A day of excitement

April 26, 2011

Where to begin?! To say this weekend was amazing would be an understatement. Better descriptors are romantic, perfect, magical, and surreal. As I said in my engagement post, Isaac instructed me to pack my bags because we were going away for the weekend. He didn’t tell me what was planned, but suggested I wear clothes for an outdoor activity and pack something nice to wear for dinner. Miraculously, I managed to blog and pack in an hour and we were on our way. Isaac told me we were staying in Asheville for the weekend, a town we love because of all the interesting culture, nature, and outstanding vegetarian restaurant options. But on the way, we stopped in a town called Morganton for a little adventure. Isaac bought a Groupon weeks ago for a place called The Beanstalk Journey. It is an outdoor play land of sorts with a huge rock climbing wall and a zip-line course!

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Even though the weather was cold, we had a really fun time zipping from tree to tree. Start the finish, the zip-line activity lasted 2-3 hours and since I barely ate breakfast, my stomach was g-r-o-w-l-i-n-g! Not to fear, Isaac thought of every detail. We were still an hour from Asheville, but Isaac had a cooler full of yummy food waiting to satisfy our bellies. We munched on roasted brussel sprouts, hummus, veggies, Mmm Sauce, pesto, homemade veggie burgers, and steamed kale. If I needed another reason to marry this man, that would have done if for me!
When we arrived in Asheville, I was excited to learn we were staying in the Renaissance Hotel downtown.

Renaissance Asheville Hotel Exterior

If you visit Asheville and are a culture loving vegetarian, stay downtown. Trust me. You may be tempted to stay at The Grove Park Inn or Biltmore Inn and I won’t argue, those places are fabulous; I’ve stayed at both several times. But the best way to enjoy what Asheville has to offer including the shops, cultural events, street bands, and a plethora of restaurants, is to park your car and stay downtown.

Surprise number 3 of the day (or was it 4? I’ve lost track!) was finding out that the Renaissance Hotel upgraded us to a suite! And it was no ordinary suite; we were on the 11th floor in a suite larger than my apartment!

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I was excited to see that the Renaissance carried Aveda products. And in my favorite scent—rosemary mint!

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Our room was on the 11th floor with a view of downtown Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains! Isaac and I were tempted to just move in. Winking smile

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After the best night of sleep I’ve had in a long time, I woke up and enjoyed a cup of tea in my room. Isaac was still asleep so I decided to take advantage of the hotel’s awesome gym, pool, and hot tub! Isaac and I finally got ready to venture out. The weather was incredible and we chose to spend the first part of the day exploring downtown.

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After lots and lots of walking, we opted to rest briefly before heading to the NC Arboretum.IMG_1861

Even though I’m from Asheville, I have never visited the Arboretum. Boy, have I missed out! This place has over 500 acres of land, 65 of which are gardens and walking trails.  IMG_1783

Isaac was very excited to visit the Bonsai exhibit. Damn those little trees are cute! Now we want to become Bonsai-ists. Winking smile

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We wandered around and just took it all in.

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It was such a fun weekend and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our engagement.IMG_1873

When it all came to an end, it was very hard to leave. I keep wishing I could just press rewind. In loveIMG_1869

Next up, all the incredible vegetarian Asheville eats!

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