This is the final leg of my holiday trip. I realized how very lucky I am not only to have a family to visit but to have a family. I grew up with most of my cousins and am still close to them. They would all do anything for me. Even though we don’t live in the same states, we make time to connect. I connected with Melissa and TJ, who live in NC, on this final leg. This is a state we have considered moving to, eventually. We need to find the right cute little town that is welcoming and feels like home, minus the snow.Â
What was fun about this trip was our avoiding the snowstorm stopover. The bonus is that Melissa and TJ are expecting their first baby. So of course we went shopping. Looking at baby clothes is so much fun. It is like looking at new furniture. You anticipate what is to come and labor over colors. They are having a little bundle of sunshine and joy! A girl! This makes it even more fun because I can share my shopping expertise with little one. I can also share with her the importance of cousins. They come in all shapes and sizes, but most importantly, they become your friend.
As many of you know, Melissa and I have always been close. I know I have said it before, but it is worth repeating: she has the kindest soul and caring spirit of anyone I know. She met us at our hotel even though we arrived later than expected. We ate dinner at a favorite Mellow Mushroom that we had discovered on a previous trip to Wilmington. She brought with her presents from Maryland. I wish Mom would have recorded my reaction to Costco's extra unique indoor smores maker, but she didn’t. Needless to say, the people in the room next to us must have thought I was being hurt somehow. It is the coolest thing. It is electric and toasts marshmallows perfectly at your kitchen table. Â
While we were checking out our room, Melissa found a ladybug. The poor thing had a hair wrapped around its wing. Melissa carefully untangled the hair and Google searched what ladybugs eat. We made a little house and moved it away from the cold window. Since we were fresh out of aphids, Mom put a Bucee-nugget from Buc-ee's and some apple sauce on a coffee stirrer and left it next to the ladybug. We hoped that this would give our lucky charm something wet and sweet. We set off to go shopping. We visited all our favorite stores: TJ Maxx, Home Goods, and Target. We had lunch at McDonalds and got Happy Meals. Not your kid's Happy Meals but the special edition adult Happy Meals. This limited edition Kerwin Frost box had collectible nuggets in it. TJ loves the little nuggets, but I don’t remember which one it was. I don’t know why McDonalds doesn’t do this all the time.
For dinner, we ventured to a new place Vpizza. I must say the pizza was delicious. A funny thing happened. There was a table across from us with what turned out to be a mother and son; at least, that's what I think. The woman got up and sprinkled cheese on the son's dinner. She was doting on him the entire meal. It was a little weird and lovely all the same. We all figured he was a momma's boy, and it was nice that he was spending time with his momma. We got two pies, one spicy for TJ and me and one not for the lightweights (Mom and Melissa).
Then, we headed back to the hotel.
We were excited to show TJ the little house we had built for the ladybug. When we returned to the hotel and opened the door, we noticed the maids had cleaned the room. Our little house with the ladybug gone! We shuttered to think that the poor ladybug had been squished and instead chose to believe she had escaped our room unscathed. How often have you gotten to make a house for a ladybug in your hotel room? Our time in NC was over, and the snowstorm up north had finished, so we needed to head home. The storm was not nearly as bad as we expected, and I finally stopped to see Aunt Candi. We tried returning to the Snickerdoodles Bakery, but it was closed, so we ate at the  J&P Restaurant. Nothing special except that I got more presents! The after-Christmas sale presents. I cannot wait to add the two new additions to our blowups! A blowup polar bear nutcracker and a poinsettia. I can’t wait for Christmas to come! Only 310 days, but who's counting?
All in all, I love that I can travel. I am lucky to have a van equipped to take me anywhere. I appreciate that my family is scattered, so I can occasionally stop and see them. I wish we had more time to see each other, but enjoy the adventures all the same. Who would have thought that by avoiding a snowstorm, I would build a house for a ladybug, eat an adult happy meal, and start a countdown to Christmas 2024?
Thank you for reading until the end!
This is the view from my wheelchair, where miracles can make a difference. Always Strive for the Impossible. Come back next week as I embark on a new journey into adulthood, WORK, and hear more about my experiences and The View From My Wheelchair.