Travel Time Stories with Shannon: Ask Shannon Anything

In this episode I will answer questions sent in by listeners...nothing is off limits. I also end the episode with discussing some important people from high school who influenced my life in a positive way and meant alot to me.

1.  What is the best tip you can give regarding solo cruising? 

2.  Once you decide to face your fears and be truthful, create boundaries and or severe ties altogether with the toxic person in your life, how do you deal with the guilt that follows and the self-doubt about whether you did the right thing?

3.  What's the most unexpected, memorable, or funny thing that has ever happened to you while traveling? 

4.  If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

5.  We booked an inside cabin for our upcoming cruise. The room is small. Do you have any tips that will make our space more comfortable?

6.  What are some good, all-inclusive resort options without breaking the bank? 

7.  If you could live anywhere in the world outside of the us where would it be? 

8.  Has there ever been a trip you were on that you felt you were going to get abducted?

9.  Has a travel with a friend caused a friendship to end or made you say, I will never travel with this person in my life again?

10.  How did you meet your husband? 

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Transcript

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 Welcome to Travel Times Stories with Shannon, real Journeys, real stories, and real healing. I'm Shannon, your host from Texas, and I wanna thank you for being here today. Today's episode is Ask Shannon anything. Nothing is off limits. I asked listeners to submit questions and I will be answering them. A special thank you to everyone who took the time to send in a question, so grab your favorite beverage and let's get into it.  

My first question was submitted by my lovely aunt Jette. I'm so proud of her journey. I have been living vicariously through her travels as of late. Her question is, what is the best tip you can give regarding solo cruising?  Solo cruising is not something I have done personally yet, but I do have some great tips for you.

Solo cruising gives you the freedom to do exactly what you want when you want, but it can also feel intimidating at first. My top tip is to choose the right cruise line. Make sure you find one that matches what you're looking for and is solo friendly. Once you're on board, definitely go to the solo traveler meetups.

Even if you only go once, it's a great way to make a connection right away. Most ships schedule these daily or some just weekly. When it comes to dining, don't be afraid to go to the main dining room and enjoy the group you're seated with, or you can go have a quiet meal alone at one of the specialty dining restaurants.

I recommend joining a Facebook group for your cruise and sign up for activities. Most sailings have a Facebook group, and these groups usually schedule meetups and other activities that you can participate in while on board. I also recommend booking excursions through the cruise line or doing a group tour, especially if you're in an unfamiliar place.

That way you get to explore safely while still meeting new people. And finally, give yourself permission to enjoy the freedom of traveling alone. Take that nap, watch the sunset, go to the spa, or try something you'd never do at home. Solo cruising is all about embracing the me time. While also opening yourself up to new friendships along the way.

Lastly, use technology to connect. Most ships have apps where you can chat with other passengers, see the daily events happening, and even join interest groups on board. Make sure to keep your luggage manageable. Bring a cross body bag or a fanny pack for port days and bring a power strip, the non surge protected ones for your cabin.

In your case, auntie, your wonderful travel advisor will be sending you a pre travel packet, which will include a suggested packing list reminder of what documents to bring with you for boarding and suggested port ideas. The next few questions were sent in from an anonymous listener, and I wanted to say thank you for being brave enough to ask your questions.

This first question is, I know you have gained a lot of wisdom along the way and have had to deal with toxic close family members. Once you decide to face your fears and be truthful, create boundaries and or severe ties altogether with the toxic person in your life, how do you deal with the guilt that follows and the self-doubt about whether you did the right thing?

This is such a great and important question because guilt is one of the hardest parts of setting boundaries, especially when family is involved. I want to remind you first that boundaries are not about punishment. Boundaries are about protection, protecting your peace, your mental health, and your wellbeing.

So when guilt creeps in, here are a few things to keep in mind. First, reframe the ideal of selfishness. You're not being selfish by saying no. You're practicing self-care and that's necessary for you to thrive. Second. Remember that love without respect isn't real love. If someone continues to disrespect or manipulate you, it's not wrong to protect yourself from that third, affirm your right to peace.

