My Asheville Experience & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #130

July 9, 2019 / 52 Comments
This is not a sponsored post.

My experiences are generally about the people. The people we meet. The people with whom we make connections. We all exist within a different context depending on the people around us. The chemistry is different with each and every relationship. The structure shifts depending on our environment and what and whom surround us at any given moment. We are relational beings and as such we exist directly within the context of each relationship. Whether it be a brief encounter or a long standing friendship, our relationships with other people contribute to the definitions of us.

Last week, I wrote about my experience traveling to Millheim, Pennsylvania. While much of that adventure resulted in metaphysical epiphanies from traveling solo, there was still an enormous part of the experience that was rich in context due to the human connections as well. With every new experience and every new person that I meet along the way, I am never disappointed with the bountiful abundance of life itself that exists within the stories of each and every person. Recognizing that we all have a story and embracing the significance of these stories is exactly what brings the richness of the human experience to life. It is the stories that I love. I love to hear them, to tell them, to repeat them, and to share them. Because without our stories, what do we have really? Without human connections and shared experiences, what is the purpose?

And so now I have caught the wanderlust. Except it is not simply the desire for travel. It is the desire to find and meet and know all the fascinating people. They are everywhere. Yes, I know, I can find so many right here in my hometown. And I do find them and appreciate them. But I want more. More connections, more stories, more creativity, above and beyond wanderlust…it is perhaps a humanlust. It is what fuels me these days and when my tank is running low, I want to go and meet all the wonderful people that I can find. Because it is the unique and genuine energies that I have been able to touch and feel lately that reigniting my fire and refueling my soul.

So off to Asheville I went last week in search of that inspiration that feeds my spirit, revitalizes my creativity, and excites my muse. Traveling solo via car, 845 miles each way, is not for the faint of heart. The majority of the trip being on Route 81 did not lend itself to the same philosophical revelations as the Millheim trip. Rather it was merely a test of patience and driving endurance to reach my destination. But once I had reached the destination and started living the Asheville experience, that is when the good living began.

I decided early on to put away my phone and camera and live my experiences without much photographic documentation or technological interruption. Sometimes it is just too much with social media and taking pictures of everything. We lose the moments when we focus too much on creating images that are social media-worthy. The memories become only what we have captured in the images rather than true recollections of the actual experiences. The art of documenting these memories with words only has become a lost craft, but one that I want very much to resurrect. And so with very few photos to substantiate my experience, I use mostly my words as my method of delivery. I hope you enjoy the imagery I have attempted to recreate. I am thinking for my next trip south, I may want to go completely off the grip to really get in touch with nature and perhaps explore some RV campgrounds in NC. That would be an amazing experience I think!

In any event, for this trip, I was fortunate enough to have a dear friend, Carson, as my tour guide during my stay in Asheville. There are a million things to do and see in this artsy little southern city so you simply cannot do and see it all in 5 short days. Rather than even try, I simply let Carson lead the way. As a musician residing in Asheville for the past 7 years, he essentially immersed me in the downtown music scene and of course, the culinary wonders as well. Because one must eat while on vacation so why not eat well. So much succulent food.

On Tuesday, I arrived at my hotel around 3:00 in the afternoon after 10 hours of driving and very little eating. I was starving so I met up with Carson for some light fare. I can’t remember where we ate that day but we did enjoy some pretty delicious spring rolls which was about all my stomach could tolerate at that point. Then we visited one of his favorite microbreweries (again, my memory is lacking on the names of places…maybe I should have taken some photos!) and then off to Guitar City to twiddle around with some guitars. Actually, I did no twiddling at all as I was treated to the musical magic of my very talented friend. Sitting on stools in the middle of Guitar City, with a slight buzz from the refreshing microbrews we had just imbibed, it was like my own personal concert and I sort of got lost in it. Later that night we headed to Asheville Music Hall for Tuesday Night Funk Jam. What a cool experience. My only regret is that I had not yet found my Asheville groove and was a bit too stiff for my own good. But next time I will know better. Drink, relax, and feel the vibe.

