Once again, its family vacation recap time. We started our journies in Austin, TX and St. Louis, MO, heading to Asheville, NC. Part of our group loaded up bright and early, road tripping from St. Louis. Mike and I flew from Austin to Charlotte and then drove to Asheville. We had a fabulous week and were excited to get to spend Mother's Day with Mom. This year's trip gave us plenty of beautiful experiences and pictures, while being much different than the past few years' beach trips. We spent the week in a fabulous cabin in the mountains of Hendersonville and trekked to Asheville for many adventures.

Our View on the Drive from Charlotte to Hendersonville

We all had smooth travels on the first day, with no mishaps. Our drive from Charlotte to Hendersonville was relaxing and beautiful. However, once we got closer to the cabin, the drive proved to be a little bit difficult. The steep, gravel/paved road was almost a little bit more than our rental car could handle! Thankfully, my parents vehicle can take on any challenge, so Bob was the designated driver all week.

Our home away from home was gorgeous with plenty of porches for enjoying nature. Over the course of our trip, we saw deer, turkeys, turtles, lizards, squirrels, and a few dogs from our home. The inside was really neat, too, with a lofted master bedroom, spacious common area decorated with bears, and two cool basement bedrooms.

After arriving and unpacking, we we all ready for dinner. Going out to eat can be a challenge on Mother's Day, especially when you are in a new place. Bob found a great Italian restaurant in some of the travel information. So we loaded up and headed down the mountain to Mona Lisa's in Hendersonville. We had a little bit of a wait, but the kind staff got us seated and settled. We took a little bit to decide because everything sounded so yummy. In the end, Katie and I split a pizza, with everyone else enjoying various Italian dishes. All the food was fabulous and definitely better than any Italian food in Texas.

A family vacation always requires a trip to Walmart for necessities and this year was no different. After dinner, we headed to Walmart to pick up food, forgotten items, and a bit of local adult beverages to enjoy. We opted to not stay up too late, as we were all tired from a long day of travel and we wanted to start our vacation off well rested on Monday.

The New Austonian