When I last wrote I will admit I wasn't in a very good place. My foot injury came at quite possibly the worst time. Between grad school, the impending school year, and many other stressors, I had begun to rely on running and exercise to help manage my stress (it did a pretty awesome job). Take that away, and I was just a ball of nerves.
Call it perfect timing (or not), but all of this happened just in time for vacation. Earlier in the year M and I had agreed to join my parents in a trek down to Durham to visit my sister, followed by several days in Asheville for a music festival. Overall I was looking forward to the time away. Still, I tend see vacations (especially those with my family) as more of a stressor than anything else.
Our first few days in Durham provided a mish-mash of miscellaneous activities. Shopping with the family (always an interesting venture) helped to highlight some of the vast differences the South provided. Everyone was so much nicer. Store clerks said hello, not just because they had to, and inquired about the boot (now lovingly known as Bertha). We were in one store that provided free balloon animals and face painting for M (she still says it is one of the highlights of her trip).
We were planning on attending a Durham Bulls baseball game, however soon realized that with a 3-month-old and a 3 year old that may not be the best idea. Instead, my sister directed us toward the restaurant that was located on the far wall of the stadium. Here we were able to pay attention to the game, and eat some wonderful food all at the same time. Plus, when the kiddos were ready to go, we could easily leave without feeling guilty for spending money on tickets. This was especially nice, since we ended up seeing only an inning and a half of baseball. Through this experience I got to try both fried green tomatoes and hoppin' john, two southern staples I had never tried before.
Monday and Tuesday of our vacation were pretty laid back. Both my sister and her husband had to work, so we were staying home with their daughter. My mom had that job taken care of, so M and I decided to use those afternoons for some quality bonding time. Our first afternoon consisted of a lunch date to Red Robin, another first for both of us. It was nothing spectacular, although M is still raving about the delicious milkshakes. Our second afternoon had me venturing to Chapel Hill to the KidzU Children's Museum. Although small, M had a blast! For me, just the drive into Chapel Hill was an adventure. I don't do well with directions, and have been known to get lost even with a GPS. So I was pretty proud of my self for navigating the 5 lane highways of Durham.
Wednesday we left for Asheville. A three car caravan, led by my dad, seemed like a good idea at the time. Still I soon realized that I much rather driving on my own that following others. As we approached Hendersonville (where our cabin was located), we were quickly reminded of the mountains surrounding us. We left the highway only to be greeted with winding mountain roads with steep cliffs to one side. Definitely not ideal if you are afraid of heights. As we approached the road for our cabin, we first were greeted with a sign indicating that only four-wheel drive vehicles were recommended. Seeing as my parents were in their mini-van, this was going to be interesting.
Turns out, the road up to our cabin was a mile and a half of winding dirt road going up the side of the mountain. I think my sister said that our cabin was at 2800 feet. The driveway to the cabin itself was even more daunting at just about 45 degrees! Luckily, we all made it and were greeted with a gorgeous cabin. We spent the rest of the afternoon just enjoying the accommodations. Although I'm not "into nature" I definitely enjoyed spending time out on the deck, just me and the trees (and M singing another one of her made-up songs).
Friday was the first day of the Bele Chere music festival. My dad is a music fanatic, and is always looking for new bands and places to hear good music. Finding this festival helped to solidify the Asheville portion of the trip for us. I will admit I was a little worried about taking M. It was a lot of walking, in the sun, with some pretty sketchy characters. But, we had a good time. Once again, I was amazed by the food selection. You could get everything from fried candy bars to fried rice, BBQ to seafood to vegan fare. Just choosing what to get for lunch was a daunting task. I chose the crab cake sandwich from a local restaurant (Yes, I am aware this is again not sugar-free. I was on vacation, give me a break!). It was delectable. M had some freshly made chips with some ice cream. I learned that I was quite fond of the food in the South.
Just the people watching was entertainment. You had all walks of life including hippies, the street corner preachers, and the occasional girl walking around topless (apparently you can do that in Asheville). We spent a lot of time looking at all the different vendors selling just about anything imaginable. The festival had a children's center that took up the entire floor of the civic arena. M got to enjoy several bounce houses and slides, a tea-cup-like ride, and even bumper cars. This was all on top of enjoying the live music.
Waking up to rain Saturday morning, I was happy that I made that decision. The rain would make it pretty hard to enjoy anything outside, and that is what most of our plans consisted of. So I packed up the car and M and I were on our way. Back down the treacherous hill and through four states. I will say, the low clouds laced through the mountains made for some spectacular sights along the way home.
Going into the vacation I was in a rut. Partially depressed because my "stress reliever" had been taken away, I needed a change of pace. The South provided just that. I learned a lot from the South. It taught me to slow down a bit, enjoy the moment and enjoy some good food. Be kind to one another and have confidence in yourself. I learned that riding in the middle seat in the back of my parents van is a recipe for nausea. Sometimes it is the simple things in life that are most valued, like sharing a milkshake with your daughter on a random afternoon.
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