On Wednesday afternoon I had the great pleasure of meeting Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots and Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish for lunch. I was feeling a bit awful from the long drive the previous day. I have this tendency of not eating when I drive. Combine the lack of nutritional substance with the few drinks from the night before and staying up way later than my norm and I woke up with a raging hangover type feeling in the morning. I eventually got myself together and headed to Wicked Weed Brewing to meet my blogging friends. Just as blogging meet ups of this sort go, it was like we had known each other for years. But I guess we kind of have. I have been reading Jennie’s and Jess’s blogs for as long as I have been blogging (4 years next month to be exact) and you do get to know people when you regularly read about their lives. We talked for hours, as women will, about blogging, fashion, family, health and wellness, menopause and menstrual cycles. Jess’s husband Roy, God bless his heart, sat with us and endured it all with a smile and then he took some photos for us. You can’t even tell in the photos how we were all melting from the heat! I spent the remainder of Wednesday evening recovering in my hotel room and resetting my sleep schedule. Even while vacationing, I still require rest.

Thursday, the 4th of July, Carson and I spent the day driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping at various look out points, and hiking down to the most serene and beautiful waterfall hidden amidst the cliffs and trees like a secret inspiration hideaway. If not for the overabundance of people there, I could have gotten quite lost in my thoughts…which I did for the most part of the day as we drove along the winding mountain road listening to music and simply existing within the moment.

A look out point on the Blue Ridge Parkway with Looking Glass Rock behind us.

Then we headed back to downtown Asheville, enjoyed an amazing sushi dinner and then met up with friends for a Bluegrass jam at Jack of the Wood.

I met this amazing woman, Stacy, in the ladies’ room at Jack of the Wood. It was her shirt that did it! We became fast friends, of course, and spent about an hour chatting after our bathroom encounter.
The shirt! I need this shirt!

Friday night we headed off to Salvage Station with some new friends to see Lotus. Feeling all sorts of festival vibes, I had more fun than I even imagined this old gal could have! My favorite part of this show, however, had nothing to do with the music and very well may have been my favorite part of the entire trip. As I was getting lost in the music, sipping my vodka and water, swaying and dancing along with the crowd, someone walked up behind, slid their arm around me, and exclaimed, “What the hell are you doing here?!” I turned and found myself looking directly into the face of a very dear old friend of mine from Pennsylvania. Mark and I were swim coaches together way back when and he and his wife have just moved to South Carolina only a few months ago. Moments like these are when we realize just how connected we all are in this great big world! We spent the rest of the night combining my group of friends and his group of friends into one giant friend fest and it was simply amazing!

Me and Mark at Salvage Station. Not sure where my bear ears came from but apparently they turned me into a bear at one point (see the image below).
Me, Julia (another amazing new friend), and Carson at Salvage Station
Julia and Aaron were visiting Carson from Seattle. They are two of the coolest people I ever met. I do hope our paths cross again.
Getting ready to head into the Lotus show…and yes, Carson is now the very proud owner of my Toto tee shirt. He is quite possibly the biggest Toto fan on the planet, so naturally I had to hand over the tee shirt.

By Saturday morning, I was completely pooped and we spent the day hanging out in the air conditioning watching Netflix and ordering food delivery (thank you, Mellow Mushroom, for the most delicious pizza). I got a decent night’s sleep in preparation for my Sunday morning drive. Thank goodness I did because what should have taken 9 hours to arrive at my mother-in-law’s in Pennsylvania ended up taking 12 hours due to holiday weekend traffic. I arrived home yesterday afternoon tired and feeling a bit changed from my Asheville experience. I am certain I will be sharing more posts that will be inspired by Asheville (I took a lot of notes in my phone so I can revisit some of the ideas that came flooding down upon me). I am also certain that I have omitted a lot of the details and events of my week in Asheville. Some have been omitted on purpose and some I am just having trouble recalling the details and timeline. Some may resurface and I will write about them and some I may be more discreet and keep it to myself. In any event, I feel like this trip has triggered something bigger and more important in my life goals. But only time will tell. Stay tuned…and thanks for sharing in my memories.

