Hey, everyone! The main attraction this week was driving down to Indiana with my parents and nephew in an attempt to see the total solar eclipse. Aside from that, there was a lot of time spent hanging out with my nephew.

Surprising Dillan

While Dillan knew I was coming home for the eclipse, he didn’t know when or where he would be seeing me. I decided to drive down to Naperville with my mom and to surprise Dillan by hiding in the trunk of the car. My mom went to pick him up from school and she told him to put his bags in the trunk. When he opened up the trunk, there I was waiting for him!

At first, he was confused but then he was really excited to see me. We hugged and he exclaimed how he was not expecting that at all.

It was so cute to be able to surprise him since, like me (and unlike my mom), he loves surprises.

From there, we stopped at his place to get his clothes for the weekend and then we drove back to Michigan.

In the evening, we played cards, took Gizmo to the park, had a “battle” and then proceeded to watch the new live action Avatar: The Last Airbender and then play Fortnite.

On Saturday, we took Gizmo for a walk and then drove to go to Saigon City which is this pho place my parents love. And… unfortunately, it was CLOSED due to some renovations. We went back home. The rest of the day, Dillan and I did swordfighting with sticks, took Gizmo to the park and otherwise just kind of played games.

We started a new Xbox game called It Takes Two which is a really cute co-op game that we both enjoyed. In the evening, we had a homemade pizza and watched more Avatar. Before long, it was time to call it a night. The day passed quickly.

There’s a Place Called Kokomo

Come morning, I did a quick exercise, showered, had breakfast and then it was time to head down to Indiana. We dropped poor Gizmo off by Lori & Colleen and then we hit the road. We weren’t sure what to expect in terms of traffic. Would it be chaos with everyone flocking to get to the path of totality? Luckily, it ended up only taking two hours to get from Harbert to Kokomo.

Once arriving in town, I had to play Kokomo by The Beach Boys. It has been in my head ever since.

Since we couldn’t check in to the hotel yet, we went for food at a Vietnamese restaurant. My dad ended up getting his pho after all! The food was seriously delicious. Dill and I also got bubble teas which were yummy. Afterwards, we still had some time to kill so we went to a nearby park called Jackson Morrow Park. Dill and I ran up to the top of a hill and had a swordfight up there. It was a beautiful day with sunny skies. I was praying that the skies would look similar the following day, the day of the eclipse. (It’s worth noting that Midwest weather is notoriously fickle in spring… I couldn’t really see the sun for like four days after coming home.)

After playing at the park for a while, we decided to go back to the hotel to see if our room was ready. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. There was a delay in the room cleaning – which definitely happens at hotels. I should know… I work at a hotel haha. I think this particular hotel wasn’t used to being sold out since it is kind of located in the middle of Nowhere, Indiana. Flocks of people were in town for the eclipse.

My parents suggested Dill and I should go back to the park until the room was ready. It was only four minutes away. Off we went! We did some more swordfighting and then went down to explore more of the park. There was a creek with some fallen trees acting as a makeshift bridge. Dillan decided to walk across it. I cautioned him not to fall into the water. He did a great job and didn’t fall in haha.

I got a text from my dad that the room was ready. I thought Dill would want to stay at the park longer but he wanted to get to the hotel, so off we went!

Once checked in, we went to our room and Dillan tried to set up his Nintendo Switch to the TV. He really wanted to play one particular game with me but it needed an update and since we were having issues connecting to the Wifi, we couldn’t play it. Instead, we went outside to… you guessed it – swordfight!

We must have been out there for forty minutes. Then the temperature started to drop. Looking off to the horizon, I could see rain clouds rolling in. I was trying to keep my anxiety at bay – wondering if this would affect the following day during the eclipse.

