Note: Throwing back most of this post that somehow got deleted off FB to give you a sense of how I felt in real time. Hope you read until the end to see how I bring it up to now.
Fam, two weeks ago today, Sistah surprised me with an EPIC early 50th BDAY gift!
And when I say EPIC, I mean it in every sense of the word.
I told the girl to surprise me. And why the hell did I do that?! Because the only thing she told me was where we were going and what to pack.
I flew in from Pasadena, which is 863 miles above sea level. Sistah flew in from Detroit, which is 656 miles above sea level and the city of Phoenix is 1086 miles above sea level.
You’re probably wondering why a woman who struggles with math dyslexia is bringing up numbers, but it’ll add up later. Trust. (See what I did there? ☺️)
After driving about 2 1/2 hours from Phoenix, we arrived at the A Sunset Chateau B&B – Sedona, AZ.
The next morning, we woke up and Sistah promptly told me not to unpack, because we were moving on to our next stop on the journey!
And with a twinkle in her eye, she also told me layer up, because we were driving 29 minutes — 6,909 miles above sea level — to Flagstaff, Arizona.
#2. Yep, Fam! Sistah took me to the GRAND CANYON!
OK, it wasn’t just her. We actually met Jeanelle, our very own female Bear Grylls from Grand Canyon Adventures first. Then, she drove us another 90 minutes or so to the Grand Canyon Northern Rim, which lives at 8,297 miles above sea level.
Sidebar: Turns out miles and minutes operate in another “elevated” dimension in Arizona.
First of all, no road is EVER a straight line. And if google maps or whatsomever navigation app you use tells you your destination is 29 minutes away — Like ours did — Trust and believe, it won’t take you 30 minutes to get there, but 60-75 minutes.
Now, back to our story…
Layered up and armed with our hiking sticks. I was so excited!
Interesting factoid: Only 5% of visitors to the Grand Canyon actually hike inside of it. And me and Sistah couldn’t wait to be a part of that elite number!
I also learned the moment I stepped out of the van why Sistah told me to layer up my clothes. It was about 40 degrees at the Canyon!
I normally am snapping pictures all of the time, but this experience was so special, Jeanelle offered to be our personal paparazi, so we could soak everything in.
Fam, seeing all this majesticness that was here before me and will be here long after I’m gone really put my life in perspective.
With each careful step I took, I felt small, but in ALL CAPS. If that makes sense.
And Sistah and I smiled the whole way down.
I also noticed something as I was pulling all of our pictures together… Whenever we stopped to pose for pictures, I always stood on the outside.
Ever since Sistah was born, momma drilled into my head that I had to take care of her. And I’ve done everything in my power to do just that.
But over the years – I’m still a work-in-progress on this – I’ve been learning that Sistah isn’t a little girl anymore. She’s a strong, empathetic, dependable woman I can lean on, who knows how to keep a secret. 😄 And this trip was her love letter to me.
She planned every surprise was intentionally just for me to show me how much she sees me.
And Sistah, I thank you for always having my back. Even when I treated you like this….
Love you beyond and thank you for always blessing me!
Happy Tuesday.
monice mitchell simms 