As I write this post, it’s February of 2025. So these memories from a year ago are definitely foggy. Let’s see what I can remember:
Christmas 2023 was a tough one because I was in a lot of pain. Chris took these photos (the only ones we took with my camera) because I was really struggling with mobility at the time. (I would have tucked Trevor’s shirt, had it been me!) Tru is wearing old clothes too, I didn’t do any “extras” such as buying him a holiday outfit. Chris worked tirelessly to buy and wrap presents and decorate the house, though, mostly on his own. I’m grateful for how hard Chris worked to keep the household running during this time when I was struggling with mobility and depression.
We had planned a family trip to Disney World in December and I ended up not going. I couldn’t imagine sitting for three hours on the plane (my knees would throb and ache after 20 minutes of sitting), let alone walking for miles at the theme parks. So it was just Calvin and I at the house for a week. I’d have to ask Trevor and Chris for their memories of that trip, but I know for sure that Trevor had the time of his life because he loves roller coasters and amusement parks more than anything!
I remember that Trevor had the brilliant idea to leave hot chocolate instead of milk for Santa (to warm him up). He had so much fun decorating cookies and a gingerbread house. He wrote a letter to Santa asking for a life-sized roller coaster to be installed in the backyard (more on that later)! He got a zoom call from Santa a few days before Christmas, and that’s a strong memory for him (Trevor doesn’t have a lot of memories). I do remember him telling me that he wished on a star that I could be better for Christmas.
Chris organized a family trip to Stowe to see the total solar eclipse in early April of 2024. We hit a lot of roadblocks on that trip. It was the first trip I took after my injuries, and my ankle and knees were still in a fair amount of pain. So I was very cautious and wasn’t able to do anything that required a lot of walking. Chris only snapped this one photo from our entire trip, so that demonstrates how much I was still in survival mode!
In addition, Trevor had a cough that would become very bad when he laid down at night. Staying in a hotel room without a humidifier made it worse. He would get nightly coughing attacks where he couldn’t catch his breath and I’d become terrified that we might need to take him to the emergency room. Chris ended up sleeping with Trevor each night of the trip, helping him to sit up and drink water when he started coughing.
Despite all the obstacles, we were able to watch the total eclipse on the top of Mount Mansfield and it was breathtaking. We all had our arms around each other as we watched the entire town plunge into darkness in the middle of the day! I can still remember the little halo of light around the sun.
By late spring of 2024, things were starting to look up for me. I can still remember putting on my compression socks before going to the tulip fields and feeling proud to be able to sit down on the ground for some photos!
It’s hard for me to recall a lot of memories from second grade. I know that Trevor loved to play on the playground after school and would often be the last one standing. Sometimes we’d be heading home at 4pm, an hour after he got out of school. So he hated when I had to sign him up for the car line instead (due to my injuries and struggle to walk). He did a school music show in the spring that was adorable. The whole gym was decorated like the Amazon Rainforest with amazing artwork- truly incredible! He played the part of a comedian and delivered his jokes loud and clear.
Hmmm what else? He did an incredible job when he did his Mystery History project – he chose Walt Disney. His mustache looked a little like Hitler (!) but he was adorable. He’s great at doing public speaking. Trevor wanted to be a minion for Halloween, also adorable.
The Celtics had an amazing season and Chris and Trevor were there to witness the NBA Finals Championship! For one of the final games, Chris and Trevor had seats on the court and were able to get Tru’s Celtics jersey signed by Jayson Tatum! I went to one of the games as well, which was one of my first big outings following my injuries.
Trevor, by the way, still loves basketball. He joined an elite travel team and lost confidence because there were so many talented (and older) kids on his team. But he absolutely loved it anyway, despite the fact he only got a few minutes of playing time during games. It was tough for me to watch since the coach and parents were so intense, but ultimately I decided that if Trevor loved it, I would support him. He really stood out as one of the most talented kids on the team with his local Y basketball team though. He can dribble the ball down the court by himself and often scores.
In addition to basketball, he also played soccer, hockey, and baseball. Plus golf, his favorite.
Trevor chose to have a basketball-themed party for his eight birthday. We rented a local court and the kids had fun shooting hoops. Then we served pizza and cupcakes. Afterward he had his very first sleepover with his friend Cam from his hockey team. Tru had begged and begged for that sleepover and was so excited to stay up late playing! Unfortunately, Cam was exhausted from the party and must have fallen asleep by 9pm!
We took another trip in early June 2024. This one was a mix of both challenges and many sweet, special moments. There’s a lot to explain here, so I’ll dive in:
When Trevor requested a life-size roller coaster in his backyard in his letter to Santa, he fully believed that with Santa’s Christmas magic, anything was possible. How much I wanted his dream to come true—for all things to remain possible for him! So, he received the next-best thing I could imagine: tickets to an incredible theme park with plenty of big roller coasters! That theme park was Hershey Park, and Chris and I figured we could drive there in early summer.