We returned to the hotel room and played another game on Dill’s Switch. Shortly after, my friends Joey and Rob were set to arrive at the hotel. They would be joining along for the eclipse the following day which I was happy about. Dill and I played games for a while and once Joey and Rob arrived, we went to Olive Garden for dinner. We originally were hoping to go to a place called Half Moon Brewery – we thought the name was quite fitting for the theme of our time in Indiana. Alas, there was a 40min wait and Olive Garden had a 0min wait. Olive Garden won! I can’t remember the last time I went to Olive Garden but DAMN were those breadsticks good. I must have eaten four of them, in addition to a soup and spaghetti haha. Yum! Thanks, Dad for treating us to dinner!

Pool Party & Scary Movies

After dinner, the gang split up to chill for a second and get our bathing suits on. During that time, I finally looked at the weather forecast for the first time in a few days. It was saying clouds which was… discouraging. I ended up looking at ventusky.com which shows a comprehensive breakdown of cloud coverage. The breakdown is as such – low clouds, mid clouds, high clouds. The low clouds were 0%, mid clouds 0%, high clouds 100%. High clouds are the best type of clouds to have during an eclipse because they’re typically not so thick that they would block the view of the sun. My dad and I were originally going to settle on a location but in the end, we decided to make a decision the next morning.

My parents stayed in the room while Dill, Joey, Rob, and I went down to the pool to swim.

We had such a blast. We were playing Marco Polo at first but then changed the rules and had three against one at a certain point. Then we did a “battle” where Dill had electricity powers, I had fire, Rob had water, Joey had mind control, etc. It was fun to get Rob & Joey in on the games I am always playing with Dill. I was pleased they went along with it and catered to Dill during our little pool party.

We must have stayed for close to two hours before we left the pool and changed. We stopped back at the hotel room and unfortunately, my dad had been getting sick. He thought it was from something he ate. After telling him to rest up, Dill and I went to Joey & Rob’s room to watch a scary movie. We settled on Son, which in hindsight wasn’t really scary. Dill was cracking jokes through most of it.

After the movie, Dill and I returned to our hotel room and went to bed. I had a hard time falling asleep. I was quite preoccupied with what the next day may bring. Once again – as I had been doing for many days at this point – I prayed for clear skies.

Morning of the Eclipse

In the morning, we woke up and got ready for the day – Eclipse Day. I felt excited but anxious. I had been planning this for seven years, since the last time I saw the total solar eclipse in 2017. I was determined to see it with my family this time but I was really worrying it wouldn’t work out because of the clouds. However, the sky was looking pretty good. Much better than a couple of days prior, and even the night before when it was raining.

I stepped outside before the others were ready to have a quiet moment to myself. I was very anxious and was even shaking a little bit. I know – dramatic. I will talk more about my reaction in the Reflections section.

I looked to the sky and prayed for it to stay clear. The forecast was showing a cloudy forecast on my Weather app. Ventusky.com still showed the same as the night prior – 100% chance of high clouds.

I went back to the hotel room and we decided to go to Forest Park, Indiana. It was about forty minutes southeast of Kokomo and had about 3min 29sec of totality. We would have just stayed in Kokomo, but Kokomo had something like only 40sec of totality… which just isn’t enough.

After breakfast, we got in our cars and drove down to Forest Park, where we would be stationing ourselves for the eclipse. I thought traffic would be chaos and that it would take much longer than forty minutes to get down there with Eclipse Traffic but nope! Yahoo!

Along the way, we saw clouds that looked like an X in the direction of Forest Park. X marks the spot.

Forest Park in Noblesville

Forest Park was perhaps the perfect location for our eclipse viewing in terms of setting. They had public toilets which were a major win, two playgrounds to entertain Dillan, pavilions for shade, pretty wildflowers sprinkling color in the grass, and lots of birds flying around.

We scoped out the area and walked along the trails for ten minutes or so. We decided to set up camp under the shade of a large pine tree. Two blankets, four lawn chairs, and lots of picnic food courtesy of my mom. My mom had also brought some crystals to harness the energy of the eclipse, so those were placed on the ground, too.

