Vegas Diaries 4

My sister Natalie and I were the only ones amongst us that had been to Las Vegas before. Calling it Las Vegas conjures up different images than the nickname ‘Vegas’ does. We showed our mom and sisters the Walt Disney Las Vegas as opposed to the CSI Vegas. The Las Vegas of Sammy Davis junior, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Not the Vegas of the ‘Hangover’ movie. We mostly stayed above ground and marveled at the magnificent manmade wonders and replicas of significant architecture and monuments from around the world. I mean, where else can you travel and take in the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the pyramids of Egypt, the canals and gondoliers of Venice and the flower gardens of Japan all in one stop?

And the Grand Canyon. Let’s not forget the Grand Canyon made by the creator of the universe. Nothing fake about that.

We enjoyed culinary delicacies from some of the best restaurants and chefs thanks to Natalie who entertains clients in Las Vegas frequently. We shopped at the coolest (I’m talking temperature) and most upscale shopping venues. Then there was the decadence of staying at a resort hotel as we gathered around the pool area each day for 3-4 hours. This is where memories were made.

Flowers out of a vending machine? Only in Vegas. 24 hour Starbucks? Only in Vegas. $18USD pool drinks? Only in Vegas. 37 degrees on May 5? Only in Vegas. Water dancing 460 feet in the air to music? Only in Vegas.

But what was, in actuality, more amazing than these was the fact that all four of Ruth’s daughters (and one granddaughter) converged upon this marvel of man to celebrate and honour a special woman. Our mother. One from New Zealand, two from Toronto and three from Calgary. I’m convinced that this was a once in a lifetime event. Each daughter/sister set aside their daily routine and responsibilities and wholeheartedly jumped at the opportunity to honour mom this way on her 85th birthday. Sacrifices of time and finance became secondary to the common goal. Little did we know that in meeting together in Las Vegas not only would we bless our mother but we would renew the sisterhood. (Not of the travelling pants because there is absolutely no way one pair of pants would have fit each of us). But rather, we had an opportunity to experience each other as we are now. We are different women than the girls we knew as we were growing up in our parents home. Life’s experiences have molded and shaped us in ways we could never have predicted and it was a joy to connect with the glamourous, sophisticated and resilient women my sisters have evolved into.

Viva the Sisterhood.