Travel & Accessibility
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Accessible Barcelona
We took our first trip to Europe in 2007. I was determined to show my daughter, Arielle, that being in a wheelchair should not stop her from pursuing her dreams or traveling abroad. When we returned home, I wrote about our experiences. Compassion in Action was my first online article. The Reeve Foundation posted it on their site and added pictures, you can see it here.Thanks, Rob. During that trip, we did run into some accessibility problems, but every time people were willing to lend a helping hand. When I made our plans for our vacation to Barcelona, I expected to have many of the same issues we encountered four years ago. I was…
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Pictures of Spain
Today is our last full day in Spain. While we are looking forward to seeing our friends at home and getting back to our routines we are all a little sad that our adventure is coming to an end. This trip has been one we will never forget. I was going through some of our pictures and trying to figure out which I should put on the blog and as I went through them I kept thinking they weren’t good enough. They weren’t capturing my love for Barcelona or the experience we have shared. My pictures are simply images but behind the camera the emotions are much stronger. It is those emotions as well that…
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Futbol!
Right now I’m attempting to wash some towels in our Barcelona washing machine. So far I don’t see any bubbles so I think I may have put the detergent in the wrong place. Sure would be great if I could read Spanish. I’ll think of it as a science experiment. What will happen if I put the soap in this place and turn this knob? Kinda fun. Last night we went to see Barcelona FC play At. Madrid. Wow! What an experience. First we bought the shirts to show our Barcelona spirit. We bought our shirts at El Poble which is a short walk from our apartment. Look at what else…
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31 Hours
It all started fourteen years ago with one question “Where’s the closest post office?” I was standing in the parking lot of, A Happy Beginning Nursery School wondering who this bubbly stranger was. Little did I know at the time but I had just met one of the most influential people in my life, a strong woman who has taught me about happiness, people, friendship and parenting. My dear friend, Elena. There was an instant connection between the two of us and from that first meeting arose a group of friends organized by Elena, that we still lovingly call, “The Playgroup.” Back then we would meet at each other’s houses…
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Fantasizing is Not Cheating
I’m talking donuts here. Big round chocolate covered donuts. I’ve been dreaming about them for days. It all started back in August when Elle and I went to Illinois to the National Junior Disability Championship. We were lectured on the eating habits of athletes. Elle was told that if she wanted to be faster she was going to have to drop the pounds. At that point, I was going to the gym several times a week and Elle was racing many miles a day. We both were in good shape. Rarely did we drink soda, we never ate fast food, meat was not in our vocabulary and I thought we…
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Gold Star for AirTran Airways
“When you’re done screaming, pull the mask down over your nose and mouth and breathe normally.” What did he say? The entire plane was laughing and now listening to his every word on emergency airline procedures. When I booked our tickets with AirTran I was uneasy. Traveling can be stressful; traveling with a daughter in a wheelchair can be extremely stressful. Too many times I have had to watch her cringe with embarrassment because even though I informed the airline online, called and asked several agents for help-the straight-back chair was not at the gate in time for boarding. Arielle would have to be rolled to her seat in front…
