"Family Day" in NC

For our last and final day in NC, we decided to make it Family Day. So the 4 of us spent the entire day together going places that are special to us. Our first stop was up to the site of my old house (which is in the process of being upgraded with a new addition) on Sunset Hills.


From there we walked up to the spot that I always used to walk KC and Xena - along with all the other neighborhood dogs. It also happens to be the place where Jim proposed to me. It was the day after KC died, so needless to say......I was quite emotional. So this spot holds many, many, many dear places in my heart. I remember Kellyn in her early stages of devolopment in my belly, accompanying us on our hikes. In fact, the first day I found out I was pregnant.....KC, Xena and I hiked to this spot together to contemplate what this meant in our lives and all the things that were going to change. Never did I know...........Never could I have imagined...........Never would I want things to be any different.


2 years have gone by and it's still as beautiful as ever. Perhaps all the memories help, but truly.......it is a beautiful place. The only thing different is there used to be a big rock pile that we would climb up on and just sit and stare out. Funny, I never thought I would miss a rockpile...but I do!

After we left Sunset Hills.........we drove downtown Asheville and filled our bellies at my favorite resaurant Barley's. It's got the best Pizza and spinach salad ever!! I remember in undergrad, my good friends Brook, Jordan and I would go for a run after class.....then end up at Barley's eating pizza. Made sense back then!





Once we were in our food coma, we headed to our next favorite spot.....Max Patch. This is one of the coolest places in WNC. It's right on the border of NC/TN in the Pisgah Nat'l Forest. It's just a huge meadow right on top of a mountain and the Appalachian Trail goes right through it. Truly, you feel like you are on top of the world. 360 degrees of nothing but the Blue Ridge Mountains. Absolutely Gorgeous!! This is the last place we took KC before he died and I would come here all the time during meteor showers and hang out with hot chocolate on blankets with the dogs. It only seemed right that Jim and I bring our girls to this spot. And boy did Kellyn enjoy it. As soon as we put her down.........she just ran, full blast, screaming at the top of her lungs in delight. I felt like in a wierd way, KC was right there with her. That's exactly what he would do......just run.....no destination......just run with pure delight. There's nothing better than a free spirit that is full of joy. And Kellyn and Kaitlin are just that. Granted.......Kaitlin is still a bit imobile, but it's only time!

Can't really read the sign but it's the Appalachian Trail sign.

I can't wait to take her back there so she can run with her sister....like in the Sound of Music. Perhaps we should work on our singing skills!

Can you see why they're called the Blue Ridge Mountains??

This is BY FAR my favorite picture of the entire trip. Nothing could exemplify more the daddy/daughter bond between Jim and Kellyn. They are best buds and she's always going to his leg, pointing in the air and saying "up" in her cute little voice. How can one resist!!

So here he is......giving her the freedom to fly but being right there to catch her as she falls. Nothing could be more important in a childs life than that!