High on a Mountain Top

I spent last weekend at a family reunion in Park City. It was fun, but they just don't have enough air there. I'm used to living at sea level, so when I got to the resort, it was a challenge just to lug my suitcase up two flights of stairs to my room. I checked the GPS, and it said the elevation was 7200 feet.

Day 1: Thursday (Bay Area, CA)- I started out by packing in the morning, and then I attended a high school graduation for a family friend in San Jose. It ended at 6:30, and I had to make it to San Francisco to catch an 8:45 flight. Through some miracle, I made it to the BART station with 5 minutes to spare. I texted my roommate to let her know where my car was so she could pick it up that evening, thus saving me from having to pay for parking. (It worked out great for her, too. She doesn't have a car, so I let her use it for the weekend.) I got to the airport and breezed through security, but my sandals broke. (They were old anyway.)
I grabbed a hot cocoa from Peet's and headed to my gate. My flight was listed as being 15 minutes delayed, so I fired up my laptop and checked my e-mail and read the news. I called my dad, who was going to pick me up at the airport in Salt Lake, and let him know that I would be late.
It came time to board the plane. I had all of my stuff in one of those rolling backpacks that's smaller than a suitcase, but bigger than a standard backpack. We were flying on one of those tiny planes, and my bag wouldn't fit in the overhead compartment. Fortunately, it did fit under my seat. We headed out. Due to cost cutting or something, they didn't even serve pretzels or peanuts- just beverages. By the time I landed in Salt Lake, I was quite hungry. I bought a bag of trail mix from the gift shop and headed to find my dad. We met up and went to Park City. We got in at 1:30 am and I promptly went to bed.

Day 2: Friday (Park City, UT)- I was the last person to arrive. Everyone else had been there all week. I was also the only person who had flown instead of driving. Most of the relatives are in the Salt Lake area, and my parents and sister live in San Jose. When I got up in the morning, I was mobbed by hugs from my cousins (ranging in age from 5 to 17), and we all decided to ride the alpine slide. I had never been on an alpine slide, and the way they described it, I was expecting something resembling a roller coaster. It wasn't until I was on my way up the ski lift that I saw what it really was. (Imagine a bobsled going down concrete instead of snow.) I got a bit scared, which amused the kids. I rode down the slide, and it was fun.
The afternoon was a bit of a lazy day, and in the evening, we had the actual reunion itself. We had a dinner and a program. There were about 30 people present, and it was fun. The only awkward part is that the adults don't fully accept me as one of them because I'm single and in a different generation than they are, despite only being 5 years younger than some of them. The kids don't fully accept me as one of them because I'm an adult. So, my 23 year old sister and I hung out together a lot.

Day 3: Saturday (Kaysville, UT)- My parents and sister piled into the minivan and headed back home. I went back to Kaysville with my grandparents because I had decided to stay an extra day. My grandmother took me with her for grocery shopping and errands, and then we hung out and played board games until we were so tired that we needed to get some sleep. It was fun. My parents called in the evening to let us know that they had arrived safely (and in record time- 12 hours).

Day 4: Sunday (Kaysville, UT)- My dad called in the morning to wish his dad (my grandfather) a happy Father's Day. This relieved me of needing to call him because I just talked to him when he was done. I got ready for church and headed with my grandparents to attend their ward. I was wearing a nice pantsuit, and nobody said a word about it. Their ward consists almost entirely of elderly couples who live on the same block as my grandparents. I felt a bit out of place, being one of the few people under 50 in attendance. It happened to be ward conference, and the way their stake does it, there is a 2 hour sacrament meeting followed by a combined priesthood/relief society meeting. The speakers ran over, so the congregational hymn was cut. I must confess to tuning many of the talks out because my attention span just isn't that long.
After church, I packed and then went to my aunt's house in Fruit Heights. I visited with her for an hour or so before my grandmother took me to the airport. I once again breezed through security and headed to my gate. I got lucky this trip- I usually get harassed by security whenever I fly. (I blame the red hair. Makes me stand out.) The flight home was uneventful, and we actually got snack service. My dad picked me up at the airport and dropped me off at my apartment. (I told him I could just take BART home, but he wouldn't hear of it.)
When I got home, my cat came running out to greet me, and then I went straight to bed.

It was great to get away for the weekend, and it went better than I was expecting. I was planning for a family feud because my sister doesn't get along with my uncle's wife. However, they were both on their best behavior, and I didn't have to avert any battles. Even with the thin air, the mountains were beautiful. I felt the peace I feel in nature, but that tends to elude me in daily life. I think it's because sometimes I fail to stop and just enjoy the beauty that is all around me.