A Mother/Teen Daughter Travel Blog
2017 has been the year of stepping outside of our comfort zones. Doing what scares us has been our goal and we have been quite happy with the results so far. The fears that terrify us the most are the ones we’ve focused on facing specifically in 2017. For me, I have focused on three specific fears, and I have conquered two thus far: heights and driving distances.
Hi All, It’s Brooke!
I am beyond excited to tell you about an epic experience that I had on our drive home from Nashville. We made a pit stop at Mega Caverns in Louisville Kentucky. My mom didn’t tell me much about it, and honestly when we pulled up, I was confused. I knew we were going ziplining, so my eyes were fixed on the treetops. Boy, was I definitely looking in the wrong direction!
At Mega Caverns, you will be ziplining in dark caves a hundred feet beneath the earth’s surface! I didn’t even realize this was a thing and it is apparently the only one in the entire world! How cool is that?!
If you have the opportunity to visit Nashville, there really is only one resort to choose for your stay–Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center . On our last spring break roadtrip to Florida, we stayed here as our midway point and knew we would be returning soon, as this resort is too magnificent to only visit once.
Hey everyone. It’s Brooke.
I never thought I’d be writing about this topic but here it goes. This blog is not going to be about a beautiful place I’ve traveled. Today, I’m sharing about a place that I hope no teen girl or boy ever has to journey. I was trapped in this hell for the past two and a half years and have finally and hopefully escaped this horrific abyss full of despair, hate, loneliness, fear and darkness.
I suffer from depression and anxiety. Not sure which comes first or which encompasses the other, but they both live and breath within me. There were many factors that brought my anxiety and depression to its peak, one significant factor was being a victim of bullying since sixth grade. For two years straight, I have deliberately been excluded from parties and sleepovers, only to have the girls snap chat or post about it, making sure I see that I was not included. I can’t tell you how many Saturday mornings I’d wake up to see pictures of a party hosted by a “friend” that told me she was busy with her family the night before. Weekends became something I dreaded due to social media. It was bad enough dealing with it at school, but it followed me home every single day.
Lunch period also became a nightmare. Day after day after day of being told there is no room left at the lunch table when I could clearly see plenty of space. Apparently there was never enough room left for me. Most of 8th grade was spent eating lunch alone in the nurse’s office. This led to the point where I no longer wanted to eat lunch at all and I typically skipped breakfast due to the anxiety of the day ahead.
The defining moment for me was while I was walking down the hallway at school and heard the words, “Speaking of cancer, here comes Brooke.”
My mom knew what was going on. She contacted the school several times, as well as some of the parents. Nothing was ever really done to stop it. The girls would lie and say none of it was happening.
When the bullying reached more than I could handle, I ended up becoming violently sick. I missed 45 days of school and began vomiting from anxiety. The vomiting got so bad, I began vomiting blood and was hospitalized. I was diagnosed with Bulimia and spent a week in an outpatient program for girls with eating disorders.
At that point, in January 2017, my mom refused to have me return to my former junior high. She set up a meeting with the school district and they allowed me to transfer schools. I was terrified. Switching schools halfway through 8th grade was far beyond my comfort zone, but returning to my previous school would have been far worse. Looking back now, taking the risk to switch schools was the best thing that has ever happened to me. At my new school, I met wonderful friends who accept me for me. I can be myself and they appreciate that.
I am currently nine weeks purge free. I am participating in sports and looking forward to High School. My ultimate goal is to help other teens and kids who suffer from bullying, depression and anxiety. I know I’m not perfect–no one is, but no one deserves to feel unloved, unwanted, unsafe and utterly worthless.
If you would have told me a year ago, that I’d become the girl that started the wave for tens of thousands of people at a White Sox Game and got my friends on the Jumbo Tron, I would have said you must be talking about a different Brooke.
Am I completely confident now, heck no. But I am certain there will never be another time in my life where I will let other people define who I am.
Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life. Define yourself.
If you are being bullied and need help, please tell an adult you trust.
Someone recently asked me if I feel too old to be traveling? Don’t you just want to stay home and relax, Kristen? Isn’t it exhausting–all that packing, walking, dealing with airport delays, standing in customs lines, etc? Isn’t travel for those in their 20’s?
Here’s my response:
Aging is a privilege. We can complain about it, give in to the aches and pains, give up on taking care of ourselves and let the aging process dominate our existence. We can sit in our homes day in and day out and live each day as a repeat of the day before. I believe this disease is called GHDS–Ground Hogs Day Syndrome. (actually made that one up but it applies!)
Hi All! It’s Brooke. To summarize our first week with our French Exchange student, I have to be honest; it was not easy and not what I expected. Our student, Auriane, is extremely shy and introverted–probably the most shy person I’ve ever encountered in my entire life. At first I thought she was just probably terrified, but have come to see that besides the fear of being across the world from your family in a country where you barely speak the language, she truly is just a very timid person. I, on the other hand, am probably the most vocal, outgoing person, so our personalities really conflicted.
Bonjour! We are so excited that the time has finally arrived–our French exchange student is here!
We found out about the Share America program from Kristen Kucharski, writer of Glancer Magazine‘s Mom’s Little Black Book. We couldn’t be more grateful for this amazing opportunity!
While visiting Kalamazoo for my son’s college orientation at Western Michigan University, we had the incredible opportunity to spend a night at The Henderson Castle. This delightful step back in time was more than we could have hoped for and was an enchanting reminder of our trip to Europe a few years ago when we resided in an Austrian castle. Immediately upon entering, our senses were ignited with the spark of history–the aroma of old wood, the creaking of the original flooring and the soft melody of piano transported us to a royal destination.
Hey guys! It’s Brooke.
So on our way back from our incredible Southwest National Parks Tour, Jon, our guide, surprised us with an awesome stop along Route 66, saying our trip wouldn’t be complete without a nostalgic pit stop along this iconic route.
Not sure if it’s my Italian blood, but fine dining ranks right up there with breathing. Over the years, I’ve had significantly memorable experiences at many beautiful restaurants around the world, but there are only a handful that could be described as feeding more than just one’s appetite. Meson Sabika is one of those quintessential cuisines that is in a class all its own—an experience that feeds your soul.
Pedis-n-Passports 