dark Chocolate Sauce.

After dinner, Brett and I walked down through Colonial Williamsburg. We normally walk all the way to the other side, but tonight was kind of hot. We made our way instead down to the Governor’s Palace. We general don’t walk down this way so it was nice change.

We weren’t the only ones that thought it was a hot evening!

Tomorrow we are off and running! We are heading back to Fredericksburg to stay at the Schooler House Bed and Breakfast. We are so excited to see Andi, the Innkeeper and her sweet puppy, Enzo!

Schooler House Bed and Breakfast
Fredericksburg Virginia

www.theschoolerhouse.com

Enzo

Before we go to Fredericksburg, we are headed to Mount Vernon, George and Martha Washington’s plantation near Washington DC. We are hoping to do some research on their gardens and to take notes on the layout and plants that they have chosen to use. We would like to see if we can incorporate some of these into our plans for the grounds and gardens at Belle Grove.

If anyone is near Mount Vernon and you don’t have any plans for Saturday, you should come join us at Mount Vernon! If you do and you see us, please stop us! We would love to meet you!

It’s going to be a great weekend both to celebrate this new chapter in our lives and to get some fresh research ideas! So expect lots of pictures to come on Monday!

Have a great long weekend!

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Year of the Virginia Historic Homes | 222 Comments »

222 Comments on “It’s Official!”

  1. vanbraman Says:

    Congratulations! Now the work you do will have new meaning.

  2. That is so true! We just can’t wait to get it started!

  3. WifisWorld Says:

    Congratulations to you both! I wish you all of the best and will stop to visit. We are a hop skip and a jump from you.

  4. Thank you! We are looking forward to meeting you soon at the plantation!

  5. seniorhiker Says:

    Congratulations on this new chapter in your life.

  6. Thank you! Nothing like turning the page!

  7. terry1954 Says:

    congratulations the two of you!!!!!!!! you are going to be making such a mark on the world!!!!!

  8. Terry, you are so sweet! Thank you!

  9. Dianna Says:

    Congratulations! It’s been a long time coming!

  10. Thank you Dianna! I know you have been there with us pretty long now! Can’t wait to share this place with you!

  11. What a great way to celebrate. I will have to check it out the next time I visit family.

  12. It was really good! I would highly recommend it!

  13. lessandragr Says:

    Congratulations Melissa and Brett. May you have much success and happiness!

  14. lessandragr Says:

    I’m so sorry! I meant to say Michele πŸ™‚

  15. No worries! πŸ˜‰

  16. Thank you so much! That really means a lot to us!

  17. Grats to you both and Best of luck! I have two questions:

    1 – On a scale of 1 – 10, 10 being very, very, are you scared?
    2 – Did you actually consume that chocolate death pill or just take shots of it?

  18. Richard, you are so much fun! On a scale from 1 – 10, right now I have to say 2. I am still just so high on getting this part done. Now maybe as things get going, I might have a moment of reality, but that is what this blog is for! You guys have been my support and “cheerleaders” and have help me remember why I am doing this!

    Did I comsume the chocolate death pill… not all of it. Just took some hearty shots of it. So I guess you can say tonight, I am only half dead. So does that make me one of the Walking Dead?

  19. Congrats! Wishing you much success in this new venture.

  20. Thank you so much! We can’t wait to really share it with everyone!

  21. Angeline M Says:

    I was so happy when I saw this in my email box! You’ve been down a long road. Congratulations!

  22. Thank you so much! It has been a long road, but the journey far from over! Now … zoning!

  23. Congratulations on completing that first important step. May your planning process and occupancy permits go smoothly as well. All my best from California,

    DJCooney

    Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2012 02:20:42 +0000 To: danljcooney@hotmail.com

  24. Thank you so much DJ! We hope it will go smoothly with the county as well! Maybe someday if you find yourself on the East coast you can stop by the plantation for a visit!

  25. Chuck Ring Says:

    Great good fortune to you. I am happy for your testimony through your hard work.

  26. Thank you so much! We have really enjoyed the journey and can’t wait for the next chapter of this wonderful story!

  27. petrel41 Says:

    Congratulations!

    All the best for you, the plantation, the blog, and the ospreys πŸ™‚

  28. Thank you! The babies are gone, but we have so much to do before next year. We have to get their nest moved and set up the webcam so we can watch James and Dolley when they return!

