At the spur of the moment (the week before - Hey! We have a toddler, 2 cats, and a dog to account for!) we decided we needed a little break. Jon was feeling a little stressed and I’ve been feeling exhausted. So we packed up and headed out to Asheville, NC for the weekend.
Wow, I wish we could move there. It was beautiful! The mountains were at our doorstep and to Jon’s delight there were many varieties of beer available. Our day began with a Farmer’s Market. Yummy!! Organic produce and products galore! Jon and Anna munched on a mini cupcake while I sipped an iced coffee. We managed to escape without any major purchases.
We headed downtown for some culture, fun, and shopping. Everywhere we turned there were street musicians, artists, and dogs!! Tons of dogs - big, little, friendly, dogs in pairs, dogs in sweaters - you name it! It just set the atmosphere. Anna loved it!! We had a great lunch at The Bier Garden. It was a warm day but the restaurant had large open windows that let in a refreshing breeze. From here, Anna called out to the pedestrians passing by “Have a nice day!”.
After a sudden downpour (okay, it loomed threatening for a the last couple of hours, one of which it sprinkled so we hid out in a children’s bookstore), we ducked into a cute little store while Jon sprinted for the car. Once the rain had stopped we searched out a park so Anna could stretch out her legs.
The next day - Mother’s Day - started out well enough. The I discovered the hotel restaurant overcharged us and the pool was closed (after they told us it would be open at 10 am). Try telling a 2 yr old, after you put her in a swimsuit and tried to take her to the pool, that "No, the pool is closed." Yeah, that went over well. I then tried to fix the restaurant problem but alas! No one could do anything because the manager was not on duty! Grrr...
Not to let that ruin my day, we headed home taking the scenic drive. Anna was adamant that she did not want to change her clothes so she spent the day in her swimsuit (as you may notice, she is sitting in the restaurant in her swimsuit).
We returned home after a restful and enjoyable weekend. Lastly, I leave you with a license plate we saw in the parking lot at the hotel.