To break up the drive, we decided to spend a night in New York City. Trevor had been begging to see New York, so this was the perfect opportunity. As a teenager, I used to dream of living in NYC one day, but as I’ve grown older, I crave space, quiet, and peace. These days, big cities overwhelm me. Plus, I still wasn’t able to walk long distances, so I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the NYC portion of the trip.
However, we all ended up loving our 24 hours in NYC! We explored the Metropolitan Museum, and I had so much fun introducing Trevor to some very famous artists, like Monet and Degas. We found an electric-bike-drawn carriage ride and rode it all around Central Park. I loved it—it was a sunny, beautiful day, and we got to see some of the park’s most scenic spots. We had dinner at a wonderful restaurant, La Grande Boucherie, which was both stunning and delicious. We also took Trevor to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where I remember taking his hand and telling him to look “up, up, up” to take in the grandeur of the interior. He was excited to light a candle and say a prayer at the entrance.
We loved our hotel, The Towers at Lotte New York Palace, which was surprisingly quiet and spacious for NYC, with sweeping sunset views over the city. I had so much fun filming that sunset with my phone—it sparked a little creativity in me for the first time in ages. Before heading to Hershey, we visited One World Trade Center because Trevor was eager to see the Statue of Liberty. I was deeply moved by the building—it brought me to tears to see how the city came together and rebuilt, stronger than ever.
Trevor was amazing on the drive to Hershey Park. He’s a great traveler! He was bouncing with excitement when we arrived, talking nonstop to anyone who would listen. I wasn’t particularly looking forward to Hershey, but our hotel ended up exceeding my expectations. In fact, it became one of my top 10 favorite hotels. We stayed at The Villas at Hotel Hershey, in two connecting villas. They felt brand new, incredibly spacious, and extremely quiet, surrounded by a private yard and woods beyond. We even had two bathrooms, so I had my own—true luxury in my book!
Beyond the villas, Hotel Hershey was just perfect for families. There was a small putting green that lit up at night, where we spent a lot of time. A beautiful botanical garden was just minutes away, and I took all the photos above there.
Aside from the amusement park, we also explored the Hershey Museum, which told the story of how Milton Hershey built his chocolate empire. A highlight for all of us was the chocolate factory, where we got to design our own candy bars—complete with personalized wrappers!
Now, for the downside. During a routine school eye exam in second grade, we discovered that Trevor needed glasses. I felt so sad that his eyesight was already poor at such a young age. However, the eye doctor had good news: special contacts had recently been developed for kids, designed to slow the progression of nearsightedness. There was hope that Trevor’s minor prescription would stay that way if he consistently wore the contacts. He was such a trooper, learning to insert them before he even turned eight! He worked with a nurse at the eye doctor’s office multiple times, never giving up, until he mastered it. Ever since, he’s been diligent about washing his hands and putting in his contacts every morning, even when it’s frustrating. I’m so proud of him.
Here’s the issue: Trevor caught conjunctivitis three times during second grade! I assume it was because he touched his eyes more often due to the contacts, but I’ll never know for sure. Second grade was an especially tough year for illness—Trevor seemed to catch everything that went around at school, and I seemed to catch everything he did. My immune system was really depleted from my injuries, so I also ended up with conjunctivitis… just in time for our trip to Hershey.
That was humbling. I always try to look and dress my best on trips because I love capturing special moments in photos. But with conjunctivitis being highly contagious, I couldn’t wear makeup at all. To top it off, my blow dryer broke while I was trying to style my hair right before we left for the botanical garden. I had been looking forward to taking photos there the most. Instead, we arrived to extreme heat and humidity, my hair a frizzy mess, and not a stitch of makeup on my face. I’m only in one photo from the garden, but I focused on capturing fun shots of Trevor and Chris. Despite it all, I was grateful to be well enough to walk the grounds and feel creative again. Though I was mostly healed, I still had some aches and pains and didn’t feel confident walking for miles.
I’ll end with a few final sweet memories: Trevor’s “Tru Crew” stuffed animal collection continues to grow! Every night, he sleeps with a couple of them, rotating them so each one gets a “special night.” Every morning, he brings them along when he comes into my bedroom. In Hershey, he found a new Tru Crew member—a giant chocolate bar character he named “King Hershey.” He also discovered the “world’s largest candy bar” in the Hershey factory gift shop. Since it was a record-breaking item, he was determined to have it. He begged and begged and promised to bring it to school to share with his class—and that’s exactly what he did! And while he was devastated that he wasn’t tall enough for the most extreme roller coasters, he still rode plenty of thrilling ones with Chris and had an absolute blast.
All in all, this trip was a mix of highs and lows, but the memories we made—especially seeing the joy on Trevor’s face—were worth it all.
