Wordless Wednesdays - We Remember 9/11

We Remember

September 11, 2001

Flying Flags

Veteran's Cemetery

Black Mountain, NC

Photography by Thru My Eyes Photography

We will never forget!

Photo from MorgueFile - Edits by Thru My Eyes Photography

Doing some Tuesday Thinking

It's been raining alot for the past day or so and I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't rain on July 4th! We have plans to go out of town to visit my fiances family and our kids are going to spend a couple nights with the grandparents. I would hate for it to be raining and ruin our firework plans. But if it rains  in Asheville, that don't mean that it will rain in Lenior/Hudson NC as well. Even though Hudson is only an hour or 2 away, weather can do some crazy things so we may be safe.... I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Last Year for the fourth, my family went to Downtown Asheville and watched the firework show "One The Green". They had live music from local bands along with kids activites, even a blow up slide!! We all had alot of fun!!!
(Read all about our 4th of July in Downtown Asheville -- I wrote up a post about our fun!)

The girls were wanting to go downtown again this year but once they found out that we had plans to go see their Mawmaw, Granny and Grand-Paw... They were as happy as can be!! I've been hearing about this trip for weeks now and it's being brought up more often now that the days are slipping away! We're heading down to Hudson, NC around 10am on Thursday morning, since Alan has to work all day on Wednesday. It's going to be a busy day since we will be driving down, Hanging out with family, Watching Fireworks, and then driving home all in the same day! The kids will only be in the car for the trip down but I'm a bit worried that they will get homesick and want to come early. This will be their first long distance trip away from home without myself or their daddy staying with them. It's not just my girls that'll be staying with Alan's mom and step-dad, Mj will be staying too. He's the oldest but he don't come over to our house as much as we would like so sometimes we have a few bad days, it's mostly nights but mornings can be touch at times as well. At the moment, Jade, Loran and Mj are all excited about spending a couple nights with family so I hope they have a wonderful time and not cry for home bad enough that the trip had to be made early.

(The video below is the first video I've uploaded directly to my blog, Let me know if something is wrong or it won't work for you)
Below is a short video from Last Year

A small part of the Fireworks Show in Downtown Asheville
The 4th of July 2012

How are you planning on spending your 4th of July this year?

Ducks in a Row - Flashback Photo Opp

#Flashback #PhotoOpp

"Ducks in a Row"

Since I've been without one of my all time favorite electronics... my camera aka my baby, and have been stuck to using my phone camera on everything... I decided to share a few photos from my past. This past month has been the first time in over 5 years that I've been without a working camera (I'm so thankful for my smartphone camera but no phone photo will EVER compare to the crisp, detailed shots that I'm able to capture with an actual camera) I've had to put my serious photography on hold until I'm able to get myself another good camera. I'm lost without my camera and I'm hoping that sharing some of my best photos will make me feel alittle better!

Back in 2010, I was riding down the back roads of Candler, NC with my mama. I had my camera with me (like always) and out of nowhere, I saw a family of ducks walking on the side of the road! I quickly convinced my mama to pull over so I could take a few pictures of the ducks. I believe it had been raining pretty hard in the days and/or hours, I'm not 100% sure about the rain but the creek in the photos is very high and dark and look almost flooded! I was able to snap 3 photos of the duck family and I have to say that my favorite shot is the one I named "Ducks in a Row". I shared this photo in my Shapes in Nature activity post and decided to share the rest of the collection. I hope you enjoy my Duck Photos.
I'm hoping to get more new Nature Photography soon but I will continue sharing my older photos through out the next few weeks.

Enjoy!

Comment all you like! I would LOVE to hear your feedback on my photography!

"Ducks in a Row" - Thru My Eyes Photography

Daddy Duck joining the family to take a peek at the creek

Moving on to a better place to call home

Nature is such a beautiful thing! I don't get out into nature as much as I like but I'm hoping to change that very soon! I've got big plans with my daughters and Nature is a big part of out Summer outings!

(I hope to get a new camera soon, I'm feeling really down without my baby!!)

