World Walkin' and Pride Celebratin'

 Suirong ~ 

It's been a heck of a first week in April what with getting home from our California spring break and diving back into life in the Eastern standard time zone. 

Imagine how warm and fuzzy I felt when you arrived home from school during that week and, out of the blue, presented me with a flower you'd picked up on your way home from the bus. Then you proceeded to openly and freely talk about your day without me even having to ask first. 

It may seem like a small gesture but it meant so much, especially in the wake of how much self doubt I have in my abilities of parenting a teen and in the midst of the inevitable moodiness and pulling away that comes with the territory of teenhood. I guess what I want to say is, never underestimate a small gesture to speak volumes and give reassurance to those around you. And also...THANK YOU ❤️

So, not home long before another exciting thing happened. Ok, where to begin? 

See, I've been following this guy on-line for a few years now. His name is Tom Turcich and he began walking around the world on April 2nd, 2015 and, believe it or not, he's set to complete his journey next month on May 21st in New Jersey! Since I've been one of his followers and supporters, I have access to his GPS map and can see where is at any given time as he shares his journey on his website, www.TheWorldWalk.com. Well! On April 9-10, Tom (and his sweet pup, Savannah, were to be coming through Columbus (and even Westerville!) When he has completed his journey, he will become the 10th person and Savannah will become the FIRST dog to ever walk around the world! Can you believe it?! 

Anyway, I had noticed that a lot of people would meet Tom on the trail and say hi, bring him gifts or treats, or just keep him company for a bit. On these particular days in April, central Ohio was having a cold snap and even a freak hail storm occurred. So, on a whim, I reached out via Instagram and said hello, introduced myself, and offered to get him (and Savannah) a hotel room for the night. To my surprise, he responded fairly quickly and was so gracious and appreciative. The timing was perfect since Columbus was bigger than he realized and he was having a hard time walking all the way through the city to camp in a safe area by nightfall. So, we arranged everything and found him a hotel near the trail and near the airport, right on his route. 

Daddy was arriving home from CA that night at the airport so it worked out perfectly, again, for us to pop over to the hotel, get his room all ready so he could check in easily, and I even left a small Easter-themed gift basket for him and Savannah with Gatorade, snacks, Easter candy, and treats for Savannah, as well as cigars for Tom (as I knew he enjoyed cigars, too). He invited us back over to the hotel once he was checked in and showered, and Daddy and I got to meet him and Savannah! (You were with friends that night or we would have brought you along, too). Anyway, we probably stayed and talked to him for over an hour about all sorts of things. He is the kind of guy who has an incredibly welcoming and kind energy and I felt immediately comfortable around him. And also, I spent the entire evening on the floor giving sweet Savannah (who also welcomed us in the room so excitedly) lots and lots of love. 

As I said earlier, Tom just so happened to be coming through Westerville and we quickly realized he was even walking the portion of the Ohio Erie Trail that we use almost every day and that comes right by our neighborhood! What are the odds, right? So cool. When I realized that's where he was coming, I sent him a Google maps pin of where our house is and invited them to our home for lunch. When he also realized the closeness of his route, he excitedly accepted our invitation. He needed to get replacement supplies for his journey so when he arrived, Sav stayed with us and Daddy ran him over to REI at Easton so he could grab what he needed. We ended up ordering Delaney's Diner for lunch and ate our meal all together at our kitchen table, talking about all sorts of topics including his sharing of stories of his amazing adventure around the globe, politics, family, etc. Once again, he exceeded every expectation I had of him. A one of a kind human, for sure. Daddy and I both agreed that we immediately began missing both he and Savannah when they left and felt strangely sad to see them go.

this is the pic from his world walk map where his 
GPS came right to our house!

waiting patiently for Daddy (Tom) to come back

Tom let you walk Savannah for a portion of
their World Walk!

