The date is quickly approaching. We are packing to embark on a cruise through the Mediterranean Sea. We’ll begin in Italy and tour down the Amalfi coast. We’ll make stops in Salerno and Sicily or Messina. We’ll stop in Santorini Greece and Ephesus (Kusadasi) Turkey and Mykonos Greece before porting in Athens Greece.
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The bride is from Minnesota, The groom is from England. They met and made a life together in Michigan for the better part of 28 years. They planned a fairy tale wedding in England in May of 2020 but Covid changed those plans. Their legal marriage took place at St John the Baptist church with a lovely reception at Dunham Hills golf and country club. The fairy tale wedding blessing will take place outside of London and I’m thrilled to share this adventure. I’ll do my best to blog each day of the trip.
The bride asked that I not post any pictures of her so this post has been updated. I’ll stick to pictures of my family at the USA wedding.
A visit to Tim’s mum’s house for tea and biscuits was delightful.
The Rehearsal, Blessing and Reception
Rehearsal dinner was at an old English pub and inn in the middle of the Moors called The Lions Inn. The Catholic Blessing Mass was at St. Leonard’s & St. Mary’s Church with Father Tim officiating. The reception was at The Old Lodge in Malton. A few pictures are posted below as picked from hundreds taken at the beautiful celebration.
We stayed at a pub inn (Kings Arms and Butcombe pub) outside of Bath in Melksham. There were some great pubs including the cozy Market Tavern and others that were closed on this Wednesday night. Lots of laughter and fun conversation with friends.
The Castle Windsor was truly amazing. It’s a sad time in English history since the recent passing of The Queen. We saw her final resting place as well as royals from hundreds of years ago. The cathedral was functioning and beautiful. The state apartments were amazing. Pictures and words cannot do it justice.
We made it to London and turned in the van. We’re now taking the underground railway and walking a lot. We visited the Churchill War Room and saw a lot of sites around the city. We visited some pubs and met up with old friends from Brazil.
Staying at the Hilton Paddington made traveling through London very convenient.
The second day we took a hop-on-hop-off bus and boat tour and saw the whole city. Highlights included Big Ben, London Bridge, Tower of London and so much more. We toured St. Paul’s Cathedral where Princess Diana was married and walked over a thousand steps up and down to the Golden Tower at the top. Overall, it was an amazing trip to London.
Traveling abroad is such an awakening experience. I love meeting new people, hearing different languages, trying new food and figuring out how to get around. I also appreciate my home, my country and my church. I miss my family and friends. I rely on my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ more than ever and follow His voice through the travels. Thank you for reading my travel blog. -Terri
In January 2021, John and I drove to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with a load of skis and clothing for the week. We picked up Philip, Andrew and Erin at the airport and proceeded to our Airbnb at the Teton VIllage. We saw God’s glory in the blue sky and majestic mountains!
Skiing promised to be amazing.
1st run of the day: Philip and I decided to ski together and took two chairlifts to go high on the right side of the mountain. We were seeking powder and short lift lines. We took a left at the top towards a beautiful blue slope. We were the first skiers on the groomed snow and took a magical run down the mountain. This is my best ski memory of Jackson hole.
Lesson learned: enjoy every moment.
2nd run of the day: Philip wanted to explore a little from the top of this high lift. We started in blue and I was following when Philip said “sorry mom.” “For what?” I responded. He said “You’ll see in a minute.” Ahead of us was a field of large moguls as far as I could see. (Flashback to riding in a racecar with Matthew and coming around a corner too fast causing the wheels to spin off the track onto the gravel and hearing the words “sorry mom.” These words still haunt me.) I’m an advanced skier but dislike moguls so I took them slow, falling a couple times and getting back up in the powder.
Lesson learned: Life is good. Take it slow and don’t be afraid to fall.
