August is typically the month my family does some type of weekend get-together. This year my Mom is celebrating a significant birthday, so my sister and I planned a weekend away with her to celebrate!
We love planning events together and had so much fun getting all the details in order. We looked at several locations and decided on an Airbnb in Boone, North Carolina.
North Carolina is one of my favorite places and this weekend did not disappoint! We started the weekend with lunch at Melanie’s Food Fantasy in downtown Boone. The food was amazing, and with temperatures in the 70’s we enjoyed sitting outside on their lovely patio.
These gorgeous sunflowers were everywhere. We stopped at a few stores to pick up last minute items for the weekend – thankfully there’s a Lowes Foods (my favorite local grocery) in Boone!
My mom planned a fun fall project for us – we set it up on the table in the cabin and got our Pinterest on!
My sister and I aren’t very crafty, but she patiently helped us with the steps and we ended up with really adorable fall banners! Here’s the full tutorial for this project on my mom’s blog. 🙂
The weather was perfect all weekend – clear, blue skies and really low humidity.
As with most of our family get togethers, we all brought a few things to make meals in the cabin. My sister made an amazing dessert, I brought supper for the first night & lunch the next day, and Mom was in charge of breakfasts. She made her banana stuffed french toast for us and plated it so beautifully you don’t notice it’s on a styrofoam plate!
For Mom’s birthday, my Dad sent us to Timberlake’s at the Chetola Resort for supper Friday night. The restaurant’s beautiful setting provided a lovely backdrop for some pictures!
The food was amazing! We ordered two entrees and split them three ways – the wild boar with cherries and cheddar polenta was delicious, but the shrimp over fried grit cakes was incredible!
(If you’re wondering what Paul ate while we were off enjoying all this deliciousness, click here to hear it in his own words 🙂 )
The Airbnb we rented was ok, but not amazing. We wanted an affordable location with a kitchen and small living space for hanging out, and we achieved that with our rental. It was so nice to enjoy slow mornings over coffee, talking and getting ready in the same space with my mom and sister.
There’s plenty to do in Boone and nearby Blowing Rock – hiking, tubing, kayaking and all the mountain-type activities you can imagine. We walked through a few stores in the Tanger outlets as well as the Mast General Store and a cute decor type store in Boone.
Appalachian State University is located in downtown Boone, so the streets and sidewalks were packed with people. If you visit Boone during the school year, just be aware that parking is scarce.
Our first meal at Melanie’s was so good that we decided to wrap up the trip with another visit to the restaurant! This time we ordered brunch – Alli had an amazing pile of berry waffles, and I shared the crab cake benedict with my Mom. YUM. It was one of those meals that you find yourself dreaming about days later.
I’m so thankful that we continue to enjoy the harmony, kindness and FUN that my mom established as the standard in our home all those years ago. It is a rich treasure to walk through different seasons of life with each other. I came away from the weekend so encouraged and full of love – and with a better understanding of how I can pray for and encourage my family.
Mom’s birthday isn’t until September, but it was so much fun to pre-celebrate since this is (ahem) a special one. 😉
What a sweet getaway!! I’d love to plan a trip with just my mom and sister. Great job dividing up duties so no one had to do too much. I’ve never been to Boone, but it sounds lovely. Your trip seems like the perfect way to kick off Fall 🙂
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I don’t think I’d ever been to Boone, either – I might have driven through but that’s it. The mountains are so big and beautiful!
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Whitney, sounds like ya’ll had such great fun! What a treasure family can be.
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We had a great time! 🙂
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What a wonderful time for all of you! I so enjoyed reading this and seeing all the photos. It’s such a blessing that you girls would go to the effort (and take the time) to give your mom such a wonderful and memorable gift. Thanks for sharing!
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We admitted that it was a gift we all benefited from…but it was so much fun to plan a weekend just for her. She’s made a lot of fun plans for us over the years!
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Whitney, you, your mom and your sister are lovely Christian ladies. Your love for the Lord and one another encourages my heart. Thank you for sharing you special time together : )
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AWWWW! Thanks for sharing your girls weekend with us. You are certainly blessed with a precious mom and sister and they are blessed with you. I did go listen to “what Paul ate”. He is hilarious and precious.
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We are so thankful for our sweet mom, you’re right Debbi! Paul cracks me up – he comes up with that stuff all on his own.
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One of my favorite weekends ever! I want to do it all over again!
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Me too sis! PPC did it again!
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I loved reliving our weekend through your post! How gracious the Lord is to give us such rich blessings as we encjoyed! I love that we can laugh, pray, chat about whatever, or sit in silence and be accepted, loved and comfortable with eachother. That is a gift.
That final picture is classic and is truly a great recap of the fun we enjoyed. The food was so delicious, but I’m also reminiscing on the richness of two daughters that bless my world every single day as a (dare I say it?) 60 year-old mom!! There! It’s out there! =)
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Denise I follow you and Whitney on your blogs and YouTube, let me just say 60 is the new 40! Congratulations on your new decade.
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Thank you, Lucy! 40 sounds perfect!! =)
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Yes! I am so grateful for the safety of love and acceptance that you and Alli give me. And the fun. 🙂
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