TGIF (the Asheville Edition)

Hi, friends! It feels like it’s been a while, but I didn’t want to let this week slip by without a post. Since I was in Asheville from Saturday to Tuesday, publishing blog posts hasn’t been at the forefront of my mind. But I didn’t want to let this entire week slip by without a post, so I thought of revamping my normal TGIF posts with different prompts that relate to my Asheville vacation. I have a few posts planned for next week where I’ll talk about everything I did and ate while in the gorgeous state of North Carolina. But, for now, here’s a teaser!

The high point of my vacation to Asheville was sitting outside on the porch in a rocking chair, reading my book and marveling at the beauty of fall. It’s such a simple thing, but it was so glorious for me. I got to enjoy my favorite leisure activity (reading) while taking in the sights and sounds of fall in the mountains. I’ve never actually witnessed fall with my own two eyes – trees bursting with reds and oranges and yellows and pinks – so it was so magical for me.

The low point of my vacation to Asheville was hitting my introvert wall hard on Sunday night. We had a full day on Sunday that I’ll be talking all about next week and didn’t end up getting back to the cabin until after 11 p.m. and I was just completely done. And yet, I stayed out in the living room and chatted with my friends for a while after getting back when what I really needed to do was go straight to bed. I was overly sensitive, overly emotional, and not my best self… to put it lightly. Oh, well. It happens!

While on vacation, I read Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and I got 40% of the way finished with Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis.

The most interesting thing I learned while in Asheville was that Asheville used to be considered “Little New York” based on the way it was built by rich white dudes who were from New York. So, it has streets named Broadway, Lexington, Battery Park, etc., and the big city feel in downtown. (I actually cannot find anything online about Asheville being called “Little New York” but this is what the guide on my ghost tour told me, so I’m taking his word for it!)

Oh, and the fact that women can be topless in Asheville! You can’t disrobe in public, but if you leave your house topless, you can’t be charged with a crime. So, there’s that.

The best meal I ate during my vacation was brunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe. I got a strong mimosa (seriously – I felt all sorts of tipsy from just one!) and split the fried chicken and biscuits meal with a friend (I smothered mine with gravy). We also got the baked mac ‘n cheese as a side. Such a Southern-style meal, right? And man oh man, it was incredible. I’m super picky about mac ‘n cheese, and Tupelo Honey’s was perfect and the only thing I want to eat until the end of time.

The best money I spent in Asheville was $30 on a t-shirt and magnet from Malaprop’s, Asheville’s independent bookstore. The t-shirt says “Eat. Sleep. Read.” on the front and has the Malaprop’s logo on the back, while the magnet says, “Let’s stay home.” Both are so me that I couldn’t help but to purchase them!

The picture that means the most to me is this picture we took at the Biltmore. What I love about this picture isn’t the picture itself, but it’s the way we all reacted to it. First, we ooh-ed and ahh-ed at it because it really did come out fantastic, and then we realize that in the background of the photo is a naked statue. And then as I tried to take a “superzoom” video of the statue’s nether regions for Instagram Stories, it zoomed in on our faces in the most hilarious way that we were all crying from laughter. And that, my friends, is what makes a picture worth a thousand words. Because every time I see that picture, I’m going to remember laughing so hard that tears rolled down my cheeks and my sides hurt.