3rd run of the day: Philip wanted to explore the black diamond in advance so he wouldn’t unknowingly put me in the middle of the mogul field again so he turned right at the top and I turned left towards the beautiful blue slope from the first run. I was thrilled to see a purple jacket and recognized Erin followed closely by John. I assumed that Andrew couldn’t be far behind. I wanted to show them the beautiful blue run but was still getting my bearings on where to go. As we went down the hill I thought I saw the moguls in front of me so I took a sharp right u-turn trying to avoid the mogul path. My sharp turn was next to an unexpected cliff and I fell down the cliff about six feet. (I would later learn this was called a tree well.) Unfortunately, skiing over the edge of the tree well caused me to pick up speed and at the bottom there was a tree just a few feet in front of me. The right side of my body struck the tree and I came to an abrupt stop. I knew I was injured. I was in a tree well underneath a chairlift and I heard someone on the chair above me say “are you okay?” I couldn’t catch my breath to speak. I heard them calling for a ski patrol. I also knew that John and Erin were behind me. I laid in the powder snow for a while, not wanting to move my aching body. I looked up to see people skiing by, oblivious to the fact that I was at the bottom of the tree well. I thought I saw a purple coat. I laid there for a while and saw some ski patrols go by. It suddenly occurred to me that no one could see me down in this hole and I needed to move before I wasn’t able to. I used the left side of my body to get up out of the deep powder. My skis hadn’t fallen off which was both awkward and helpful. I got myself up on top of the powder and slowly made my way out of the hole. The pain was excruciating and I was struggling to breath. Once I got to the top, I carefully slid my skis sideways toward a ski patrol who seemed to be looking for someone. He said “are you okay?” and I replied “no.” At that moment I heard Philip’s voice from the chairlift above saying “Hi mom. Are you okay? Are you hurt or just tired?” I couldn’t breath to respond. The ski patrol held me up while he radioed for a snowmobile and assistance. The men and women of the ski patrol were there in minutes. They loaded me on the sled, wrapped me in blankets and proceeded down the hill. I felt the Lord’s presence as we made our way down the mountain. I imagined the pain of hanging on a cross and thanked the Lord for His sacrifice.
Lessons learned: life can change in a heartbeat and emergency personnel are amazing.
The emergency personnel were calm, deliberate, and in control. They talked to me to explain what they were doing and asked me questions about what felt right for my aching body.
Once we were in the Bridger Center, I was taken to a standing x-ray machine and the nice personnel seemed to know which positions would be most painful and saved them for last. I was still struggling to breath and some positions were excruciating. The doctor suggested that I go to the emergency room by ambulance based on my pain and difficulty breathing. The EMT’s loaded me in the ambulance. I jokingly asked the driver if she would be speeding and she said “oh no, we’ll take it slow with you.” The other EMT got in the back with me. He took my vital signs, asked me how I was doing and told me about his teenage daughters drama from the night before. I saw John’s truck as I was being loaded into the ambulance and felt safe.
Lesson learned: no matter the emergency, family is all that really matters.
Family stories and steady progress to the hospital were soothing. I had a covid test in the parking lot. Once inside the hospital, the x-rays and CT scan confirmed a broken clavicle, several broken ribs (at least six lateral and posterior with #5 broken in two places and floating) and a pneumothorax caused by a 10% punctured lung. The trauma team was called in after reading my ct scan due to the hole in my lung.
The orthopedic surgeon said that sometimes the collar bone will heal itself. In my case the two pieces of bone were too far apart to heal on their own. He said “they aren’t in the same zip code… Maybe not even in the same area code.” Surgery was scheduled for the same evening to put a plate and screws in my right clavicle. John was communicating from the waiting room and I felt loved. I knew he wouldn’t be able to come into the room because of covid and was surprised that they let him in the waiting room. I imagined that he was frustrated.
Surgery went well with a plate and screws now holding my clavicle together. The pain went from 9.5 (out of 10) down to a 6 after surgery.
Lesson learned: Mental stress increases physical pain.
Hospital lessons in a ski town:
Visitors typically only visit after 4:30 when the slopes are closed. In my case, covid prevented any visitors at all which was a blessing. It was difficult to talk and there were constant medical personnel checking on me. My family could enjoy skiing in this beautiful place while I focused on recovery – release my arm and squeeze my hand five times per day and take ten deep breaths per hour. This seemed lame and dramatically different from my former daily yoga practice but it was all I could do.
