Boston Day Two…a day of hurdles

April 17, 2018April 16, 2018 ~ msgracefulnot ~ 17 Comments

I probably don’t need to say that I CRASHED HARD our first night in Boston… YAH adventure? … Getting moving in the morning was a bit of a challenge….. BUT we had reservations for A whale watch cruise and had to be there at 9:30 am to check in..so time to suck it up.

First hurdle

What the fuck is this? Ok ok I KNOW that it is a Keurig. I HAVE heard of them, but since I drink Coffee by the VAT (the way it was intended), I have no idea how to use one…

It’s gotta be basic right?

OK I put in a CUP of water, put the little itty bitty k cup thingy in, closed the lid, turned on the power and hit BREW…… NOTHING

OH COME ON!!!!!

I turned the machine off, reopened the lid…. (Coffee and water were in the right spots.) and turned it back on….while the little blue light kept flashing at me, it was still NOT making coffee!!!!! WTF?!?!?! So I hit the switch next to the outlet…(since I didn’t have any coffee in my body, it didn’t register that it wouldn’t have any lights on it if that was the problem) The switch was for the garbage disposal….smh…. Come on, I JUST WANT SOME COFFEE!!!!! I made enough noise cussing etc that my traveling companion surfaced and figured it out before I threw it out the door….

Next Hurdle

Coffee cup in hand, I opened the door to go outside and smoke a cigarette….and instantly FROZE. (not the anxiety kind), literally FROZE…HOLY shit, I THOUGHT I was in Boston, NOT Antarctica!!! Bitter cold and THE WIND!!!! SCREW THIS….smh..

I went inside and took a nice hot shower.

After my brain thawed and I realized I was OUT of coffee, my determination surfaced. I had not come to Boston to “hide out” inside. I put on two pairs of leggings under my jeans, a tshirt, two sweatshirts, and my leather bomber, and ventured out to start my day.

One thing I can say about Boston, is that it has no shortage of Dunkin Donuts (literally one on almost every block), and Dunkin Donuts has COFFEE!!!!

We made it to Dunkin Donuts, and found our way to the docks just in time for them to tell us that the Whale Watch Cruise had been cancelled because high winds and freezing temperatures made it unsafe to be out on the water.

ARGH!!!!!!

To be honest, I really didn’t want to be out in this weather anyway, but, but but……. MORE COFFEE….

I don’t know if coffee makes me smarter, or if it just helps me do stupid things quicker, but it definitely motivates my brain…..

After talking with Kevin from the whale watch cruises, we developed a new plan.

The 24 hour Charlie Card we purchased the day before was also valid on the Ferry, and we could use that to go to the Charleston Naval yard and see the U.S.S. Constitution and it’s museum… (YAH INSIDE STUFF)….When we were finished with that we were going to turn our planned Lobster Dinner into a Lobster Lunch and go on the Hop On and Off Trolley that was included with the Boston Go Card we purchased.

I know that I talk ALOT, to EVERYONE, but I didn’t realize just how many people I meet on a daily basis until my companions started taking pictures of me and my “new friends”.

This guy literally got the BOOT in boot camp

Gift Shop guy at the museum

fellow travelers from California

While on the U.S.S. Constitution and at the museum…

We made sure to explore everything that we could “hands on”

and while I was able to get into and out of the hammock “ALL BY MYSELF” with no injuries…. I apparently do not mast well…..

Thankfully the floor was “padded”, because I did try the whole 3 strikes and your out thing, and they all ended with me on my ass. (But the picture makes it look SO EASY)

Did I mention it was really really fricking cold?!?!? oh and windy…..

Next stop…. LOBSTER…..

We took the ferry back to Long Wharf and enjoyed the following: (caution lots of food pictures to follow)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

While we were eating, my niece (who had gone to college in Boston) texted me that her flight from Atlanta to Boston had landed safely, she was grabbing coffee’s for us, and would meet us by the trolley.