Try saying things like, I am allowed to choose peace over chaos or protecting myself is not wrong. Fourth, focus on what you're gaining, not what you're losing. By setting boundaries, you gain freedom. Clarity, and the space needed to heal. And finally, understand that guilt is a normal step in this process.

It's not a stop sign just because you feel guilty. Doesn't mean you made the wrong decision. This often means you were just conditioned to put others first. Healing means rewriting that script, so please know this. It's okay to protect yourself. It's okay to choose peace, and you are worthy of respect and safety.

The next question, what's the most unexpected, memorable, or funny thing that has ever happened to you while traveling? I have had so many funny things happen when traveling, especially when traveling with Ann. I have mentioned several on previous episodes because every time we travel, it seems a funny mishap occurs.

The funniest I have to say, was the humping window guy. If you haven't listened to the New Orleans episode, check it out. We tell this story. The most memorable thing was waking up and stepping off the plane in Scotland. I literally cried. It was amazing. I never thought my dream to visit Scotland would come true.

So getting off that plane and seeing the beauty surrounding me, knowing my dream had come true was overwhelming. I was like a sponge absorbing everything. And then the most unexpected happened during our trip to Vegas, I won a mini jackpot on the slot machine at the casino in the Excalibur Hotel. We were there waiting on the show, thunder from down under to start.

I don't know which got my heart racing faster. The jackpot win or the thunder from down under show. Ladies, if you haven't been and you're going to Vegas. Add it to your list, thunder from down under is a must. next anonymous question, if you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Such a great question and one I have pondered about over the years, and my answer has changed many times. I used to say, I would tell my younger self to avoid David. I would not say that now because I have realized that going through that was part of my path, which led me to my purpose of this podcast, traveling to heal and telling my story to help others.

I learned so many lessons from that experience and going through it has made me a stronger person. Plus, I wouldn't change knowing David or the great times we had together before things turned bad. Wow. I'm so proud of myself because I never thought I would say something like this, and that tells me my wound around this chapter of my life is healed.

I think the piece of advice I would give my younger self is to give your mom a break. Realize how amazing you are within yourself, and don't listen to what others say or tie your worth to whether you have a boyfriend. Lastly, I would tell Young Shannon to follow your dreams and see the world and enjoy being you before you worry about marriage and kids.

  📍 This next question is from my sister Ann. Honestly, I expected a spicier question and non-travel related from her, but here we go.  We booked an inside cabin for our upcoming cruise. The room is small. Do you have any tips that will make our space more comfortable? We have several things to make our space more comfortable.

First we use magnetic hooks to hang stuff up. Second, we have hanging toiletry bags so we don't crowd the desk or the bathroom. Third, we have two small fans that are magnetic, so they're on the wall. Yes, people. Menopause is no joke. We put our luggage under the bed versus the closet, so that gives us more space in the closet for other things.

And a must. We have the poopourri for the bathroom. This is a must when you travel, but also just an FYI. We did get offered an upgrade and we are now gonna be in a cloud nine spa interior room, so we will have more space than what we originally were gonna have.

  📍  next two questions are from my bestie. Kristen, thanks so much for these. They're great.  What are some good, all-inclusive resort options without breaking the bank? I did some research so I could provide you with a few options. I have not personally been to any of these properties. Usually the best budget friendly resorts are in Mexico, specifically Cancun or Riviera Maya, the Dominican Republic, such as Punta Cana or Jamaica in Montego Bay.

But you can also find budget friendly resorts in other areas. mid-October through mid-November is the off season, so you get better rates. And it depends on what your ideal of not breaking the bank is. For me, that means a place that is under $400 a night, preferably under $300 a night. So here's a list of 10 places that I've found that fit that criteria, and I'm just gonna preface ahead of time.

Please forgive me if I botch some of these names because I feel like I will. The first one is the Renaissance Wind Creek in Aruba, the Holiday Inn Resort in Aruba, ocean Blue and Sand Beach Resort in Punta Cana. Dreams, Royal Beach in Punta Cana, Sunscape, Curacao Resort in Curacao. Guys, I highly recommend Curacao such a beautiful island.

Iberostar selection in Cancun Catalonia Royal in La Romana in the Dominican Republic. Bahia Principe Luxury in Runaway Bay Jamaica Occidental Excaret in Playa Del Carmen

El Cozumeleno Beach Resort in Cozumel.

