First, my trip to the East. I had never visited North Carolina before and saw my buddy Kim's forced relocation there as the perfect opportunity. We packed up a Uhaul (during which all my recent yoga practice really came in handy), hitched up a tow dolly and loaded her Saturn Vue upon it (which is another story in itself). Finally around 2pm the two of us and her 15 year old dog, Callie, hit I-70. The first day was filled with the beautiful scenery of Kansas (anyone who has ever driven through Kansas can surely read into the sarcasm in this statement). Stopped for the night. Day 2 began with a rapid and enthusiastic visit to the exterior of the Kansas Speedway. Kim is a huge NASCAR fan and when she realized the speedway was right off the highway she squealed with excitement, "CAN WE GO??!?!?!" For emphasis on the humor in this, Kim was the one behind the wheel at the time and she was also the one moving and basically, the leader of this adventure. I laughingly responded with a shrug and the words, "of course!"
After the windy detour, we were back on the Interstate. We made it through the rest of Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and finally stopped in Nashville, Tennessee for the evening. Note: I was in the midst of being tortured by an awful cold that was robbing me of energy, appetite and my voice. Next morning, I was very groggy after popping a couple Tylenol PM in the hopes of putting my sickness at bay for some much needed zzzzs. So, Kim took to the wheel and we headed for our final destination. After a bit of Interstate driving, our MapQuest directions sent us on a scenic byway, which we were unaware of until caught within a mountain canyon fully equipped with hairpin turns and steep inclines/declines. Absolutely the opposite of what we needed at that moment; a 17ft Uhaul pulling an SUV with two tired drivers and a dog with cabin fever. The stress started to get to us and Callie; at one point we had to pull over and switch drivers so that Kim could try to soothe her crazy pup.
Long story short (ha!), after a two hour extension to our drive time estimate, we arrived at Kim's new house in Weaverville, NC. This should have been a moment of celebration except for one small detail: her driveway entrance angle was too sharp for the Uhaul and trailer to directly access, the trailer would need to be backed up. Anyone who has ever tried to drive in reverse with something hitched to the rear should understand how this definitely cut the celebration of arrival short. Kim does not know how to do this trailer stuff, I do (thanks to my Dad and years in manual labor). And remember, I also have a horrible virus attacking me, sleep deprivation, exhaustion and a overly full bladder working against me. Yet somehow after a few bad tries and a nervously shaky leg, I succeeded in getting the Uhaul and tow dolly into Kim's driveway!!!! That's right, I'm a badass! Ha, take that crazy driveway and trailer with an SUV; I win!
Ok, so those are the most exciting parts of my trip. Otherwise I simply relaxed and enjoyed a vacation from life. I had no Internet, TV or car to distract me from reading and knitting. Two things made this trip one of the best ever though, 1) Getting to connect with Kim in a whole new way and take our friendship to another level, and 2) eating some of the yummiest food (hands down, the best Reuben from a great little pub Hannah Flanagan's and a wonderful lunch at Stoney Knob). Plus, I was able to experience a different state and truly appreciate the beauty of Asheville and surrounding areas, the views and the people. Thanks Kim for giving me the opportunity to gain new perspective and enjoy a much needed getaway! Here are some pictures of her new pad!
Now, onto my second purpose for this post. As I was uploading my NC pictures, I was delighted to find that Miguel had apparently made himself pizza from scratch while I was away and took some good shots of his work. How great is that? He actually cooked tasty/kinda healthy food for himself, proving that he likes my cooking and that he actually can follow directions!! Haha, just kidding. I'm just so proud of his beautiful accomplishment that I had to share it! Good job baby!! 
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