laid back

When my mother-in-law asked, "Hey, do you want me to watch Lila for a night so you two can go away for your anniversary?" the only acceptable answer is, "YES please!" I was so excited at the idea of getting away just the two of us. We have not had a lot of dates lately and our lives have just been one giant ball of stress, so we were in need of some laughs and silliness. And then we started calling around and realized how crazy we were to try and book a mountain B&B on Memorial Weekend...when you start calling on Monday. 

Finally we found a beautiful European styled B&B in Hendersonville, NC. We had the best stay at this inn, very focused on hospitality with a fridge in our room stocked with drinks, cocktail and dessert hour in the afternoon and amazing breakfast. We drove to Hickory (about half way to the mountains) and dropped Lila off with Brian's mom and grandma at lunchtime before heading off to our night away. Apparently they then headed off for an afternoon of shopping and lots of family time that night. So it was a mini-vacation for Lila as well. 

After arriving at Mélange Bed & Breakfast, we found out that we had happened upon Hendersonville during the largest festival of the year, the Garden Festival. We're lucky like that. We walked around the adorable downtown looking at plants that we obviously have no interest in since I do not "do" landscaping. No joke, Brian's grandma felt so bad for my yard when she stayed at our house last weekend that she went out, bought fertilizer and plants, and planted me a little vegetable garden. Anyone want to bet how many weeks it will last before I unwittingly let it die?

We ate at a fabulous restaurant called Flight, remodeled in the old downtown bank. Between the homemade honey butter and bread, fried green tomatoes, roast duck for Brian and rack of lamb for me, I was done for. Okay, so maybe it was the pre-dinner wine at the B&B and the very strong cosmopolitan at dinner that really pushed me over the edge, but regardless I was feeling pretty good while we walked around town after dinner. 

Waking up at 8:15 the next morning, enjoying coffee out on my porch before I went downstairs for a fabulous breakfast served to me while we enjoyed more coffee was exactly what I needed. It is actually what I need every day, but sadly my private cafe attached to my house has been under construction for some time and who knows when the custom iron furniture will be delivered? And Lila doesn't sit still very well at little tables with china cups. We felt so relaxed as we hit the road to drive to Gastonia for our next adventure, Brian's first NASCAR race as he heads to the Coca-Cola 600 with his brother. I am pretty sure they have french roast in tea cups there as well?

Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, 

listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering. 

~Pooh's Little Instruction Book