Outland: Charlotte, NC

So after the Orange & White game, I packed the car up and headed to Charlotte to spend Easter with the Kakadelis’. It was nice to “come home” and not feel like I had to see anyone else. Everyone I needed to be with was under the same roof 🙂 I love visiting them because they are the nicest people you’ll ever meet! We stayed up late catching up and then went to church at the Ballantyne Campus where some jokester decided to pull the fire alarm! The kids had to be collected and evacuated from the building and it became chaotic for everyone.  Thankfully, it was in between services and people were already out the door.

On the way back in we caught up with an old friend, who I had not seen since high school. Karl, Brittany, and I served on the Carolinas District Board of Key Club International. We were “do-gooders” to say the least. I believe we would have been flagged as some of the most notorious troublemakers in our  respective states 🙂 It was great to be reunited, just like the old reunions we had outside of Key Club. You couldn’t write a better sequence for a movie, but Karl recognized another fellow Key Clubber in the parking lot. One that was in the Class of Lieutenant Governors before our term. From behind him appeared a wife. Surprise, surprise. Then his mother emerged between two cars with a baby! We were shocked and overly congratulatory to say the least. I promptly dialed our other mutual close friend in Phoenix and left the story on  her voicemail. It was just intense that we saw 2 years of Key Club flash before our eyes in 5 mins. Life comes at you fast!

Anyways, the Kakadelis’ own Outland Cigar which boasts an elite club for gentlemen. Gentlemen such as Tom Petty who owns a Founders’ Locker for his personal entertainment at the Outland Lounge. They can set you up, nicely, with great gift ideas and help you try some new cigars like the Gurkha that I am more partial to. It is like a trip to Tommy Bahama-land 🙂 There are two locations, one in Ballantyne and one on Piedmont Row near SouthPark Mall. The SouthPark location has great chocolates and will have the lounge nearly complete. If you’re looking for a place to play cards, enjoy some scotch, watch any golf, races, or games….Outland is the place for you! They do host some wives’ nights and ladies nights, but memberships are exclusive to gentlemen. Some local restaurants in the area are willing to deliver, so definitely check them out for a new place to meet or have casual business discussions!

Who knows who you’ll run into!

There is something about going home to Asheville. I’ll tell you what, the drive to Charleston is not scenic via I-26. However, the drive from Charleston to HHI through Beaufort, on Hwy 17, ranks on my top 5 views among Hwy 25…all the scenic routes lead to Asheville. It’s funny coming from Charlotte, driving into South Carolina, to get back into North Carolina. I can’t say that I mind it much when I get a preview of the Blue Ridge.

And then the ridgeline really comes up on you and takes your breath away 🙂 I have gone through a whole bunch of mileage. Needless to say, I will be chasing it down with a trip to Charleston and day trip to Augusta this weekend. When this month ends, I will have some reprieve. I hope I can keep myself together for a few more weeks. Although, I find some comfort in the chaos. I have been training myself since high school to manage multiple schedules and attend conferences back-to-back. Maybe I am meant for a more chaotic future ahead of me. If that’s the case, I welcome it with open arms!