Last time, I wrote that we planned to go to a bed and breakfast to avoid being home and just feeling the pain of Alli's angelversary. Last year, going to Craters of the Moon offered the perfect balance of get-out-of-the-house-with-the-family-and-stay-busy and time to mourn. We ended the day looking through her baby book. It was perfect.
This year's trip to a lovely bed and breakfast was nice. What with life happening, we didn't get there until late, and my acid reflux had me throwing up everything I tried to eat, my chest burning until I did. But waking in an old farmhouse to crepes was lovely, especially when the turkey and ducks serenaded us, the cat and dog came for a visit, and the owner made us fabulous fruit crepes and orange juice. I highly recommend the Woodland Farmhouse Inn in Kamas if someone is in that neck of the woods.
Sadly, the experience of eating anything was marred by my acid reflux bout. And we only made it one mile of the mile-and-a-half, steep Timpanogas hike before my acid reflux and my girl's budding heat stroke forced us to turn back. We were so busy rushing there, rushing up the hill, and rushing to meet my nephews and niece for dessert, and taking care to eat non-greasy foods to even spare a thought for the meaning of the day, for mourning. It was great to see family members I don't get to see often, however. We collapsed in bed that night only to wake up to utter exhaustion and grief to double up and strike us hard the next day. We got little done because we were still reeling from a less-than relaxing and fulfilling trip.
I can't say I regret the trip. But I can say I think we'll need to plan a bit better next year. It's nice to escape, but one can't escape entirely from the grief monster. If you hold it off, it will get you in the end. Escape if you can, but plan time to mourn.