Although, I would recommend taking a trolley ride on your first day in Boston to get the “lay of the land”, I am glad we waited til our second day. I was cold, exhausted, and completely stuffed. Sitting down was about all I could do. If you stay on the Trolley from beginning to end, it takes about an hour and points out several historical landmarks, but you can also jump off at any of the stops and reboard just as easily.

BIGGEST HURDLE YET… Uneven surfaces

When you can’t feel your feet ( a normal ms symptom for me) uneven surfaces always create a challenge, but when you lose all muscle control in your leg (thankfully NOT a normal symptom for me) uneven surfaces and curbs like these look like 2 foot tall barriers.

After the trolley ride, we decided (more like my body decided) that we NEEDED to be done for the night. It’s times like these that I really really FUCKING HATE having MS!! I literally could NOT move my right leg when I attempted to get off the trolley. It was like a 200 lb bag of sand. Forget balance. I would have been in deep shit, without help. My companions, each gave me an arm and it took almost an hour to walk the 1/2 mile back to our apartment.

First order of business

Since she knows my struggles with technology, more specifically the UBER app on my phone, my niece handed me a beer, and took over the “troubleshooting”. When she handed the phone back to me, Uber was gone and LYFT was installed.

“The drivers are nicer, and it’s cheaper too”, she said.

As long as I didn’t have to go anywhere else for the night, I didn’t care.

Thank you kiddo for being my “Saving Grace”!!!!!

We spent the rest of the night catching up, and talking about our plans for the next couple of days. (The best part was yet to come) The next day I would be meeting some fellow bloggers…. IN REAL LIFE!!!!!

Before going to bed for the night, I went out to my “cigarette corner” for one last smoke….and met this cute little guy…and his owner too. One cigarette turned into, well lets just say a few more…and a couple more beers.

I have to share this picture because his story amazed me. Cody is a 31 year old Russian translator in the peace core. When I asked him why he decided on the Peace Corps., he said, “Because I wanted to help!” We talked about backwards medical practices, debated about universal healthcare, and talked about the downfall of humanity in general.

While navigating Boston wasn’t easy for me, it was a beautiful city, and I met many fascinating people.

I went to sleep that night knowing that “Superman” would come “save me” in the morning. I will write about that soon…. I Promise!

I came back from Boston Wicked Smaaht

April 12, 2018April 12, 2018 ~ msgracefulnot ~ 11 Comments

Ok that’s not even a little bit true, I’m still the same dumb ass I was before I went on the trip, BUT I did learn ALOT (good and bad). It was definitely an adventure…..

If you’ve got some time I would like to tell you about it…..well about getting there and our first day in the city.

SOMETIMES the weather forecast is right

Before we left, I had been half listening to the forecast. The forecasters said that we would be ‘blessed’ with a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and rain and temps of 26 degrees beginning 2 hours before we were to head out for the airport. After sleeping 3 hours, I woke up at 1 am, showered, coffeed, and looked out the window. Of course they picked THIS time to be correct….smh

We left Einstein’s house at 2 am, and headed to my house to pick Thing 2 up. She was driving us to the airport. (well I was driving us to the airport, and she was taking my car home) That 20 minute drive took almost an hour….grrrrr

ok MORE coffee….(the American Airlines app, I downloaded on my phone said the flight was still on time, so we were doing this) Driving to the airport sucked, since everyone forgets how to drive in the winter. (It’s not like we haven’t had a long enough winter for people to relearn) smh AGAIN.

When we got to the airport, Thing 2 ran in and grabbed a wheelchair for me. I NEVER thought, I would be so grateful to have one. (Our trip hadn’t even started and I was completely exhausted.)

I won’t claim that it was perfect, but since I know the rating system affects the person driving the wheelchair directly, (he really was a nice guy) I did give the experience a perfect 😀 score on the “she has been delivered” tablet you have to sign when you are dropped off at your gate.

