This past weekend I was out in a secluded(ish) cabin for my Bachelorette Party and TODAY is my Birthday!!!
For the Bachelorette weekend, it was really important to me for us to be able to get out of town - in a cabin, or camping - somewhere near the most beautiful landscape, away from the city and from cell service. A true getaway.
A friend graciously allowed us to use his cabin near a GEM of a location.
For me, mountains and water and forests are my favourite places. It feels good for my soul.
I was lucky enough to have some incredible friends organize it and be there and help me through the entire weekend.
The day before the weekend, I had a scary throat swell that required immediate emergency treatment. It was the FASTEST I have ever been taken back to get treatment. That is a great thing - but it also means how serious it can get.
From a normal dental appointment.
BUT
After an IV infusion of my blood product, the following couple days I feel incredible.
Thursday night was very worrisome, but it made the weekend even more enjoyable.
Then, we drove down to this cabin. It is about two hours away, so we had lots of help to load, and we switched the driver throughout the weekend.
Unfortunately for me, there was a stretch of over an hour with NO BATHROOM IN SIGHT! So as I was driving, Sarah was very literally counting down the minutes to a washroom. I was SO lucky that I did not have to go in the ditch. I saw guy after guy after guy pulling over to pee by a post, or a tree, or the car and I was so envious!
The outhouse we stopped at when we finally found one was a Beacon of Relief!!
And then we got to the cabin... and the water... and the seclusion... and where my phone had service only if I stood in a certain spot with my arms up.
We got to see wildlife, we hung out by a waterfall, I had major help from the girls to get down some stairs to see the falls and the fishermen. It took me a long time and I definitely could not go down thoe stairs the next day with everyone, but it was so good just for ME.
Then we played Scrabble and Scattergories and Charades and card games. We made extra rules and laughed the entire weekend.
While I am just starting to recover from Saturday, it was so worth it.
It reminds me that it is worth it, now and then, to plan something totally fun and trust that other people are willing to help.
The fun and laughs that we had eclipsed the overnight accidents, the vomiting, the pain, the aches, the exhaustion, the required extra medication, and any other fallouts I may still have.
It was such an incredible weekend with some of my favourite people and I am grateful for everyone who made me feel special - whether they were able to join us or had to stay back.
I felt loved and happy and it all reminded me that I have a GREAT life full of the most wonderful people, and that somehow, my illnesses (which are a HUGE part of my life) can seem like a minor part.
I cannot wait for our wedding day. I think it will be full of laughs and excitement and love and struggle and stress and relaxation and in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It will be perfect.
