Recently I went on Spring Break - Turning Pointe Autism Foundation

Recently I went on Spring Break

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During the first couple days, I traveled to Tennessee w/my aunt & her friend. One thing about traveling, as most people know, it is exhausting. We ended up driving instead of flying. It was a super long car ride. We left my Aunt’s house around 2:30 in the afternoon & we didn’t get to my aunt’s friend’s house until midnight. For some reason, Waze took us a different way than my aunt had traveled before. She figured it might be quicker. The car ride was so sensory depriving. It was very loud (my aunt, her friend & I are Italian), and the stereotype rings true. We are insanely loud. Thank goodness that I had a couple of activities to do while going up there. I had my headphones, for music & (drowning out all the noise). I had a coloring book (which I didn’t end up using). I’m gonna get a clipboard to use for a lapdesk next time, so I could have an easier time coloring. I also had my Nintendo Switch, which I used about halfway through the trip. All very smart things for me to bring. We also stopped a couple times to use the restroom & fill up on gas. While filling up, I went & bought some Extra Polar Ice gum & a large water. That was extremely helpful. The mint was comforting as well as having the water. The headphones helped me drown out unnecessary noise a.k.a. the talking & laughing that was happening in the front of the car. The Nintendo Switch helped me because it gave me something to do with my hands, & preoccupied my brain at the same time. Once we arrived, we ate a little bit of food. My aunt’s friend made chicken enchiladas & left some for us. She also made homemade banana bread which was *chef’s kiss* delicious.

The next day we went to Nashville. Which I was very, very apprehensive about. We left the house around 12pm. It took about 30 or so minutes to get there from the house. As soon as we got there we immediately went to some of the local bars. I already don’t drink, so that was very awkward for me. It was very bright, extremely loud (everywhere) and really really crowded. My aunt, & her friends ordered some drinks. I quickly excused myself & went to the restroom. I washed my hands, splashed some cold water on my face, dried off & went back outside. I forgot to mention the whole time I was in the restroom, I was deep breathing & constantly telling myself that it would be okay & to just breathe. After I came out of the restroom, I felt better, so we carried on. We went to about 4 or 5 more bars. I also went souvenir shopping. Which is always fun. We ended up going home around 5/5:30.

The next day, we went to downtown Franklin. We left the house around 10:30/11. The shops were all unique. I ended up shopping a little bit again, & got some things for my family while I was down there. It was a lot less nerve wracking & way easier to manage. We went to this grilled cheese place called The Grilled Cheeserie. It was so yummy. I had a “Thanksgiving” grilled cheese sandwich & tomato soup. The sandwich tasted exactly how it sounded, like Thanksgiving. The soup was super creamy & had some light basil in it, it was wonderful. I took many photos in downtown Franklin. I also took many pictures in Nashville as well. I learned that I already have the tools in my tool kit to self regulate & that having tools at our disposal really helps. Overall I had a blast, & even though we only were technically there 2 days, I’m so ready to go back!