Covid
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NYC
My girlfriends and I took a little weekend trip to NYC. I had 3 closings the week before we left so I was excited to have a little down time. Our trip was fantastic. We went for a 10 mile steamy Central Park run on Saturday and 6 along the Hudson on Sunday. In between we laughed, walked about 35,000 steps, shopped and ate. The weather was fantastic and the people were great. Everyone was wearing masks indoors but outside you could take them off. I was happy to see the city thriving. It is my favorite place in the entire world (next to Asheville).
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Grove Park Inn
I stopped in front of one of my favorite places in Asheville on my run the other day. Fond memories have been made at this beautiful hotel over the years. My children have loved getting hot chocolate and admiring the Gingerbread houses during the Christmas season. My family has spent many birthday dinners at the Friday night seafood buffet. In my opinion, the spa is the best in the US. I look forward to the days where I can comfortably meet a friend for a drink and admire the view of downtown. In the meantime, I will just run by and dream.
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This is going to hurt.
I am the least flexible person I know. My hamstrings are as tight as a guitar string. My running/training bestie and I laugh when we stretch for a whole 2 seconds. Ironman will be here before I know it and so I decided to incorporate some pilates into my training schedule.
Today was class #1 at Club Pilates on Charlotte Street. I parked my car in the lot and did a quick 3 mile warm up run because I am a cardio addict. Once I got to the class I felt warmed up and Covid safe. The studio is spread out so I never felt close to another person and we all wore masks. The class lasted 50 minutes and hit all of my major muscle groups. One reformer exercise targeted my upper back and shoulders which I am confident will help with swimming. Personally, I didn’t feel tired after the class like a run but my muscles felt slightly fatigued. I can’t wait to see how I feel tomorrow when I wake up. My prediction is my calves and triceps will be the most sore.
What doesn’t kill us will make us stronger right?
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Snow Tubing
Need a fun, outdoor, socially distant activity for the kids? Who doesn’t? I highly recommend snow tubing. We made the 25 minute trek to Wolf Ridge tubing for an hour of good times. I had a blast riding my giant tube down the man made slide. My son wasn’t even embarrassed to hold my hand so we could go down together. Mom win!
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White Christmas
Twenty twenty has been a fairly crappy year in general. Holidays were spent without cherished loved ones. My grandfathers funeral was via zoom. Virtual school proved ineffective for us and we had to leave our beloved elementary school for a school that went in person. Even Ironman and major marathons cancelled their races and went virtual. I sound like a huge complainer, which I typically am not. So let me describe a highlight of 2020. For the first time ever, I experienced a white Christmas. After a solid day of rain on the 24th, the snow started to literally dump at 6:15pm. By 6:45 the ground was covered and my children were sprinkling their reindeer food on our sidewalk so Santa wouldn’t miss our house. It was truly a gift. We sat around eating our takeout sushi (a Christmas eve tradition) and watched the snow blanket the yard. The kids got us up at 5am to open presents so we didn’t see the 4 inches until the sun came up. The streets were quiet. Peace covering Asheville.
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Not Your Typical Ornament Exchange
Is anything normal in 2020? Let’s see, being home with my immediate family seems normal. Driving in my car seems normal. Going for a run or bike ride is 50/50. The annual Christmas Ornament Exchange party in 2020, definitely not normal. Historically, one cold December evening in North Asheville, a group of ladies gather to participate in a White Elephant Ornament Exchange. The beautifully decorated home is filled with the sound of ladies laughing, while the smell of lasagna fills the air. After dinner, we fill our wine glasses and adjourn to the living room where we take turns opening wrapped ornaments and proudly steal them from our friends. This “super fun” evening is something I look forward to every year.
My friends are resilient and weren’t going to let a global pandemic get in the way of a tradition. They crafted up an Ornament Exchange 2020 style. During a designated 2 hour block, we were instructed to bring our wrapped ornament to one of the ladies homes. We rolled down our passenger window, handed our gift to the hostess, she handed us one from the car ahead. While safely remaining in our car, we opened our ornament, exchanged pleasantries, and zipped on back to our little slice of quarantine. The party lasted about 90 seconds but I got a great VW van ornament and the annual ornament from our crafty hostess.
Where there is a will, there is a way. This one will not be forgotten.
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Covid Safe Activity
Every December, for as long as I can remember, I have loved driving around one evening looking at the neighborhood Christmas lights. As a Realtor, looking at pretty homes is a passion so seeing them in a different “light” is mixing business with pleasure. I have passed along this tradition to my children. We bundle up, jump in the car, and sing Christmas songs as we comment on the great effort our neighbors put into their display. It sounds magical and it truly is. It’s one of the few moments that my kids don’t fight in the car or ask if we are there yet. Fortunately, this is one of the few holiday traditions untouched by Covid. It seems that in 2020, people have more time to put into bringing cheer to others through their decorations. Maybe it is just me looking for a silver lining but I must say last night did not disappoint.