And now your featured favorites from last week.

Katie of Hello Katie Girl shared her post, A Kaleidoscope of Prints. Katie is looking gorgeous as always in her signature brightly colored ensemble!

Katie of Hello Katie Girl

Kellyann of This Blonde’s Shopping Bag shared her post, Ageless Style: Red, White, and Shoes. Looking marvelously patriotic and summery in two different red and white dresses, I am always inspired by Kellyann’s sartorial choices.

Kellyann of This Blonde’s Shopping Bag

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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52 Comments

  • jodie filogomo

    July 9, 2019 at 9:25 pm Reply

    What a wonderful time Shelbee. Although that drive….how did you do it?
    I’m so jealous you were able to meet up with Jess and Jennie!! One of these days, I hope we can meet up too!! Are you coming to FierceCon? You absolutely should!!
    XOXO
    Jodie

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      July 9, 2019 at 9:34 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Jodie! We will definitely meet one day! But I think I blew my entire travel budget for the year so unless something changes quickly I don’t think I can make it to FierceCon this year. Booo! But I am working on some stuff…oh to be independently wealthy and be able to travel on a whim!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Kellyann Rohr

    July 9, 2019 at 9:34 pm Reply

    Oh I love this post – all the smiles and all the friendships – new and old celebrated! Yes, that t-shirt in the bathroom is PERFECT!!!! Kindness Matters!!!
    Thanks for the shout out sweet friend!!!
    xo,
    Kellyann

  • Laurie

    July 9, 2019 at 9:52 pm Reply

    A brilliant post! And how lovely you all got to meet. We’ve all been blogging for around the same time and it’s been great watching us all grow xx

  • Patrick Weseman

    July 10, 2019 at 1:41 am Reply

    What a great trip you had. You are right, every trip is always about the people who meet or go see on a trip. Very nice. Love the ears.

    Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful rest of the week.

  • Laura

    July 10, 2019 at 1:54 am Reply

    It looks like you had such a fun time especially meeting Jess and Jennie! I’d never know you were melting in the heat, you all look cool as cucumbers in the photos!

  • Nancy

    July 10, 2019 at 6:33 am Reply

    You are such a cool and brave woman! What a amazing trip you had and what wonderfull people to meet! Tell Carson I will see Toto this Friday!!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      July 10, 2019 at 12:01 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Nancy! I don’t really feel all that brave! Haha. It was super fun though. Carson and I are going to try to get to a Toto concert this Fall…if we can make our schedules coordinate. I hope you have the most wonderful time! Let me know how it is!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Gail

    July 10, 2019 at 7:56 am Reply

    Wow, what a fabulous trip – you crammed a lot in! I admire you so much for driving over 800 miles! I love meeting other bloggers – we always have so much to talk about.

  • Suzy Turner

    July 10, 2019 at 8:55 am Reply

    Shelbee, you are my hero! I just love that you will happily drive [alone] for hours on end to meet new people and see old friends. I so wish we were on the same continent so we could drive to meet each other! I know we would have such a fabulous time.
    It certainly looked like this was an amazing journey for you and your pals, and I just adore that you gave away your fave tee-shirt purely because he was such a fan of the band!
    Oh… and I’m super envious you got to meet up with Jennie and Jess!
    Huge hugs
    Suzy xxx