If you could live anywhere in the world outside of the us where would it be? This is another question I have pondered many times over the years, especially since I'm getting closer to retirement age. I wanna live somewhere with my sister Ann, and we have both talked about a beach house somewhere in the tropics, but we don't wanna have to deal with hurricane tsunamis and such.

I also don't wanna live somewhere that I would have to learn a new language at my age. So if I could live anywhere in the world outside of the us, my choice now would be Scotland. After visiting last year, it has everything and would be my dream place to live. The people are wonderful and very welcoming.

The country is gorgeous with lots of hiking, beautiful waterfalls and castles. They have beautiful beaches that are just as gorgeous as the Caribbean, and yes, they do have warm weather in the summer months. The food is amazing and chemical free. The transportation system is astounding. By far the best I've ever seen.

The cities are walkable and crime is low, and you have easy access to visit other countries. In Europe, the cost of living is very low compared to the US and the pace of life is slower, so less stress.

  📍 These next questions were submitted by my sweet coworker, Marisa. Love you  girl.  Has there ever been a trip you were on that you felt you were going to get abducted? Thankfully, the answer to this is no. I have never felt unsafe or that I might be abducted any of the places I have gone so far. I try to stay out of areas that are risky and I always remain vigilant when I travel.

My head is on a 360 swivel. I do know self-defense. Thanks to growing up with brothers and a military dad. I am always cautious and I usually have a good spidey sense about things. I have taught my sister a lot of safety tips over the years, things that seem silly to others, but I have found work really well.

Has a travel with a friend caused a friendship to end or made you say, I will never travel with this person in my life again? Yes, ma'am. So glad you asked this question because this has definitely happened to me. This happened a few years ago in 2017. I was good friends or so I thought with the lady who I went to college with.

We had actually been friends up to this point for a few years, and really good friends. Like we had told each other our stories. We'd. Visited each other's homes many times. Gone out to lunches, dinners, went to celebrations together. So yeah, it wasn't just a casual acquaintance. She was someone I considered a really, really good friend.

, And in 2017. Kevin, my youngest son had graduated high school and he was about to go off to college. He got a scholarship to St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. Go Billiken. So we needed to take him up to college. Jeff was not gonna be able to get off work to go with me, unfortunately.

And anyone who has been at this stage of life where you're about to become an empty nester because your last child is about to leave the house, knows that this time is a very sensitive time. It's a new chapter, a new transition for you. So a lot of emotions are wrapped up during this time, and it really was for me because those of you who know me know that, me and my youngest son Kevin, are like two peas in a pod.

We have a wonderful relationship, very, very close. So for him to be leaving was a lot for me  My family and a few friends that I had at the time knew that I was gonna need a lot of support for this weekend to take him, and get him moved into his college dorm. plus this was the first for me.

He was. The first child going to college. I had never went off to college myself, so I had no clue like what the whole situation was with moving into a dorm and all of that. And it's very chaotic and very hectic and stressful. When I knew that Jeff couldn't go with me. The other options of people to go with me were also not available.

Ann was already in Missouri, however, she couldn't take off work to come up to St. Louis to help me, move him in. So I needed someone else to go with me This friend and I had talked many times about traveling together, but we hadn't at this point. So I invited her to go with me to drop my son off his first year of college.

We were moving him in during the week. so that weekend, immediately following, Ann and I have planned a girl's weekend in Branson. Just so we could have fun, I could de-stress and plus I would still be around, close enough if Kevin should need anything. That first weekend, I could get back to him very quickly.

So I invited this friend to go with me. And to participate in this Girl's Weekend in Branson. I thought she would enjoy it as well because Branson, as you've heard me talk about before, offers so much and it's things that she liked to do as well, like hiking and different stuff like that.

So since we had never traveled together before to try and prevent any issues and to let her know things about me ahead of time that I felt were necessary, I let her know that, look in the mornings, you don't wanna have a conversation with me until I've had my coffee. It's ugly. It's brutal. Those of you who are coffee drinkers.

