Wren's Corner Blog #1

Wren’s Corner — Session 1

This week I have three scheduled doctor’s appointments. One with my therapist. One with my primary doctor. One with my hematologist for my last round of iron infusions.

This past week, I HAD three appointments.

I rescheduled three.

Self-preservation was my reasoning.

The week before, we went on vacation to see my in-laws. We traveled to Michigan by way of carrito. We drove the whole 24-hour trip.

BUT that meant we could stop at all the attractions along the way, and lemme tell ya—there were some awesome attractions!

First off, we went to Dealey Plaza in Dallas to visit the place where President Kennedy lost his life all those years ago. We saw where the man who captured the famous footage stood recording that fateful day and the X that marks the location of President Kennedy’s limousine when he was shot.

We met John, a kind elderly man who was in the plaza helping educate visitors. He carried his cane and a black satchel filled with commemorative newspapers telling of that day in history. The moment he saw us, you could see the excitement in his eyes.

Now, typically, I’m not much for public socializing, but something in my mind that day said, Spend some time listening to this man.

And I am so glad I did.

When I returned his salutations, he immediately dropped his cane, handed his satchel to my youngest, opened a newspaper, and started his lesson.

He walked with us, giving oral historical accounts of every spot of importance in the area. At the end of his speech, he asked for donations, for which we’d receive a paper in return. We made a donation, and then he took photos with us and took pictures of our family, arranging us in the best locations for background appeal.

At that moment, I knew this vacation was going to be something special.

Then we made our way to the Texarkana state line and took the obligatory “Two States, One Time” photo.

By then we were beat, but we made it to our stop in Little Rock, Arkansas, and in the morning pressed on to St. Louis, Missouri.

Now, if you ever have the chance to visit St. Louis, do it!

And that says a lot coming from me.

See, I have had a love-hate relationship with St. Louis. Six years ago, I got lost downtown, and anyone who has traveled down there knows it is a maze of curved roads, one-way streets, and PEOPLE.

I swore never to return.

Then, while researching for our trip, I discovered they have a free zoo and free museums. We chose to go to the zoo.

It was beautiful.

The walkways were wide and clean, lined beautifully with foliage and cute Halloween decor. The animals were healthy, happy, and interactive, which was nice since it was rather hot. I expected them to be hiding in their lodging.

I, of course, rented a scooter. My body wouldn’t have withstood that amount of walking.

The scooter was so comfortable, had storage, and was affordable at only $38.

Turned on a dime, that scooter did.

I was definitely having to practice some self-control because, for the first time, I was the fastest “walker” in our group that day.

After our walk through the zoo, we piled into our truck and headed out of town to beat the coming storms. We made it all the way to Dayton, Ohio, putting us in a good position for the following morning’s drive.

Arriving in Michigan was so much fun. We hadn’t seen our family since 2020. We arrived late in the morning and spent our time catching up with everyone before finally making it to our home away from home late that evening.

The greatest thing to happen during our time with family—aside from seeing our great/grandparents, FIL, SIS, and BIL—was helping my BFF/SIL pick out her wedding gown.

She asked me to be her matron of honor and my girls to be bridesmaids.

I cried!

The whole experience was amazingly sweet and memorable.

The rest of the trip was spent bonding over shopping, movies, meals, and laughs. It was beyond difficult when it came time to leave.

On our return trip, we had a few stops planned, but we hit the pause button on some of them and focused on the National Museum of the United States Air Force and the MLK Jr. memorial at the Lorraine Motel.

We were ready to go home.

We arrived home a day later in the early afternoon, and we all basically crashed.

The following week was inundated with laundry, unpacking, and trying to get back into the swing of things.

Which explains why the full week after that, I wanted to just stay home.

My body had been through it.

I’d spent roughly 48 hours in the passenger seat of that truck over the course of our travels. By the end of the trip, my ankles were swelling daily to the point that I could barely walk. My back ached terribly. I was nauseous with pain.

God had to have been with us, though, because somehow my suffering took a back seat to all the festivities. And the week spent resting afterward helped immensely.

I couldn’t be more thankful for the blessing of that trip.

The memories. The photos. The laughter. And, most importantly, recharging the bonds we hold with our Michigan family.

It was just perfect.

And now?

The weather is cooling, and sweater weather is upon us in Texas.

FINALLY!

My young barista, Inky, will be loading us up with festive coffee recipes, the blankets will actually be of use, and the decorations will come out of hiding.

Get ready, my fellow cold-weather baddies.

Our time is upon us.

Let’s rise and cuddle—independently, of course—to the cold-front showers and early-morning brrrrrs.

Thanks for attending Wren’s Corner, Session #1.

Until next time. 🤎