#BnRnow1

Seriously. I love this state more everytime I visit. On our way home from spring break, a few of us stayed with Elizabeth Collin's grandmother in her adorable little home nestled in the town Balck Mountain. The view from her porch was incredible...



@kaitroweton: Is that heavan over there? #sb13chuckyeah

But my most recent adventure to North Carolina was with my mom and sister for our dear cousin, Rylee Lou (Kemp, now) Hayes's wedding. Of course, my mom's already blogged about it. So if you'd like to read the better written version of this story, see ya! We left from Columbia on Wednesday night to stay with Nana and Bob in St. Louis. Early Thursday morning we were on the road. I slept most the morning, waking up to a bustle about our current location: Metropolis, Illinois.

@kaitroweton: Well. This is every photo op in the town of Metropolic, IL "Home of #Superman" #NCBound

We took advantage of all the photo-ops and were back on the road. Our next stop on the road trip was the Grand Ole Opry. We ate and shopped a little, took another picture and were back on the road.

@kaitroweton: Road trips ROCK!! Quick stop to shop and then back on the road... #NCBound

The first part of the trip was pretty smooth, but later we hit traffic for like two hours and the trip kind of dragged from there. I guess I can't really complain, since I slept through the second part of it while mom and Becca drove. Guess I'm not a great driver or something...whatever.When I woke up, we were twisting and wining up mountain roads as we slowly approached Little Switzerland. We complained the whole way about how dark and scary it was and what an insane drive we had to make...but when we woke up the next morning, we were greeted with this...

@kaitroweton: Good morning view from teh balcony...every place I've ever been in NC is breathtaking. #BnRnow1

...and we stopped complaining. We took our time getting up and checking social media and finally got around to drive into town. We stopped at the coolest little retro diner and then walked around their downtown area where we encountered some bears! Lucky for us, Caleb (Becca's Boyfriend) had given us some great advice for dealing with bear wounds...and we had our first aid kits handy.

@kaitroweton: It was quite a drive to get lunch, but the blast to the past was well worth the trip.

On the way back up to our resort, we stopped for some photo-ops and some Vine videos...

@kaitroweton: I just like this sign. Figured it'd look cool with a filter. Mountains were nice too...

 That night was the rehersal dinner and we all got a good laugh reminicing over funny Rylee stories... #deadbunny #murderer. And then back to the room for some rest before the big day. Saturday morning we awoke with a mission. In need of a projector, the Roweton Gals headed to Ashville. We weren't there for long, but we did manage to check out some cool spots and eat Tupelo Honey, which was a deeee-light.

@kaitroweton: Waiting for lunch with some local craftery and jamz.

 **Let's just clear something up right now. "Jamz" should always be spelled with a "z" instead of an "s" ...it's just one of those words. Like "gurlz", you just gotta get gangster with it to really feel right.

@kaitroweton: Lunch. NOM NOM.

@kaitroweton: Haven't seen THIS enough on our vacation...

Apparently, the one bad thing about North Carolina is their lack of Coke. Tragedy. I could NEVER live there...

We arrived back up our mountain and delievered the projector before getting pretty for the wedding. Becca and I helped take guest photos while they were seated and then the wedding started. The ceremony was perfectly Rylee Lou-styled. Everything went beautifully and dinner was delicious.

@kaitroweton: Of course my Rylee Lou would have sunflowers at her wedding *sunflower*bride*heart* #BnRnow1

@kaitroweton: Perfect flower girl and ring bearer with a little help from dad #BnRnow1

@kaitroweton: Happy parents giving away their little girl... #BnRnow1

@kaitroweton: *heart* Forever #BnRnow1

My iPhone wasn't fancy enough to capture the final event of the night, when everyone let loose glowing balloons into the night. They slowly drifted off into the mountains...except a few, which were caught in a nearby tree. Piper Jones (flower girl, pictured above) put it best when she squealed, "Happy Holidays!"

Sudnay morning we got around and on the road. We made signifcantly fewer stops this time and I DID help with the driving...when I wasn't playing solitaire over and over and over again.

@kaitroweton: #roadtrip #homewardbound

@kaitroweton: Knoxville is kind of becoming my home away from home. Miss my fellow #rockytoproadtrippers @abbieloveall @lmlehman @eliza_gal @katecarter905

We arrived in St. Louis on Sunday night and finished the drive early Sunday morning. I was up and at'em and eager to get home. Once I was back, Aaron and I immediantly celebrated my return (and the holiday) with some G&D steaks and beer...NOM.

@kaitroweton: Soooo. Steaks and beer for lunch... #soulmates.