Lake Lure and Asheville Weekend // Half-Marathon weekend

It has been 2.5 years since Eric and I have been on a vacation alone together. We are always blessed to get plenty of date time thanks to my parents, but we were very excited to have our first weekend away in so much time!

We were so blessed to be able to stay in my best friend's family cabin in Lake Lure. They have always been more than generous and loving to me and I am so thankful for their love and the time they allowed for us to stay in this beautiful cabin!

Friday afternoon was amazing because Eric was blessed with a gift from God of a cancelled lab at Clemson and so he was free by 10:30 meaning he could go with me to take Ellie to the Little Gym. I am so thankful he got to watch this girl go, go, go! A special time for us as a family. After that, we dropped Ellie off with my parents and hit the road. 90's playlist on high. Jamming, dancing, singing we left the rain and were met with sunshine and mountains. On Saturday, I would be running the Asheville 1/2 Marathon so we went to packet pick up as our first stop. We then got settled in at the cabin and got dinner on the lake. We stayed up too late talking and connecting and dreaming and reminiscing. It was precious.

Saturday- 4 a.m.   Rise and Shine....Race Day! So. Sleepy. 3 hours of sleep (for staying up so late and rising so early). Put my race gear on, brewed Eric some coffee and to the Biltmore House we went. The race was on the grounds of Biltmore. This particular race itself was one I wanted to do non competitively. Meaning, I wouldn't try to compete with time, I would enjoy scenerey, walk when I wanted, and take pictures during the race. The challenge itself was running such a strong hilly 13.1 miles. This race was the coldest I have ever ran. It was 40 degrees but with such insanely strong winds, it was really about 20. I ran in 3 layers of coats and a head wrap. Still my shoulders were buried up in my neck and my toes numb. But the race was gorgeous. It was a beautiful day. There are always stories from my races I share with my family. Even in 5k races you see interesting things. Imagine in 13.1 what one sees. It is the entertainment of people that helps your mental endurance. For instance, in the midst of the 3rd mile, 5 men went off intermittently into the beautiful evergreen and pine forest of Biltmore to pee. Right in front of everyone. I mean.....when you gotta go you gotta go....but dang. I just laughed and wished it were that easy as a woman! Meanwhile, if they had only waited 2 more miles, there were potties in abundance from there on. Trust me, worse things have happened in these races. It was just not the scenery I pictured I would see on this race. Hahaha!
Then there was this girl. I called her "sports bra", because she was wearing merely a sports bra. And smiling like on a pageant stage. Good for her but her skin was so pink it looked wind burnt. And this cold southern belle was ok with looking like a fat bundled bear. But she was clearly happy so, whatever! I ran with her for a little while. Next, I hit the 10th mile and could see Antler Hill Village; where we began and where we would end. I knew we weren't finished but what a tease. It's about mile 10 where you are just done. Over it. Hit mile 11 and I see Eric and a large spectator crowd watching and cheering us on to finish the last 2 miles. Seeing Eric always puts a pep in my step, even in every day life! He then told me an all too familiar tale of a girl after I had finished who passed by the 11th mile mark where he and the rest were watching. She was in tears and crying. Her first long distance race. He said she started walking and was quitting but the crowd refused to let her. They cheered her on and pushed her to finish. That is why I love this sport. The camaraderie is so awesome. I remember when I ran my first and only full marathon, I began crying around mile 18 and my best friend would wipe my tears and feed me carbs and drinks and push me on. Eric would find us and push us on to the end. Without a strong support system, running would never be as fun or exciting. Anyway, I finished the race, still frozen but wet with sweat. Ew and COLD! I got my medal and my beer glass at finish. We got a photo then headed for the cabin for a shower and then out we went to hit the local breweries.

First stop was Sierra Nevada. Amazing!! Truly one of the best spots I have been to. Huge huge crowd which is apparently their norm, yet they handled their large capacity so smoothly it was effortless. We sat at the bar and ordered a cheese dip and pretzel, wood fired oven pizza for Eric and a burger for me, loaded duck fries for Eric and I to share. We got a couple of beers and took in the environment and talked and laughed together. We learned tours are free but need to be booked online ahead of time, however; you can do a self guided tour. So we did. We went upstairs where a live band was playing, got one more round and walked around and reading and watching. Very beautiful place, very organized, fun, and cool. Such a great environment. You could really spend a day there. It was a good family spot; yet Eric and I agreed it was made more for people like us who want an escape. Had the weather been warmer, there was a very beautiful outdoor spot to hang out too. We will be back for sure.

Next, we went to the Highlands Brewing Company. We got our drinks and enjoyed the environment. This brewery reminded me more of the 13 Stripes Brewery in Taylors. Fun, open, laid back, family style. They had entertainment of an Irish dancing group. They did performances and ended with teaching us a dance. I was not going to miss the chance to dance. Knowing Eric would enjoy more to watch, I grabbed 3  young 20 something girls at our table and told them to join me. They smiled and were excited for the chance! We all danced and it made my Irish blood happy!

From there, Eric and I went to downtown Asheville to eat and also try Wicked Weed Brewery. We actually ate there. We first stopped at Curate but it was true Spanish cuisine which apparently none of which suits me. Basically all pork. I don't like pork unless it is bacon. I tried so hard to find something on the menu (I am not this girl...I can always find something on a menu.) There was nothing worth waiting for in my opinion but again, I don't like this type of food and I knew it...I have been to Spain. Eric is a laid back dude and we were just happy to be together. So we figured we would get food at Wicked Weed. I got lobster mac and he did a burger. Food and drink were excellent.

Then back to the cabin we went to finally sleep (having been up since 4 a.m.--slept 3 hours---and ran 13.1 miles) I was exhausted.

Sunday, we slept in, took our time getting up, just enjoying the fact we could lay there as long as we wanted. We got dressed, packed up and cleaned up, then left to get breakfast and head home. We stopped at the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge before stopping for breakfast. I had seen it on TripAdvisor and it looked like a cute little pit stop. It certainly was. I would recommend it. It is about 15 minutes out of your day into a whimsical little world over the Broad River. We stopped for breakfast in Chimney Rock at Medina's. I got chocolate chip pancakes and a croissant. Eric had some spicy bowl of runny eggs and hash....not my style. I am sweet and he is savory. He raved over that and I over my pancakes. We will be back. Small Town goodness. The best kind.

After that, it was home we ventured to our baby girl and Blondie! We were met with hugs and kisses, squeals and barks! This trip was amazing. It felt like we were newlywed again, when we were carefree and had no more responsibilities than getting our paychecks. Eric working full time and being in Chemical engineering at Clemson while having a baby and managing our home has been a new phase of the every day life as a couple. It has been challenging but has been strengthening and good. Still, I look so forward to 2 years from now when Eric tosses his cap to the air, and we can resume this semi-normal life of ours! A life where we can see each other more than 3 days a week. I have gained a new appreciation for those who's spouses travel for work or are overseas in the military. I go 4 days with not at all or barely seeing Eric and it brings me to tears at least once a month missing being able to share things with him. I can't imagine more than that. So this trip for us was simply a grand blessing to be us again. To be care free best friends exploring the world on our own time. Eric is truly my very best friend and my favorite person in the world. We will definitely make it a priority to take this sort of time for ourselves more in the future.