anniversary week.

 We spent the week in the Blue Ridge Cabin, and we loved it. It was cozy and comfortable and the way it was perched up on the mountain in a swath of leafy trees made me feel like we were in a treehouse. DuPont State Forest was a few miles away and we went nearly every day for hikes, once together but mostly parting ways.

David loved the big, long trails but my favorite thing was hiking down to Triple Falls with a book to sit and soak in the sun.

We spent our first afternoon of vacation on the Eating Asheville walking food tour (Asheville was about 50 minutes’ drive from our cabin). We’ve never done something like this, and I highly recommend it — it’s how we discovered our anniversary date choice, Rhubarb (pictured above). The Asheville food culture takes pride in offering food from area farms and small businesses.

The words “local” and “sustainable” can seem a bit trendy and annoying right now, but Asheville is the real deal, you guys. They were serving local food long before it became a buzzword, and there’s no snobbery. Everyone we met was warm and friendly, and we were inspired for our own cooking and food-growing.

We cooked together three of the nights which is fun but challenging when you’re not in your own kitchen with supplies (hence almond flour tostadas that were neither flat nor circular but tasted great). We did thoroughly enjoyed using our anniversary gift to each other: a Wusthof chef’s knife.

Some of David’s hiking views. As I said before, I had a massage and facial at Sensibilities Day Spa on Haywood Street in Asheville. I loved everything about my experience there and was practically floating when I left I was so relaxed. I confessed, somewhat apologetically, to the lady who gave me my facial that I use baking soda to clean my face and my hair. I said, “I know that’s weird,” to which she responded: “Girl, you’re in Asheville now. No one thinks that’s weird.”

At some friends’ recommendation, we ate at Posana Cafe, which is 100% gluten free and absolutely delicious. You’ll find several gluten free options in Asheville, including Strada, which we also discovered on the food tour (house made gluten free pasta? yes please), and even the little bakery we loved in Flat Rock offered gluten free pizza. I dream of Columbia one day offering gluten free dining options like this.

Anniversary toast: champagne and dessert on the house.

After seeing our food-and-drink pics, you can understand why we did so much hiking. Seriously though, we felt like the week was the perfect mix of simplicity and decadence, being active and lazing around.