You can find more of my photography at AutumnBPhotography.Weebly.com, photographythrumyeyes.blogspot.com, and Thru My Eyes Photography and Designs - on Facebook

My photography sites haven't been updated in a few months but I plan on working on them all very soon!
-- Keep your eyes peeled for updates on my "new camera mission" as well as Photography page updates! --

All photos belong to Thru My Eyes Photography and My Kind Of Introduction

Please Do NOT Copy, Save, Reproduce or use any photo from this site (or any other site that has photos from Thru My Eyes Photography) in any way without written permission from Autumn B
-- Big Thanks from My Kind Of Introduction --

FREE Asheville Travel Guide

#Local in #Asheville

Photo via www.tumblr.com

I was born and raised in Asheville North Carolina. I officially live in the little town of Candler but Asheville is just a couple steps away and it's the City of my area. I love it here! The mountains are beautiful and I really enjoy all the country land that's not filled up with businesses. Downtown Asheville is full of neat shops and diners that you can always find something to do! Not to mention all the art that is scattered throughout Downtown! Ohhh and you can't forget about the Biltmore House! (I've lived here all my life and never visited the Biltmore House but I plan on going atleast once while I'm finished on this earth!) Asheville, NC is a wonderful place to visit and an even better place to live! The neighborhoods are great and as well as the people. If your planning on visiting on moving to or near Asheville, Check out the info below!!

ExploreAsheville.com has a FREE Asheville Travel Guide available on their site! 

If your interested in relocating to the Asheville area, Request a Relocation Packet, which includes the Asheville Travel Guide.

If you would like to receive Asheville news, insider tips and awesome deals via every month...

Sign up for the Asheville Traveler today!

Interested in the Biltmore House?

Have you ever visited The Biltmore House in Asheville, NC?

Tailgate and Farmers Markets in Haywood County

#WNC 

While I was at the Community Fair at Enka Middle School, a couple weeks ago, I picked up an Asap Local Food Guide from a booth set up by the Appalachian State Collage. In the pamphlet, is a list of over 800 local listings of family farms and local food business!! I would like to share some of those listings with you. Buying from the community helps more than just yourself. You are not only buying fresh locally grown/bred food but your helping local families make a living. Everyone needs to pay their bills and fill up their tummies

The following listings will be in ABC order

Tailgate and Farmers Markets

- Haywood County -

Canton Tailgate Market

Tue., Thru., & Sat. 7am-12pm

828-235-2760

dholcombe@canton.nc.net

www.cantonnc.com

Town hall in the municipal parking lot on Park St. in Canton

Haywood's Historic Farmers market

Wed. and Sat 8am-12pm

haywoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com

www.waynesvillefarmersmarket.com

HART Theater/Shelton house (Museum of NC Handicrafts) parking lot at 250 Pigeon St. or Hwy 276 S. in Waynesville

Waynesville Tailgate Market

Wednesday & Saturday 8am-12pm

828-648-6323

ncnannyandpapaw@gmail.com

American Legion, just off S. Main St. in Waynesville behind Bogart's.

I will be adding more Haywood listings soon from family farms to roadside stands etc. Keep an eye out!

Disclaimer: All listing above are from the FREE 2013 Asap Local Food Guide that I received at a local Community Fair. If anything is out of date, let me know and I will update it asap. I haven't had the chance to look up every listing since there are alot of them available.

Madison County Tailgates and Farmers Markets

#WNC
While I was at the Community Fair at Enka Middle School, a couple weeks ago, I picked up an Asap Local Food Guide from a booth set up by the Appalachian State Collage. In the pamphlet, is a list of over 800 local listings of family farms and local food business!! I would like to share some of those listings with you. Buying from the community helps more than just yourself. You are not only buying fresh locally grown/bred food but your helping local families make a living. Everyone needs to pay their bills and fill up their tummies!

The following listings will be in ABC order

Madison County Tailgate Markets and Farmers Markets

Madison County Farmers & Artisans Market
Saturday's 9am-1pm
marshillmarket@yahoo.com
www.marshillmarket.org

Corner of Park Dr. and Physical Plant Dr. across from the tennis courts on the Mars Hill Collage campus.


