Asheville
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My New Arrival
I couldn’t be happier to announce the new arrival of Bear Wareham. My children have begged for a puppy for months (even doing a power point presentation on the topic). Our fear was that Jack (our 10 year old dog) would not take to a new sibling. Jack has enjoyed all of our attention for years, never having to share the cuddles, hugs, pets, walks etc. Would he feel like we were replacing him? Fortunately, things couldn’t have gone better between the fur babies. The new puppy wants to be with Jack all the time. They cuddle, play with toys, walk together, you name it. As you can see from the picture, they even share a seat in the car. This is by choice I may add. I can’t thank Brother Wolf Animal Rescue for providing me with two amazing dogs within the last 10 years. My family will forever be in debt to you. https://www.bwar.org/
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Shelter Dog Transport Alliance
If you are looking for a volunteer opportunity where you receive tail wags, kisses, and exercise, look no further than Shelter Dog Transport Alliance. Almost every week, The Shelter Dog Transport Alliance partners with over a dozen county shelter systems that are experiencing overcrowding and are in need of valuable space. When our shelters are at capacity, they safely transport at-risk dogs and cats to Northern rescue partners where forever homes anxiously await them. Because of strict spay/neuter laws, our Northern states have tackled pet overpopulation and are able to open their homes and hearts to our shelter animals in need.
Volunteers meet at Smokey Park Supper Club in the River Arts District of Asheville and spend an hour walking the dogs along the greenway to tire them out before their long van ride to the North. You don’t need to bring anything except yourself. There is no sign up, just grab a leash, learn your dogs name, and bring them back in an hour.
This past week I had the pleasure of walking “Honey”. She was so sweet, thankful, and fantastic on a leash. Honestly, I would have kept her if it were an option. The best way to learn about upcoming transports is to follow Shelter Dog Transport Alliance on Instagram or Facebook. It is one of the highlights of my week. See you there.
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A Hop, Skip and a Jump
The last 2 weekends I have gone on road trips to Nashville and Lexington, KY. Each trip was approximately 4 and a half hours via car from Asheville. Definitely doable for a 48 hour trip to some fun destinations. Nashville was a college reunion with my floor mates from Brumby dorm at the University of Georgia. Even though we hadn’t seen each other in years, we picked back up like we had seen each other yesterday. We rented an Airbnb in East Nashville and ventured to The Gulch and Broadway for some live country music.
This past weekend I took my 10 year old son to the University of Kentucky for his first big arena basketball game. The building was packed and they beat the University of Tennessee. We hit up a bowling alley downtown, the hotel pool and drove through the college campus.
One of the great things about Asheville is that it is 3 hours from Atlanta, 3.5 hours from Charleston, 4.5 hours from Nashville and Lexington, KY.
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Family Tradition
When I say “Family Tradition” I don’t mean it in the Hank Williams Jr. sense. On Christmas Eve, my family heads to our favorite sushi restaurant after church for dinner. The past few years we have gone to Soba in the town of Weaverville. It is a nice break from cooking and cleaning up and the food does not disappoint. This year, the temperature was hovering around 8 degrees which is much colder than usual. Unfortunately, the crowded restaurant lost heat so we sat around in our coats. We laughed and joked and had a fabulous meal. It ranks up there with our Covid Christmas where we ordered sushi take out and in the 15 minutes we waited for our food, Asheville got an inch of snow.
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Sailing Take Me Away
Last weekend I hopped on a direct flight from Asheville to Chicago Midway on Allegiant Airline. I love that we now have direct flights to some of my favorite cities (Boston, NYC, DC, Chicago, Denver, Austin, Miami etc). Travel is incredibly easy out of the Asheville airport.
I traveled with 3 of my cousins to visit another cousin that lives in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago. We chartered a sailboat on a gorgeous fall day and cruised around the downtown area of Lake Michigan. What a great way to see the city.
Aside from shopping, we hit up a show at Second City, walked around the waterfront downtown, tested our golf skills at Top Golf and laughed and laughed. I even met a potential client along the way.
Fabulous weekend!
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One and Done For The Year
Two weekends ago I did my one and only tri for the year. A couple of girlfriends and I loaded up our bikes and drove 9 hours from Asheville to Gulf Shores Alabama for the Brent Robinson Olympic Triathlon. The weather was sunny and warm and the ocean was moving but not to choppy. Unfortunately, there was an influx of jellyfish and I got stung multiple times on the open ocean swim. Even though I was stinging like crazy, I kept going. The bike was flat and fast with a tailwind going out and headwind coming back on the double out and back ride. The 6 mile run was hot! The wind was on our face going out to the turn around point which made the first 3 miles pleasant. Boy did it get hot when you turned around to head back to the finish. The run was stocked with water and powerade every mile which helped the steamy conditions. After I finished, I concluded that I would have felt much better if I had appropriately trained. All in all, the race was great.
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High School – Here We Come!
I can’t believe that my oldest child is officially in high school. People used to say that kids grow up in the blink of an eye. I hated when people said that because the days seemed incredibly long. But they were right. It flew by.
Week one at Asheville High has gotten off to a great start. My daughter is happy and feels prepared. What more can I ask for?
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Cousin Float 2022
It’s that time of year again. My family has a multi-generational event we have named “Cousin Float” that occurs on a steamy summer afternoon every year. Cousins from Pittsburgh, Chicago, Johnson City, and Hickory come to Asheville for an afternoon of barbecue and floating down the French Broad river. We have the best time talking and laughing and telling stories. Thank you to Zen tubing for providing transportation and the tubes. Can’t wait for next year.
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I spy
I spy my old house. One of my former neighbors has enlisted me to sell their adorable bungalow in North Asheville. It made me so happy that they trusted me with their adorable home. Last weekend, my daughter and I went back to the old neighborhood and chatted with some of our old friends. We had the best time catching up and seeing that the more things change the more they stay the same.
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Yes my dog wears a life jacket.
It is kind of funny that I love to swim but my dog hates it. When we rescued Jack from Brother Wolf in Asheville, I was told he was “part lab”. Apparently, we got the non-swimming part. He is an excellent lifeguard. He is always on high alert when anyone is in the water.
This past weekend we went to my parents home on Lake Hickory just a little more than an hour from Asheville. It was a relaxing escape and perfect way to end the summer. Now on to fall!!!!
