“There is only one thing more precious than our time and that is who we spend it with.” – Leo Christopher
Cody and I were able to spend last weekend together in Asheville, North Carolina. He was scheduled to work a show called the Overland Expo and I was able to tag along with him. It was so nice to be able to travel with him and spend some quality time together after his work hours. It had been way too long since we were able to get away together.
The Overland Expo is an outdoors show for adventure enthusiasts. Cody was representing his brand new product, No Boundaries by Forest River. I went with him to the show one day and got a taste of what a “day in the life” is like for him. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy, but I did have fun. I was able to sneak away for a bit and check out some of the other exhibits. It definitely gave me the itch to go camping and get out in nature.
The show was held at Biltmore Estate which is a large estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Biltmore House, located on the estate, is the largest privately owned house and was built by George Vanderbilt in 1889. We were able to take a guided tour of the house to learn about the history. It was pretty amazing to walk through–it almost felt like you were stepping back in time. Driving through the estate was absolutely breathtaking. Cody and I kept saying that it almost felt mystical.
My favorite area of the house was the kitchen. There were actually multiple kitchens–one for roasting meat, a general kitchen, and one dedicated to baking pastries. There were also rooms dedicated solely to canning and storing dry goods.
Cody’s favorite room in the house was the billiards room. 🙂
This is the view from the back of the house. Not a bad place to sit and enjoy your morning coffee!
One of the days, I explored downtown Asheville on my own while Cody was at the show. It was fun to take in the local scene. I walked through all of the shops, checked out some eateries, and spent time connecting with strangers over casual conversation. I had lunch at Tupelo Honey and it was absolutely delicious. Their avocado toast is served on homemade sourdough bread, drizzled with a chili honey, and topped with fresh cheese–literally to die for. I was also able to squeeze in a stop at Green Sage Coffeehouse and Cafe to enjoy an iced peppermint tea. It was so quaint and quirky in there–just a feel-good place.
There was a Pride festival going on downtown and the park was full of different vendors. I couldn’t pass up this shirt–I am in love.
This was one of my favorite walls downtown. There are buckets of chalk hooked to the wall so you can fill in a blank. It was fun to read through some of the comments.
Cody and I were able to enjoy some amazing dinners together. I have to admit, my food picture game isn’t strong (actually, almost non-existent) but I was enjoying our time together and not really concerned with taking food pictures. We had dinners at Curate, Posana, and Limones–all fabulous restaurants. My favorite meal of the weekend was a Rosemary Braised Short Rib at Posana. They served it with a parsnip puree, caramelized turnips, grilled beets, and a red wine jus. I would go back just for that meal.
Our last food stop of the trip was at French Broad Chocolate Lounge. I was holding up the line because I couldn’t decide what I wanted to order. I was like a kid in a candy store, except I was an adult in a chocolate lounge! Really, what’s the difference? 🙂 I ended up getting a Cocoa Nib Chocolate Chip Cookie and it was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend. I am so glad Cody and I were able to get away together. Quality time together is priceless. I do have to admit, we were both excited to get home to see Bode. You know life is good when you are just as excited to return home as you are to get away.