Madison County Indoor Winter Market
January-March Saturday's 10am-2pm
828-712-6225
lettuceman2@yahoo.com

250 Carolina Ln. at the Madison County Cooperative Extension office in Marshall.


Sundays on the Island
Sunday's 12pm-4pm
828-775-8844
steverice@hotmail.com

Blanahasset Island, cross the river at the Courthouse on Main St. in downtown Marshall and immediately turn right onto island.

I thought their would of been more tailgate and farmers markets in Madison County but I guess I was wrong, I've only been in Madison County a couple times and I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings either time, so I don't remember much.

I will be adding more Madison listings soon from family farms to roadside stands etc. Keep an eye out!

Disclaimer: All listing above are from the FREE 2013 Asap Local Food Guide that I received at a local Community Fair. If anything is out of date, let me know and I will update it asap. I haven't had the chance to look up every listing since there are alot of them available.

YMCA Discovery Camp -- WNC LOCAL

**ATTENTION WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA PARENTS**

Did You Know?

YMCA Discovery Camp at Sandhill-Venable Elementary School is offering:

Thrilling new field trips like: The Discovery Place in Charolette, NC and Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TV!!

They will also have exciting weekly themes like: Mario Brothers Week, Survivorman Week and Back to the Future Week!!!

For more information

Call -- 828-210-2273 or Visit YMCAWNC.org

#ChallengeToWrite -- A little about my hometown....

Okay, so my regular readers will know that I joined a ChallengeToWrite at the beginning of May. I hate to say that I haven't been up to the challenge everyday :(

I have forgotten about it or had planned to write my post... Even get it started... And then get distracted and the posts never get finished.

I have decided to catch up on the topics that I missed. Even though they will be out of order, I'll post the date that I was supposed to write them and the topic name with each post.

I'm warning you... These posts will be EXTREMELY out of order!!!

I would like to start my out of order catch-up with the topic from May 9, 2013:

A little about your hometown....

My hometown is Candler, North Carolina. A small town outside Asheville, NC. Most people would say that I live in Asheville, and I do say it often but the truth is that I live in Candler and I have for almost my whole life. I was born in Asheville because that's where the hospitals are but my home has always been in the country. Candler isn't very big and you can drive through it in just a few minutes. We have farmers markets, lots of mom and pop stores, horses and cows! if you take any back-road in Candler, your sure to pass a pasture with either some horses or a few cows... sometimes both. But it doesn't smell bad like you would think it would with all the animals. (I have cow fields near my house and you would never know it.... unless you payed attention when you was on your way here of course!) My fiance always says that Candler isn't the mountains but I believe it is. The views are beautiful and sometimes you can see for miles! It can get pretty bad in the Winter though and I'm not a fan of that one bit! Most of the places that I've lived have been off back-roads and it's always been hard to get to and from home when a big snow storm hits. I try to be prepared when the weather is calling to be bad.

We're near the Blue Ridge Parkway (in Asheville) and it don't take too long to get to the big stores and entertainment that ALWAYS goes on in Asheville. I am sad to say that I have lived in this area my whole life (minus 3 months when I lived in Hickory, NC) but I've never been to the Biltmore House or an Olive Garden! I know... Crazy right?! Hard to believe, but true. I've also never ate at the local Red Lobster... even though my fiance works there! That's okay though because I'm not a big seafood fan.... If it came out of the water then I'm not going to eat it. Well, that's a lie. I do eat tuna every now and then and I have been known to eat a bit of crab dip. But the Biltmore House, Olive Garden and Red Lobster are in Asheville, not Candler. To be truthful.... there's nothing big and popular in Candler. We're just a bunch of country people who know how to party on the back-roads! (When I was a teen and young adult, I was always at some sort of party off one of the many Candler back-roads!) That's one thing we have LOTS of... BACK-ROADS!! I love them, you can go on a drive and take in all the scenery.
(We do have Enka High School, their sports teams have been known to win a good bit of games!)
I love my hometown!
I love Candler, NC!!