The “eclipse goggles” were pulled out and we began to check out the sun. The partial phases of the eclipse hadn’t yet begun but it was good to get a point of reference. Ah, yes. This is what the sun looks like, before the moon takes over. We had a few different types of goggles to try out so we were passing them back and forth to see the sun through different lenses. One pair showed the sun as green, which is the color the sun actually is. The other goggles made it look orange.

I was eager for the event to begin. I kept looking to the sky. Mostly blue, but with lots of thin, high cloud coverage. Would it be enough? Would we be able to see it? As the day wore on, more and more high clouds came through. Less blue – but it was still there. The sun was still bright.

Dill and I kept busy. We did a brief swordfighting session but then went to one of the playgrounds. We went down a slide, swung on the swings, etc. Later, we did some more swordfighting. He loves to keep me active, that’s for sure!

At one point, we got Joey & Rob to join in on the swordfighting sessions, too. I was really happy they joined in. Even though Dill didn’t have anyone his age there, he still had us old folk keeping him entertained haha.

After swordfighting, we began to forage for leaves for Joey’s snail. Yes – a pet snail! One day, Joey found a snail in Rob’s car and he’s kept him as a pet ever since. So cute! He’s a great snail dad.

And then… it was time.

Partial Phases Begin

I had my alarm set to 1.50pm – as this is around the time the partial phase begins. I went to look and… nothing. A few minutes later, something. I don’t have any pictures to share because I decided to make a sacrifice to the Gods by not bringing my camera. The last time I saw the eclipse, I told myself “in 2024, I will watch it with my eyes instead.”

Dillan was preoccupied with documenting the phases of the eclipse, though. He put together a nice little video of the phases of the eclipse which was cool.

Everyone was excited to see the sun start to get eaten away by the moon. I don’t say this in an attempt to minimize the experience of those who only have seen the partial eclipse, but there is a massive difference between the partial phases of an eclipse and totality. The difference between 99.9% totality and 100% totality is like the difference between night and day. They are two completely different things. With the partial phases, you must look through the special goggles. During the brief duration of totality, you can take your glasses off and watch the show.

Once the partial phases began, we had a little over an hour until totality. Joey and Rob had brought their tarot cards and so my mom read everyone their futures. Overwhelmingly, the outcome was good. I had pulled The Empress at one point which is a card that is always interesting to me. When going to Maui with my friends a few years back, we did tarot and everyone kept pulling The Empress! I think three of us pulled that card in one night.

Once the cards were finished, we had about twenty minutes to totality. I was feeling increasingly anxious. I was still unsure about the clouds. They weren’t dark or heavy, but they were looming in the sky. Would they block the eclipse? Would it ruin the experience? I began pacing back and forth. I was so ready for what was (hopefully) to come.

Moments Before Totality

Everyone else was sitting down, gazing to the sky with their goggles on. I walked back and forth, looking to the sky, observing my surroundings. It had started to get a little darker. The temperature, a little cooler.

At one point, my mom told me “come here,” and held my hand. I think she knew I was worried we wouldn’t be able to see it and was trying to send me calming energy. We looked to the sky together.

Then, I continued to pace. It was almost here now. Ten minutes away. Five minutes away. The sky, getting darker. Slowly. The birds, not making as much noise – back in their nests now. I had set an alarm for 3.05pm, a minute before totality in which I wanted everyone to come over to take a selfie right as the eclipse reached totality. However, five minutes before, everyone seemed to stand up at once. They walked over to where I stood. There was a shift. We all put our arms around one another, just looking up to the sky. I heard my mom say to my dad, “This will probably be the only one we will see.”

We prepared for the selfie and I snapped a couple of pictures. Then, with the swiftness of a curtain dropping, darkness overtook the world. I heard people hooting, hollering, screaming, and knew it was time. Joey and Rob had already turned towards the sky. I think I was the last to look.

