Sun Valley

This coming week is Governor's Cup. Scott and I started going to this 7 years ago, and have attended almost every summer since. While Dirk Kempthorne was governor, it was always held in Sun Valley. With Butch Otter as governor, he decided to switch off between Coeur d'Alene and Sun Valley. So last year we flew up to Coeur d'Alene and had a fabulous time. This year it's back in Sun Valley. For those not familiar with Governor's Cup, it's a scholarship program for Idaho students attending Idaho colleges. They charge you $1500 a person to attend this weekend of activities, and use the money to award scholarships. It's outrageously expensive, but Scott's work foots the bill and sends us for free. And it's an amazing three days of golfing for Scott, social activities for me (hiking, Hemingway tour, etc.), gift bags to die for, fancy catered dinners, a concert, mingling with important government people, and beautiful surroundings. It's the trip I look forward to the most all year.

At the beginning of this summer, Scott attended a conference in Chicago, where he heard a man named Dr. Steve Gundry speak. He came home from the conference, bought Dr. Gundry's book called Diet Evolution, and convinced me to try his diet. I decided I would go for it. I would stick to it for three months, try and lose 30 pounds, and have this Sun Valley trip be my motivation. I wanted to look good for Sun Valley. And I did it. I've lost 30 pounds! I think that's pretty amazing. And now none of my clothes fit. So I went shopping and bought new clothes--cute, size 10 clothes. Size 10! After giving birth to 6 kids--I've never been a size 10 in all of my married life. Again, I think that's pretty amazing. So, I went and bought cute new clothes that fit and I couldn't wait to wear them in Sun Valley, where I could actually dress up and not be covered in spit-up within 5 minutes.

The timing of the trip was going to be a bit of a strain, because it falls over Sara's 7th birthday, and we were going to miss Josh's first flag football game. But, we had arranged months ago for my parents to come and stay with our kids. I figured that having Grandma and Grandpa here would almost make up for not having Mom and Dad here for those events.

And so everything was set. I started cleaning the house getting ready to turn it over to my parents for 4 days, and started mentally picking out which outfit I'd wear on which day. And then....

My mom called Saturday night. My Grandma Sorensen had been taken to the hospital because she was looking yellow. Her kidney and liver levels were off. They thought it was a kidney infection, but upon further testing, they found a tumor. They said she had two weeks. My mom said the doctor wanted to meet with all her children on Sunday, and then they would know more.

My parents called again last night. They had been at the hospital all day. The doctor had decided the best thing was to just not treat my Grandma for the tumor, but just make her comfortable with pain medication. The tumor is pressing on her liver, making the bile back-up, essentially poisoning her. They are sending her home to the Willows (the assisted living center where she has been living the last few years, and considers home). They don't expect her to make it through this week.

And so, without my parents here to watch our kids, I can't go to Sun Valley. I feel for my parents and what they will have to go through over the next few days, watching my grandma slip away. And it seems like such a selfish thing for me to even care that I have to miss this trip. But, I do. Scott will get to go and enjoy this fantastic weekend without me. And while he's having such a great time, I will be home, once again, doing the single mom thing. It just makes me sad.