At Home in the Mountains
This past weekend I drove to Asheville to see my aunt who is still in the hospital. I haven't seen her in two weeks and I needed to go. I also made plans to spend the night with my sisterfriend, Katie, at her new house. Her new house nestled all cozily in the beautiful mountains of Hendersonville, NC. I couldn't wait to see what she had done with the place! This probably is a good time to introduce you to my long time best friend.
We met the summer of 1978 at a restaurant called "Western Steer Steakhouse." We were both "behind the counter girls." We had to wear black pants, a red/white polyester uniform top and this horrific red bandana thing. We were lucky enough to be scheduled to work the same shift one night. We talked. We tried to get a bead on one another before deciding whether or not we wanted to pursue a friendship. (that's what girls do... have to feel it out first, see if it's going to be something worth putting effort into before we jump) We found out both of us had very similar "likes"; both of our birthdays happened to be in November; we even looked alike (MANY times we were thought to be sisters). We traded phone numbers and said, "Let's do something one night." Well, I can't remember who called who first, but the call was made and the very first thing we ever did together was go to the movies... are you ready for the name of it? THE URBAN COWBOY! Bring on some John Travolta!! She met me at my house. We had a very steep driveway. She didn't do so well backing out ( nearly hit the fence), so I had to do it. :) Over the next 20 years, she never got the hang of backing out of that driveway. That was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. She is more my family than my friend. She is my sister of the heart. We've been through A LOT together. She knows more about me than any other living human being. We have to remain friends b/c we know waaaay too much about each other not to be! haha We have had our share of fights and disagreements. We've fallen down together and gotten back up together. We've been together through bad breakups and some super hot hook ups! We double dated on many occasion and every now and again we found the same "parking spots." Just sayin'. We were in each other's weddings. We've shared grief and raw heartbreak. We've also shared the most joyous of moments together (insert babies and godson) Plain and simply, we've shared life. This girl without a shadow of a doubt, has got my back and I've got hers. We get it. We treasure it. We are blessed beyond what we deserve. Above all, we are thankful for each other. I know I couldn't get through the crap of this world without her and I couldn't enjoy all the happiness of this world if she were not in it with me. So that's just a smidge of an introduction to one of the VIP's in my life. You will likely see her appear here in this blog many times. At least now you know who she is. :D
Soooo, anyway, the point of this post is this: I LOVE THE MOUNTAINS!!! I always thought I wanted to live at the beach... have a house very near to the ocean, take walks every day along the shore and find gorgeous seashells; I wanted to be lulled to sleep every night by the sounds of the crashing waves, but more than that, I wanted to feel the peace and tranquility that being near the ocean brings me. I STILL want that house by the sea, but I'm being pulled more and more towards those mountains that held me in their mighty arms on the day I was born; the same majestic arms that cradled me and protected me throughout my childhood, adolescence and on into adulthood. You know, those mountains in western North Carolina called the Great Smokies or the Blue Ridge Mountains? Those mountains feel like "my" mountains. I'm comfortable there. I feel at home there. I AM at home there. My family is there. I have a heritage that runs deep in those mountains... and I am proud of it. There is so much beauty .... everywhere... literally, everywhere! Growing up, I took all that beauty for granted. I didn't appreciate it the way I do now. I couldn't wait to "get out of there"... I used to think living in Asheville was soooo boring, nothing to do, omg, I've done this a million times kind of thing. There's no big shopping malls, nothing to do but go to the movies or go roller skating or cruise down Patton Avenue hoping to run into your friends or meet up with some cute guys. There was nothing famous about Asheville, no draw except the LEAVES and Lordy, I got so sick of hearing people talk about THE LEAVES!! I've seen them. I see them All. The. Time. It's just leaves, People. What's the big deal? (I was so dumb)
(HAHA... Hello!! Biltmore House, Grove Park Inn, Pisgah National Forest, Mt. Mitchell, Blue Ridge Parkway, Sliding Rock, birthplace of Thomas Wolfe and Charles Frazier, and on and on I could go!) For Heaven's Sake, Billy Graham lives there!! But for me, it was Dullsville. Little did I know, I would crave the taste of home one day. Need it like a person needs sunshine and water.
