Catherine Vanderbilt

Side View 

Where do I start?  There is so much to share.  

Key notes...

• Asheville is Amazing
• The Biltmore is breathtaking
• Rental Cars are ALWAYS low points in vacations.  When will I learn my lesson?
• I love Starbucks more and more each day
• I'd like to go back to 1895 and marry a Vanderbilt, or simply be a slave to one in their majestic kitchen.

The Story

I met up with two amazing friends from Louisiana in Ashville, NC.  Asheville is a 5 hour drive from Lewisburg, and well worth the trip.  Being that J and I are a one vehicle family, I rented a car to met my friends and bring us all back to Lburg.  I reserved a compact car, and Alamo upgraded me to a 2013 Altima.  Saying I was a nervous wreck driving a car that felt like a Rolls Royce compared to my Corolla would be an sad understatement.  But the saddest part of all is that I felt so chic driving it.  (this only turned into a low point when I returned the car, and got a lovely $175 fee for a crack in the windshield)

I plugged in my John Kerouac On the Road audiobook, day dreamed of becoming Mrs. Vanderbilt of 1895, and cruised in my Rolls Royce for 5 beautiful hours. This trip was starting off on the right foot.

Megan and Brooke made it to Asheville shortly after I did and we grabbed dinner, turned on Jersey Shore (a first for me), and fell asleep in our quiet, cozy hotel room  (Mamma Megan even put pillows at my feet to keep me warm). That is, until the 10 guys in the room adjacent to us commenced in their loud discussion of "their powder stash" at 2 A.M.  

For a while, I thought I was the only unfortunate sleepy soul that could hear them, but when Brooke frantically shot up out of bed, soldier marched to the door, and slung it open.... I knew I wasn't the only one missing valuable shut eye.

We called the front desk to make a complaint, and then had nightmares that our powder friends were going to come shoot our hotel room up.  Asheville is safe, and our hotel room was nice.  Why all three of us thought we were sleeping under a bridge in Detroit is beyond me.

I have a horrible habit of not being able to fall asleep once I wake up in a panic, and after the powder fiasco... I spent a solid hour staring at the ceiling dreaming of becoming a Vanderbilt.  Despite my desperate need for sleep, I decided to cut my losses and be productive.  I snuck out of bed, got dressed in the dark, and made my way out of our room.  My clock said it was 5:30, which meant I was only 30 minutes away from being the first in line at Starbucks.  EXCEPT one little bitty small issue.  The time changed for my Louisiana friends and the clock I was looking at was wrong. 

I made it to the front desk (bird's nest hair, backwards shirt and all), asked where the nearest Starbucks was, and felt my heart drop when he told me the time.  4:30 A.M.

I pulled out a book, browsed facebook for a while, and people watched until it was time to make my way to soy lattes.  

I don't have the best sense of direction, but for some reason... I can find a Starbucks shop even if it's weighted down in a trash bag at the bottom of the Mississippi River.  

This one was only down the street.  

They played Louis Armstrong, and I loved them all the more for it.

Around 8 A.M. I headed back to the room, and we all got dressed and headed for the Biltmore.  I knew the Biltmore would be amazing, but I had no idea of it's vast acreage and beauty.  It's like a grown up Disney World with green houses.

I've always felt so strange, because when I visit museums or antebellum homes I always picture living there in it's prime.  I love the smells, the breeze that sneaks through the small cracks in old windows, and I love dreaming of how life was like centuries ago.  I thought I was alone in this, but Brooke and Megan proved me wrong.  They were mesmerized by it all just like me, and Brooke let it show.  :)

We drank bloody marys at The Stable Cafe, walked the gardens, picked up truffles from The Sweet Shop, went to a wine tasting, and walked in every shop the Biltmore had to offer.

My lovely friend who always comes to visit me in my many random locations!  :)

The most hilarious girl I've ever met!  She kept us laughing the whole trip!  

Megan blending in with the fall scenery!  

See, I told you!  :)

I cannot express how much fun I had on the this trip!  Thank you Megan and Brooke for making it so special!  :)

B Travels to DC

This past weekend was a flash and in the best of ways.

I won't bore you with all of the details, so I will share my travels with you in a very orderly, Type-A-med-student-husband-approved way.

