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Published: April 12th 2018
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My husband Robert recently underwent a job change. For 12 years, he worked as a plumber apprentice under his grandfather, fixing pipes and repairing bathrooms. His grandfather worked with him until the ripe old age of 83, when he retired to take care of his wife who’d recently fallen and required more care. It didn’t take long for my husband to realize that working alone wasn’t his forte. He has a very social personality and missed having conversations with people throughout the day.
So, a few months after his grandfather left the business, so did my husband. He went to work in an outside sales position for a plumbing supply company. It was a great fit, as the industry was the same and he already knew all of the background information. Plus, most of his new customers were plumbers who he’d worked with all of his life. He loves this new role, and it’s been a great fit for him. While he’s being trained on how to sell effectively and while he’s meeting his new accounts, he’s been going on a few overnight travel trips here and there. I have to admit it’s not the most ideal setup for a young family, but in the next few weeks he should be out on his own and the travel will be very minimal. Still, when he was presented the opportunity to travel to Boone, NC for a mid-week work trip, I asked my in-laws to keep the kids so I could tag along. We’ve been to Boone several times as a couple and we love the general area. It’s near the great outlets and shops at Blowing Rock, NC, the Appalachian State University campus is a great place to walk around and spend the afternoon and there are tons of great restaurants along the College Row street, where you’ll find all sorts of cuisine from Indian curry to southwest barbecue.
We arrived early Tuesday morning, and my husband had a 10:00 a.m. meeting he had to go to. I found a local coffee shop on the college campus and hunkered down to do a little technical writing. The company I work for has been gracious to allow me to complete technical proposals from home since having my second child, and I definitely appreciate the flexibility it’s afforded me. He took about two hours, and when he was done, we headed to Black Cat Burrito.
We haven’t eaten at Black Cat in years, but it was still as delicious as I remembered. The scene is hip and fast-paced and the food is incredibly fresh. We got shredded chicken tacos and the house guacamole and spent about an hour just talking about our kids, as parents usually do when they get some time to themselves. From there, we strolled the campus for a little while. Though we didn’t go to school at ASU, it’s always held a special place in my heart because it’s where my parents met. We’ve also been to many concerts at the nearby performance arts center.
After that, we headed back to the hotel, where my husband did a little more work from the downstairs conference room while I completed a few tasks of my own upstairs. When the workday was through, we opted to get supper at Biscuit Head. We’ve heard so much about this place and we’ve wanted to try it out for a while! I wish I would have brought my camera along because the biscuits were huge. It’s called Biscuit Head because the biscuits are noted to be about as big as a cat’s head. There was a line wrapped around the building when we arrived and it stayed that way throughout our entire meal. There are “Our State” magazine articles written about the restaurant and even
tour companies that dedicate trips to the city and make pit stops there, so we knew it had to be good. I got a biscuit with country ham, greens, and a poached egg on top and my husband got one with scrambled eggs and red-eye gravy. It was divine. From there, we went to the local cinema and saw the new movie “A Quiet Place.” It was a great way to wrap up our super-short trip!
We headed home early Wednesday morning to babies who were eager to play. They’d missed us, and we’d missed them. It’s always great to get away for a little while, and I’m so thankful that we both have careers that allow us to sneak away on little day trips like that, but at the end of the day, we both value our time at home above anything else.
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