Spring weekend

We had such a nice weekend! We started it early on Thursday by celebrating Harrison's graduation. We had dinner at one of our favorite Asheville restaurants, Bouchon's Street Fair (casual French food). I had Le Croque Monsieur Frites with our favorite beer, Kronenbourg 1664. Afterward, we met up with some of our friends in West Asheville at the Wedge Brewery, http://www.wedgebrewing.com/, and later ended up at The Bywater http://www.bywaterbar.com/. The Bywater is a great new bar located next to the French Broad River. It has a huge outdoor space with grills, picnic tables, and all kinds of outdoor games. We had a great time celebrating with everybody, especially since Sylvia had just completed her thesis and James and Andy had just finished their finals!
After work on Friday, Harrison and I took a nice long walk through some lovely Asheville neighborhoods. It was so great to see Spring in full bloom! As we walked back to our car, we noticed a Little League Baseball game going on in the park. We decided to grab a hot dog and watch a bit of the game. It brought me back to all of the times I watched my brothers play ball as a kid.

Later, we met up with our friends at The Champagne Bar and Book Exchange (see earlier post about this great bar). We love that place! As I was leaving, I got the weirdest compliment I've ever received. A drunk 70-something man told me that I looked like Liza Minnelli. He also told me I had a nice nose. Weird.

Later we had some late night snacks at The Southern, http://www.southernkitchenandbar.com/, and played Foosball at Dirty South.

Saturday afternoon, several of us headed to Ben & Ashley's house to watch The Kentucky Derby. Ashley and Adam are both from Kentucky and have been to several derbies. We sipped on mint juleps as we watched the fastest 2 minutes pass us by. We spent the rest of the evening outside playing ladder golf and corn hole.
Sunday was another beautiful Spring day. After mass, Harrison and I spent a few hours hiking in the gardens at Biltmore Estate.

I cooked him a special dinner to celebrate the completion of his master's degree and then we watched a very strange Coppola film: Youth Without Youth.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you very special women out there! A special thanks to my dear mother and grandmother. This year my thoughts especially go out to my sister-in-law who is having her first mother's day. Kellye, you are so strong and nuturing; Paige is so lucky to have you as her mommy. Another very special mom is my sister. She is expecting her 3rd child on 11.11.11! For all of you pregnant mothers out there, I'm sending up special prayers today for God to protect and watch over you and your babies throughout your pregnancy.