My house is full of people. My sister K and her friend A are here, visiting from Canada. Also, my daughter M and her husband are here from Missouri, and my other daughter L and her husband are coming tonight. We’ve had lot of fun this past week. Meals have lasted longer because everyone is talking — sharing ideas, stories, and jokes. Just this morning we were discussing why it is that you go to a place you’ve never been before, and you get this overwhelming feeling that you’ve been there before, or why you meet someone for the first time, and it’s as if you’ve always known them. (I feel this way about A. She is a choice person.)
We’ve done a lot of sightseeing (A has never been to Utah before) as well as shopping (which is not my favorite thing unless it happens to be a book store — so I was very happy when we stopped in at the local thrift store and they had a huge selection of books.) Shopping together makes it tolerable… okay, I admit it, even fun. With more girls in the house, I can overrule the shoot-em-up movies that I’m usually stuck with. One night we girls watched a chick flick together and cried. It was wonderful.
What with swimming every day and taking the dog for long walks in the cool of the evening, I am feeling very healthy right now (I’m not admitting to all those trips to In N Out Burger or the times we snuck out for ice cream.) Yesterday morning we climbed Ensign Peak. It was an ‘easy hike’, and it wasn’t too hot, which was a good thing, because I was in flip-flops, and we’d brought one hat, one small bottle of water, and a few bottles of carbonated flavored water between us. Although it was hard for my sister to get to the top, she is one determined woman, and she made it — which just goes to show what willpower and encouragement from loved ones can do. The incredible view was worth the climb.
After that, we girls picked up one of my friends, and we went out for lunch. (The guys had their own lunch plans.) Then we were off to the salon to get our nails done. Today there will be more sightseeing and swimming, and tonight we plan to have a sing-along with guitars, along with some games and a lot of talking. One of the lovely things about your kids growing up is that you become friends. I treasure these times with family and friends, and I will sorely miss them when they leave.
Carol Nicolas 