Disney Cruise

Not to make everything about me, but Terra Nova High School's Back to School night was the hardest two hours of my life! That was my thought after the first hour. That has got to be one of the most inaccessible school campuses in the world. One way to have someone with limited mobility really feel disabled is to force them to cross a high school campus, including a trip in the dark over uneven pavement, in the time allotted for healthy teens to make the same journey. We gave up for period 4; Abby went with her dad and I sat on a wet bench, alone, and talked to you!

I don't know what the answer is, but trying to fit in with normal, healthy people isn't it. I made it to the rest of her classes, going home completely exhausted at the end of the night. 

Someone told me recently that if I'm upset and can't get out of a funky mood, I should "change the channel." I call it a change of "internal scenery." 

Here goes:

Walt Disney said, "If you can dream it, you can do it."

I've been thinking about going to Disneyland a lot lately. On our last trip, about six months before my surgery, the three of us splurged with a stay at the Grand California Hotel, which has a private entrance into California Adventure theme park. We had a great time on that trip, and given the drastic change in my health that shortly followed, I was glad we had our adventure at the "happiest place on Earth." 

I would LOVE to go to Disneyland again! The cool part would be that I would get a "get out of jail free" pass; a handicapped pass that I could use to get out if waiting in lines. If you've been to Disneyland in the past 10 years, it's like having an unlimited fast pass. Zooming through lines at Disneyland is very efficient. 

I'm also becoming obsessed with the idea of going on a Disney cruise. I was the Naturalist on an Alaskan Cruise the summer before my surgery. I loved giving presentations in the theatre with my PowerPoint slides towering behind me. I loved walking around the ship, talking to people about the whales we were seeing. 

When I picture myself on a cruise now, it's a very different image. I'd have to go as a regular, paying guest. I'd have to bring a wheelchair to make walking around the towns possible. On the other hand, the wheelchair-accessible staterooms look REALLY nice!