Buncombe County Farmers Markets

#WNC 

While I was at the Community Fair at Enka Middle School, last week, I picked up an Asap Local Food Guide from a booth set up by the Appalachian State Collage. In the pamphlet, is a list of over 800 local listings of family farms and local food business!! I would like to share some of those listings with you. Buying food locally is wonderful! Not only are your helping yourself and family by buying fresh grown/bred food but your also helping out local families make a living. Selling you their good is what pays their bills! Everyone needs to pay bills and eat, don't we?

The following listings will be in ABC order

Tailgate Markets and Farmer Markets

Buncombe County

Asheville City Market
Saturday's - 8am-1pm
828-348-0340
mike@asapconnections.org
www.asapconnections.org/citymarket

Downtown Asheville in the parking lot of the Public Works Building at 161 S. Charlotte St.


Asheville City Market South
Wednesday's 1-5pm
828-348-0340
mike@asapconnections.org
www.asapconections.org/citymarket

Town Square Blvd. in the center of Biltmore Park Town Square, I-26 Long Shoals Rd. exit in South Asheville


Black Mountain Tailgate Market
Saturday's 9am-12pm
828-669-8722
info@blackmountaintailgatemarket.org
www.blackmountaintailgatemarket.org

Behind the First Baptist Church at 130 Montreat Rd. Black Mountain.


East Asheville Tailgate Market
Friday's 3-6pm
eatm2013@gmail.com
On Facebook at East Asheville Tailgate Market

Upper parking lot at Groce Methodist Church on Tunnel Rd. in East Asheville


French Broad Food Co-op Wednesday Tailgate Market
Wednesday's 2-6pm
828-255-7650
marketing@frenchbroadfood.coop
On Facebook at Wednesday Co-op Tailgate Market

Downtown Asheville in the parking lot of Broad Food Co-op on Biltmore Ave.


The Holiday Bazaar
December - Saturday's 12pm-4pm
828-776-6286
natmholidaybazaar@gmail.com

Founders Dr. on the UNC Asheville campus.


Leicester Farmers Market
Saturday's - 9am-2pm
828-284-3421
leicesterfarmersmarket@yahoo.com
www.leicesterfarmersmarket.com

Parking lot of Leicester Landing Shopping center, next to Zaxby's at 338 Leicester Rd.


Montford Farmers Market
Wednesday 2-6pm
montfordfarmersmarket@gmail.com
www.montfordfarmersmarket.com

Lower parking lot of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center at 36 Montford Ave. in Asheville.

Neighborhood Y at Woodfin Indoor Winter Tailgate Market
January-April - Saturday's 10am-12:30pm
828-505-3990
dsaccone@ymcawnc.org
www.ymcawnc.org


North Asheville tailgate Market

Saturday 8am-12pm
natmdirector@gmail.com
www.northashevilletailgatemarket.org

Founders Dr., UNC Asheville (UNCA) campus Commuter Lot #C. Enter UNCA from WT Weaver Blvd. traffic circle Market is first lot on the right. Follow yellow signs for additional parking.



Oakley Farmers Market
Thursday 3:30-6:30pm
828-407-0188
info@oakleyfarmersmarket.com
www.oakleyfarmersmarket.com

Parking lot behind Oakley United Methodist Church at 607 Fairview Rd. in Asheville.


Weaverville Tailgate Market
Wednesday 2:30-6:30pm
weavervillemarket@yahoo.com
www.weavervilletailgate.org

On the hill overlooking Lake Louise, behind the Community Center on Weaverville Hwy. just south of downtown Weaverville.


West Asheville Tailgate Market
Tuesday's 3:30-6:30pm
828-216-8102
westashevilletailgate@gmail.com
www.westashevilletailgatemarket.com

718 Haywood Rd. in the parking area between Grace Baptist Church and SunTrust Bank.


WNC Farmers Market
Daily 8am-6pm
828-253-1691
doug.sutton@ncagr.gov
www.wncfarmersmarket.org

In the NC Farmers Area of the WNC Farmers market on Brevard Rd. in Asheville.

