Travel & Accessibility
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Orlando Family Vacation
Now that my kids are teenagers I occasionally glimpse back to the past and ask myself what I did as a parent that I’m thankful for. I made a list…. here. Number 2. on the list is family vacations. We began when the kids were little taking short trips to Disney World and then as they got older we explored different states and then different countries. Each trip was an adventure. Each trip was a lesson in exploring and finding the joy in life. It was also a constant reminder for me of what was important. Not having a spotless house or working fifty plus hours a week. Seeing the smiles…
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Filming a Commercial
I love my kids and I love to travel so when you put them both together it’s better than eating a banana split on the beach in Maui. Someone was kind enough to mention Arielle’s name to Universal Casting in Miami who was kind enough to call us and ask if Arielle would be interested in filming a commercial for Citibank. Next thing I knew we were driving across Alligator Alley en route to one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever seen. And if that wasn’t great enough there was a Cheesecake Factory right across the street. Bonus! If you go to Miami give it a try. It’s called the Mayfair Hotel…
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The Glee Project Audition Part II
I sat on the bench and pulled out my Kindle trying to pretend I was distracted and calm. Inside my stomach was churning. I had every faith in the world that Arielle’s personality would shine through but I was worried about her singing. From what I understood at the time there would be two rounds of auditions. Anyone who made it through the first round would get to sing for Mr. Ulrich. I hoped and read and hoped and read. Eventually, I got up and bought some coffee. The woman behind the counter offered to add Kahlua. I chose the whipped cream instead and headed back to my bench. Moms…
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The Glee Project Audition
If you can listen to music and read at the same time I recommend listening to River, by the cast of Glee, as you read this. It’s beautiful and fitting for this post. This is the story of how an idea, a hope, a what if?, led to a dream coming true. It began many months ago with several conversations between my daughter, Arielle, and me about a TV show she discovered called The Glee Project. I watched how her eyes lit up every time she gave me an update on the latest episode. I heard passion in her voice and knew instinctively what she was thinking. One day, I asked the…
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Mayor Bloomberg on Accessible Taxis… Someone Help Me Understand…
Understanding human needs is half the job of meeting them. – Adlai Stevenson I came home last evening to a very angry 18 year-old. “Did you read what mayor Bloomberg said about accessible taxi’s in New York City?” Arielle experienced the discrimination first hand on our last visit to the Big Apple. I wrote about it here. At the time I had no idea there was a lawsuit filed dealing with the lack of accessible taxicabs in the city. I read the article Arielle was referring to and was extremely disappointed. Clearly from Mayor Bloomberg’s words it was obvious he had no understanding of the life of someone using a wheelchair. If he did,…
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Fly Away
We have a screened lanai off our living room. Occasionally I will look out and see several butterflies trapped inside the screen, fluttering desperately, trying to get out of their cage. Some will stay within a short radius and try the same spots over and over. Others will fly from one end of the lanai to the other resting only for a second before they try again. Having broken out of their cocoon somewhere inside the pool cage they know there is more just beyond the screen. I open both doors to the lanai and place a plate of flowers sprinkled with sugar water on a table hoping to…
