We all get so busy, we sometimes forget what's most important. This last few days, I did something very important. On Thursday I and my 4 sisters and our moment in Park City, Ut for a little get together/retreat. We had rented a condo there to stay in. 5 of us were coming from Idaho, and one from Utah. On our way from Idaho we stopped at a supply store and picked up 6 quilt bats ( queen size) for my sister Doris, then we stopped at a very amazing scrapbook and quilt store. Picked up a few things and headed on down the road. Our next stop was the Wood Connection. Once again a few things were purchased and we were on our way again. We grabbed some lunch at Subway and hit interstate 80 to Park City. We arrived and our sister coming from Utah pulled up right behind us.
Now to backtrack and set the stage. Several months ago my oldest sister was diagnosed with cancer...too far advanced for a cure, only treatable to slow it a bit and to control the pain. The idea of having a sister and mom retreat started to hatch in my head. I mentioned it to a couple of my other sisters and to my mom. They agreed it could be a good idea, depending on Doris' health, etc. so I started looking at possible locations. I checked rentals in several places, and a friend suggested Park City. I started looking there and found a lot of condo options, and a lot of things to do, if we wanted. I asked everyone to let me know when they could make this happen. Doris finished her radiation treatments the end of June and I started to finalize plans. I booked the condo and sent everyone the info. My SIL couldn't make it and my sister, Leslie had a conflict for part of the time. I went forward with the retreat. We wanted to help Doris finish some of the projects she was doing...quilts, knitting things, crocheting, and other things she wanted to finish for her family. She was bringing things for us to do.
So we arrived at the condo mid afternoon, and I couldn't get the entry code to work on the garage door. I tried a number of times with no luck. So I tried the lock box on the front door. No luck, so I finally sent a text to the owner. She answered that her cleaning lady had a key and could come at 5. That was several hours so I kept trying the lock box and finally really pulled when I put in the code, and it popped open. So we got in and started to unload. The place smelled awful. We start looking around and there is a completely full to overflowing garbage can next to the frig. Then we open the frig and there is sour milk and slimy lettuce. By this time I am texting the owner, asking what's up. We go upstairs to the bedrooms and one bathroom has a pile of towels on the floor, and the bed is not clean and made. The owner is totally clueless to this situation and is very nice. The cleaning ladies show up and get things in order...after I have already taken out the garbage and my sisters have cleared the frig.
We then got busy starting our " work" of the weekend. Later we squeezed into the Yukon, fitting 6 in the seats instead of 5, and head out to get dinner to celebrate Leslie's birthday. We end up at Ruby Tuesdays because we couldn't find the Italian restaurant we were looking for. The food was excellent and the company was great. We went back to the condo and several of us decided a walk on the walking/ bike path was in order. On the walk we found Cold Stone Creamery. We went back to the condo, and then walked to Cold Stone to get our treat. About this time Leslie remembers that she has a third row of sets in her car, so we could have gone to dinner in it, and not had to sqish up so much. Pretty funny!!
By Friday we were running out of projects, so we found a Michaels store in our area and picked up the supplies we needed to work on the things we had all purchased at the scrapbook and wood stores. Leslie had to head home, so we said our goodbyes. We had had a great time so far and hated to see her go, but she had a prior commitment. So glad she was able to come for even part of the time.
Friday we worked away on projects. We also made a couple trips to Smiths to get groceries. Margene made wonderful smoothies for breakfast and I put an easy chicken dish in the crockpot. After lunch we picked up another " treat" from Cold Stone, and kept working. After supper we drove up to the Olympic Park to see things, but it was closed, so we headed back to the condo. Just as we pulled into the driveway, the car stopped dead. We popped our " treats" into the freezer, and tried to figure out what to do. Lois, the owner of the errant car, called her insurance agent, then roadside assistance for a tow truck. They took the car away. Now this is Friday night, around 8pm. We are wondering if we are going to be walking home on Saturday. Believe me prayers were going heavenward. Next morning Lois hears from the dealership where they had towed the car. 4jobs were in front of hers and they only have one technician working that day. We have breakfast and WAIT...working on all our projects. At around 11:45 she gets the call that the car is ready, so Lois and Margene head out walking (1.5 miles) to pick it up. They get it and return in time for some lunch. We quickly load up and head home...or so I think. Lois heads back to the Olympic Park. We spend a couple of hours there, taking a guided tour of the venues and seeing the museum. It was amazing. We got to see several skiers do ariel practice jumps, a few younger kids doing acrobatics on snowboards and skis into a large swimming pool. We saw some people go for a run in the bobsled and lots of folks doing the adventure course. Wow, it was impressive. Finally around 4 we hit the road back to Idaho. We got back to Brigham City, stopped for gas, and decided to finish off the trip by eating at Maddox. We just did the drive-in part, but it is fun and the food is great. We were all tired by the time we arrived back at Mom's to unload and pick up our things and head home.
But the most important part was not the things we did or even the things we accomplished, although those were good things. I feel that the best part was first off, that we all made the time to go and spend the time together. We enjoyed our talks and our working together. We reminisced some and laughed about events in the past - the long ago past. We talked about Doris' illness and the things she is working on and trying to get done before she isn't able to do them anymore. I hope we can do this again. My mom is 91 and she is hoping she doesn't live until 100, but you never know. It was such a good time, and I keep wondering why we haven't done this before now. I guess sometimes it takes something a little drastic to make us remember what is important and where we should be spending our time!! Thanks to all my sisters and Mom for a wonderful weekend. One more memory to add to our piles.