Lao Lao giving Savannah one of her
famous doggy cookies

After following Tom and Savannah's amazing international journey and labor of love from afar for so long, it felt surreal to be able to see him in the flesh, talk to him in person, and for him to exceed all of my expectations of him as a human and now, a friend.

Next up was Easter. Not a giant celebration at our house for this holiday as you've gotten older and hit teen years in full stride. However, we did go to Memaw and Papaw's house for a meal together with family. 

here's an outtake from me trying to get a group shot
with the timer

success!

using Papaw's ginormous magnifying glasses
to use the sun to burn into the deck

even Uncle Kevin got in on the action

Then, next up was Mother's Day. Super low key, as well. But you and Daddy did get me these cool (and super accurate, I might add), socks!

me and my own mama

and a meal at Cracker Barrel with Memaw and Papaw

Daddy and I took a day to play hookey and go see the troll exhibit near Dayton. We offered for you to come with us but you declined. Teenage stuff. However, we had wanted you to be able to see these giant, wooden art installations in the middle of the woods with us...maybe next time!

just me crossing a creek on a log

And now for the trolls...by Danish artist Thomas Dambo! Evidently, he has these art installations all over the world. All made with natural materials, wood, sticks, stones, etc. You, Lao Lao, and I even went to see another one of his installations in Louisville last year, I believe. Both exhibits were very cool.

and then we had lunch at the Troll Pub nearby; 
I guess you could say it was a troll-themed date

It was then high time for a Wilkinson extended family meal since we hadn't seen Aunt Connie, Kelly and Brian, or Timmy in a while. Nice to have everyone together again. Including Avery who joined us that night, too. An unofficial Wilkinson for the evening.

The next two pictures are just random examples of how little personal space I have from our animals. Always needing something from their mama.

The end of May brought a close to your eighth grade school year and an evening of honors ceremony. You didn't want to attend the ceremony all the way up until the last few hours before it started and then decided to anyway, thanks to the encouragement of Mere. I'm glad you did. It was, as the title says, a big honor and you deserve to be recognized for your hard work this year. You've grown by leaps and bounds in your middle school tenure, all nearly on your own. I can only imagine what high school may bring!

Jelysa, Mere, you, and Jeffrey

some Graeters with Mere and her sister, Xlae after the ceremony

and a photo shoot in our uptown Westerville

practically twinning

this was just after a celebration meal at 
Easton for completing another school year!

a homemade meal of Filipino food from Mere (and her sister
Xlae) from Mere's birthday party (in June) ~ YUM!

Lucky, camouflaged, for a sneak attack

Some of our recent international news has been consumed with the devastating war in Ukraine, defending their homeland against Russia. It's been heart-breaking to read the stories and watch the footage. Feeling so helpless. However, a resident in Westerville set up a fundraiser to help as she had lived for quite some time in Ukraine and has many connections she made while in college there. I share the following pictures as a reminder, if there is any way you can think of to help those in need, or contribute to others who are helping those in need, always, always, do it. Lend a hand. Lend a dollar. Lend an ear. It's worth it. Every little bit. 

Needless to say, we bought plants from her that day...and I've been back to buy more since. 

May into June also brought our mama snapper back to the front yard to lay more of her eggs. I think this is year 4 or 5 now. So. Very. Cool.

and we also have this guy who comes to just chill on our porch

and lots and lots of bumbles...isn't it cute how he's 
holding up the petal with his little arm

I loved the trolls so much that I dragged Aunt Audrey there to see the exhibit and eat at the Troll Pub, too. It was another fun little road trip. Alas, we missed you again. Teenage stuff and all. 

So, jumping back a bit to the very end of May, again. Tom, the World Walk(er), and Savannah were wrapping up their journey on the 21st and hosting a homecoming party in his hometown of Haddon Township, NJ (just outside of Philadelphia), You had plans already but Daddy and I decided to drive out there for a quick 3 day trip just to attend his celebration. It was incredibly fun, exciting, and heartwarming to be a part of something so momentous. 

