Part I: From Bald Head To Fayetteville
Our first destination on our way home was Fayetteville to have lunch with the Gipsons! Aunt Becky is Karen’s younger sister, who is married to Uncle Corey. The cousin bunch are Patrick (who is in NYC), Megan and Ryan – plus doggie Sadie!
We joined them for a chili lunch – so great to catch up and exchange gifts. I received these cozy, fuzzy gloves!
It was a perfect cold day for a big bowl of chili
Complete with cheddar and chips for dip and crunch
I wanted to eat fudge and cookies and more, but I settled on a taste of toffee for dessert
After a round of hugs, we were off on our 5 hour trek to Charlottesville.
Part II: Fayetteville To Richmond
Oh boy oh boy oh boy!!
Four hours of me in the drivers seat and our car drove straight to Whole Foods!! I did a bit of research before we left this morning and realized a trip to the Short Pump Whole Foods right outside of Richmond would be perfect timing for dinner and we could pick up groceries before the last little bit of our trip home. Even more exciting was that this was the biggest and best WF I have ever been in !
THREE HUGE salad / hot bar stations. HUGE selection!!
Romantic dinner for two
Cocktail hour:
You don’t want to know how much two giant jam-packed salads cost, but you DO want to know that they were worth every penny. So many fun things to taste.
Highlights in my box were:
- 3 kinds of kale (all amazing)
- 2 kinds of sweet potato (ditto)
- 3 kinds of tofu
- Wheatberry + raisin salad
I did manage to fill the bottom part with a bunch of plain, raw veggies too – but they weren’t as memorable ; )
We also picked up a GLORIOUS week’s worth of groceries. They are in our trunk, hopefully enjoying the below-freezing weather. One advantage of winter over summer traveling!
Part III: Short Pump To Charlottesville
It may be dark, but I smell cows! This drive went by so fast with my audio book, Prep. I’m enjoying it very much.
20 miles left to Charlottesville as I type this!
10 days to recuperate.
Then it’s off again – to Dillon, Montana for 2-3 weeks of Great Harvest training.
But those 10 days are going to be jam packed. Tomorrow is Karen’s surgery, so we’ll be on call for the next few days to take care of her while she’s in and hopefully quickly out of the hospital. She is excited for us to cook for her all week, and we have a fantastic meal plan ready to put into motion!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is says
Wishing Karen good luck and prayers to you and your family for tomorrow!
Sana says
I hope everything goes smoothly for Karen tomm!
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
You’re so smart Kath – I would also reearch something like the Whole Foods for dinner. That looks absolutely delicious!
Erin (Travel, Eat, Repeat) says
Your pics have been incredibly gorgeous throughout this entire trip.
Hoping everyone stays safe and well tomorrow.
Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin says
Wow sounds like you planned your trip home the right way! I was trying to explain to my fam at Christmas how amazing the Whole Foods bar is for lunch/dinner and couldn’t even articulate it… you just need to go experience it for yourself!
Angie @ Musings of a Violet Monkey says
Jealous of your stop at Whole Foods!!! Charlotte STILL doesn’t have one.
Good luck to Karen tomorrow. I’ll be thinking of her.
~
Stacey says
I can’t seem to make a Whole Foods salad for less than $17. I always feel guilty for spending so much, so I don’t do it very often! When I do though, I definitely get a few meals out of it! Plus it tastes so good it’s hard to feel guilty for long!
Lee says
One of my friends and I have an on-going text message about how ridiculous our whole foods salad bar prices are. I’ll just randomly get a text from her saying, “WF – $12!!”
Hope everything goes smoothly with Karen’s surgery.
Simply Life says
That dog looks just like our friend’s dog, Sadie!
Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday says
Oh what a cute dog! What kind is it?
Kevin says
Austin is the home of Whole Foods. The one downtown is ginormous. But living in the burbs I was glad to see a Small Natural Grocer coming soon. :-). Totally jealous of your salad bar box.