I love going to WNC Farmers Market! That's the only one on the list that I have visited personally and the people are wonderful. You can find some very nice people at Farmers Markets that you wouldn't necessarily meet or talk to in any other setting.

I will be posting more listing for Buncombe County soon. The listings will include Roadside stands, Family Farms and more. Keep an eye out!

All listings above are from the 2013 Asap Local Food Guide. If anything is out of date, let me know and I will update it asap. I haven't had the chance to look up every listing since there are alot of them available.

Food Photos from http://www.asheville-mountain-magic.com/

Family Night at Enka Middle School - Our Experience

I have to say that yesterday at Enka Middle School, was pretty fun!

Our daughters loved being able to play and paint and the food was pretty good as well.

I was very surprised at what all was going on at the middle school last night.

First off, my girls ran straight toward the face-painting. They became shy for about 2 minutes when they couldn't decided who was going first but it quickly left when Loran sat down and started getting her face painted like a cat. (she wanted a cheetah but we settled on a cat face). Jade got a butterfly painted on her cheek.

Next we moved on to the arts and crafts station. My daughters wanted to paint a "brick". The brick was actually a small block of wood that the girls was able to paint with any design. They sat so quietly and painted. Jade painted her whole block while Loran only painted one side of hers and took her time.

Since we was being offered free food.... How could we turn it down?

Free supper for my family is always a plus. My fiance LOVES to eat so he was drawn to the food right off bat but I was able to hold him off for a few minutes while the girls got painted and then done some painting themselves.

The food was pretty good. They had hamburgers and hot-dogs with water and Lemonade to drink. Alan even tried a Vegan Burger and enjoyed it more than we thought he was going to!

After the food, they raffled off a few things including School Clothing and a YMCA Family membership! We didn't win anything but I loved watching the little boy walk up to claim his YMCA Family membership! He was excited and had to of still been in Elementary school.

They also had Hula Hoops, Chalk and a Dress up Booth (We didn't see this booth until the end, I bet my girls would of LOVED to dress up silly). Loran and Jade had a blast playing with the hula hoops. Loran has been practicing with different amounts of hula hoops for a while now and she's almost mastered 3. She tried 4 last night and had them all going for a few minutes before they started falling! She's getting good!! Jade is still learning but she can spin a hula hoop on her left arm better than any other 5 year old that I've seen! (Jade is left-handed)

Enka Middle School is trying to bring family fun back into our town. They are wanting the Middle School to be a community place where the town can meet and mingle. A Community Garden has been started and a few upgrades has been made to the school. They have even been offering Cooking Classes and such to families through out the after school and weekend hours.
Also at the Enka Middle School Community Fair was lots of business with tables set up with information about what they can do for our family this summer. YMCA and Asheville Hockey are among the few that were there.

Getting ready for the raffle!

I was going to try and talk to the lady who is in-charge of all the work and entertainment at Enka Middle School last night but she was a very popular woman and I didn't get the chance to talk with her. I'm hoping that I will get the chance at the next Family Night gathering. (I try and let you all know about the next even in advance.) 

Painting their "Bricks"

Chalk!!! Look at all the Enka pride!

Loran hula-hooping with 3 hoops!!

All in all, we had a blast! It was nice to be able to spend some family time together and enjoy a nice night in my hometown. I went to Enka Middle School when I was a child and my little brothers go there now. I'm very happy knowing that the school and community are working to make Enka Middle School a better place and bringing people together. I'm hoping to be available for the next Family Night as well!!

The above information and opinions are all my own. I was not asked to write this post nor was I compensated in any way. This blog and myself is in no way associated with Enka Middle School. All photos belong to My Kind Of Introduction and cannot be used in any way without written permission from Autumn Banks, Owner of My Kind Of Introduction and the Photographer of all above photos.

Ryan's Steakhouse - The Best Family Deal in Asheville

The Best Family Steak House for the Best Deal in Asheville

My family has been going to Ryan's Steak House for years! It's the place we go for Holiday meals when we can't make it to see family... It's the place we go to spend family-time with our young kids... It's the place we go to Feel at Home while still eating out.

