Disclaimer: There are no pictures of Emerson in this blog.
Rarely do Mom and Dad ever get a break. I'm sure many can empathize with that comment.
This December, as part of Erin's birthday present, I surprised her with a trip to the Asheville area at a
B&B - just for us.
We were super excited about the thought of having some "us" time - so we could wind down a bit amidst all of the hustle and bustle around the holiday season. There were, however, some moments leading up to the trip where we were a bit sad/nervous about leaving Emerson behind. We had been having so much fun decorating for Christmas and singing Christmas songs as a family that the thought of being in our own was kind of sad. Nonetheless, we got over that pretty quick and got re-energized about our retreat.
On the day we set out, we checked the weather and the forecast was not necessarily favorable - possible rain all weekend. However, we didn't let that dampen our spirits, as the thought of just relaxing and hanging-out was also quite appealing.
We grabbed some lunch on the way, and about one hour from our destination it happened - my stomach started doing some weird things. I couldn't tell how bad the situation was at first - thinking I just need to "get there", and then I'd be fine. And despite Erin suggesting to pull off at a number of logical spots, I insisted that we move on. But my stomach had other plans.
Right as we were about to pass the Asheville
airport, I had to pull over three lanes of traffic into the airport parking lot and "get sick" in the car.
Luckily, Erin found a plastic bag, but I still managed to get a bit on me and the car.
After that incident - I thought I felt better - after getting it all out.
Again, that was not the case.
When we arrived to the B&B (
Bed & Breakfast on Tiffany Hill - which was amazing), we met the owner and she gave us an extensive tour of the property.
She was very personable,
but being social was the last thing on my mind.
I just wanted to find the bathroom.
Finally, I did.
Our first night of "us time" was awful. Here we were, celebrating Erin's birthday in a beautiful part of the state, in a beautiful B&B, all by ourselves, a nice bottle of champagne, and all I wanted to do was sleep and stay close to the bathroom. Such a romantic. I felt horrible for Erin, and I tried to muster up the energy to be fun, but I wasn't fooling anyone. I was pathetic, and she took care of me.
The next day, although a billion times better, my stomach was still in knots.
I managed to be a bit more fun as we had a yummy breakfast (where Erin was recognized in front of the other guests), walked around downtown Asheville, visited Grove Park (where the annual Gingerbread House contest had just taken place), and had a fun lunch at an
Asheville cafe/bakery.
But my energy level still wasn't 100%.
The weather had held out for most of the day - until just before dinner time. The B&B provided us a gift certificate for an
awesome restaurant in downtown Brevard - (
Hob Nob).
We had hoped to stroll around Brevard before dinner, but around 6:00 PM a HUGE storm came - that last most of the night.
My lack of appetite, lack of energy, and the crappy weather lessened the potential awesomeness of the dinner, but Erin was a trooper the whole time.
After dinner, we went straight back to the B&B.
The next morning, before we left, we had another great breakfast and found out that one of the other couples staying at the B&B got engaged the night before.
Here was this other
guy, who had derived this romantic trip and nerve-wrecking proposal, and I just wanted to stay within 10 feet of a bathroom.
I felt awful - figuratively and literally.
I felt awful for Erin because this was supposed to be a weekend that was "all about her", when in fact it very much revolved around me.
I started this post by saying "Rarely do Mom and Dad ever get a break", but the fact of the matter is - "Mom really NEVER gets a break".
If you're looking to stay at a B&B - look into Tiffany Hill - I highly recommend it! The establishment and owner (Selena) are amazing!
