When the Detour Becomes the Destination

The wind is blowing, the snow piling up, and the car started slipping on the ice (ok… maybe I’m being dramatic, but I have lived in Los Angeles for the last 22 years).

A gust of wind blows the snow off the trees, and for a few seconds all I see is white. 

I don’t stop. I don’t turn.

I just trust the cloud will pass. And it does.

Every year my daughters — Francesca and Sol — and I go on a Christmas road trip.

It’s our sacred tradition:
sharing a bedroom, talking nonstop, indulging in our favorite foods, visiting every local chocolate shop we can find, and — the best part — finally getting to wear our cute winter jackets, scarves, mittens, and beanies. (These items have waited patiently in a storage box for 22 years because LA refuses to participate in winter.)

And honestly? We were hoping for a little snow. Just a gentle, Hallmark-style sprinkle. But the universe had range.

When we woke up Sunday morning and looked outside our window, it was the winter wonderland we had wished for — soft, magical, postcard-perfect.
But as the day went on and we started driving, the weather turned… fast.
The gentle snow transformed into a full-blown storm — the kind that laughs in your face and says:
“Cute idea trying to cross to Nantucket today.”

In a weird way, our wish for “a bit of snow” suddenly became a hindrance.
Does that ever happen to you?
You ask for magic… and the universe sends the whole production crew? But here’s the beautiful part — our other wish came true in the most spectacular way.

We wanted to bond deeper.
Laugh until our bellies hurt.
Take a bunch of cute photos (for memories and Instagram, obviously).
Explore old bookstores in Boston.
Visit the incredible Newport mansions where The Gilded Age was filmed.
And make those small, cozy moments that become family legends.

We got all of it… sprinkled with surprises. 

We slept in the ugliest motel in Hyannis — which somehow felt like the warmest, safest cocoon when the streets turned to ice.
We became the only three tourists in all of Nantucket for a day.
We stayed in a dreamy little bed & breakfast.
We walked around during the coldest day of the year, cheeks frozen, spirits high.
We created memories we could never have planned if we tried.

It wasn’t the trip we imagined.
It was the trip we needed.

Here's what I've learned… Sometimes the very thing that blocks your path becomes the path.

And also… Wishes don’t always come true the way you picture — but they come true in the way your soul needs.

As you move through this holiday season, may even the unexpected twists — the snowstorms, the delays, the detours — bring you closer to what truly matters.

Sending you warmth, joy, and maybe just the right amount of snow,
Noel