Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina might be my favorite city. I love it! It's not too big, not too small. It's a bit of a hippy community, which is just my style...plenty of vintage clothing stores, antique stores, vegan/vegetarian restaurants, and cute little boutiques. The downtown is so fun and cute. The Biltmore Estate is beautiful. The scenery is amazing. My parents graciously shared their vacation, and the kids and I, and my little sister Tracy spent a few days there. We took Andy's Explorer, so we all were able to ride together. My parents refuse to eat at fast food restaurants (and I'm not complaining), so we stopped at sit-down restaurants in Memphis and Knoxville, so it took us a while to get there. It was a good ride, though, because of the company! We had a great time, despite the kids being in HORRIBLE moods because they were overly-tired from not sleeping well in the hotel.

Winnie and Googie (my momma) on the shuttle to the Biltmore

Winnie loves a man in uniform! She took a liking to this Winnie-sized soldier at a Christmas store

Winnie was the most attentive student learning to make butter. She got a chance to churn, but I missed the moment because I didn't have the camera yet. I think this was the highlight of the trip for her.

Papaw (my dad) teaching the kids to play some old school yard games

Not following the rules of the game and deciding to turn them into musical instruments

Rush took a liking to a dog statue

On the ride home, Tracy and Winnie and my suitcase rode in the back seat (it was a little cramped on the way home because of some Asheville purchases) and became best buddies. Winnie keeps saying that Tracy is her "Best Girl Buddy." Poor Tracy had to endure Winnie's constant demands of books being read to her and listening to "Pokerface" over and over and over again on my phone. By the end of the trip, Winnie's Best Girl Buddy knew all the words and was singing along! It's been a long time sinced I've vacationed with Tracy...I was so thankful for the time. We had a great trip...thanks Googie and Papaw! Thank you Aunt Tracy for coming, too.

We stayed in Conway for a couple of days after the trip because Andy was in Kansas City watching Duke basketball games. I was not looking forward to that drive home, so the days in Conway were just lazy days...watching TV, eating out, and hanging out with Tracy.

My dad made the kids pancakes in the shape of their first initial, like he used to do for us when we were little. They were buckwheat and I think the best pancake I've ever had. And check out that hair! Bed head in full-force.

Our waitress at U.S. Pizza let Winnie make her own cheese pizza. Another trip highlight for her.