I'm sure you understand what I'm talking about. And even my son warned her about this. He laughed about it and joked and said, yeah, definitely don't talk to mom until she's had her coffee. then I also prepared her because I snore and I know it's bad. so I wanted her to be prepared since the first night that we got there, we would be sharing a room together.

So I let her know I snore so you can prepare, , if you need earplugs or whatever. Make sure you have what you need. She also knew that I suffered with anxiety. I've had anxiety. Ever since I went through the trauma with David, I've suffered anxiety in my life. So anytime I get overwhelmed or it's very, very stressful, then my anxieties kick in and I can get a little snippy and I need to take time outs or breaks.

I know this about myself there's different techniques and things that I use to help me with my anxiety that I've learned now that I didn't know then. so I always make sure that people who aren't aware of that about me know that upfront so they're prepared. So I had told her all this and I knew that she also suffered her own anxieties and had her own issues, that she was dealing with or working through, I understood that and was okay with it.

I also pointed out to her, and so did my husband, my son, and other people that knew her and me, and that she was gonna go with me on this trip. That because this was gonna be such a stressful weekend and such a big, huge change for me, that I was probably gonna have anxiety issues and gonna need a lot of emotional support.

To which she replied, no problem. She was so happy to go with me and be that emotional support person for me.

With all that said, I let her know if I get snippy, , if this happens, please don't take it personally because it's not personal. It's me and my own issues that has nothing to do with you. if you see me getting anxious, then what you need to do is say, Hey, you need to take a break.

Or if I start to get harsh, call me out on it. , This is what my close family and my super close friends know to do. That's the system that I have set up and that they know and it works for me. again, she said she understood because, sometimes when my anxiety gets that way, , I don't actually realize that it's happening.

Until much later, but as soon as I do realize it, I take responsibility and I apologize for my bad behavior. it makes me feel really, really horrible. It's one of the things I really hate about myself. , I wish that my anxieties could just completely go away, but they haven't.

Although with the techniques and everything that I use now, they have gotten way better and less frequent.

So the trip started out just fine. Going up, there were no, problems at all. It was great. 12 hours on the road. We had so much fun, though I had a playlist of music created for us, so we sang to the radio, did a lot of talking and laughing and pointing out stuff along the way 'cause she had never been.

We got to our hotel that first night. We were all roomed together that first night. And the next day we got up, we drove into St. Louis to the university to move Kevin into the dorms. It was very, very stressful. I had rented a van. This was the first time I'd ever rented a car in my life. So it was all new to me and I did not know, before going to pick up the car and all that, anybody that I wanted to have listed as a driver in addition to myself, had to be with me at the time that I picked up the van because they had to show their ID and then get added to the contract.

I had no clue about this until the day that I picked up the van and then they told me that, at that point in time it was too late for me to have this other person come to the rental car place and show her ID and get her added. So the only person on the rental agreement was me. So I had to do all the driving.

Which was fine. I have made that trip so many times by myself. I can do the full 12, hour drive because again, I stop along the way, take little breaks and so it's fine. But back to the story, we go, we get to the university to move Kevin in. It's very stressful, tight space to work in. As anyone who's moved a child into the dorm, knows what I'm talking about, especially when he was sharing a dorm with two other people.

And those two people are also trying to move in at the same exact time. myself and the person who was with me are not small people, neither is my child. So you know, we take up a little bit more space than other people take up. So trying to navigate around and get everything moved in was very stressful.

And I did get a little snippy, but I immediately recognized that and apologized and stepped away for a bit to calm down. And I was told by this person. It was okay. Completely. Okay. She understood. No harm done. It was later that same day we had gotten Kevin all moved in. We were all tired, sweaty, and glad it was done.

And we had went out to go, grab some lunch as we're walking, on campus to go find somewhere to eat. We got the word from my husband. He sent a text message that a hurricane was heading for Houston. Well, as you could probably guess, it was 2017, so that hurricane was Harvey. Anyone who was around during that time knows what a catastrophe Hurricane Harvey was.

However, at the time, we didn't realize it was gonna be. That bad, but I asked my husband immediately, should we cut the trip and just come home now, ahead of the storm And he advised me, no, I do not want you coming home. You would be heading in as the storm was heading in and you would be putting yourself in harm's way for no reason.