The first night, we had dinner at a beautiful restaurant along the river, just between Philly and Haddon Township. It was a belated celebration of sorts for our own anniversary...21 years married on May 19th!

The next day we enjoyed exploring the town until it was time to meet up with Tom on his route and walk the last mile or two to his final endpoint and party. 

The picture below was Tom's face when he saw Daddy and I on his route. I love his smile! We even got hugs!

He was like a pied piper of sorts, picking up followers along the way, all of us just so ecstatic to join along on even a sliver of his journey and share in his relief and joy at its conclusion!

the final destination and where the party was held

welcome home, Tom and Savannah!

We got to meet and spend time with so many people in Tom's life...his family, friends, community members...all such LOVELY folks!

L to R: his sister (Lexi), Tom, his dad (Tom), his mom (Catherine),
and his girlfriend (Bonnie)

And we lugged all the way from Ohio a custom-made humidor for Tom, to commemorate his adventure forever. Since we learned that he had grown to love cigars along his journey, I thought it was the perfect keepsake gift for him. We searched high and low to make my vision a reality and below is the fruit of our labor. It turned out perfect and Tom loved it! Mission accomplished!

we had a graphic artist etch his logo into the top

and their names and dates of the journey inside

and of course Daddy hooked him up with loot!

the cart that helped Tom (and Savannah) make it around the world!

I (along with many others) handfed Savannah burgers 
and hot dogs all evening...lucky pup!

Once we came home and down from our high of being part of such a fun event, I took you and Ren on an adventure of our own to Cincinnati for Jungle Jim's and sushi. 

silly kiddos

And because you're now officially 14, you were finally able to open your own checking account and get a debit card. You're growing up!

and now to start working to fill that checking account!
here you are cleaning out and detailing my car

We did have some unexpected (and uncomfortable) surprises, too. A ton of us in Columbus lost our power during some of the hottest days of the year. Yikes! We made the best of it, though. Charging our phones in the air-conditioned car at night while talking and being silly. 

power-outage hairdo

Uncle Forge and Kenzie came to visit with Iroh and Appa one evening, and Grandma (Lao Lao) aka "The Cookie Lady" worked her magic on the dogs. We call her The Cookie Lady in the neighborhood because she always has treats for all the dogs and some have even figured out where she lives and will wait outside in her yard until she comes out to feed them. So funny!

Grizz and Suzy have also figured out where Lao Lao's
strawberries are and help themselves sometimes

Oh, did I mention it's June? Yes! It is. and you know what that means? PRIDE!

a new bookstore in Westerville

something I shared on social media because, of course!

Eventually it was time for my all-time favorite march/parade of the year...Stonewall's Pride Parade and Festival!

Cindy was awesome

Ren came with us and really got in the spirit!

ran into my soon-to-be sister in law, Kenzie!

documenting all 5 pets on our porch at the same time

While there was much to celebrate this month, there was also a huge setback for women's rights, too. Roe (vs Wade) was overturned by the Supreme Court. To say there was an outrage is an understatement. Sometimes I just don't understand what those in power are thinking, or more realistically, I am horrified by what I do understand they are thinking. *shudder* Anyway, Lao Lao and I joined a march and protest at our statehouse on the day it was overturned. It was the least we could do, along with signing petitions and donating money to all the organizations that are fighting this bullshit.

being interviewed by a local reporter

All I can say at this point in time is that I promise, PROMISE, to keep fighting for a better world for you. Some days I don't know how, but I will keep trying. *sigh*

The next photo is just to lighten the mood a bit from such a heavy topic. This was how I walked in to find you sleeping one morning. What the heck? Ha.

And finally, the following pics are just a couple of your boy, Lucky. The kitty that you swear you are taking with you when you move out someday. I took the first one when he was high on catnip and you took the second one because, well, just look at how HANDSOME he is!

Love you, kiddo. 

Mama