After a week away, tucked in the mountains of North Carolina, I returned home feeling a range of things - most notably refreshed from being able to get away from normal life and the worries that come with it but also ready to jump back in stronger than before. There were good times and there were challenges, but overall it was a much needed trip. 

We stayed in Lake Lure, NC, which looked like a hot summer and fall destination as a majority of things were closed for the season. There was a small beach area with ice cream shops around that would be so fun to return to in the summer! But what I was most excited to see were all of the apple orchards that I definitely want to plan a trip back for in the fall. I've never been apple picking, so that is high on the bucket list especially now knowing where to go for that! 

Quite a bit of time was spent in Chimney Rock and Hendersonville, NC, as those towns offered different things to do like hiking trails, small shops, and breweries/wineries. 

The places we went to are as listed here!

Vineyards: 

- Point Lookout Vineyards 

- Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards

- Burntshirt Vineyards 

- Stone Ashe Vineyards 

Breweries/Cideries: 

- Bold Rock Cider

- Botanist & Barrel Tasting Bar

- Sierra Nevada Brewery 

- Noble Cider

Scenic Locations: 

- Point Lookout Vineyards

- Lake Lure Flowering Bridge 

- Downtown Asheville 

- Chimney Rock Hiking Trails 

- Hickory Nut Falls (located in Chimney Rock) 

We also drove to the city of Asheville a couple of times, which was one of my favorite parts. It's only about an hour drive from Lake Lure. Some of it was inspired by NYC, which I thought was so cool and made for the best street style aesthetic! From its own flat iron building and streets named after wall street and battery park, to a 'times' building, it had that classic city vibe but with a smaller feel. 

Getting back from the trip, I thought I'd be ready for normal life again. But adjusting to being alone after being around people for a week straight was tough. I'm naturally an introvert and normally love my alone time, but when battling emotions, especially since getting used to being with someone else most of the time, waking up and being alone throughout the majority of the day is just hard. 

I keep telling myself that with time it'll get easier and I'll feel more like myself again. At least that's what they say. Because it has to, right? 

But until then, with each day I'm just doing the best I can. Things are starting to look up, and I feel more hope as time goes on. I'm finding my routine and doing what's best for me as God works through my life in ways that only He can - it's incredible to see His hand in everything so clearly. I know He has big things waiting for me; it's only a matter of time before it all comes to pass. ♡

 

At the beginning of 2020 (how was that two years ago already?!) I packed my bags and headed up to California with family and friends for a week-long trip, full of wine tastings and memories that still feel like yesterday. ♡

Soon before the world shut down we lived every moment to its fullest, enjoying quality time with each other and some wine. Starting in Sacramento, we all filed in a van and made our way to Amador for the weekend, first stopping through Tahoe for a day...we were on a mission to see snow and when we did we made the most of it, even stopping in someone's backyard to take some pictures! 

There's a wine weekend every year in Amador, CA called Behind the Cellar Door, and if you ever have a chance to go I'd highly recommend! Once you pre-purchase a wine passport online you can visit all of the wineries in the area that include wine and food tastings, not to mention an experience that's just beyond. Since things have changed a bit since 2020, there are more limits now including a maximum of 4 wineries a day. I won't say how many we visited in one day during our trip...but it was at least twice that, haha. You'll be surprised what just a few wine tastings can do! 

❤

While I hope to make it back one day, because things have changed some and we're all over on the opposite coast, this year we're reconnecting and spending a week in North Carolina instead to explore and get in some wine tastings! 

The trip in 2020 was what we all needed to get away from everyday life for a bit and enjoy the simple things, including each others company. The wineries were the best time, but it was also the evenings spent gathered around a table playing card games and telling drunk stories and being beat in foosball by people more than twice our age (in our defense, they cheated) that make the memories of this time so close to my heart. 

If you ever have a chance to drop everything for a week, or even just a weekend, and spend time away with people, take it. We take this life and our experiences for granted every single day. Often lost in the hustle of just getting by, before we know it life will have passed us by. And it's not the day in day out of clocking in for work that we'll remember fondly, but the times that we just enjoyed life and the people around us. This blog is called a happy blur for a reason, because that's how I want to remember life. Of course not every moment is happy, and there are hard things, and there is the mundane that I too find myself in more often than I should. But it's the memories that just feel like a happy blur that make this life worth it. I know I'll look back and be thankful for times like this. I already do.