Saturday night I got to experience a little bit of mountain magic while staying with Katie and Charlie and Chan. Their house has a perfect view of those beautiful mountains from a big front porch with a porch swing and rocking chairs. It's awesome! Katie has her house decorated for Fall and Thanksgiving. When I got there, a fire was blazing in the fireplace complete with those great crackling sounds a fire makes when it's burning. Candles were lit; the house smelled so good, and "my room" was all ready for me, complete with fresh towels and little presents just for me. Please remember if you are a girl fortunate enough to be born in the South then you are automatically born with a "Hospitality Gene." God gave it in Spades to us. However, it is nurtured under the well trained eye of our Southern Mamas and Grandmamas! We Southern Girls are nothing if not hospitable. We do it with pride too. We got this thing! My girl, Katie, is real good at it!! Always, always, I feel at home at her house, whether in Lenoir, Hickory or Hendersonville. It's like my own little Safe Haven. A place I can go to escape and regroup or even to recover. I've done it on more than one occasion!!
We had a delightful evening! We always celebrate our birthdays together. Hers is Nov. 5 and mine is Nov. 27. This time I told her "let's just do your birthday and we'll get mine later in the month." This gives us another reason to have to get together in the next couple of weeks. :) So we sat around the fireplace opening presents. She had a few little presents for me too. It's our tradition. I open a gift. She opens a gift, and we of course have to savor each one and talk about each one... where it came from, why we gave it, etc... It's fabulous fun! Then after the gifts are opened, we talk... "OK, so tell me what's going on with the kids? Start with... " and so it goes for the next hour or so or until our eyes are too heavy to stay open any longer. We go to bed looking forward to "tomorrow's" time together.
It was just what I needed this weekend. Perfect. Perfect place. Perfect company. Since November is the month of "giving thanks", I am giving much thanks for amazing friendships and a To Die For mountain getaway that is mine anytime I need it. (or want it)
Ya'll Come Back Now, Ya Hear!
D~
We met the summer of 1978 at a restaurant called "Western Steer Steakhouse." We were both "behind the counter girls." We had to wear black pants, a red/white polyester uniform top and this horrific red bandana thing. We were lucky enough to be scheduled to work the same shift one night. We talked. We tried to get a bead on one another before deciding whether or not we wanted to pursue a friendship. (that's what girls do... have to feel it out first, see if it's going to be something worth putting effort into before we jump) We found out both of us had very similar "likes"; both of our birthdays happened to be in November; we even looked alike (MANY times we were thought to be sisters). We traded phone numbers and said, "Let's do something one night." Well, I can't remember who called who first, but the call was made and the very first thing we ever did together was go to the movies... are you ready for the name of it? THE URBAN COWBOY! Bring on some John Travolta!! She met me at my house. We had a very steep driveway. She didn't do so well backing out ( nearly hit the fence), so I had to do it. :) Over the next 20 years, she never got the hang of backing out of that driveway. That was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. She is more my family than my friend. She is my sister of the heart. We've been through A LOT together. She knows more about me than any other living human being. We have to remain friends b/c we know waaaay too much about each other not to be! haha We have had our share of fights and disagreements. We've fallen down together and gotten back up together. We've been together through bad breakups and some super hot hook ups! We double dated on many occasion and every now and again we found the same "parking spots." Just sayin'. We were in each other's weddings. We've shared grief and raw heartbreak. We've also shared the most joyous of moments together (insert babies and godson) Plain and simply, we've shared life. This girl without a shadow of a doubt, has got my back and I've got hers. We get it. We treasure it. We are blessed beyond what we deserve. Above all, we are thankful for each other. I know I couldn't get through the crap of this world without her and I couldn't enjoy all the happiness of this world if she were not in it with me. So that's just a smidge of an introduction to one of the VIP's in my life. You will likely see her appear here in this blog many times. At least now you know who she is. :D
