Crusing with the guys was wonderful !!!!!

-Seven days, March 14-21,  at sea, leaving from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to the southern Caribbean with four wonderful guys - Dan, Sam, Joe, and Tim. Pictured to the right is the top deck of our ship, the Celebrity Solstice.  It has a large lawn and we were all able to be play bocce, but I did not win the game.

Here we are on St. Patrick's Day morning on the balcony of our room.  Joe has supplied five green Irish hats, which we wore all day, five Guinnesses for breakfast, and sweet Irish music on his IPOD.  Plus we had room service deliver breakfast goodies!  What a treat!!  We started and ended the day singing and drinking with Guinness!

Sam, Joe, and Tim looking mighty fine for their Irish dinner!!!

Playing by the pool and sticking my toes in the cool water.  Each day was sunny and in the 80s!!

In the picture to the right we are leaving Tortola, where all the guys had wonderful snorkeling after taking a taxi ride to a great beach.  I chilled on the ship!  Here we are all cleaned up for dinner and then some serious family board games!  Joe won Rummy Cube, but Tim beat me in Scrabble. Plus frozen drinks for all!!

On the last day we played croquet and Mom almost won!!!  On Labadee, near Haiti, I was able to get my toes in the aqua ocean waters of the Caribbean, thanks to Sam' s strength and everybody's help getting me into a beach wheelchair.  We had a wonderful seven days together, saw fireworks, talked, laughed, played and reminisced!  The air travel was not too bad, the wheelchair was not damaged, and I will probably try flying again some day.  Dan was super with adjusting to new commodes and slings and Hoyer lifts.  We were truly blessed and we are grateful!!!

Vacation Anxiety on the High Seas?

Why am I so anxious on going on a seven day Southern Caribbean cruise with my wonderful family, Dan, Sam, Joe, and Tim?  We have planned this for six months and now that we are leaving on March 14, I am a bundle of tension and fear.  We will be leaving out of Fort Lauderdale, FL and traveling to San Juan, Tortola, St. Martens, and a few other places.  We have an accessible room with a balcony, a roll-in shower, raised toilet, and raised bed.  We are renting a Hoyer lift and shower commode chair.  And still I am anxious!!!

I am anxious because:
I hate all the transfers involved with airtravel - from wheelchair to aisle transport chair and then repeated to get off the plane.  Transfers involve two large men hoisting me quickly from chair to chair.  Last October, the last time I flew, my back was hurt by the transfers and I was very nervous.  Now I need to keep a lid on my anxiety.

My wheelchair could be damaged.  My $30,000 Red Rover which I am in 16 hours a day is vital to my independence and comfort.  While we will bring a back-up manual chair, it would  be terribly disappointing to use that, to say the least.

Dan will be the primary caregiver, in an environment where I will need to be lifted out of  the bed, the wheelchair, the shower, the toilet.  Each time we put the sling under me, adjust the straps, test the sling, and raise me up and lower me down we are looking at 15 minutes of activity and work for Dan.  I worry that he will be worn out by care for me on HIS vacation.

Sam, Joe, and Tim want to get me into the water - any water - pool or ocean.  I cannot stand, how will they do this?  Will they understand if I cannot do this?

On the positive side, I know I will love spending time with my family, eating good food, being in a warm environment, seeing new places, playing games with everyone, and sharing a few drinks.  We will take many pictures, which I hope to post, and make happy memories and count our blessings.  Bon Voyage!