[email protected] says
Well wishes and prayers for Karen’s surgery! I have only ever visited the two WF in my city, but I look forward to testing out the hot bar at other locations someday!
stacey-healthylife says
I love the Whole Foods salad bar. It eat it more often then I should.
Stacy @ Every Little Thing says
Oh Whole Foods bars, they make any day better! I have to keep myself away sometimes though, because of the $$.
Glad your trip went well! Well wishes for Karen!
Jen says
You should try the Whole Foods in Fairfax, VA (I’ve heard it’s the largest on the east coast). I could stay in that store all day : )
Camille says
What an epic dinner spread! I am craving some “Whole Paycheck” now 🙂
Brittany (Delights and Delectables) says
Karen and you and Matt will be in my prayers tomorrow! Keep us posted! I love WF hot bars too.. I need to buy stock in Whole Foods! 🙂
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
Many blessings, prayers, and well wishes for Karen!!
I know the roads, drives, and scenes in between say SC/NC/VA and it’s awesome that you had salads and kombucha b/c there’s plenty of Waffle Houses and Bob Evans which are lovely and all, but I prefer fresh foods like yours 🙂
Candice @ OutdoorChirp says
I absolutely love Short Pump! Whats not to love about it? I huge Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and frozen yogurt within minutes of each other. Heaven
Allison @ PickyEatingRD says
Good luck and well wishes to Karen!!! I love whole foods hot and cold bar!
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
I love giant Whole Foods stores! Your salad looks fantastic.
Good luck to Karen! May she make a fast and easy recovery, and may they find nothing but good news. 😀
Jil @ Big, City, Lil Kitchen says
Good luck to Karen!! She’ll be in my thoughts. Oh, and Sadie is such an adorable dog!
Jessi @ Life-Tangent says
Hee hee, I worked at Whole Foods once upon a when. The food bar stations are $7.99/lb.! There was many a scratched head by a customer wondering how their “light” salad came out to be $18…. 😉
lynn (The Actors Diet) says
i don’t want to know how much those salads cost! i had a teeny one (that i bulked up at home with tuna and my own spinach) and it cost over $6!!!
Allison (Have it Your Weigh) says
Wishing Karen good luck tomorrow!! Hope everything goes well.
Prep is one of my favorite books. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the rest 🙂
Katy (The Singing Runner) says
I hope everything goes well for Karen tomorrow! I’ll be thinking of her!
Jen says
Karen is very lucky to have you and Matt by her side…a good support system is so important at times like this. Sending good thoughts for a successful surgery & speedy recovery to Karen tomorrow!
Maryann says
WF salad bar is the best! I would eat it more often if it wasnt so pricey.
Hannah says
Ohhh, those salads/salad bar kill sme! There is *nothing* like that in Australia. Sob!
Cara Craves... says
I always close my eyes when I pay for my whole foods salad bar…
I try to ignore the cost and enjoy the meal…
Stephanie says
Wish I had known you were passing through, I’m like 5 minutes from Short Pump Whole Foods (ummm it’s basically my favorite place every and go there wayyy too much haha) and coulda stopped in to say hello!!! 😀
Kath says
Next time! (There will be one 🙂 )
wendy sue says
ooh I love the whole foods( and trader joe’s) at short pump! I tend to plan my stops back to cville around supertargets and trader joe’s!
Kim says
Thinking of Karen tomorrow. My mom just went through this same exact thing 8 weeks ago. It was very scary, but the surgery went well. She was up and walking that day and home the next night. (we even went to a movie 2 days after surgery)
They will be able to tell if the cancer has spread to the lymph system within a few days.
I’m so sorry you are going through this. It is so hard. Hang in there. Thinking of you all.
Kath says
Thanks for sharing Kim – best to your mom!
Amanda (Eating Up) says
Whole Foods hot bar/salad bar can get pretty pricey…I definitely know that from experience. I agree though–such good stuff! The best buffet in all the land!
Alaina says
Wow, so on-the-go Kath!
