The third time's the charm. (aka The Concert, round three.)

It’s a long and challenging road when you attempt to save your life.  You don’t recover overnight.  Truth be told - you spend most of your energy wrapping those you love in bandages, and so you tend to forget to treat your own wounds. 

But that’s what friends are for.  

And I’ve been so very very lucky to have amazing friends.

Last weekend my very best friend and I joined our daughters (who are also, coincidentally, best friends) for our annual mother/daughter/country concert weekend.  Only this year they reached out and invited Sassy, which was quite a relief as we spend at least 364 days a year hearing about how “she’s always left out”.  

Well, not anymore.

The original plan was for the three girls to attend the country concert, and for the mom/daughter weekend to be held at various wineries along the Finger Lakes in OREGON.  (Sure, I don’t actually drink WINE per se, but I was simply going to bring along my own beverage of choice.)

The girls bought tickets to the concert, and aside from the teeny, tiny problem of Sassy being in a wheelchair and somewhat immobile after ankle surgery, they were good to go.  That is, until the moms decided they simply had to go along.  (Okay, it was ONE mom in particular who then convinced this mom with various threats and bribery that we had no choice but to surprise them.)  And I am so glad she did.

We laughed as we drove four and half-hours to the beautiful hotel, making an emergency pitstop at the Coach outlet.  (We may or may not have been following the world’s biggest birdhouse that I’m still convinced was on its way to Sesame Street.)

We were lounging at the pool sipping some marvelous beverages when the girls found their way to the hotel.  It was conveniently located three blocks from the concert venue and provided a shuttle to said concert.  Yep, it was pretty much heavenly.

And so we spent hours enjoying the lovely pool, cold beverages and the sounds of three young women laugh and tell stories as if they hadn’t seen each other in years.  

We managed to pry ourselves from the pool in time to “pretty-up” before the concert.  We caught the shuttle, managed to squeeze the wheelchair on board and found ourselves at the venue in the blink of an eye.

This mom pushed her daughter through crowds and up hills until Sassy finally had to use the crutches to the location procured by Bitchy and Her Royal Highness.  Before you know it we were in the middle of hill on a lovely blanket and listening to the Zac Brown Band.  It was amazing.

However, the most amazing part of the night?  The part where Bitchy protected her sister’s ankle like a momma grizzly ready to rip out an attackers throat.  She pushed and shoved anyone even remotely close to knocking into her sister’s foot, and it culminated in her pushing a drunken “gentleman” three times her size to the ground while her sister looked on in astonishment.

And if I hadn’t seen it myself I never ever would have believed it.  


We left the concert with Sassy looking at Bitchy with completely new and amazing set of eyes. 

So, Sassy, when your mother tells you that in spite of all the fighting and screaming over the years, your sister really does love you?  You better believe she knows what she’s talking about.

 

boom.