In a rush? Make your Valentine's Day reservations with our romantic dining guide. Plan your 2026 with our events calendar.

Good Morning & Happy New Year Reader,

I hope you are having a great start to the new year and avoiding any form of the plague that has been circulating. Our household has been fighting a mild cold that just. won't. give. 😷

We ended 2025 with a visit from my family, heading to Winter Lights - the Dambo Trolls at The NC Arboretum are a must - the Grove's Gingerbread House Competition, and Antler Hill Village for dinner at Cedric's. We visited taprooms, including Boojum, New Belgium, Zillicoah, Bold Rock, and Appalachian Mountain Brewing.

A few updates you'll find in this newsletter:

• Our 2026 events calendar through the summer; many dates are not set
• An updated romantic restaurants guide for special occasions, date night, and Valentine's Day
• TW: Pet death - Our at-home, kitty end-of-life experience with 4 Paws Farewell; I wish we always had the chance to use them
• Our 2026 Uncorked Reading Challenge
• A quick health update, as I receive many questions about healthcare and how I'm doing - thank you!

Upcoming Asheville Area Events

• January 8 – 18, 2026: Greenville, SC Restaurant Week​
• January 20 – 26: Asheville Restaurant Week (January & February dates)
• January 24: Asheville Hot Chocolate Races​
• January 29 – February 1: Visit Haywood Ice Fest Weekend​
• February 7: The Great Outhouse Races in Sapphire, NC
• February 15: Frostbite Races (10K, 5K, 1 Mile) in Fletcher, NC
• February 15: Asheville Mardi Gras, South Slope neighborhood
• February 17 – 23: Asheville Restaurant Week (January & February dates)

Cozy and Romantic Restaurants In Asheville

Cozy up or celebrate at our favorite romantic restaurants.

❤️ Little D's - A North Asheville restaurant, in the Fresh Market plaza, from the same owners as Asheville Proper. It's a local joint that's fairly casual with just slightly elevated prices.

❤️ Zambra - A Downtown Asheville wine bar with Moorish & Spanish accents paired with delicious Western Mediterranean tapas.

❤️ Leo's of Thirst - Leo's received a James Beard nomination for "Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program" and a spot in the MICHELIN Guide (2025). They are a cozy West Asheville restaurant for wine, tapas, and delectable entrees.

Also on our list, find The Pure & Proper, Neng Jr.'s, Plant, Tall John's, and more.

4 Paws Farewell (Trigger Warning: pet death)

Unfortunately, after Thanksgiving, we had to say goodbye to our sweet ZoomBa girl. She was an antique (and had a brain tumor, among other senior kitty health issues), outliving her original prognosis by 9 months.

Back when we lived in Florida, she was found struggling at the library where I worked. On my way to Zumba class, she jumped in my car and onto my lap. With no chip and no one looking for her, the rest is history. She was by far the sweetest kitty we've had, and a rarer female orange cat.

ZoomBa was one of our five cats. We have one remaining. All of our other seniors were emergency end-of-life visits, but with Zoomba, we were able to determine her time and schedule at-home euthanasia with 4 Paws Farewell. They provide quality of life consultations, veterinary hospice and palliative care services, and home euthanasia, up to 45 minutes from Downtown Asheville.

We had a kind veterinarian from their organization come out to the house, who checked in with ZoomBa's veterinarian beforehand. ZoomBa peacefully crossed the rainbow bridge in front of her bestie, Fireplace, surrounded by us.

These experiences are always hard (absolutely miserable), but if we can, we would 100% use their services again. They were professional - and you know I was bawling while making the appointment and before the vet even pulled into the driveway - fairly priced, and a calmer experience than the vet office.

Our 4 Paws vet, Dr. Erin, pressed Zooms 'lil beanies into a clay momento for us, and we picked up her ashes at our regular vet office. Dr. Erin sent us a card and asked if she could hug us on her way out.

If you ever need this service, I highly recommend them or looking into similar options. What compassion. 💕

2026 Uncorked Reading Challenge

If you've been with me for a while, you know I run a second online publication, The Uncorked Librarian (TUL). I host an annual reading challenge with quarterly bingo cards and a private Facebook community. You can read about the full challenge here.

It's a great way to get book recommendations from TUL's international community, and truly, it's meant to be fun, even if you only read a few books all year.

Quick Updates

We started the year with an overnight in Holly Springs for my Duke Health thyroid eye doctor appointment, finally making it to the famous The Blind Pelican seafood restaurant.

We ate excellent seafood and had a great time. While we didn't order their famous wild seafood cocktails, Tom enjoyed a more classic Old Fashioned. They can grill any fish dish, if you want healthy or GF (gluten-free) options.

I'm headed to Boston to check in with my IBD specialist. I started Rinvoq back in the fall, and it seems to be working fairly well. I'm finally off multiple steroids - that did indeed eat my hip bone and teeth...

My thyroid is getting a little hyper again, which is never fun, and Novant bought out my endocrinologist's office here in Asheville. It's been legit h*ll... Clinical and triage calls/portal messages go to die in a black hole. Hopefully, this improves soon. Healthcare is still my greatest disappointment here.

As someone living with multiple chronic illnesses, I recently compiled a list of books that have most changed my life, relationships, and overall outlook for the better.

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