I want you to stay in St. Louis and be safe.  I'm here with our, he was there with our oldest son and our dog, she consulted her husband too, who also agreed and said, no, I don't want you coming back. Stay there. Stay safe. So we, like I said, we had no idea at the time, the extent of damage and how long Harvey was gonna last, and the aftermath of Harvey would be.

So as soon after the lunch, we had Kevin moved in, we left to start heading down to Branson from St. Louis. On the way down, Ann sent a message that her car was still in the shop and she needed us to pick her up as she wouldn't have transportation to get there otherwise. So we made the detour to pick her up and to get some supplies for our Branson weekend

while we were at the store getting the supplies we needed for our weekend. My husband called me to let me know that our oldest son, John, had a mental episode. I'll get more into John later on in my episodes as I get into my story. But my oldest son, John, suffers from schizoaffective disorder, so he has a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar.

So he had a mental episode and was taken to the hospital. So this left my husband having to try to deal with that on top of the storm that was heading in and our dog all alone. So this information really stressed me out, but I tried to push it aside 'cause we were on our way to have a fun girls weekend and my husband said, , I've got this.

Don't worry about it. Just have fun and de-stress. You deserve it.

So as we're heading down. Like I said, I was the only person who could drive the vehicle at this point. It was late at night. It was around 10:00 PM and we still had a couple more hours to go to get to Branson. I was super tired and so I had to make a bunch of stops to stretch, get coffee and to stay awake.

This irritated. , The friend and she kept telling me that I should have added her to the agreement so she could help me drive, which her telling me this didn't help my stress and my situation any at all. However, once we got there, got to our condo, got everything unloaded and unpacked. We spent one of the best weekends we ever had in Branson.

It was so much fun. We stayed up until the wee hours every night talking, laughing, watching movies. Every day we went out and did some fun activity or went to a show, did hiking, ate some amazing food. So it was a really great weekend. Now, yes, during that weekend, the storm had hit, had come in. We saw how bad it was.

We were getting updates on the storm. We had already checked in with our spouses. Both of them were okay. Our dogs were okay. My oldest son was okay. He was safe in the hospital, and everything there was okay, but this person was starting to really panic about it and was obsessing with the news stories over Harvey and wanting to go home immediately.

Well, as anybody knows who was around during that time, we couldn't just go home. Because they were literally telling people not to come to Texas except for supplies and helpers to work, to help with the power and whatnot. Different things like that. But everyone else they were telling, advising you to stay home, stay off the roads, don't come into Texas because a lot of the roads were still flooded, blocked off.

, Different things, still didn't have power, water, things like that. So we had to extend our stay in Missouri and I was gonna rent us a hotel, but Ann invited us to stay at her home so we wouldn't have to pay for a hotel. my friend agreed. Yeah, that's great. So we went to Ann's house  

I took the couch and gave my friend the spare bedroom to make her feel more comfortable. Ann of course had to go back to work. Since, there wasn't anything going on in Missouri, so it was business as usual. So that next day, Ann went back to work and it was me and my friend at her home.

This friend literally locked herself in the bedroom guys and refused to talk to me. I knocked on the door trying to check on her and just told her, can you just let me know you're okay? I just wanna make sure you're okay and then I won't bother you. She would not even respond if she was okay or not. so I was really getting worried as to, , if she was okay, if she was having a mental breakdown.

If, I don't know, if something had happened to her during the night in the bedroom, like, I don't know, but she literally had the door locked. So like I couldn't go in and she wouldn't respond to me. I called Ann at work. I was so panicked and asked her, what should I do? she told me, just give it a little bit and hopefully, she'll come out or respond to you, and if not, then you know, you have my permission to take the doorknob off to get in to check on her.

so I waited and she finally did respond to me hours later, it was at least four or five hours later, before she responded to me and let me know that she was okay. later that evening when she came out of the bedroom, she was very distant, was being cold toward me and even toward Ann.  then she would go back and stay in the bedroom and lock herself in there.

later we would discover that she was in there binge eating. But we didn't know that at the time, and we were both trying to keep her spirits lifted and to get her to stop watching the news and stressing out. I mean, because we already knew that her husband and dogs were okay. we ended up having to stay there several days, since they weren't letting people back into Houston.

she had came to me like. Day two or day three, wanted to go to San Antonio to stay with her daughter, and she wanted me to come and drive her there and then stay with them in San Antonio. And I let her know I wasn't comfortable doing that. Like I didn't know her daughter that well. I. Wasn't gonna feel comfortable staying in her house, but I offered to drive her to the airport so she could fly to San Antonio to be with her daughter.

