I heart Asheville

This weekend was a blur of fun that only a city like Asheville could offer. Chris and I have lived here for seven years now, and it seems that every weekend brings us to a new adventure that leaves us either scratching our heads or laughing uncontrollably and saying, THAT’S why we live here. We love this place. And for those of you that have never visited Asheville, let’s just say it’s a jumbled mess of southern charm, aging hippies, amazing musicians, talented artists and numerous breweries that all coexist peacefully in a pocket of the Great Smokie Mountains. It’s a postcard town. And we are blessed to call it our home.

So on Friday night my friend Chele and I, and about a thousand other Asheville residents, spent nearly two hours at a David Sedaris reading. Much to the recommendations of my sister and Aunt Jane, I read my first David Sedaris book shortly after Taylor was born. And then quickly devoured the rest of books after. He’s a comic and literary genius, and unless you’re easily offended or just don’t like laughing out loud, I would run to your nearest library or bookstore and pick up one of his books. You won’t be disappointed. And listening to him live made both Chele and I laugh so hard our cheeks hurt afterwards.

Saturday morning Chris and I took advantage of the sunshine and mild weather, and went on a nice run before hitting up the Healthy Kids Festival at Carrier Park. It was a free event sponsored by a number of local stores and organizations aimed at encouraging kids and their parents to eat healthy and exercise everyday, which is something I feel very strongly about and was happy to participate in.

Plus they gave away lots of free healthy snacks and balloons, so Taylor was in heaven.

And then, after we all recharged with powernaps, we were lucky enough to have our good friend, Beth, stop in Asheville for a quick visit on her way to Franklin. Beth and Chris worked together at the Country Club for a number of years before she graduated and started a new profession. She is now married and living just outside of Washington DC, and it was such a treat to be able to spend a few hours with her and catch-up on everything. And she was sweet enough to bring Taylor a Dora-inspired belated birthday present, so needless to say Beth and T’s first meeting was successful.

And after watching my daughter eat her weight’s worth in bean dip at Papa’s and Beer, we all headed downtown to MLK park to catch a few moments of Asheville’s Earth Day festival. No one loves the earth as much as Asheville. Seriously. Try walking into a store without your own shopping bags and they’ll practically chase you back out. So in typical Asheville fashion, the city put on a big shindig with lots of food, beer and good music. Which was all fueled by solar panels and an outrageous number of hippies dancing.

Oh, and Taylor boogied down too. What can I say? She’s 100-percent Asheville made.

So that was the majority of our weekend. Lots of action. And before I bore you with anymore Asheville propaganda, just know that I’m not the only one that loves this city. Our President and First Lady are vacationing here this weekend, AND Chuck Norris received his lifetime achievement award here yesterday. I wasn’t able to see any roundhouse kicks, nor will I be rubbing elbows with Barrack and Michelle, but I can still brag about them all being in MY city. So, Friends and Family, come on down for a visit. I can guarantee you’ll have a good time