1. It all began with a seven hour road trip with two of my fifty-year-old board members. It was awesome. We stopped every hour to pee and ate schnitzel along the way!

2. I got to Georgetown around 5pm and checked in at the hotel all by my lonesome. I was antsy and excited, so I decided to go for a walk and explore a bit, and yeah, mother nature happened. Torrential downpour sans umbrella.

3. I ducked into a Hagen Dazs for refuge and was guilt-ed into spending $4 on a sorbet that I took three bites of before the rain temporarily let up, inducing me to chuck the sorbet and hightail it back to the hotel. I spent the remaining few hours before Marg arrived painting my nails and watching Twilight movies.....

4. 9pm - Margaret arrived. We went to Thunder Burger. OMG. My burger was so delicious. And the fries?! And the aioli for the fries!? I can't. Marg had a gin martini, dirty. I had a vodka (duh).

1. Marg thought it was a WONDERFUL idea to go see Jessica the psychic. I can attest to this being a very bad idea indeed. We walked up the narrow stairs and into the woman's living room where her eight year old granddaughter was playing on an IPad with a cat snoozing under the chair. "The Psychic" then charged Marg $10--since the $5 special had just run out..............--and proceeded to stare at the ceiling while she read Marg's palm..................................... and got EVERYTHING wrong.

2. Elizabeth got in at midnight so we called it an early evening and got up bright and early Saturday to go explore the Eastern Market on Capitol Hill. I didn't take any pictures there because I was too busy obsessing over the incredible jewelry stands! W will be getting me earrings from one stand for Christmas :). I will post those later.... After the market, we introduced Marg to the US Capitol, which she had confused with the White House. She kept saying, "Where's the big black fence that you stand in front of?????? Its so much bigger than I remember!!" Lawdy.

3. We walked through the sculpture garden on the way to the Natural History Museum.

4. Fall colors in DC on our way to the Natural History Museum and the Hope Diamond.

1. Lunch at Paul's, a favorite bakery. Marg and I split the biggest, most delicious raspberry macaroon we had ever seen. Mmmm.

2. NATIONAL ZOO. OMG. BEST IDEA EVER.

3. Flamingos! My new obsession.

4. The tiger was very agitated.

1. Dinner at Bistrot du Coin, another favorite. Cotes du Rhone was the beverage of choice.

2. WE FOUND CAP!!! Margaret, Elizabeth, Me, Cap at a rooftop bar.

3. View from the rooftop.

4. Of course, we had to stop and love on the DCPD Clydesdales.

1. Elizabeth escaped early on a plane Sunday morning. Margaret and I thought it would be a great idea to ride bikes all over Georgetown after the previous evening's antics. It actually was awesome! I was very surprised that we were able to stay upright the entire time. We had brunch on a patio by the river with Margaret's BFF, Carrie and then we parted ways. :(

2. My conference began that night at a palatial building near Dupont Circle called Anderson House. It was filled with elderly women drinking gin and scotch. The final day of the conference found me at Gunston Hall Plantation, eight miles south of Mt. Vernon. It was incredible in all of its colonial charm.

3. Napoleonic Bee necklace I purchased at the gift shop and am now obsessed with.

4. Came home to my fluffy daughters and sweet W who is another year older.

Great trip ladies! Let's do it again soon!

-b

B on the Road Again

I am off--yet again--this weekend sans the medical student. I know you all must think I am quite the absent spouse, but I am becoming more and more convinced that the old adage, "absence makes the heart grow fonder," might indeed be true as well as a necessity when it comes to NOT murdering your med student husband.

Now, I am going to shock you all when I confess that I will be leaving W for five days this Friday, which also just so happens to be his 29th birthday. Terrible, right? I should be so ashamed of myself. In fact, I totally am, yet it did not deter me from scheduling my girl's reunion in DC this weekend.

You see, dear readers, I get to hang out with two of my dearest friends in one of my favorite cities.

At Margaret's Kansas-themed going away party. I was the state insect. She was Glenda.

This is Elizabeth. We were doing what we did best, barhop in CHS, SC.

You see, I was heading to DC this weekend anyways for a work conference that starts on Sunday and ends on Tuesday. I am notorious for turning work trips into fun getaways, hence this weekend's obvious girl-time theme!