The Moon Eclipses the Sun

While I have seen it once before, the view of the moon eclipsing the sun hadn’t lost its magnificence. It stared down at me. I once described it as a “celestial eye,” and I think that description is still quite apt.

With the eclipse in my vision, I screamed, “OH, MY GOD!” at the top of my lungs. Over and over, just like I had the first time. And then “Thank you, God!” All the prayers, answered. It was there, in the sky. The moon and the sun. Lovers – together once again.

I don’t remember much else. I was pretty hysterical and overwhelmed and amazed. I know that I was cautioning my loved ones not to worry about pictures – just to enjoy it. It is only three minutes long. Enjoy it with the eyes. Don’t worry about the pictures – the iPhone pictures that will never, could never capture the beauty of this otherworldly event. Even the professionals aren’t able to capture the eclipse in a way that resembles real life.

I remember the orange hue along the horizon – like a beautiful sunset, and the darkness above. I remember the bright star next to the eclipse.

I remember the sun flare visible at the bottom. Another flare near the top right, but not as easily visible.

I think we all hugged.

I remember the moon – like a black hole. In writing this, I thought to write that seeing the eclipse was like seeing an old friend again after many years. It looked familiar – yes, of course, I remembered it from 2017… but it wasn’t quite how I remembered it. It was a little different. It had changed, or maybe I had changed. I thought back in 2017 that I could clearly see the moon, but no, I was wrong. It was just emptiness. A hole in the sky, surrounded by bright, white flares of light.

There wasn’t much time left. A minute. How had two minutes gone so quickly? “One minute left,” I warned them.

I looked, I stared. It was like entering a different realm. Being transported to a different dimension. The sun goes up every day. The sun goes down every day. But this? Never. Only very, very rarely, and if you’re lucky. It felt like a dream.

Rob called out “look how much lighter it is on the right side now!” – the sunshine was starting to return.

And then the alarm went off. It was time we had to look away. We kept trying to sneak glances. I think we may have looked for longer than we were supposed to. I saw the diamond ring and bailey’s beads. I don’t think you’re supposed to watch that part. Alas.

Then the moon was gone. The sun was shining again. But fainter – not as brightly as before. The world slowly sunk back into normalcy. The eclipse… over – for all intents and purposes. The grand finale had passed. It was time to return to reality.

We all hugged each other. My mom had us each touch the crystals she had charged with the energy of the eclipse. Still slightly delirious, we packed up our things and hit the road.

I hope to see the eclipse again one day, but who knows? I love this “astro-tourism” – chasing the eclipses. If I could, I would see each and every eclipse. I think it is that spectacular. But… that isn’t very realistic. And that would be very expensive haha.

I am so, so glad I was able to see the eclipse with my parents and with my nephew, with my dear friends Joey and Rob. I will never, ever forget it. Thank you, God. Thank you, universe.

Miscellaneous

My parents had ordered eclipse shirts for Dill, Joey, Rob, and I. Mine is a little different because it says “Twice in a Lifetime!” and has checkboxes next to the two eclipse dates for 2017 and 2024. So cute! The packages got a little delayed but hopefully they arrive before I head back to Aotearoa New Zealand. Thanks, Mom & Dad!

Some other cute eclipse-y things… my mom had bought some wine for the event that was called Eclipse.

There was a street called “Half Moon Road,” I already mentioned “Half Moon Brewery,” etc. Lots of moon-y things. At the Kokomo hotel, they were had “moon egg muffins” for breakfast.

When leaving Noblesville, we were going through a round-a-bout and my dad just stopped in the middle of the round-a-bout because it looked like a car was going to drive into it haha. Luckily, there was no car accident but I found it funny because in Aotearoa and Australia, there are SO MANY round-a-bouts so I’m very familiar with them. In Chicago, in the suburbs of Chicago, and in Michigan – not so much. Luckily, no one hit us!

My friend Andy finished reading my book Eclipse Me and sent me this review that she will be publishing on Amazon. So nice!

