It's Our Weekend: Alison and Brian, Together

Hey, folks.  This is a co-authored blog post by Alison and Brian.  We are spending most of our weekend together in North Carolina.  Call it our honeymoon, if you’d like. 

From Alison:

You may have read my recent Charleston City Paper article.  Life is challenging. I feel hopeful, even now.  But I’ve also cried a lot.  A lot.

Spending the weekend with Brian, though, has been perfect.  It’s been exactly what I needed. 

So, Brian and I are in Flat Rock, North Carolina.  I’ve loved it.   

From Brian:

Alison and I have been at a slightly funky mountain resort near Asheville.  This place is quiet and beautiful, with rustic charm to spare. 

So, what’s here?

Walking paths?  Yup. 

An impressive waterfall?  Check. 

A lake, with boats and canoes for the guests?  Absolutely.

An albino peacock wandering the grounds?  Strangely, that’s also a “yes,” along with the goat farm and the organic garden.  Note: The organic garden isn’t really my thing.

The resort also has an outstanding restaurant.  Yum. 

Dating back to the nineteenth century, Charleston folks with names like Memminger, Aiken, and Rhett have been building homes and buying land here.  So, there is more than a little South Carolina flavor to this charming North Carolina town. 

Only my mother will care, but I will also acknowledge that my Reavis ancestors once lived in this part of North Carolina, before the Revolutionary War.  That’s your shout-out, Mom. 

It’s been wonderful getting away with Alison. Wonderful 

From Alison:

All right, people, it’s my turn. 

Walking is getting challenging, presumably because the brain tumor is changing.  My right leg doesn’t always do what I want it to.  The right arm also can be harder to control these days.

My body has changed quickly, in ways that can make a vacation harder to take.  While I still live a full and happy life with Brian and Maybelle, I am not exactly sure what I will be able to do from day to day. 

Despite the frustrations of an uncooperative body, it’s been incredibly rewarding to have this weekend time together. 

Our room is adorable!  It’s covered with wood paneling!  And I went canoeing for the first time in nearly 20 years! 

And, no one will believe this, but Brian actually knows his way around a canoe.  This is particularly important, because I did absolutely nothing to propel the canoe.  Go, Brian!

While Brian was getting life jackets and a paddle for the canoe adventure, I had the chance to sit by myself beside the lake, to hear the birds and insects. 

For just a few minutes, I got to be fully present.  I didn’t have to fight my body, or struggle to write an email, or worry about my next MRI. 

From Brian:

That’s it from North Carolina, folks!