Well, we’re back! From where, you may ask? (or you may not, if I don’t care for your tone). From Lake Lure, North Carolina! What was I doing all the way out there, you may ask? (boy, you ask a lot of questions). Sean and I flew back there last week to attend Ryan and Amanda’s wedding (Sean’s brother and his fiancee, for those who need a briefing on the cast of characters in this little blog universe o’ mine).
Anyway - it was the first time we had ever left Decker without either parent for more than just an evening, and I have to say it was hard to say ‘bye bye’ to him but then it was reeeeeeeealllllly nice to enjoy a long weekend as just a couple! Air travel is a lot easier when you aren’t schlepping baby gear and a squirmy toddler along with you!
I have never been further south than Washington DC, so this was a true adventure for me. The wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun, and the weekend went by in a blur. Here are some of the highlights/notable observations I experienced:
* I don’t fly well. But flying on a red-eye and drugged up on benadryl-type stuff is the way to go! When you wake up to turbulence, you can fall back asleep a lot easier and your husband doesn’t end up with deep welts in his arm where your fingers would have been digging into it during all the bumpy parts.
* We flew into Charlotte, NC - the airport there is huge, and instead of regular ol’ naugahyde chairs in the terminals, they have white rockers! And toooooooooooons of NASCAR stuff everywhere.
* We transferred in Charlotte and flew into Greenville, SC. Apparently this is the home of Bob Jones University, which is proudly displayed in the baggage claim area. This was to be my first clue that we were definitely somewhere a little different than we were used to back home.
* Just outside Greenville (still in SC), we stopped to grab a quick bite of breakfast at McDonald’s. They had the 10 Commandments largely and proudly displayed by the entrance. This was to be the first of many dining experiences that had a Biblical aftertaste.
* Lake Lure is located in the Smokey Mountains, an hour short of Asheville. It is absolutely gorgeous. We were there before the fall leaves had really started to turn, and everything was lush and green and the trees just went on and on and on. Video and photos couldn’t capture just how stunning it was. It is easy to see why they filmed “Last of the Mohicans” there. And of course, “Dirty Dancing”. Ah, yes.
* It was dang good to be a Vanderbilt. The Biltmore Estate was HUGE and the original acreage was 125,000 (no, not a typo there) until they sold off most of it to the goverment (which then converted the land to Pisgah National Forest). They somehow managed to still make do with a measly 9,000 acres after that.
* North Carolina accents are cool. It is hard not to slip into a fake one, but you really should refrain from doing so.
* There are Baptist churches and realty offices every 1/2 mile. People put out large crosses on their front lawns, proclaiming that “He died for you/Are you ready for him?” and the like. I saw no synagogues or mosques, but I did see lots of marquis that said things like “Free trip to heaven - inquire within”
* Chimney Rock State Park charges you $14 to enter. You can take a picture for much cheaper (free) down below the entrance, and be equally impressed.
* When it rains in NC, it still stays really warm! That was very weird, but very nice!
* When you are without your kid in tow, and you indulge in multiple pieces of wedding cake all at once, you do not need any alcohol to be persuaded to get out on the dance floor and make a big fool of yourself (having fun all the same) with your spouse.
* It is very hard to recreate the scene from “Dirty Dancing” where Jennifer Grey jumps into Patrick Swayze’s arms and ‘flies’!
Congrats again, Ryan and Amanda!