And also… everyone loves Gizmo!

I got these photos from my mom, too, from Easter Weekend so see below!

Art of the Week

Reflections: Lessons in Control

This Reflections section will mostly be about my anxiety about cloud coverage because it’s important for me to put it out there.

Before heading to the US, I would have calls with my parents where we would talk about being excited for the eclipse. With a few weeks out, I felt very chilled about it and was saying things like, “I hope it works out but even if not, it’s okay – because I will be coming home to see you guys anyway and it’ll be a fun time.” Things switched leading up to the eclipse, though. When I first got home, I started to periodically check the weather predictions. It was changing every hour. When I would see it said Sunny, I felt at ease. Next time, it might say Partially Sunny or Cloudy, and I’d start to spiral a little bit. I kept checking over and over and the swinging pendulum of emotions was feeling overwhelming.

I knew that by checking as obsessively as I was, I was trying to control the situation. And yet, there is nothing I could do to control it. Either there would be clouds that blocked the view or there wouldn’t be. I knew this to be true, and yet I was still trying to subconsciously convince myself I could control it.

I was starting to have anxiety about it and I decided it would be in my best interest not to check until the night before, so we could make a plan of action on where seemed best to go.

By not checking, it certainly helped alleviate the anxiety but it still lingered. Not quite as intensely, but it was there.

I remember there were points where my nephew tried to show me the weather and I would be like “NOO, I don’t want to see it, Dill, seriously.” He was just trying to help by showing me when it said sunny skies. At one point he joked about a storm passing through and my mom, knowing how much I was stressing, said, “you know, Dill, it’s not funny for Uncle T because he spent a lot of money to come down here for this and it’s really important for him to see it.”

The anxiety and stress and need to try and control the situation definitely is linked to the significance I’d placed on the event.

When I saw the eclipse in 2017, I regarded it as the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Having seen it again, I can confirm it. It is the coolest thing one could ever probably experience. Cooler than meteor showers, than auroras. It is just awe-inspiring and incredible.

But more than wanting to see it for myself for a second time, I wanted Dillan to see it. I wanted my parents to see it. The next eclipse in America won’t be until 2044 and I was hell-bent on getting my parents to experience it. While I hope they are still alive in 2044 (and for that matter, that I’m still alive!), you never know.

I didn’t care about spending the money to come down here for this – that was my decision. Traveling the long distance was my decision, too.

Really, it all came down to seeing it with my family. If Dillan could see it with his grandparents, that will be a memory he will have for the rest of his life. My parents will remember it for the rest of their lives. And so will I.

It all worked out. Joey said to me after the eclipse something like, “Was all the worrying worth it?” and of course it wasn’t. The worry doesn’t do anything. But we both talked about how I was “triggered” by how important the eclipse was to me, and how I was trying to control the outcome by the constant checking of the weather, etc.

I have to say, it was so different to be able to experience the eclipse with my loved ones this time. In 2017, I didn’t know how important the eclipse would be to me. I went down to Carbondale with my then-partner and while we both enjoyed it together, it just isn’t the same as being with family. I wish my whole family had been able to be there for it. Maybe in 2044!

I wrote my friend Michael after seeing the eclipse to see if he had lucked out and been able to see it as well. He had been in 2017 as well with our friend Andy. This time he was with his family, too. I thought it was so cool that we both were able to share the moment with our families, so they could be inspired and experience the magnificence in the same way we did. I remarked to him that the experience is like a dream – like we’re entering a different realm for a brief moment in time and then suddenly it’s over.

It is weird to think that it will be over 20 years before I experience the eclipse again… if ever. By some stroke of luck and planning, maybe I will see it before then but who knows. And if not, that’s okay. Some people never get the opportunity to see the eclipse in their lives and I have been blessed enough to see it twice.

Sigh.

Thank you, God. Thank you, universe.

That’s all for now, folks. Until next time, sending you my love. xx