My daughter and I sharing a dodgy hotel room, a kebab feast and a plastic glass of red wine (for me) filled to the very brim – it all made for a weekend away with my girl that was full of unexpected joy.
My 15-year-old daughter and I hit the highway for Maryborough for two days as she competed with her dance school in half-a-dozen routines.
The theatre was electric and I had the very best of times in the ultimate girls’ weekend away.
There are not many things I love more than watching my girl dance. To me, she is the most beautiful and graceful creature I have ever laid eyes on – especially when I see her in a ballet ‘pancake’ tutu with her make-up done and her hair slicked back in a bun and spinning on her pointe shoes.
When I watch her dance, I often just start to cry. It is an overload of the senses. I cannot help but wonder where the years went.
It feels like it was just yesterday that Avalon was a three-year-old playing with stuffed toys and holding pretend tea parties.
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Maryborough was a delight. The Brolga Theatre turned on the country hospitality and the pours of the red wines for the mums were some of the biggest of my life (perhaps the reason I was crying while watching Avalon and her friends on stage).
We ate chicken kebabs at 10pm in our little motel room that was straight from the 1980s. We loved it.
We put on our winter pyjamas and a face mask each and watched one of my favourite movies: Pretty Woman. It still makes me laugh, 36 years after being released.
And then on the Sunday morning, we took a drive to Hervey Bay and I fell in love with the buzzing seaside strip.
We drank orange juices and ate fried tofu and mushrooms (only on sourdough as we were trying to join the beautiful people) and sat on beanbags.
The coolest chill music was playing. And just when life could not get any sweeter, a whale breached just in from the horizon and we could see it clear as day.
I would be happy for time to freeze as I think I am in the sweet spot with my girl. Avalon is young enough to still be home every night and fun enough to watch TV and listen to music with.
I don’t know what I ever did to get this girl as my daughter but I thank my lucky stars I did. Sometimes the ordinary is extraordinary in life.
Sami Muirhead is a radio announcer, blogger and commentator, wife and mum of three.
