Biltmore Trek

Corey and I were given tickets to visit the Biltmore House. This past Sunday was a beautiful day so we slept in a bit and then headed out for "America's largest house". On our way there we realized we only had $6 cash and were unsure if it would cost to park. Since the weather was so nice we decided it would be no big deal to park at the Biltmore shopping plaza and walk.

We approached the first little entry way and asked the guy working if it was alright to walk to the house. He replied, "Sure, but do so at your own risk as there are no sidewalks."

About a half mile later we approached another entry where you purchase tickets. They asked if we were getting picked up by someone and when we told them that we were walking in they then kind of chuckled and said, "You know it's 3.5 miles from here, right?" We acted as though we were already well aware and carried on.

I don't believe that it was 3.5 miles as we made it in just over an hour. Regardless, it was my favorite part. If only the dogs could have come.

The house was certainly very impressive in size and detail, but it was oh so crowded. Not to mention I just have little appreciation for large tapestries/wall carpets and old expensive stuff. Nor do I appreciate being herded through the place like a bunch of cattle.

The best part about the place was the grounds. Evidently the gardens are amazing, but they were not quite in bloom yet. This probably explains why it was considered the off-season as well as why our free tickets expired at the end of the month. They sell season passes and people like to go walk the trails, I'm sure it's nice but we'll opt for the free trails this year!

The dogwood trees have just started blooming and are all over Asheville. You can also see the entry way into the main garden area with many tulips and other flowers waiting to bloom.

Rock Band

After the misty day hike we finished off the weekend rocking out on some plastic instruments with Rock Band. It was clear that none of us missed a calling in the music industry but always amusing to try. As you can see Lloyd does not appear to be entertained and Hoka spent much of the time making sure the kitchen floor stayed clean of any food droppings. Thanks to Adam for bringing over his toys to share and to Laura for capturing the moments.

Rainy Weekend

The weather looked unfavorable for hiking, but we certainly overdressed for our hike on Sunday. This was the view from the top. "It felt like we were in 17th century Scotland." Or so James said.

"Little Thief"

I had never been around a ferret before Corey. In fact, even as an animal lover I had never even given them much thought. But before Corey and I ever started dating one of the few things I knew about him from overhearing conversations in class was that he was hoping to get a ferret. With this little fact I would often use it as much as possible to make conversation. He played along well as he told me about the cage he was going to make and how he wanted a ferret since he couldn't have a dog where he was living at the time. He had determined that ferrets were cool animals after watching videos of their behavior on YouTube. Well, they certainly are interesting little guys as you can see from my own homemade video of our ferret, Silas, in action.

Silas wasn't the first ferret. Corey got Piper about two months before we started dating. While we unfortunately don't' have any photos of her she looked exactly like the photo of the brown ferret at the top. She was a tiny little lady who for whatever reason would frequently get sick and was unable to pull through about a year ago.

Ferret actually means "little thief" in latin and that is certainly true. Silas had a thing about stealing the dogs' food dishes. On a daily basis when we would let him out of his cage he would come into the kitchen and either drag those things into the laundry room, under the couch or even under the bathroom sink. Yes, the bathroom sink. He had mastered the ability to open one of the bottom drawers in the bathroom cabinet which then allowed him to crawl under the sink and open the larger hinged doors where he liked to bring various items to hide.

Silas didn't make the move to Asheville, as my sister and I convinced my mom to let Silas stay in Ohio with Lauren. (At least for the time being.) You see, we didn't yet have a place to live upon leaving for Asheville and being that we already have two larger dogs we didn't want to complicate matters by having a third pet. Especially a somewhat destructive little ferret. So, Silas is in Ohio entertaining my nephew Hunter who is quite fond of him and from the sound of things my mom is growing attached as well. Thanks for looking after him Mom and Lauren!

Blue Steel

Meet "Blue Steel" our jungle gym of sorts.

Dawn's Spread

Dawn is the best and certainly knows me well!

Dawn calls me the day before the opening during which I was slightly frantic driving around running errands in prepartion for the opening trying to find my exit and she says to me, "What's your schedule for tomorrow?"