  29. petrel41 Says:

    Maybe your ospreys will winter in Suriname, where I have seen ospreys …

  30. That would bee cool! Tell them we said “hello”! πŸ˜‰

  31. shofar Says:

    God has really blessed you, bringing your dream to fruition!
    Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

  32. Thank you so much! That is one of my favorites! I know He has been with us through it all. My son had a wonderful statement on his Facebook last night. God never promises the absence of storms.. He promises to walk with us through them. He has truly done just that.

  33. garybuie01 Says:

    Congratulations to you both! Now the fun can begin – good luck in your new life!
    Christine

  34. Thank you! We have so much more to go! But it is wonderful having people like you there to support us!

  35. Congratulations and good luck with your new venture!

  36. Thank you so much! We hope to have it open soon so we can share this beautiful place with everyone!

  37. abbspepper Says:

    Wonderful news – congratulations!

  38. Thank you! And thank you for your support!

  39. Congratulations, and best wishes for the future!

  40. Thank you! We hope to see everyone at the plantation soon!

  41. Congratulations on signing the lease and taking the next step. With the kind of dedication and love you obviously have for this venture, no doubt you’ll be a huge success. We’ll definitely be visiting the B&B one of these days……..! Your dinner in Williamsburg sounded lovely (and yummy).

    All the best,
    Pam (with Sam on my lap!)

  42. Thank you so much Pam and Sam!! It was very yummy! We can’t wait to meet you at the plantation soon!

  43. John Says:

    Congrats. I wish you much success.

  44. Thank you so much! We are excited to turn the page to the next chapter!

  45. Congratulations!!! You have worked so hard for this… We love Williamsburg too! Loved the photos – many memories…

  46. Thank you! And thank you for supporting us through all of it!

  47. sohojay Says:

    You guys are so cool and inspiring. Congrats!

  48. Aw thank you so much! Hope to see you soon at the plantation!

  49. Congratulations! And I wish you much success!

    Sincerely,
    judy

  50. Thank you so much!

  51. talkavino Says:

    Congratulations!!!!!!!!

  52. Thank you! Can’t wait to see everyone at the plantation soon!

  53. Debbie Says:

    Congratulations! How exciting to finally be moving ahead πŸ™‚

  54. Thank you! We are so glad to finally turn the page!

  55. Jayne Says:

    Yeah!!!! Congratulations!!!!

  56. Thank you! We agree!! πŸ˜‰

  57. many congratulations! I hope we can come and visit from the UK some day.

  58. Thank you! We hope you can as well! We love our friends in the UK!

  59. Congratulations you two. Now the fun really starts. And I am full just looking at that those wonderful food photos. Especially the dessert.

  60. Thank you! We are excited about the new chapter! Don’t look too much at that dessert, you will gain weight! πŸ˜‰

  61. Thea Maddox Says:

    Congratulations!!!!! I really hope we can come to see your new home!!!!

    Thea Maddox

    Sent from my iPad

  62. Thank you Thea! We really appreciate all your support! You and Terry have been with us through most of it!

  63. petrel41 Says:

    Hi, I don’t know when I’ll be in Suriname again. But when I was there, i saw wintering ospreys several times. Including at

    http://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/suriname-10th-day-herons-and-osprey/

  64. We just got back from the plantation and I have to say it was great! We were eating dinner across the river from the plantation and got to see our two osprey diving for fish. It was so cool!

  65. Congratulations! I am sure all the hard work, and waiting, will be worth it the day your first guests arrive!
    I have Marcel’s “Death by Chocolate” cookbook and have made that dessert twice. Oh so rich and delicious!

  66. Yum! I have the recipe too, but I still haven’t tried it yet! Is it hard? Thank you! We will be so excited the day our first guest arrives!

  67. I am so happy for you! I know what a lot of work you put into defining your contract and working out the details! Brett did such a good job on his review of the first draft. I love watching your journey to make a dream come true. It is an inspiration. And I feel the same way about Williamsburg. It was hard to leave it behind and come to live on the other side of the world back in 1985. I love the Trellis. It was the last place my son and I ate this spring on our trip. So excited to see you move forward! Yeah! Say HI to Hurley for us. Tell him we got an unplanned cat but he is Retriever friendly.