I've been going to Ryan's Steak House for years, ever since I was a young child. I remember going with my mom and step-dad all the time. My Mamaw and Daddy-Paw took me a couple times but it was always a different Ryan's than the one I went to with my mama. I have lived in Candler/Asheville, North Carolina, all but 3 months of my life and I only know of 2 Ryan's ever being in Buncombe County. I may be wrong and if I am please correct me. The 2 I know about is the one on Brevard Road and the Ryan's that use to be on Patton Avenue but shut down a few years ago. (The patton location is where I use to go with my grandparents) I even remember when you could smoke in the back section of the Brevard location before the No-Smoking Ban took place.

Now that I'm an adult with my own family, I still enjoy eating at Ryan's Steak House every chance I get. It's one of the few places that my fiance and I actually agree on. I do believe that Ryan's may be one of the top 3 places where our daughters enjoy to eat as-well! <- That's something special since my youngest daughter is a very picky eater.

Loran and Jade get excited every time we pull into the parking lot of Ryan's Steak House because they know they will be able to eat anything they want! The All-You-Can-Eat buffet is perfect for families! Everyone can find something that they love and maybe even try something new!
From Pizza and Chicken Strips for the kids to Freshly Cooked Steak, cut right in-front of you, for the grown-ups. If Salad's more your style then your in luck! Ryan's has a whole serving bar FULL of toppings and salad options. You can even find everything you need for the perfect fruit salad.
If your looking for sea food, you can find fish options throughout the serving bars or head on over to the New Sushi Bar that recently got added to the Brevard Road location. You can even enjoy yourself a taco with a side of french fries and mashed potato's!

IT'S A LITTLE KIDS DREAM!

The best part is Thursday Night Family Night! From 5 - 8  the kids buffet is only $0.99! There is also something special going on for the kids every Thursday. A clown will paint your face, make balloon animals and more - Depending on what activity is in plan for the night. My daughters love sitting near the clown so they can talk to her when she's not surrounded my kids. The clown is always really nice, she even made a balloon hat for my fiance and surprised him by putting it on his head from behind while he was eating! My daughters LOVED IT!!!

We always have a great time when we eat at Ryan's Steak House - Filling up on all the delicious food and you can't forget about all the YUMMY deserts like banana pudding, ice-cream and COTTON CANDY!!

If I had to rate Ryan's Steak House on Brevard Road in Asheville, NC
I would give it a 9 out of 10!
The service is always GREAT and everyone is very polite!

The opinions above are from no other than myself at My Kind Of Introduction and may differ than your own . I received no compensation for this post. I give my honest opinion and was influenced by noone.

This blog may contain affiliate links.

April Events in Asheville, NC

Asheville Events
April 2013

Source - eventful.com

Rich Dad Financial Seminar

Where - Renaissance Hotel

Address - 31 Woodfin Street, Asheville, North Carolina 28801
When - April 9, 2012 - Tuesday, 12:00pm

Big Boi
When - April 19, 2013
Where - The Orange Peel
Address - 101 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville, NC

Smart Start of Buncombe County is pleased to bring Hobey Ford and his Golden Rod Puppets to Asheville in a performance of Animalia, a child-friendly show that explores the inner workings of the natural world with a performance by a wide variety of carved foam animal puppets, set to the music of Paul Winter Consort. The performance venue will allow Ford to have the puppets flying or walking right out over the heads of audience members. Hobey will perform unmasked, in full view, in his roles as emcee, engaged storyteller, and puppeteer.

Families attending the performance will receive a set of Peeper Puppets, an imaginative, patented set of plastic eyes for hands of any size, that, worn in several different ways, turn the bare hand into an innovative, inexpensive and clever hand puppet.

Where - The Orange Peel
When - Show begins at 4pm
Cost - $8 per Ticket
Buy Tickets

Bob Dylan
When - April 30, 2013 - 7:30pm
Where - US Cellular Center (Formally known as The Asheville Civic Center)
Address - 87 Haywood Street, Asheville NC

Jeff Dunham in Cherokee
When - July 6, 2013
Where - Harrah's Cherokee Casino
Address -777 Casino Drive
Cherokee, North Carolina