We’ve been back in Asheville now six weeks, and we’ve already accomplished a ton of things. The main priority on our agenda has been to prepare the house to sell, but we’ve been able to fit in a surprising amount of things in the short amount of time we’ve been back. Besides my retail forecasting/consulting job and Chad’s contracting work, as soon as we arrived back, we were offered a last minute gig building a set for a shoot by Samaritans Purse up in Boone, NC. We had 3 days to source, build, transport, and rebuild the set of a bombed out Sudanese school. Deng was a “Lost Boy of Sudan” and it was amazing hearing his story and how he’s dedicated his life to helping others. Though Chad belongs to the Studio Mechanics union as a set-dresser, this was referral work. I’m proud to say we make a great team! Below are a few pictures of our set and the real Deng and his child actor.
The next morning some girlfriends and I headed up to the Womens March on Washington. Though Asheville also had an amazing turnout and record breaking crowd of 10,000 people (10% of our population!) I’m so glad I had the chance to experience it in D.C. amongst hundreds of thousands of women, men, and children who believe in equality. There were little babies on backs, 100yr old grannies in wheelchairs and marching with their walkers, husbands and brothers, and every ethnicity and religious background supporting the cause. It was very uplifting, especially in a time of such uncertainty for many in our country. I will never forget this day…and neither will history.
As soon as I got back, we started going on full house mode. We’ve filled in the holes the dogs dug in the yard, repainted the decks and trim, fixed the furnace, and a few spots on the ceiling. We’ve replaced the roof, put some fresh paint on the walls, reseeded the grass, and will be doing a little landscaping. Putting a house on the market is quite the process! Luckily for us, Asheville has been experiencing a housing boom and the real estate market is the best it’s been in years so hopefully it won’t take too long to sell…knock on wood and cross your fingers!
It’s also been really nice being back and visiting with the kids, friends, and being reunited with Frankie Rae, our pet goat. Maddy is 22 and the pastry chef and kitchen manager of the Chocolate Lounge, the best chocolate in WNC! Kepler is a few weeks shy of 19 and is in college studying chemistry. we’re so proud of both of them! We look forward to having them come visit out West. Frankie Rae is loving having us back and will be joining us on the road when we leave. We are making up for lost time by taking her and Maggie on lots of family outings. Every Friday we meet up with our friends for a beer and play Farkle (dice) and that’s the one thing we really miss about being away from Asheville. We really do have the best friends and family and appreciate all the love and support over the years. Moving will be bitter-sweet but I know we can have visitors and that we will always have a home in Asheville.
99.9% of our time back has been fabulous. The only bad thing that happened was my time in the ER for an asthma attack and all I gotta say about that is…….
Luckily, it was a quick recovery and soon we were getting ready to celebrate Asheville Mardi Gras. We had been in the parade every single year up until we opened our bar, so it was nice to finally have the chance to participate this year one last time. Chad is a master with the sewing machine and I’m pretty crafty myself so making costumes is something we both really enjoy. I think they turned out pretty well…don’t ya think???
Pictures by David Plunkett, Megan Blair, Asheville Citizen Times, Spotted Dog Photography, and many friends.
It’s been nice being back but we are itching for the road. The ship sets sail at the end of this month for Grants Pass, OR …our future town. Our Airstream is waiting patiently at Chad’s folks farm in Oklahoma…and will be our home until we purchase our property or build a house. Can’t wait for our next chapter in life to begin….it’s going to be quite the adventure! Thank you for following our journey!