  68. Thank you! And thank you for your input! It lead us to find our new attorney and finish this contract thing quickly! I am so with you about Williamsburg! There is only one other place there that I would eat before the Trellis and that would be the Fat Carnary. I wanted to go there first, but they didn’t have a reservation short notice. Hurley said “Hi!” and not to worry about the cat. He has one here at the house and he deals with it.;)

  69. First, congratulations! I am thrilled for you, and look forward to reading about how things unfold for you both. Second….that chocolate dessert! Wow!!! Thanks for sharing your trip with us. Delightful read.

    Have a beautiful day!
    Stacy

  70. Thank you! And thank you for supporting us through all this fun! And yes… that dessert! You will gain weight just looking at it!

  71. Congrats!

  72. Thank you so much!! And thank you for supporting us through all this fun!

  73. Congratulations! Here I am trying to do a cleansing fast and the photos of your food has my stomach growling! Know you will have a wonderful holiday!

  74. Aw… sorry! How it didn’t make it too bad! Thank you!

  75. Congratulations! What an amazing journey you are on.

  76. Thank you! And thank you for supporting us through this wonderful journey!

  77. Jane Sadek Says:

    Congratulations!!

    Had a private laugh about Williamsburg. It’s not exactly around the corner from Texas, so I’ve only been twice and both times I fainted in the most public, embarrassing ways possible. Both times I visited it was hot and humid, so I think it was going into and out of the air-conditioned spaces into and out of the extreme, humid heat. But I can’t think about Williamsburg without thinking about laying in the middle of the brick sidewalk outside the silversmiths shop with scrapped face, hands, arms and knees – TWICE!

    If I ever visit again, it will be during much cooler weather.

  78. Thank you! Oh my.. I think I would be embarrassed too! At least you weren’t hurt too bad. I agree, cooler weather would be a better time. We learned that with our weekend at Mount Vernon.

  79. Congratulations!!

  80. Thank you so much! And thank you for supporting us through this wonderful journey!

  81. jmmcdowell Says:

    I love Colonial Wiliamsburg. πŸ™‚ And congratulations on signing the lease. Now the fun really begins!

  82. Thank you! We are so excited to finally turn the page on the first chapter! I am with you on Colonial Williamsburg! What a great place to go and hang out!

  83. SallyK Says:

    I love the expression on Brett’s face in the first pic – like OMG what have we done! LOL!! Good luck – I know it will be a success!

  84. Thank you! And thank you for supporting us! I have to tell you that just after we left the office in Richmond just after we signed the lease, I looked at Brett and said, “I don’t think I want to do this anymore.” (just joking) He looked at me and said,”Just get me a gun and I will shoot myself.” He knows I was joking. He is just as excited about it as I am!

  85. Congratulations – I already told the Mr. we have to plan a weekend getaway to visit you at Bell Grove. I am already saving my nickles and dimes!! LOL I also enjoyed your photos of Williamsburg, we have not been there yet.

  86. Thank you and Thank you for supporting us! It really means a lot! We can’t want to meet you!!

  87. πŸ˜€

  88. Congratulations! You are following a dream many people have – but not many people have the gumption to make it a reality! I hope it is a wonderful adventure for you both.

  89. Thank you! And thank you for supporting us! It has been a dream for along time. We hope that we will also inspire others to follow their hearts too! It has been a great journey so far and hope for more fun in the future!

  90. Amy Says:

    Congratulations! All the best to the new chapter of your life. Truly exciting. Thank you for the beautiful photos!

  91. Thank you! And thank you for supporting us! It is great to finally get to turn the page! Now onward and upward!

  92. organizedisland Says:

    Congratulations on Bella Grove! Glad you are celebrating and look forward to your new adventure!

  93. Thank you! And thank you for supporting us! It really does mean a lot to us! But we are back and celebration is behind us. Onward and Upward!

  94. Jen Says:

    Congratulations, I am so happy! At last! lol

    Your trip to Williamsburg looked lovely…as did the pasta, wow. Sometimes being celiac is REALLY difficult. πŸ˜‰

    By the way, I’ve some photos of Mount Vernon’s flower garden sitting on my hard drive. I’d be happy to let you know once they’re up if you would like to utilize them for research, too, though as they’re also autumn photos (October, IIRC), they might not be *that* different. Mount Vernon is absolutely my favourite place in the world!