I was completely thrown off by the question. Thoughts start running through my head, "What is she talking about? Is she in town? What IS my schedule for tomorrow? Which exit is it? Oh, that one!" Rather than simply answering her question I say, "What?!? Can I call you back? I think I'm lost."

I figured out my whereabouts, got my thoughts together and returned her call.

Dawn proceeds to tell me that she had considered sending me flowers when she realized that I would appreciate food far more! Bless you Dawn! :) (However, now Corey only has more support to feel he doesn't need to buy me flowers. haha)

Here she had checked out the website for the gym and saw that it is in Asheville's River Arts District where there is a great little cafe called Clingman Cafe. (Another place we frequented during that first week.) She wanted to know how many we were expecting for the opening and had set up the delivery of various wraps, salad, coffee and tea. All of which was delicious! Only about half of those who stopped by opted for food so it also fed Corey and until about Wednesday. Yum!

Thank You Dawn!! You're the best! I miss you!

Cold Days of Business

I took this photo randomly one day in one of Asheville's great coffeehouses, Dripolator, just playing around with the settings. However, I ended up liking it and it serves as a reminder of some rough times early on in business. While we are certainly still a very young business the following are some of our early experiences.

Our landlord for our gym mentioned that the heat hadn't been on in the space for over a month but he failed to bring to light the little fact that it had been completely disconnected. We opened the first day we took over the lease. Meaning our landloard was still there the morning of our "Grand Opening" sweeping the floor (there was a woodshop there before us and trust me, I am STILL sweeping) while we moved in our eqipment, hung the white boards and prepared for our first session at 1:00pm. Yes, it was rather ambitious of us. The opening went well considering and a handful of our clients have stuck with us since, but it was FAR from grand.

That 1st week in Feb was the coldest it has been since arriving in Asheville. There were a few mornings in the single digits with highs in the teens! On Monday the 2nd we found out that it would take a few days after submitting paperwork and a deposit before the heat would be on. Argh. It was a miserable time. Here we are trying to welcome people to our new gym and either need to dress in so many layers that I can barely move to demonstrate anything to clients (not to mention I must have looked about 20lbs heavier in all those clothes) or risk standing there body shaking and teetch chattering while taking potential clients through work-outs. It wasn't bad for those showing up to work-out as we just got them moving right away to stay warm, but to be there from 5:30am until 8pm was miserable. We are closed during the day from 10am til 4pm and would go to local coffeehouses to warm up and use their internet, as we were also waiting on internet access in the gym and at our apartment.

The coffee mugs featured in the photo are from a gas station called the "Hot Spot" which we pass everyday on our way to work. They have this offer where you buy one of their $2.99 travel mugs and can get refills for 27 cents. The Hot Spot's little coffee counter even has steamed milk, cinnamon and whipped cream which I doctored my coffee with regularly. I'm pretty sure most places charge 50 cents just to add whip cream to most coffee drinks. Sure, we could have made our own at home but we opted to leave our coffeemaker with our old roommates in NY with the idea that we were going to stop drinking coffee once here in Asheville. Well, when the alarm goes off at 4:40am and being that I grew a strong appreciation for coffee while in chiropractic college it just wasn't happening. Instead, I looked forward to handing over my pocket of change for a deliciously warm beverage during those dark, cold mornings.

Mystery Giveaway

While I frequent various blogs of distant family, friends and fellow CrossFitters I am the worst with updating my own blog. I'm sure there are a limited number of you out there even visiting on a regular basis. Nonetheless, I found the following "Mystery Giveaway" posted on Emily (Mars) Raymond's blog today. If you know the Mars Family AT ALL you know they are all very creative people and the idea of a random mystery gift seemed like fun. This will also force me to get creative as well. The directions are below. Good luck.

The first 5 people to comment on this post will receive something made by me. But there is a catch...Here are the rules:

1. It's my choice what to make... and you won't know what it will be until you get it!

2. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make, but I hope you do!

3. What I create will be just for you.

4. It will be done this year.

The catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same giveaway to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.