I knew quite a long time ago that on the anniversary of my moms death, I wanted to do something big every year. I wanted to spend the day celebrating her, and her memory, and experiencing something new and exciting that she never got to do.
The first year, we spent the day snowmobiling in her favorite place. It was a beautifully breathtaking experience. Shortly after that trip, I knew I wanted to do something big the next year. I bit the bullet and announced that I was planning a trip to England, Scotland and Wales. I was going to do it no matter what, and if people wanted to join me they could hop on the wagon and make it happen or they could stay home. Long story short, Matt, Katie and I did it!
We started our vacation in New York. My grandma passed away a few weeks before we left, so leaving Boise for a bit was a really nice escape from the deep set feelings of grief we were experiencing at home... I had just recently had pretty major oral surgery so my face was super swollen and bruised the entire trip. It didn't stop me from doing anything though! We weren't in the city long enough to really experience it, but we were able to knock a few things off the bucket list by seeing a show on Broadway (Finding Neverland), visit the 9/11 Memorial and wandering Midtown a bit.
We got together with a friend of mine I hadn't seen in far too long. Jared and I have known each other since sixth grade, and have been friends ever since. He now lives in New Jersey with his wife and adorable daughter.
Finding Neverland was a gorgeous show. The death scene at the end is the most beautiful death scene I've ever experienced. Having feelings associated with grief so close to the surface when I saw it means that is going to stick with me for a very long time.
After the show we wandered around then we went to Serendipity for dinner and a frozen hot chocolate.
Our final few hours before getting on a plane to the UK was spent at Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial. It is a really well put together museum and I loved it, but emotionally it is a lot. I would recommend it to anyone, but don't feel like you need to see everything and read about everyone. I know I couldn't!
JFK International was crazy. It was so disorganized that I'm pretty sure we could have gotten a bag full of knives through security. I was in such a hurry to get away from there and to our terminal that I left my favorite sweater and didn't realize it until it was WAY too late. Once we were through making our way through the airport and were settled waiting at our gate, reality set in. We were totally traveling to another country.
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