  95. Thank you! And thank you for supporting us! Yes.. at last! Wow, I don’t know if I could give up pasta. I have done it for a month or so and it was so hard. We loved Mount Vernon. Couples things weren’t as fun as we hoped, but the gardens were beautiful! Yes, please let me know!

  96. aidaweb101 Says:

    Congratulations and all the best!
    Cheers!

  97. Thank you so much! And thank you for supporting us! It really means a lot to us!

  98. gardeniahung Says:

    BEST WISHES WITH GOD’S BLESSINGS FOR YOU! CONGRATULATIONS…

  99. Thank you so much! We really appreciate all the support we have gotten from everyone!

  100. Congratulations, I know you will have tremendous success. I hope to visit your beautiful B&B!

  101. Thank you! And thank you for supporting us! It really means a lot to us! We hope to see you at the plantation soon!

  102. mixedupmeme Says:

    Your blog certainly shows how hard you have worked to achieve this.
    The smiles on your faces show how happy you are.
    The pictures and information you share are so beautiful and interesting.

  103. Thank you! And thank you for supporting us! It really means a lot to us! Yes, it has been hard work. And when those doors open and the first guest walks in, we will know it was because of all the hard work and patience we had to have to get us there. It will mean so much more!

  104. bamboogirl Says:

    Congrats!!

  105. Thank you! And thank you for supporting us through this support!

  106. Congrats!:)

  107. Thank you so much! We really appreciate all the support! It really keeps us focus and moving forward!

  108. I bet! And, anytime πŸ™‚

  109. deadmousediaries Says:

    Thanks for letting us other bloggers peep in on your quest to grab your dream. I’m sure your signing was both an incredible relief and a big, scary deal all at once. It’s clear the two of you truly appreciate the value of heritage so I’m sure you will make wonderful 21st century caretakers of Belle Grove. Thanks, too, for the visual tour of Will
    iamsburg. I have been there three times so far this year and agree it is a magical place! (BTW, wouldn’t it be grand if we really did get the option: death by chocolate? !) MK

  110. No thank you for all the support all of you other bloggers have given us! It has been our pleasure to share our passion with everyone! And yes, I have to say it was a relief and very scare at the same time when we signed the contract. Thank you so much for following along with us! And I would chose death by chocolate if given the choice!

  111. 1stminstrel Says:

    When ever I travel, I always stay at a B&B if one is available during the trip. Should I ever get your way, I will give you a stop. Recently stayed in Dunn, NC at one, best 7 days so far this year.

  112. We do the same when we travel. It beats any hotel any day! We have been through Dunn, NC many times when we traveled back to SC to see my family. But we do hope you will stop by and see us even if you can’t stay long!

  113. Gemma Says:

    Shrimp and grits? Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Love ’em!
    Seriously, congrats! :-).

  114. Yes… I 100% agree! Thank you so much! We really appreciate all the support!

  115. S. Thomas Summers Says:

    Beautiful.

    S. Thomas Summers
    Author of Private Hercules McGraw: Poems of the American Civil War

  116. Thank you! I will be needing a copy of you book soon to place in the library!!

  117. It’s on amazon.com.

    I asked you in another post, but would you be willing to sell copies on consignment? No cost to you. I send you a few copies. If they sell, we divide the spoils. If not, after a time, you send them back. If you are not interested, no worries.

    Congrats again. Hope you like my book.

    S. Thomas Summers Author of Private Hercules McGraw: Poems of the American Civil War

  118. Once we move it and get ready to open, we would be very happy to do so. But with everything going on, I may forget. Could you please send me an email shortly before we open and remind me? But I do want to purchase one to keep at the house too. How far away are you from the plantation in Port Conway, Virginia?

  119. I am in Northern New Jersey. Still. my wfe and I would love to come down sometime. Maybe I can do a reading for you. I get rewading “gigs” all the time. Continued good luck.

  120. That was what I was thinking about. As we start to plan events, I will keep you in mind!

  121. Excellent. Thanks.

  122. I am in Northern New Jersey. Still. my wfe and I would love to come down sometime. Maybe I can do a reading for you. I get reading “gigs” all the time. Continued good luck.

