Monday, August 19, 2013

From the Land of Ma'am: Girls Weekend!

Greetings and Happy Monday, everyone!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I certainly did.  One of my best friends from college visited me over the weekend, and we had the best time!  Here are some pictures of things we did/saw while she was here!

On Friday we did a day trip to Asheville, which is only 2 hours away.  I hadn't been to the Biltmore yet, so we decided to hit that up!  It is this beautiful estate that was built by the Vanderbilts in the late 1800s.  If you are ever in the Charlotte area, I highly recommend driving up to Asheville to check it out.  The admission price is steep, but worth it IMO as there is so much to see!  We did as much as we could, but I was limited on how much I could walk (more on that tomorrow) so I need to go back again to see more of the gardens and the grounds. 


Heidi and I in front of the Biltmore

The grounds were gorgeous, but unfortunately we did not get to check them out on foot

And the views were STUNNING.  I can see why the Vanderbilts selected this area to build this estate

After touring the Biltmore, we headed into Asheville.  We stopped at the Grove Park Inn, which is a gorgeous hotel with a great patio area, for a cocktail before heading into downtown Asheville. It was early evening by this point, so we got to listen to the drummers that congregate in a park on Friday nights while we waited for our table at one of my favorite restaurants in Asheville, Tupelo Honey.  This place has awesome southern food and a GREAT gluten free menu.

Heidi enjoyed the biscuit and honey that is served with every meal (well, except mine because of course biscuits are not GF).

We got back around 11 pm on Friday night so we took it easy on Saturday morning.  I made brunch for us and we headed out for manicures and a day of shopping.  I had better luck than Heidi and ended up buying 3 dresses!  I usually shop alone, so it was really nice to have Heidi along to give me input on what I should or shouldn't buy.

It rained all day on Saturday so we decided to stay in that night.  I made dinner, gave her a short driving tour of uptown Charlotte, and then we watched the first SATC movie and had popcorn and other snacks.

On Sunday, we went to mass and then went to brunch at my favorite local crepe place, Crispy Crepe.  The rain had finally cleared out so we were able to eat outdoors!

The warm beverages at this place are to die for!  I had a maple syrup latte and Heidi had a hot cider drink


After brunch I dropped Heidi off at the airport.  I was sad to see her go, but I am planning to visit her in Austin in February around our birthdays, which are just days apart.  So at least I know I will see her in about 6 months!

The timing of her trip was really impeccable.  I really needed a weekend of girl time.  I had a tough morning on Friday due to a doctor appointment that I will tell you about tomorrow, so it was nice to get a big hug from Heidi.  And lastly, while I know I will not call Charlotte home long term, it was good to be forced to look for the fun and good things Charlotte has to offer to show Heidi, and it did make me view the city in a different light at times (with the exception of the road system!  Still hating on that).

I'm just so thankful Heidi came to visit.  Having her here was like having a bright ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds that have been hanging over me for several months, both literally and figuratively.

When is the last time you had a girls weekend?  If you could plan a girls weekend in any city, where would you go?  I think a girls weekend in Charleston, Savannah, or Nashville would be really fun.

21 comments:

Lisa-Marie said...

It looks like such fun, and so beautiful! I'm glad you enjoyed girl time! I have a girls weekend planned in October, which should be super fun!

Caroline said...

Sounds like a great weekend! Girls weekends are definitely necessary every once in a while. I have some girl time planned for the beginning of September and I'm excited!

Becky said...

These pictures are great! If I could have a girls weekend I would want it to be somewhere I hadn't been - on the East Coast I would want to do Charleston, or somewhere in New Hampshire or Maine. Further west I think maybe Seattle or Portland?

Kelly said...

It sounds like you guys had a great weekend :) I love the view, I would definitely want that to be my view!

I like simple girls weekends, either at home- or at the Cape, somewhere close :)

Abby said...

This sounds perfect! Glad Heidi got to come spend time with you. Sounds like the perfect weekend!

