Labor Day in Asheville

Kids happily watching Busy Town in the van behind us.

Our Labor Day weekend in Bristol was wonderful--we always revel in time with cousins, the strawberry farm, and the quiet pace of life that a small town allows.

Part of our trip included a visit to Asheville, NC to see our dear friends Vaughn and Margaret. It has almost become tradition to meet them in Asheville on Labor Day! We did it WAY before kids and then again when The Deuce were not even two years old and this time we had three kids in tow. Asheville is an attractive mountain town with memorable food and enviable recreation--I love it. To be honest, however, we could hang out with Vaughn in Margaret in some ugly, unforgettable place and still have the best time ever. Those two might just be the kindest, most intelligent, most talented, and most hilarious individuals (as a couple--explosive good times) I've ever known. I love it when we get together.

This year's Asheville visit was super short--like only two hours and most of it was spent waiting for our food to arrive at Tupelo Honey Cafe. I felt badly because the food took a while to arrive and in that time we lost the precious space when kids will sit fairly quietly and eat their food. Maeve was crying and twisting erractically in my arms and the boys were fussy too so I had just stood up to walk in the rain with the kids when our food arrived. We were able to eat most of our delicious food but I still had to leave early to get the kids out of everyone's business! Let me pause to tell you about my food, which was a veggie bowl containing goat cheese grits, pinto beans with salsa verde, perfectly seasoned kale, and surprisingly delicious bits of fried okra. It was savory and superlative.

Once Maeve had eaten a little and the boys were settled in the van watching a movie I left them in the car and crossed the street to hang out with Vaughn, Margaret, and Jamie under the awning of a store closed for the holiday. I'm telling you--Vaughn and Margaret in any conditions are the best. We talked and laughed for a precious half hour (wished we had a baby monitor for the car) and eventually had to say our goodbyes. It was fun--they were fun. The kids were happy. We were happy.

Favorite quote from Asheville? Margaret to Maeve (both were smiling and laughing): "We are just two girls laughing."