Penny is an artist who uses her creative side and imagination to express herself. She’s now using this opportunity with ASDNext to not only do that through art, but also blogging. For much of her life, she felt like the “quirky sidekick” stereotype in a movie, always doing what others expected of her. When she was diagnosed with autism later in life, that all began to change. This news was life changing and she knew it was time to rewrite her story. She’s no longer on the sidelines of this so-called movie that is her life, she’s the director, leading-lady, or whatever other part she needs to play to figure out who she REALLY is! Every small step toward authenticity is now a victory for her in this new stage of life.
View all postsCelebrating My Most Adventurous Year of Travel Yet
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One main theme of my goals for 2026 revolved around dedicating more intentional time with my family, exploring new experiences, and being my true silly self. Reflecting on the day trips and events I attended this year, I definitely got around much more than I typically do. From exploring locally to boldly crossing state lines, this introvert made a conscious effort to soak up new sights, souvenirs, and super fun experiences.
Once winter cleared the way for more comfortable clothes and safer roads, my mom and I kicked off my first daylong shop-till-we-drop adventure. In my parents’ neck of the woods, there is a seemingly endless supply of thrift stores. We stopped in at least 4, because we both LOVE thrifting, and we managed to take home some treasures. Two different stores had vintage “Homco” porcelain-painted wildlife statues that I fell in love with. One knick-knack is a baby deer and its mom, touching noses in a gentle kiss. The other is a curious grey squirrel peeking out of a hollowed-out log. I also grabbed four or five unique clothing items (before I ever considered a wardrobe purge). I remember keeping the blouses I found, and even a plaid skirt, but the rest went back in the donation bins, ready for their next owner.
A two-wheel adventure began when I met up with my friend Becca and her husband Bobby to ride our bikes along the entire “Capital Area Greenbelt.” (I have definitely written about them before, but they are my people, so they are worth repeating.) I lugged my chunky-wheeled hybrid bike into the back of my car and parked at City Island in Harrisburg (somewhere I have been many times). From there, we relied on pedal power, our sense of direction, and an exploratory attitude to trek over 20 miles. We conquered hills, busy streets, dark tunnels, and even carried our bikes through a dormant work zone. No construction vehicles were active at the time, but it was still quite a rocky road (not the fun ice cream kind). Ignoring the signs was easy, but navigating around the behemoth construction vehicles and gaping holes in the concrete meant we ultimately carried our bikes through that stretch of broken-up road.
Philadelphia was a recurring day-trip destination for my brother and me. We walked the streets taking in all the sights on the day of “PandaFest,” an Asian food festival. On another day, we visited the city’s very exotic (my town has 0) IKEA. At one point, my theme park-loving brother saw an ad online for a “Universal Studios” exhibit at the Franklin Institute, so we added it to our list. The museum offered pieces of theme park history and a peek behind the curtain. We spent the rest of the time entertaining ourselves with additional classic exhibits such as the iconic, oversized human heart and “Foucault’s Pendulum,” stuff I have not seen since Elementary School.
Two friends from out of state were passing through my general area. A friend from Baltimore was staying close to the Hershey area. I could make that trip by myself and kept them thoroughly entertained with a trip to the “Hershey Story Museum,” “Hershey Gardens,” “Hershey’s Chocolate World,” and “Zoo America.” That season pass to Hershey Park really came in handy for local discounts. Another friend from Ohio was passing through for a concert but closer to the DC area. We had coffee locally, then all headed off to “Longwood Gardens” in West Chester, PA. This was a new experience for me, my friend and her husband, and my brother (I’m sorry he’s my emotional support travel person, so he’s a recurring hero of many of my travels). At times, it was a bit challenging to trek through the area, maps in hand, melting in the sweltering summer heat. But it was worth it for the breathtaking beauty of the variety of plants and architecture.
Lastly, I boldly stretched my travel muscle by making it all the way to New Jersey to visit the “American Dream Mall.” Jersey traffic was a little insane, but the 3 hours we spent at the mega mall that includes attractions such as an ice rink, theme park, and 3-story candy store, to name a few, could take up a blog post all its own. New Jersey also had its own IKEA, which we visited (2 IKEA visits in one year, who am I ?!). I DID NOT buy gas in New Jersey, though. Something still weirds me out about not pumping my own gas when I’ve done it my entire life.
While my wallet suffered from endless purchases of gas, souvenirs, and paid parking this year, my confidence in driving to new places really blossomed. Granted, I only left the state once, but still, that’s a lot for me. I kept my vehicle well maintained throughout the year, got more comfortable with the turnpike, and felt more fluent navigating busy highways. I’m thankful for my brother’s kindness in taking time out of his own life and being down for every trip I threw at him. I’m not sure how many places I will go in 2027, but 2026 was definitely a year for the books!
Penny