  • Susan

    July 10, 2019 at 8:09 pm Reply

    Oh what fun! Driving for a long time, with good music (a necessity) puts me in a zen state, and I just get really into it. Unlike you though, I stop every time I see something tasty and unique to the area. I have eaten my way across the US, and a few other countries, and enjoyed every minute of it. Of course I also have to stop every 90 minutes to pee, else I get really dehydrated, which makes me drive like an ass. I loved reading about your trip, and can’t wait for you to write more.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      July 10, 2019 at 10:15 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Susan! I totally stop every 90 minutes to pee which is the reason I don’t dilly dally with food or I would never reach my destination! Lol. However, I think I would thoroughly enjoy eating my way across America if I had a traveling companion!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Monica

    July 11, 2019 at 3:31 pm Reply

    It looks like you had an amazing time! I love blogger meetups too. It’s so weird when you feel like you’ve known each other for years, and then you meet in person and everything just clicks. I still talk about our meetup last year haha! Hopefully you can make it down to Florida. I have a guest room with your name on it!
    Thanks for stopping by the linkup! http://www.jerseygirltexanheart.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      July 12, 2019 at 10:14 am Reply

      Thanks, Monica! It is totally strange but such a cool thing to have connections like that. I guess this is the world we live in now with social media…we can make the connections before we ever meet. And if ever I can make it to Florida, I will totally take you up on that offer! By the way, I will send you my photo for next week over the weekend. I am still trying to get back into the post-vacation groove.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Jessica A Jannenga

    July 11, 2019 at 3:42 pm Reply

    Hi Shelbee
    I mentioned to you how much fun I had, so good to meet you and Jennie. My hubby says I can talk to anyone! My mom gave me the ease and gift of gab! asheville is only 2 hours for us and its nice to do day trips too. You sound like you had a great time and I didn’t know you had musician friends from there. The Orange Peel is a known music venue but I haven’t been there. Love the tee – Kindness Matters, you need that one< it was fate you met her!
    I do give you loads of credit for driving that distance by yourself! Go Shelbee!
    jess xx
    http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      July 12, 2019 at 10:11 am Reply

      Jess, thanks so much for everything! I did have the most amazing time. It was so wonderful to meet you and Jennie and I also have the gift of gab…clearly! Lol. My husband always laughs that whenever I go into a public restroom, I come out knowing someone’s entire life story. Haha. Which I did with Stacy all because of her kindness matters tee shirt. And did I not tell you my friend was a musician? I totally thought I did! Sorry. He is in New York this week playing at at a music festival so I am going to see them tomorrow. I am super excited for that! I definitely will be back to Asheville at some point. I think it is now my favorite city that I have ever visited!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Mother of 3

    July 11, 2019 at 7:48 pm Reply

    I have family in Ashville and I’ve always wanted to visit the area; sounds like you had a really wonderful time. I must admit I eat just about non-stop in the car on long rides. I tend to get really antsy sitting still and need to be doing something- even if it only munching away.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      July 12, 2019 at 10:04 am Reply

      Joanne, thanks for reading about my trip! I used to always have tons of snacks in the car when I would go on long drives and I would eat them all and end up with a tummy ache. So I stopped bringing too many and now I get a tummy ache from not eating enough! Ha. I can’t win. Have a great weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Chrissy

    July 21, 2019 at 11:31 am Reply

    This post is fabulous. I hear your heart on meeting new faces or connecting with those you feel like you already know through the blog world!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      July 21, 2019 at 12:19 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Chrissy! I love that phrase, “I hear your heart”! You know, right now my heart is so full of love and laughter and I am thriving on making new connections that I could seriously burst! Now what to do with it all?!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Mica

    July 22, 2019 at 8:10 am Reply

    What a fun trip !I love the red kimono you wore for your blogger meet up, ti’s great you got to catch up with such stylish bloggers! 🙂

    Hope that you had a great weekend 🙂

    Thank you so much for joining the #weekdayWearLinkUp 🙂 I just posted this week’s linkup, I’d love you to join again! 🙂

    http://awayfromtheblue.blogspot.com.au

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