  123. Wonderful post & congrats! PS the food looks amazing!

  124. Thank you! We appreciate your support! Yes and it was yummy!

  125. patgarcia Says:

    Hi,
    Congratulations and all the best.
    Ciao,
    Patricia

  126. Thank you so much! We appreciate all your support and can’t wait to get this plantation open!

  127. belocchio Says:

    What a thrilling day. One to remember. Congratulations. You have done so much work, so much research, such attention to detail, you are going to be an outstanding success. Virginia

  128. Thank you! It was a thrilling day! I don’t think I will forget it for a long time!

  129. JulesPaige Says:

    Best of luck on this wonderful adventure. And continued success with all you have done and will do with Belle Grove.

  130. Thank you so much! We appreciate your support through all of this!

  131. Congratulations! And now I’m really craving chocolate. πŸ™‚

  132. Thank you! We appreciate your support! I know that dessert is hard to look away from. I swear just looking at it will add 10 pounds!

  133. Reblogged this on katherinehpurdy and commented:
    Congratulations to Michelle and Brett who are now the proud owners of the Belle Grove Plantation B&B!

  134. Congratulations! It must have felt good!

  135. It did just as it will feel for you when you walk!

  136. πŸ™‚

  137. Gratz! Good luck with the venture, I am sure you all will be successful!

  138. Thank you! And thank you for supporting us! It really does mean a lot to us!

  139. I am so happy for you … and a little jealous of your stop at Colonial Williamsburg, I enjoy it too!

  140. Thank you! I know what you mean about Williamsburg. It’s just a great place to hang out!

  141. Caroline Says:

    Congratulations! I’ve eaten Death by Chocolate at The Trellis many years ago but I still remember it. It was amazing! I shared it with my husband but wished I’d ordered just for me. πŸ™‚

  142. Thank you! Brett and I had to share this one too. It’s just too much for me to eat alone.

  143. Liz Says:

    Congratulations–that is awesome!!!! Your food looks amazing and I want some of that Death By Chocolate:-) And the shrimp dish, too.

  144. Thank you! I have the recipe for Death by Chocolate and I’m planning to trying it soon. It really is to “die” for!

  145. Liz Says:

    Will be watching for that blog post;-)

  146. Congratulations!! You deserve a celebration!

  147. Thank you! We did just that last weekend in Fredericksburg at what else, a B&B! Now its on to the work of getting the zoning approval. Do you have any advice for us?

  148. jackcurtis Says:

    Everything we do turns ordinary some day…so we should keep looking ahead, pursuing the excitement, never being satisfied, I think,
    May your clover all come up with four leaves!

  149. What wonderful comments! I love your insight! We hope that being at Belle Grove Plantation will never become ordinary! Thank you!

  150. Congratulations! Hope to have a stay over some day!

  151. Thank you! We hope to see you at the plantation some day!

  152. Nativegrl77 Says:

    Congrats ! Press ON … thank you for stopping by!!!

  153. Thank you! We are doing just that!

  154. jmount43 Says:

    Congratulations

  155. Thank you! Hope to see you at the plantation some day!

  156. Thank you for stopping by my blog and liking my post. Congratulations. That is so exciting! Your pictures of Williamsburg are great. Virginia is such a great place to visit with so much history. I have lived in Virginia all of my life and have lived in Virginia Beach for the past 30 years. My mom went to William and Mary and my brothers JMU. I am a Hokie myself. The bed and breakfast sounds wonderful. So glad to hear from such a close neighbor.

  157. You are so welcome! We hope to see more of your blog in the future! We just love Williamsburg! It is one of our favorite day trips. We have been in Chesapeake since 1992. Virginia is a wonderful place to live and visit! Thank you for stopping by and we hope to see you at the plantation some day!

  158. Jerry Says:

    Awesome!

  159. Thank you! We hope to see you at the plantation some day! It’s a great place to take photographs!

  160. paintlater Says:

    Congratulations, what a wonderful thing to have done, made a beautiful place a home to share. I drool when I look at your pictures- and that’s not even the food! A well deserved treat. Cheers Sue

  161. Thank you! We are excited about bring this historic plantation back to life. It is a wonderful place. It is going to make a great place for artist and writers to come on a retreat!

  162. paintlater Says:

    It would be inspirational. Just check the bottom of their shoes for paint!

  163. rivertails Says:

    Congratulations!