I'm excited for our girls weekend to charleston ! I've never been on a girls weekend so am pumped !!

abbi said...

Sounds like a great weekend and a way to enjoy some of the sights you have in NC!

Carolina John said...

Yay! Biltmore is beautiful. So glad you were able to get out there. They also have their own winery, which is a separate ticket to tour but totally worth is if your girlfriend is a wino like Kelley.

Glad you had such a fun time!

Jeanie said...

I think all those places would make for a good girl's weekend -- I'm glad you got one, had some downtime, some friend time, some play time! Hope your foot made it OK in Biltmore.

So happy to see you smile in those photos!

Cherry Blossoms said...

It was so much fun and I will def come back and visit! I need to work on my recap post soon.
Take it easy on the foot this week and I hope you have a good week!

Nora said...

My last girls weekend was the bachelorette party, so almost a year ago already. I guess I should plan another one :)

Looks and sounds like you had an AMAZING time! You definitely deserve it.

And the Grove Inn? That's where we stayed way back in the day when my parents took us there.

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

Nashville is an excellent place for a girls weekend! I've done it a few times. I haven't had a girls weekend probably since college. But I went to a concert with girls this last weekend and an overnight in December with another friend. I really wanted to go to Charleston but it now appears as though we are spring breaking in Florida. Since a free condo kinda trumps the Carolina visit. A little sad about that.

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

You girls and your stripes - love it! =) I often find that a dose of a deep friendship soothes the soul - it doesn't matter where I am living or what state of mind I'm in.

I can't tell you the last time I had a girls' weekend. It's been a long, LONG time. I'm trying to think of the best places to visit ... but, my reality is if I go with good girlfriends, we'd have an excellent time no matter where we go!

Amber said...

Awesome! I'm so glad you guys had such a great time - love all the photos. The view from the Biltmore is absolutely gorgeous!

My last girls weekend was in June/July-ish. I had two girls weekend back to back for Jen's bachelorette party and wedding shower. I'm also very much looking forward to our girls weekend in october!

Stephany said...

This just looks like such a great weekend! You are a wonderful hostess, I can tell! I'm glad Heidi was able to come visit you. :)

My last girls weekend? Err... I don't even know! How sad is that? I do have a really fun one planned in November that I am VERY MUCH looking forward to!

Also, yes to all three locations you listed. Those are places I want to visit! We need to have some sort of "southern bloggers meet-up" before you leave Charlotte!

Charis Faith said...

I love you girls and your stripes!!! So thankful that Heidi's trip happened at a time when you truly needed her!!! I know you were excited before for her visit but I also realize that her presence probably kept the news from the doctor from being the proverbial back breaking straw!!! Nashville Charleston Atlanta the Boone/Blowing Rock area Atlanta Raffildini Vineyards there is more and I will try to work up a list for you. Love the recapture and so thrilled y'all had a good time's!!

Shoshanah said...

I would love to visit the Biltmore someday! It just seems like such a pretty place to visit. And I think the last girls weekend I had was in February or so, when I had friend fly into New Orleans for a few days.

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Mmmm, Southern food! I love the first SATC movie. It is soooooo good. I haven't done a girls trip in a few years. I would choose NY!

Elizabeth said...

Ya! Sounds like it was a refreshing weekend and I'm glad you were able to show her around. If money was no object I would totally choose Charleston out of the three you listed, but I think it'd be awesome to do a girls weekend to San Diego too honestly. :) Hope your week has started okay!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

I am glad you had a good time! What a great way to get your mind off any issues, to see your friend and to get a new appreciation of your surrounds through a friend!

I need to plan a girl night! The last time we all got together was so fun, but it's hard to get everyone available on the same day!

Alli said...

I believe we've discussed how much I want to make Charleston happen, but I also told Mandy that I really want to do a girls weekend in Nashville next year. You in?

Linda said...

Oh the Biltmore! One of my fantasy bucket list items.