Margaret currently lives in NYC, and when W and I were there visiting in April, she told me that she had purchased a Groupon for a round-trip bus ride to DC. Knowing that I went to DC often for work, we decided that my next work trip should coincide with her using the Groupon. We are so economical.

I haven't seen Elizabeth since a few months after my wedding, nearly 3 years ago. RIDICULOUS. So, we thought we would make it a true reunion. You see, all three of us enjoy visiting one another.

Elizabeth and I visited Margaret when she lived in Denver.

This weekend is sure to be thrilling. I have barely recovered from our whirlwind weekend in Lewisburg and the hazy late-night we spent at the Greenbrier and its cave-like casino on Saturday (geesh), but I wouldn't miss this epic girl's weekend for anything (even for W's birthday, apparently!!!!).

Coincidentally, Cap and J will also be in DC this weekend, so I have convinced Cap that she must stay with us and even stay on with me through Tuesday. J just doesn't have a say.

Can you spot Margaret and Elizabeth? Hannah from the Birmingham trip is in there, too!

Can't WAIT!

-b

SO GOOD. SO SO SO GOOD.

It was brought to my attention (by J) that I tugged on too many heartstrings Thursday while venting about my lack of friends and need for a dog.  J received NUMEROUS text messages, voice mails, and phone calls stating quite intensely that I needed a dog, and he should man up and get the shots.  (Thanks guys!)  :)

Despite the phone calls, Tiger still became a lost dream and I became a sorry excuse for a grown up.  J made valid points as to why the dog was a TERRIBLE idea, and I cried.

Where will Tiger go when we go home?  He could have heart worms!  What about all the crazy pet deposits we are going to waist while we're moving around so much?  YOU'RE ALLERGIC.

These were all very good points... for a man.  I'm a woman. A cute little dog seems like the best idea EVER right now.  So all of these valid reasons have NO impact on me.  I STILL want a dog.

Friday, I threw myself another pity party.  This one was even more intense.  We’re talking red face, blow fish cheeks, and snot.  LOTS OF SNOT.  Same issue… No friend, no dog.  (I have such a hard life)

In the mist of my pity party, I gave my very smart, beautiful, and LOGICAL sister a call (She’s a lawyer… a very practical and sane lawyer).  She has got to be sick of my breakdowns by now.  I let out a quick and normal “Hey Leah!” and then I lost all control of waterworks.

Leah- “Hey bug, what’s wrong?”

Me- “J doesn’t want a dog.  I’m 1000 miles from home and I just want a friend.  Why does he not get that?  (Once again, I’m such a brat) But I mean, it’s not about the dog.  It’s about the fact that HE DOESN’T CARE!"

Leah- “Cap, can I call you right back?”

Me- “yea(balling)aaaaa.”

Two minutes later (after confirming with J) I received this picture and text from Leah…

“Sorry I had to hang up with you, but I thought you should know… this is your new best friend.  Jason and I got him yesterday and he’s taking you to pick him up on Monday after his exam.  He is a 7 week old toy Yorkshire Terrier.”

I had to pull the car over on the side of the interstate while I tried to get a handle on the Mississippi River violently gushing out of my eyes (and nose).

This time, the tears weren’t from a self-inflicted pity party… the tears were from an intense feeling of LOVE.  It’s sad when it takes a psychotic dog issue to make me realize I have PLENTY of INCREDIBLE friends, a STELLAR sister who sincerely wants me to be happy, and an AMAZING husband (who may make me friendless by dragging me around the country), but HE makes my heart happy.  I have it so good.  SO SO SO GOOD.

I feel like little Sophia Grace.

This long road to becoming a doctorwife may indeed make me crazy.  It may continue to make me crazy for years to come, but even though med school is not my dream and even though it may not always be the highlight of my life, It is J's...  and I LOVE HIM.  Therefore, I love medical school the journey we're on.  This dog tantrum issue has made me realize my family, friends and hubby (though they may be far away at times) are always there for me.  I have it so GOOD.  My friends let me vent about J’s outlandish Beautiful Mind statements AND they let me call them at work to cry over a dog.  My sister… does all the above AND spent her Thursday (at a real job I might add) searching for a dog in WV on the Internet, teaching a little old lady how to work Pay Pal, and GOT ME A YORKIE!  My hubs even agreed to sacrifice his very own birthday to drive three hours away to pick up my new best friend.  I am so SPOILED blessed.

 - Cap