And I even told her I would pay for the ticket if she needed me to, and she said no. So the night before we were to leave to come home, which really. I was against doing, but she kept insisting that she wanted to leave even though they were still advising people not to come back yet. , But she was determined to leave, so I had agreed and the night before, I set my alarm, but for some reason, I don't know why it didn't go off, but the friend got up on time.

However, she didn't wake me up until much later. when she finally woke me up, I was grumpy as usual. I hadn't gotten my coffee yet, and then she started giving me a hard time for not waking up when I was supposed to. And for us getting a later start,  I may be wrong here, but when I travel with someone and we set a time to wake up and leave. And they don't get up at the designated time. I wake them up at that time. I don't wait to see if they wake up or wait and wake them up way later and then give 'em a hard time about it.

The last straw was they had a curfew in place for Houston and the surrounding cities. we were not gonna make it into town until after dark and after that curfew. And like I said, many of the roads were still flooded and or blocked, I didn't know since I hadn't been there, which roads those were.

And as they were saying on the news waves and the other GPS and stuff weren't necessarily alerting people to streets that were flooded or blocked. So I was really nervous about driving at night, coming into Houston anyway. And as you come into Houston, at that time, my house was the closest one. Versus her house.

so I said to her, you can just stay the night at my house for tonight, then in the morning we'll get up and I'll drive you to your house when it's daylight out and I can see and know, we're going the right way and no issues. she was adamant that she wanted me to drive her home that night.

being unsure about the roads again, I felt unsafe to do that, and also I didn't wanna be driving after curfew,

so I ask her, can your husband drive to my house and pick you up? So I don't have to drive at night past curfew. she calls her husband and was complaining to him about this, and he told her to tell me that I was to drive her home and he wasn't gonna go out past curfew because it was unsafe. So when she tells me this, in my mind I'm like, so your husband feels it's okay for me, a woman to be driving past curfew, but he won't because he feels unsafe to do so.

round about that time, Jeff called me to check in on us, where we were at, and how much further we had to go. when he called, we were just coming into the woodlands, so we had about 40, 45 minutes left before I could reach my house. I told him the situation and he got really angry that her husband would insist on such a thing and said for me to come to our house.

And then he would drive the friend home as he didn't want me facing dangerous roads at night, or to be out past curfew as a woman. So when the friend heard this, she called her husband back and told him, so then he changed his tune and said he would come and pick her up. We arrived at my house. The husband showed up and they both acted like everything was well.

There were no issues. It was fine and dandy. Lots of thank yous, hugs. All of that sort of thing. A couple of days later, I received a breakup text message from this friend and I'm gonna read you that message now. Hi Shannon. I have to get this off my chest for my own closure. I agreed to the Missouri trip with you when Jeff couldn't make it thanking you would appreciate the help and the company.

But shortly into it, I was struggling to figure out why you would invite me along and then treat me in such an ugly way on so many occasions. You may have your reasons you need your coffee and cigarette, or joke about me meeting the bitchy Shannon and be able to justify it to yourself. As just a different aspect of your personality, but nothing I heard when I expressed my feelings worked for me.

I was generous enough to wake you when you overslept. On the morning we left again. I was prepared to sleep on the sofa, but you declined my offer and you didn't say one word to me, but grunted your way around the kitchen and made your coffee in silence. Aside from the discomfort I felt, had I not woken you, you would've been driving in darkness a lot sooner.

I had said I would've been happy to share the driving when you asked me to come with you, which would have prevented some of your fatigue, but you chose not to plan ahead for this. Your ugly mood on the journey back continued until we were at the last McDonald's, even though I continued to treat you respectfully.

A totally different Shannon to the one I traveled up with. I am sure, as I said, you will justify your behavior to yourself and others, but being on the receiving end, I have no interest risking a repeat of the experience IE spending my vacation next year with you in Missouri. So please make your arrangements unhindered by having to accommodate me.

