Travel & Accessibility

  • Inspiration,  Travel & Accessibility

    Money vs Humanity

    “We all create the person we become by our choices as we go through life.” Eleanor Roosevelt It was a Friday morning. I had just driven from Cape Coral, Florida to Champaign Illinois, over 1,100 miles in two days. Even after a good night’s sleep, my body and mind were exhausted. Arielle and I stopped at a restaurant for breakfast before meeting her roommates at their new apartment for move-in day. I needed coffee and lots of it! An Awkward Situation As we approached the door to the restaurant I saw a man standing outside. I knew what was coming and I also knew I didn’t have any cash. He…

  • Books & Writing,  Travel & Accessibility

    My Summer

    This has been an eventful summer filled with joyful moments. The summer began with me deciding to give this blog a new design. Cathy at Wheelhouse Collective agreed to help me and she sent me weekly to-do lists to keep me focused so we could finish the website by the end of summer. I have a feeling she’s worked with authors before because just when I thought I had completed my list, a gentle reminder appeared in my Inbox. Thank you, Cathy and Wendy for this beautiful new website. While I was working with Cathy I was also trying to find the right publisher for ELLE & BUDDY. Thanks to…

  • Inspiration,  Parenting,  Travel & Accessibility

    Carnegie Hall To The Boston Marathon

    When Kai began piano lessons at age five and Arielle discovered wheelchair road racing in middle school, I had no idea, years later, it would lead to a weekend of watching Kai perform at Carnegie Hall followed by Arielle racing in the Boston Marathon. Describing the amount of joy I’ve felt over the past five days is difficult. Walking through New York City, my eyes suddenly welled with tears knowing I needed to cherish each moment. This was a once in a lifetime weekend. I was proud of my children. Proud that they were following their passions. Proud that they had the courage to take on such huge challenges. Proud of the…

  • Parenting,  Travel & Accessibility

    2 Family Fun Activities in Ft. Myers, Florida

    2 Family Fun Activities in Ft. Myers, Florida All Island Water Sports It can be challenging finding activities all four of us enjoy. After seeing the weekend weather called for one day of rain and one day of sun I set out to find family activities that didn’t include malls or movies. I found two great ones! Vino’s Picasso and a dolphin tour on jet skis at All Island Water Sports. I live with three adventurous spirits. As for me, I prefer to keep my feet on the ground. However, there is one activity I’ve always loved and that’s riding the waves on a jet ski. While the rest of my family boasts speeds above sixty, 23 miles per…

  • Inspiration,  Parenting,  Travel & Accessibility

    When they wouldn’t let my daughter on the bus because of her wheelchair…

    When they wouldn’t let my daughter on the bus because of her wheelchair… Parents know the feeling well. When someone is mean to your child there is a rage that ignites in your heart and explodes throughout your body. I’ve had to deal with this incredibly strong, mama bear emotion, many times since my daughter became paralyzed at the age of ten. Most people, especially friends and family, have always been caring and supportive, however, throughout the years we’ve had our run-ins especially when it came to traveling. My daughter, Arielle, witnessed on many occasions me turning from quiet, peaceful, please don’t draw attention to me, mom, to the Incredible  Hulk Mama Bear…

  • Parenting,  Travel & Accessibility

    Our Cruise on the Norwegian Dawn Part 2

    Our Norwegian Dawn Cruise Part 2 Click here for Part 1 The next three stops on our Norwegian Dawn cruise were Belize, Costa Maya, and Cozumel. Belize The guys wanted adventure and my friend Elena and I did not so we split up and took two separate tours. The boys went zip lining and cave tubing and the girls went for a leisurely stroll through the Belize Zoo followed by a boat ride. Unfortunately, we don’t have any pictures of the zip line/cave tubing adventure. They all had so much fun they forgot to take pictures. After hearing about their adventure Elena and I loved that we chose to go to the…