  164. Thank you! We hope to see you at the plantation some day!!

  165. Michael Says:

    Congratulations !!!

  166. Thank you! We hope to see you at the plantation one day!

  167. vixviews Says:

    Huge Congratulations! If I’m ever up your way, you can bet I’ll be stopping by. Great shots of Williamsburg, too, especially the shrimp & grits! πŸ˜‰

  168. Thank you! We are very excited about getting on with the task at hand. We hope to see you one day at the plantation!

  169. Good luck! Food looks great, you should have a recipe page.

  170. Thank you! I thought about a recipe page, but I can’t give away all my secrets πŸ˜‰

  171. Congratulations! It has been a long time coming!
    And thanks for the lovely – and delicious – tour of Williamsburg. The shrimp and grits look fabulous, as does the Death by Chocolate. Yum!
    Jeanne

  172. Thank you and we agree on the wait. But it has been worth every second so far. We love Williamsburg and I am sure we will be back soon.

  173. Russell Cavanagh Says:

    Good luck with the venture. From the pics, the food certainly looks great! 😎

  174. Thank you! We hope to see you some day at the plantation!

  175. Russell Cavanagh Says:

    Lovely thought … 😎

  176. photobycraig Says:

    Love the “Death by Chocolate”! Need to find me a sign like that πŸ™‚

  177. I agree with you… what a way to die!

  178. mkyfoster Says:

    Congrats! What a wonderful way to celebrate πŸ™‚

  179. Thank you! We are very excited about the next chapter!

  180. bigsurkate Says:

    I am so happy for you! Your dream became your reality. Not many people can say that. I was so excited to read about your project, and then to finally come back here and see that it was happening, gave me goosebumps. Intention = manifestation. You two live it! Well done.

  181. Thank you! We can’t tell you how great this experience has been so far! We just can’t wait for the next thing to come along! It has been a long road, but it has been worth every step! We hope to see you some day at the plantation!

  182. stehkoyeh Says:

    Seeing all those mouth watering pictures of the various types of meals makes my mouth water. I shall tell my family, nephews, nieces and friends to read this wonderful post and especially my granddaughters, 8 and 12. They will go crazy!

    We live on the West Coast of Canada and on Vancouver Island and if it were remotely possible we would all be heading by the fastest plane to join you on your celebration trip. ☺ ☺ ☺

    What more can I say? I can say good luck with your B & B. If you are planning meals like the ones photographed you can book my whole family in now!

    Seriously, good luck and God bless you in your endeavours.

  183. Thank you so much! I tell you what, if you find yourself over on this East Coast some day and you come by the plantation to see me, I will let you pick the meal for that morning!

  184. Ray's Mom Says:

    Success to you, it is lovely and I hope to visit one day soon.

  185. Thank you so much! We hope you have a chance to come and see our historic plantation!

  186. Oh my! I want some of that papardelle pasta for dinner tonight! It looks heavenly. We have kept your site on our updated “short-trip-B&B-bucket-list” and hope to get there next spring. Here’s hoping you remain crowded, overbooked and that you keep everyone coming back for more!

    I want to also thank-you both so much for taking a whatever brief amount of time (can’t imagine you have any) to like some of my recent posts about the parks in Utah and my Lumen projects. It means a lot. Have a great weekend.

  187. You are so welcome! We do have to make time to visit everyone’s blogs, but we love seeing other parts of the world that we may never get a chance to see or seeing it at least through someone else. It makes the viewing so much more enjoyable!

    Thank you so much for all you support and following along with us! We are so glad we are on you bucket list and can’t wait to meet you face to face!

  188. chr1 Says:

    Congratulations! Sorry I’m not able to make it, but here’s to the future…

  189. Thank you! And thank for following along on our journey through our blog.

  190. bullright Says:

    Yea, I can see where Williamsburg does that. Best wishes on your venture.

  191. Thank you! We hope you will join us in all the fun as we bring this plantation back to life!

  192. Trellis….never been but I believe a former high school friend Mark Desaulnier is or was either the owner or head chef there…remember reading it somewhere…

  193. I don’t think I remember that name. But the place is amazing!

  194. Red Says:

    This is awesome…congratulations! I wish you the best of luck with Belle Grove. We hope to do a lot of traveling after we retire, and your plantation would be a “must see.” Thank you for visiting my blog and liking my post, “The Love a Man Has for His Dog.”

