A-Conferencing we will go

Since Molly's out of the country and Sarah's away at school, it seemed impossible for us to stay home alone. So we are attending a music conference in Spartanburg, SC. It's been fun to go someplace different. Where Southern Folks, really talk Southern.

Our Itinerary:
Day One: Rise at the horrid hour of 3:15 for my loving sister to drive us to the airport to be there at 4:00AM, yes, you read that right, 4:00AM to catch a 6:00 flight. I refused her offer of a granola bar cause of course there is food at the airport. And most importantly, coffee. But there isn't. Not at 4:00. But if you wait a bit and get your feet settled back in your shoes and your bag repacked after going through security, and stare bleary eyed at your fellow travelers for a bit, there will be food. At 5:00. And you will be at the end of a long line of other sleepy people, desperately craving that first jolt of caffeine. And of course, food. And by the way, the coffee is blessedly strong!
The good thing about the early flight is you get to watch the sunrise all the way to Dallas. It was beautiful and fun to watch a couple of little girls in front of us enjoy the sunrise and the experience of going up through several layers of clouds.
After a brief stop at Dallas and a futile attempt to pretend that a croissanwich from Burger King is actually an Egg McMuffin, we board the plane to Charlotte, NC. Such a different experience. By then, the sleepiness had kicked in. And there was a baby across the aisle who, bless it's little heart, screamed for the WHOLE ENTIRE FLIGHT. OK, so maybe I am exaggerating. It quit crying about 30 minutes before we landed. And did I mention the couple in front of us? They had a toddler who didn't want to sit down. And they talked loudly. In a foreign language. And got up and down and up and down and pushed their chair backs back and forth and....procceeded to eat some kind of putrid smelling food that I'm sure is a delicacy wherever they are from. But it did not smell delicate to me. I buried my face in my hands, massaged my throbbing temples and praised the Lord for nice smelling lotion.
We arrived at the airport, retrieved our checked bag, rented a car and headed to Asheville.
Since there is no food provided on the plane and I couldn't have eaten it if there were, we stopped at a Steak and Shake for lunch. Our first encounter with Sweetea. Our waitress was so cute, polite and kind and really a great waitress. And she had the most adorable accent--"Do y'all want Sweetea?" This is really one word here in the Carolinas. I prefer my tea plain and I almost hated to turn her down, but I did.
Arrived at Asheville with ants in our pants from sitting all day. At last. Oh, that picture up there, which I really want down here, is a display outside a bike shop in downtown arts district of Ashville.