Spring, Lake Tomahawk, and Gelato

Yesterday was a glorious spring day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the house of Mabry was basking in the nice change of weather. It has been months since we have been able to take Johnny outside without bundling him Eskimo-style, so Casey and I were excited to have such a warm, sunny day to play outside together.

We decided to get out of Marion for the day, so we headed to Black Mountain, one of our favorite towns in Western North Carolina. Before we were married, we met for “date night” once a week in Black Mountain because it was halfway between my apartment in Asheville and his in Marion. The downtown is charming and quaint, and we have never tired of browsing the shops or eating in the locally owned restaurants. We especially love The Verandah and Ole Guacamole. I would be remiss if I failed to mention my personal love affair with Dairy King’s “twist,” a cake cone of the most delectable swirl of chocolate and vanilla frozen yogurt.

We were not the only ones who decided to stroll around Black Mountain’s Lake Tomahawk. The trail around the lake was teeming with moms, dads, and grandparents pushing strollers and chasing kids, people walking dogs, and young boys fishing and riding bikes. Johnny screeched and cooed as we made our way around the lake, taking in the all the sights and sounds. He is such a curious baby. He leans forward in his seat to get a good view of all that is going on around him. He is interested in looking at people, especially other babies.

Casey and I took Johnny out of his stroller to make some pictures. He is such a little ham, always smiling for and looking directly into the camera. Here are some of our favorite shots.













We were worried Johnny might get sunburned at the lake, so we headed downtown. We strolled around and casually chatted with other people, mostly answering questions about Johnny. People are always surprised by his age because he looks so big. He is twenty-nine inches and nearly twenty pounds at seven months old. He is a friendly baby with a ready smile for anyone who peers into his stroller, and he has already mastered the art of flirting.

Casey and I were disappointed Dairy King was not open yet, so we looked elsewhere for our ice cream fix. I introduced him to gelato from the Chocolate Gem. We each had a small cup of chocolate and mint. We recently discovered Johnny also loves ice cream, and we give him a few tiny bites every now and then. Casey let Johnny taste his gelato, and he was like a little bird opening his mouth again and again to show his daddy he was ready for and wanted another bite.





Yesterday was perfect, our first spring day spent outdoors as a family. Sometimes I cannot believe this is my life. I have the most amazing husband and the sweetest son. I am looking forward to all of the other “firsts” we three will experience together in the future.