Park City Weekend

That happy-sad feeling is looming over me after such a wonderful weekend away with three of my best friends of 27+ years in Park City, Utah. It’s a feeling of joy mixed with the post-travel blues that always seem to surface after our trips together that I can only attribute to wishing we had more time together and lived closer to each other.

Carrie, Leah, Michaela and I grew up together in Palatine, Illinois and never miss a beat when we reconnect on our annual girls’ getaway weekends. The three days we had together in Park City were good for our friendship and our souls.

The four of us live all over the United States (Colorado, Washington, Illinois and North Carolina) and decided a trip to Park City would be ideal because it’s a beautiful place and was also the destination of Carrie’s wedding almost exactly one year ago. I was incredibly sad to have to miss her wedding (I was very pregnant with Ryder at the time and my doctor advised against it) and so I could not wait to see the distillery where Carrie and Aaron exchanged vows and also spend quality time with my best friends.

We managed to coordinate flights that arrived in Salt Lake City around 10 a.m. on Friday morning and left around 5 p.m. on Sunday which gave us nearly three full days together. I triple crossed my fingers that our travel plans would not include any delays or cancellations we all lucked out and arrived in Utah without a hitch! We met up at the airport before getting an Uber to the VRBO condo we rented on Main Street for the weekend. Michaela found the perfect place for our crew and we could easily walk to lots of different restaurants and shops from our condo.

Once we arrived, we wasted no time throwing our suitcases down and heading back out for lunch at The Bridge. We were able to grab seats outside and enjoy the sun on the patio which was a treat since the following day was actually quite chilly! Once we were all full, we spent a fair share of the afternoon sipping drinks at High West and talking a mile a minute before exploring Park City a bit and grabbing food and wine to bring back to our condo.

We spent the rest of Friday night catching up in our pajamas and my heart was so, so happy. I missed these girls so much!!

(Gotta love matching pajamas!!)

Saturday + Sunday

Saturday was our non-stop day and it was a blast! We kicked off the day with brunch at Harvest, a charming restaurant with great coffee and lots of delicious food options including açaí bowls, fresh juices and more. I opted for a latte and the Mediterranean plate which included an assortment of cheeses, thick-cut toast, a poached egg and vegetables.

We took our time eating breakfast before walking to Aura for massages. I was more than pumped for my first massage in over a year and it was phenomenal. I did my best to focus on how amazing the massage felt and keep my mind present and it made the 60 minutes I had on the massage table all the better. Heaven!

After our time at Aura, we wandered down Main Street and popped in and out of the shops. Since none of us ever really take the time to browse and shop these days, it felt like a luxury to spend time in little boutiques. I ended up buying something for Ryan for Father’s Day as well as two bralettes and a pair of aviator sunglasses.

Our afternoon plans took us up to High West Distillery, the location of Carrie’s wedding, for a distillery tour.

We wore goofy glasses and learned all about how High West makes their whiskey before sipping on a whiskey flight and enjoying the gorgeous mountain views.

By the time we made it back to Park City, we were all hungry and found our way to Riverhorse for appetizers and drinks before dinner.

I don’t think there was one lull in conversation during our weekend together and thing I appreciate so much about our friendship is how our conversations are often hysterical and upbeat but never shy away from the hard stuff, too. We’ve all seen each other through a lot and as I grow older, I find myself recognizing with greater gratitude what an incredible blessing it is to have lifelong friendships with women who truly know you, love you, support you, cry with you, laugh with you and want the very best for you no matter what. The support and love we all get from each other is truly one of the greatest gifts of my life.

We rounded out our Saturday night with a late dinner at Grappa before heading back to our condo to change into our pajamas and talk until our eyes could no longer stay open.

We all managed to sleep in on Sunday which was beyond wonderful and then checked out of our condo before exploring Park Silly Market, a large market and street festival that takes place on Main Street in Park City in the summer months.

It was fun to explore the market before and after brunch and we meandered along Main Street for most of the day until it was time for us  to head to the airport to catch our flights back home.

I arrived back in Charlotte close to midnight so I’m dragging a little bit this morning but I’m hoping my coffee kicks in soon. This week will be a good one but rather busy, as I’m taking the boys to Raleigh to see my aunt for two days and then I have a blog trip at the end of the week. All good stuff but it makes for a bit of a hectic week as well! I hope to check in when I have the chance and wish you all a wonderful week ahead. As always, thanks for making PBF a part of your day today!