When multiple medical personnel ask when you’re going home, they’re not making small talk. They are wondering if you’re going to get out of the hospital in time to catch your flight and if you can even fly. In my case, they were relieved to discover that we had driven. Airlines often won’t let you fly with a compromised lung due to the cabin pressure.
I was in the hospital for three days and then returned to the Airbnb with my amazing family. We played games and made fires in the fireplace. My body was purple and aching and I was on some heavy medicine for pain. I had to give myself a daily shot to prevent blood clots. I felt thankful to be alive and in the presence of my family. I appreciated phone calls and texts from my family at home.
John and I would drive home through the Grand Teton National Forest with the first five hours spent with white knuckles on the steering wheel. We learned that sometimes the roads are closed due to bad weather and your only choice is to turn around and go back. We learned that some roads require chains on your tires. It felt like we were the only people driving through the mountains and there was no cell phone signal. Looking back, I know that God was present with us and that was enough.
I was appreciative and overwhelmed that my neighbors made dinner for us every night for the first week. Cards, flowers, and food were sent by friends and I felt undeserving since my accident was self-induced recreation.
Skip ahead six weeks when I began physical therapy. My body is no longer purple. The scar is healing. In six more weeks I should have no physical restrictions. I read a news article about a 21-year-old girl skiing at Bridger Bowl who died after falling, unseen, into a tree well. I can’t stop reliving my accident and the similarities to this girl’s death are scary. I feel scared and sad at unusual times. I now need to figure out how to heal mentally. I will never be the same. Hopefully I can be better and stronger. I will trust, wait and hope in the Lord.
Dec 2019-Jan 2020
John and I took a family Christmas ski vacation with Philip and Andrew to Big Sky, Montana. The scenes of beautiful mountains covered in snow were truly God’s glory.
This Lent was truly a time for reflection. On Ash Wednesday I was challenged to pray, fast and control myself to focus on Lent. The result?
I prayed daily and kept a journal using the video from Dynamic Catholic. I was challenged to engage in Holy Moments. The daily video and journal kept me accountable. This has renewed my interest in writing a book. I just need a habit, a collaborator and God’s hand.
I followed weight watchers by tracking my food every day and tried to stay within my points range. I wasn’t perfect but I learned a lot and took control over my eating habits. I’m down a few pounds and look forward to my daily exercise.
I stayed away from Facebook for the entire Lent period and watched to see if I had any IRL friends. I enjoyed being alone with God, I watched more global news and appreciate my small circle of friends.
Now, Lent is over and life begins again. The rebirth of spring finds me excited and seeking the Lord’s guidance for what comes next.
The Lord’s response: Be still.
Derek and Lauren Lynch celebrated their wedding at the most magical place on Earth – Disney World.
The wedding day was perfect, complete with a visit from Mickey Mouse.
Watching Matthew and Philip play pond hockey with Bo was a highlight of the winter.
Playing golf at Top Flight with Philip for his mid-winter break was another winter highlight.
Bo enjoys my heat dish and his coat from Bambi as a means of beating the cold weather.
This post was originally coming from Germany. John had a work trip scheduled to Europe and I was hoping to join him but it became clear that I was not welcome. Thankfully, my friend Lori invited me to come to Florida for the week. Rather than sit home and pout about not going to Germany, I could spend the week in the sun with Lori. Yay!!!!
We played tennis and rode bikes every day. We had cocktails and watched the sunset over the water every evening. We did a little shopping and a lot of laughing.
Sadly, John’s trip to Germany was cancelled. I was fortunate to have the Florida trip on the books. 🙂
God works in mysterious ways.
It was a beautiful wedding on Saturday when Maggie and Bryan said “I do” in Old St Mary’s Cathedral in Detroit.
Following the church wedding we had time for a drink at our hotel downtown before the reception at The Colony Club.
The city of Detroit looked really beautiful. On Sunday morning we enjoyed a brisk walk in the city with breakfast at The Dime Store.
Funny thing – the American Coney Island doesn’t serve breakfast.
Other members of the Caris family were skiing at Boyne with the Toupins.
We’re making the best of this cold Michigan winter.
Terri's Travels 