To end on a positive note, I am absolutely thrilled for Kevin and glad I could assist with his move. He is a super young man. I loved Missouri and meeting Ann's wonderful family and fur babies. I shall look forward to visiting Missouri and trying the trail someday in my own time. Best regards, Sue.

She states, she treated me respectfully on the trip home. If you consider the silent treatment, commenting on the late start repeatedly, and texting and talking with your husband about me respect, then sure. She was respectful. Listen, there are always two sides to every story, and the truth is somewhere in the middle.

This is why I shared her text with you so you can see the whole picture. I am honest about my shortcomings and issues with anxiety. I recognize these and do the best I can. Those who are truly my friends know and understand this and respect me for my honesty and appreciate my sincere apologies if a situation happens.

This person and I have been good friends for a few years at this point. We had shared our stories and struggles, and I felt we understood each other. We had planned other trips together, which is what she refers to in her message. She was invited to join us the following year in Missouri for our anniversary celebration, and we were planning a trip to Europe together.

Since she was from England, it was shocking that she didn't even have the care to talk with me face to face, or even by phone call. Instead, she sent a text message. Now, I know for some of you younger generation sending a text message versus a face-to-face or a phone call is what y'all do. But for us, the older generation and she was, she's a part of that older generation.

That is not the way in how we do things. yes, I kept the text message for all these years because that's how much it hurt me. Here was the reply that I sent to her. Hi, Sue. I want to thank you for coming and helping me get Kevin moved in. It was very much appreciated. I hope that your text was able to give you the closure you were seeking.

Thank you for your opinions and observations. I appreciate them, but am saddened that our friendship meant so little that you had to share them via text rather than a call or in person. I wish you well and I have dropped the items you left in the van in the post regards. Shannon, have you ever had an experience like this?

If so, drop a comment and let me know. The next question is how did you meet your husband? Oh, this is a good one. The first time I met or knew Jeff was when I was 13 before my family moved to Tennessee. His dad owned a wrecker service and so did my sister Jill. My other sister Dawna, drove one of those wreckers for my sister Jill

and her husband drove a wrecker for Jeff's dad. Me and my niece would often go out riding with my sister in the wrecker at night to calls, and Jeff would do the same with my sister's husband. I saw him out one night and thought he was so cute with his gorgeous curly hair, but I was still so young and he was older, so he didn't even realize I existed, and he was actually into my niece who was older and she didn't give him the time of day.

I told my friend Brandi the next day that I saw the boy I would marry, but I didn't know his name at the time. And then I moved away. My friend Brandi found out his name was Jeff and let me know. I years later when I moved back to Houston after my trauma with David, I was 18 at this time. I was repeating my senior year of high school and I was attending CE King High School and prom was coming up and I had no date because the guy I had been seeing had just broke up with me.

I was at my friend Tina's house hanging out, and she was dating a guy who drove a wrecker for my sister, and he was there working on his truck. So she told me her boyfriend had a friend who would be perfect for me to take to prom, and he was there and she wanted to introduce us.

I said, sure. And as we're walking to where the guys were, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw him. I couldn't believe it was the same guy I had seen when I was 13 and said I would marry. One day she introduced us and I was blushing, and so embarrassed. Oh. It was bad. They arranged a double date the following night for all of us.

I was so nervous, but I was dressed to the hilt and my little miniskirt and time ticked away. As we waited for Jeff to show up, my mind started racing with thoughts of, well, he doesn't like me. He's out of my league, and so on. But two hours later he showed up with the excuse he had been with my brother-in-law at an antique car show and couldn't leave.

We went out to a bar. I was so scared 'cause I was underage and had never been in a bar before. It was very awkward date. But the nerves finally settled and we had good conversation and laughs. He agreed to go to prom with me, but didn't have the money to rent or buy a tuxedo. So his other friend, Chuck, who also worked for my sister, took him and paid for the tuxedo and my flowers.

Shout out to Chuck. We had a great time at the prom and a fun night after prom, if you know what I mean, and kept seeing each other after that. He proposed. We move in together. I proposed marriage, so two months after my graduation, we were married in a small, intimate ceremony with family in his mom's backyard.