Soooo, anyway, the point of this post is this: I LOVE THE MOUNTAINS!!! I always thought I wanted to live at the beach... have a house very near to the ocean, take walks every day along the shore and find gorgeous seashells; I wanted to be lulled to sleep every night by the sounds of the crashing waves, but more than that, I wanted to feel the peace and tranquility that being near the ocean brings me. I STILL want that house by the sea, but I'm being pulled more and more towards those mountains that held me in their mighty arms on the day I was born; the same majestic arms that cradled me and protected me throughout my childhood, adolescence and on into adulthood. You know, those mountains in western North Carolina called the Great Smokies or the Blue Ridge Mountains? Those mountains feel like "my" mountains. I'm comfortable there. I feel at home there. I AM at home there. My family is there. I have a heritage that runs deep in those mountains... and I am proud of it. There is so much beauty .... everywhere... literally, everywhere! Growing up, I took all that beauty for granted. I didn't appreciate it the way I do now. I couldn't wait to "get out of there"... I used to think living in Asheville was soooo boring, nothing to do, omg, I've done this a million times kind of thing. There's no big shopping malls, nothing to do but go to the movies or go roller skating or cruise down Patton Avenue hoping to run into your friends or meet up with some cute guys. There was nothing famous about Asheville, no draw except the LEAVES and Lordy, I got so sick of hearing people talk about THE LEAVES!! I've seen them. I see them All. The. Time. It's just leaves, People. What's the big deal? (I was so dumb)
(HAHA... Hello!! Biltmore House, Grove Park Inn, Pisgah National Forest, Mt. Mitchell, Blue Ridge Parkway, Sliding Rock, birthplace of Thomas Wolfe and Charles Frazier, and on and on I could go!) For Heaven's Sake, Billy Graham lives there!! But for me, it was Dullsville. Little did I know, I would crave the taste of home one day. Need it like a person needs sunshine and water.
Saturday night I got to experience a little bit of mountain magic while staying with Katie and Charlie and Chan. Their house has a perfect view of those beautiful mountains from a big front porch with a porch swing and rocking chairs. It's awesome! Katie has her house decorated for Fall and Thanksgiving. When I got there, a fire was blazing in the fireplace complete with those great crackling sounds a fire makes when it's burning. Candles were lit; the house smelled so good, and "my room" was all ready for me, complete with fresh towels and little presents just for me. Please remember if you are a girl fortunate enough to be born in the South then you are automatically born with a "Hospitality Gene." God gave it in Spades to us. However, it is nurtured under the well trained eye of our Southern Mamas and Grandmamas! We Southern Girls are nothing if not hospitable. We do it with pride too. We got this thing! My girl, Katie, is real good at it!! Always, always, I feel at home at her house, whether in Lenoir, Hickory or Hendersonville. It's like my own little Safe Haven. A place I can go to escape and regroup or even to recover. I've done it on more than one occasion!!
We had a delightful evening! We always celebrate our birthdays together. Hers is Nov. 5 and mine is Nov. 27. This time I told her "let's just do your birthday and we'll get mine later in the month." This gives us another reason to have to get together in the next couple of weeks. :) So we sat around the fireplace opening presents. She had a few little presents for me too. It's our tradition. I open a gift. She opens a gift, and we of course have to savor each one and talk about each one... where it came from, why we gave it, etc... It's fabulous fun! Then after the gifts are opened, we talk... "OK, so tell me what's going on with the kids? Start with... " and so it goes for the next hour or so or until our eyes are too heavy to stay open any longer. We go to bed looking forward to "tomorrow's" time together.
It was just what I needed this weekend. Perfect. Perfect place. Perfect company. Since November is the month of "giving thanks", I am giving much thanks for amazing friendships and a To Die For mountain getaway that is mine anytime I need it. (or want it)
Ya'll Come Back Now, Ya Hear!
D~
There is nothing better than the smell of a fire and the comfort of an old friend. Great post. gf
ReplyDeleteThanx to u for accepting my gift of "solace". Love u, always have, always will.
ReplyDelete