12/7/25

Sadly, Sarah and my shopping weekend came to an end. Boo! The staff was chomping at the bit for us to leave as we finished our last show on HGTV. They even knocked on our door 10 minutes before we checked out, seeing if we had left. We left on time and weren’t late.

I came home, unpacked the car, showered, did laundry, mopped, vacuumed all prior to going to the light parade in Brockport. Work hard, play hard.

We arrived at the meeting spot for the parade and our friends were on their way. Avery and Kendall met us there as well.

Ethan decided he wanted to go with us. I believe this is the first time Ethan has attended this parade since 2019. He has been trying to avoid crowds but also has some mental health things he has been working on for the past 5 years.

It was so exciting having him there. Small baby step wins! It is a sign of progress! Yay!

He hung out with kids his own age there. Kids he has grown up with but withdrew from. It was small….but such a big deal!

We watched the parade of lights. There was so much effort decorating these vehicles. There was a band, people in costumes. It is something we look forward to every year.

Afterward, we went into this restaurant to warm up and eat. We had reservations, because it was a big party.

One of the draws to eating at this place is that it over looks the Erie Canal. The fireworks are launched on the other side of the canal making our firework viewing warm and we have front row seats.

We watched like little kids out the window. Ethan started making his own fireworks this past summer. I know it sounds scary. He is a smart kid. He has done his research. He is cautious with everything he does. He also has a healthy respect for staying alive and out of the hospital.

He uses fuses so that he isn’t lighting them one by one. It’s kind of cool to see him experiment with sounds, colors and presentation.

After dinner, we went home and warmed up. It was a fun weekend.