My thoughts and prayers will be with Karen tomorrow. I hope that all goes well 🙂
Leila says
Good luck to Karen tomorrow! Hopefully you get a *little* rest before your next adventure 🙂
Justeen @ Blissful Baking says
i heart whole foods!
your salad looks delish!
Kate (What Kate is Cooking) says
I can’t resist the Whole Foods hot bar! Always expensive but so worth it.
[email protected] The Fitted Apron says
Best of luck to Karen tomorrow.
Kris says
Well wishes to Karen tomorrow! She’s lucky to have such great care (and food) waiting.
Lauren says
I’ll be thinking of Karen tomorrow. 🙂 Glad you guys got home safe.
Christine says
Yeah I definitely did not plan on spending as much as I did at the Whole Foods salad/hot bar as I did on Tuesday. It *was* good though and I felt *great* so I guess it is worth it!!
Lauren at KeepItSweet says
Good idea stopping for dinner and groceries! Sounds like you have a crazy but exciting month ahead!
Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down) says
I hope everything goes well for Karen tomorrow!!
Your eats look fabulous, by the way. Occasionally, I can definitely justify spending a load of money on such a fun salad too. 😀
Elizabeth @ RunWithSneakers says
Best wishes to Karen! Hope all goes well.
If you like the Whole Foods at Short Pump, you should visit Austin sometime. Austin = Whole Foods Mother Ship (headquarters.) It’s really dizzying.
Amanda says
My thoughts are with Karen and you guys through this surgery!
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
I am glad you guys made it back safely. My thoughts are with Karen today. I hope everything goes well and that she has a speedy recovery.
Beth @ DiningAndDishing says
I will be thinking of Karen!! I hope everything goes well :).
Judy says
All the best to Karen for her surgery, I will say a prayer for her for sure… Can’t wait to see what you make for her as she recovers.
lindsay says
I have those gloves in orange and I LOVE them!! I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow…
Jenna says
ohhhhhhh dear…you are going to dillion mt in JANUARY!!!! I hope you have invested in some very warm clothes!!!! my grandfather was saying just a few days ago it was -13!!!!??? hello..i can’t even handle 13 above!! good luck! 😉
I really hope everything goes well with your mils surgery! She seems like the sweetest woman and i’m sure its a scary time for all of you!
Sam says
Funny that you say that about the Short Pump Whole Foods. I was in Short Pump for a conference about six weeks ago and visited that Whole Foods, my first Whole Foods ever. I had no idea it was a “special” one 🙂 but I was in heaven over the salad bar. Fortunately, lunch was covered by work so I got reimbursed for the $11 it cost to absolutely stuff the heck out of one of those containers. It was so good, though.
Best wishes to Karen today.
Bekah says
I can’t believe it, but… we had dinner together last night! I was at the same Whole Foods enjoying their hot bars for dinner and have to agree — it’s the biggest and best Whole Foods I’ve ever seen. The ones in LA are miniscule by comparison. Can’t believe we were both there and didn’t bump into each other. Bah!
My thoughts are with Karen this week. Sending lots of healing energy her way.
Kath says
I THOUGHT someone who reads KERF might be there!
Lori says
Going to Short Pump for the week-end. Will have to find that Whole Foods before I come home since we don’t have one where I live.
Prayers and healthing thoughts to Karen.
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
I hope Karen’s surgery today goes well. I’ll be thinking of her!
Shannon says
We spent many a romantic evening in Whole Foods, and I do know how much those salads cost. And I totally agree that they’re worth every penny. Yum!
I have a book suggestion for you. I just finished reading Moloka’i. It was one of the best I’ve read all year, and you and I have similar tastes in books.
Hoping everything goes well for Karen! 🙂
Meagan says
WHOLE FOODS! AH I am such a WFs freeak
Eating Bird Food says
The Short Pump Whole Foods is the one I go to now! I love it!
I’m quite certain Karen’s surgery is complete now, but I hope everything went well and she recovers quickly and painlessly.