  195. virginiaplantation Says:

    Thank you! We hope to see more of your blog! And we hope to see you at the plantation one day!

  196. restlessjo Says:

    Congrats! Hope it’s all going well.

  197. virginiaplantation Says:

    Thank you! It has so far! Fingers crossed!

  198. joyannaadams Says:

    I wish you ALL the Best in the world! What a GREAT looking couple!…, and may I say…Brett is one of my favorite names! I named my son Brett!

    The pictures were great, and now I’m hungry. Death by chocolate…good lord….I only have cookies..but they will have to do! That’s it, I’m breaking my diet.

    If I EVER get the money, I am coming DOWN to your plantation.

    You two are the American dream we all must preserve.

    Okay. I’ll shutup now. Really Congradulations!

  199. virginiaplantation Says:

    Thank you! I have to say I love the name Brett too. πŸ™‚ I know what you mean by the Death by Chocolate. But what a way to go! We do hope you will be able to come down some day. The plantation is something to see in person. We are so glad that we are able to pursue this dream and hope that we inspire others to do the same. Please don’t think you have to shut up! We love comments and the more the better! Thank you for joining us on this journey and supporting us!

  200. Nativegrl77 Says:

    Thank you for all your likes !!! oh goodness … time for some food !

  201. virginiaplantation Says:

    You are so welcome!! Thank you for following along with us!

  202. Thank you for stopping by my blog. Your new ‘babe’is fascinating – I hope you get loads of joy. Best wishes from the tip of Africa πŸ™‚

  203. virginiaplantation Says:

    You are so welcome! We look forward to seeing more of your blog! Thank you from Virginia in the United States!

  204. Franziska Says:

    Looks amazing! Wish we would be closer and stop by πŸ™‚

  205. virginiaplantation Says:

    Thank you! We hope that you will journey us on the amazing journey! Maybe one day you can find your way to the plantation! We would loved to meet you!

  206. Congratulations on your B&B! Also those photos you put up of the food you ate looked DELICIOUS!!! Do you have recipes for the shrimp and grits or the pasta?! And oh my gosh, the death by chocolate dessert looked to die for (no pun intended!) Thanks for liking miy post πŸ™‚

  207. Thank you! I don’t have the recipes for the food at the The Trellis, but I do have the Death by Chocolate dessert. If you want a copy just email me and let me know at virginiaplantation@gmail.com. It was really good and is a great way to go! You are so welcome! We hope to see more of your blog!

  208. Victoria Says:

    Congratulations of fulfilling your dreams.
    Love the food photography – looks very inviting.

  209. Thank you! It was so good to eat!

  210. Wow – the food looks absolutely flipping fantastic. I must say, if I ever get to visit the US again, I will have to come down to the south and get me some of that!! You are so privileged to be staying in a place that is steeped in such history and beauty.

  211. Thank you! We love making all of it.Okay, I love making, Brett loves to eat it! πŸ˜‰ We hope that you will stop by the plantation next time you are in the US. It is so much fun reading about the history, but the beauty of this place is such that you have to see it in person!

  212. iknead2knit Says:

    Thanks for reading!

  213. You are so welcome! Thank you for stopping by!

  214. Cris Says:

    Congratualtions! What a beautiful place. Good luck with your business (life) venture.

  215. Thank you! We are excited to be on this journey!

  216. gardeniahung Says:

    Congratulations and Best of Luck at the Belle Grove Plantation!

  217. Thank you so much!!

  218. csroth3 Says:

    Your photos are not showing up here, I’m wondering if the files are too big or they have been moved. You may want to reduce the file sizes and upload them again, I’d like to see them.

  219. Oh wow! I hope we having done something stupid. I deleted some of the photos from our media library thinking it wouldn’t hard the postings!

  220. Ok, I just want to cry now. I was coming up on my limit on photos in the media library. So I deleted some of them, ok well most of them thinking it wouldn’t hurt the postings. I just checked and they are all gone! I have around 112 postings and I am not too sure if I can replace them in the right places. URGH!!

  221. csroth3 Says:

    You were probably hitting your limit because the files were too big. I have tons more photos than that on my site and still have plenty of space. Do you know how to reduce your file sizes?

  222. I think so. But now I have to figure out how to get them back on the postings… πŸ™