No, I was not pregnant. It was not a shotgun wedding. Since my parents were unable to come to Houston for the wedding, we drove to Tennessee and spent our honeymoon with them over the 4th of July weekend.

I had so much fun answering your questions today and look forward to doing another ask Shannon episode before I close out today, I wanted to recognize some people from my high school days who made it impact in my life and helped shape who I am today. Robin and Kim lived next door to me in Adamsville, and we spent a lot of time together during my first years, and it was very sad when they moved away.

Sarah was one of my besties all through high school and beyond. She went through so much with me. She lived with me and my family for a while. She was with me through my father's illness. When I suffered my miscarriage. She helped. When I left David, she stood by my side holding my hand when I had my abortion.

She kept in touch after I moved back to Texas. She visited me after I got married and was pregnant with my first son and she was there to help me through my father's funeral. Thank you so much, Sarah, for standing by my side all those years. Kecia was another high school bestie who was special to me. As I mentioned on another episode, her family became my second family.

She was such an amazing person, always smiling and full of spunk. She had an amazing voice and I loved to hear her sing. We had so many fun times together and got into a lot of mischief. Sadly, we grew apart midway through high school and never got a chance to reconnect. I wish I had another chance to change that, but sadly we lost her and she is dearly missed.

I try to stay connected with her mom, Mrs. S, on Facebook. Every time I sing, I feel the rain. I am transported back to being on stage at church with Kecia and her mom, Mrs. S, and it warms my heart. Christie and Lynn, you girls were the best. So many wonderful memories with the two of you. I couldn't have asked for better friends.

Christie, I hate that my stupid decisions as a teenager ruined our relationship. You always had my back and that is the reason you agreed to run away with me the night I left home. That stunt caused your mom to not allow us to be friends anymore. We got up to some crazy things and such good memories.

Lynn, so glad your mom believed in me after my runaway stunt. She was such a wonderful lady. You were with me through all the David stuff. While you didn't know everything that was happening, you knew more than anyone else in my life. I wished I hadn't been so self-absorbed back then and missed your struggles and all you went through with James.

I abandoned you after I broke up with David and wasn't with you as I should have been while you were pregnant. I hope you can forgive me for this. Just know I was in no condition to support anyone as I was broken and needed to seek help for myself. I hope you and Christie will continue to stay connected to me and maybe we can visit soon.

Last, but not least, Tonya, my best friend and sister. You had such a big impact on my life. You brought this shy girl out of her shell. We got into so much together. The good, the bad, sometimes very bad, the messy and everything in between. Your family was my family, mama Nona, rest in peace. Taught me so much and loved me unconditionally.

Your dad had the same calming effect on me that my dad always had. They were both big teddy bears and Sadonna became my little sister too. I got to be a part of your first love story, which was so special for me. I'm sorry for pushing you away. After Carl and I broke up, it meant the world to me when Jeff and I moved back to Tennessee and I was able to reconnect with you and Johnny and meet your beautiful babies.

I wish we had stayed in each other's lives, but sadly we went our different ways. I am glad that after all these years we are reconnecting again, and I hope that we will continue to keep that going. One final person I would like to mention, and that is Rebekah. I have tried to find her over the years, but I've never been able to track her down.

I lived with her and her mother for a while after I left David, before I returned back to Texas. Her and her mom took care of the broken Shannon and gave me time to work on healing. They lived in Shiloh at the time, and her mom had long, gorgeous black hair and reminded me of Morticia Adams, but in a good way.

If anyone listening knows who I'm talking about and has any information about her, please send me a message. I would love to know how she is and be able to reconnect and to say thank you to her.

I wanna give a quick update. I continue to improve and grow the show. So we now have a travel time story, Facebook page. Please subscribe to our travel time stories with Shannon Facebook page so we can all connect facebook.com/traveltimestorieswithshannon. We will keep it updated with upcoming episodes, events such as Facebook Lives, and we plan to create a group for those who would like to join, where you would get access to newsletters, a digital journal behind the scenes extras, and have first access to join our upcoming group cruises and trips that we will be planning.

I will provide more information to you as it all comes together.

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