Security was a breeze

I probably shouldn’t say this, but the “trick” to getting through security quickly is having a bag of pee strapped to your leg. The poor girl that had to do my pat down apologized so many times about having to “feel me up” and couldn’t comprehend what a foley catheter was, I don’t think she even noticed or swabbed the great stuff on my hands. In hindsight, it is really scary that the people that are supposed to be providing our security are so afraid of “offending” someone, that they “overlook” certain things. I hope I am wrong and they tested me some other way without my realizing it. I assure you I will not be complaining to them.

Clear skies

Boarding the plane was also a breeze. I did get a little nervous when the person sitting next to me started coughing, (Oh no, not the plague again) but for supposedly being a full flight, she was able to move to another seat closer to other family members. YAH ME!! In fact, both seats next to me were empty!!!! Double Win! I took off my leather bomber jacket, used it as a pillow, used my sweatshirt as a blanket, and I was out. 🙂 I woke up a couple hours later in Boston, not quite fully rested, but refreshed nonetheless.

The airline had a wheelchair waiting for me as I deboarded the plane. I didn’t get a picture of the woman driving (though I should have since she was also the one who helped me reboard on the way home and she was SO HELPFUL) After taking us to the baggage claim area for my companions suitcase, I explained that “according to my research” we were supposed to take the SL to the blue line and I needed to buy a ticket somehow. “Oh no honey, you don’t need to buy a ticket, it’s all free”, she said. Huh? Nothing in life is free.

There are still some free things in the world

Transportation FROM the airport is free via the Silver Line and the Subway (as long as you don’t leave the station). Who knew?!?! We boarded the SL1 which is an electric/gas powered bus. It was electric leaving the airport, then temporarily shuts off to restart and run on gasoline…..WHAT?!?!? Don’t laugh, I really had no idea such a thing existed….

We rode the SL to the end of the line and then tried to figure out which direction we needed to head on the blue line to get to our destination.

I must really have the “damsel in distress” look, because people were constantly coming up to me offering to provide help or direction. A man and a woman (not a couple) even debated with each other which way would be easier. The man said we should take this route…the woman directed her eyes to my cane and suggested that MAYBE, the orange line would be a better choice. Orange line it is!.. The announcement said the the orange line would be approaching on the center platform….

Look BEFORE you leap

I heard “center platform” and crossed the tracks to head that way. No I did not notice the train that was heading directly for me before I stepped onto the tracks. Talk about your life flashing before your eyes….HOLY SHIT….(yah for the foley cath, since I think I would have pissed my pants without it). No I didn’t get hit by the train, but I didn’t escape unscathed either.

Wait there is more….

So now I am standing on one side of the platform, my companions on the other. The orange line pulls up and we need to be on that train, but how to communicate that? I am using hand signals through the glass trying to tell them to get on the train as I proceed to board. Once on the train, I don’t see them….Oh shit should I get off?!?!? I try to step off the other side of the train to see if they are still on the platform, only to get my feet caught up in my suitcase or the cane and down I went. 20 minutes in Boston and I wipe out. The upper part of my body is on the train, but my legs are hanging out the door and I can’t pull them up.

I really am a train wreck (pun intended)

For the first time in my life, I am grateful that people don’t mind their own business. Someone pulled me into the train car just as my companions found me. How the hell have I survived 44 years on this planet?!? Have I mentioned GRACEful I am not?!?!

I’m not done yet though…. not with my life or with this story….

We did make it to the apartment we were staying at to drop off our bags without any further mishaps.

We also found a great little pizza place.

While we were eating we decided our next stop would be the Prudential Skywalk.

The UBER app can kiss my ass

Believe it or not, I did listen to the advice I was given before leaving that uber was the easiest way to get around while we were there, so I downloaded it to my phone before leaving. After my “near death experiences” from the morning, I thought MAYBE now was the time to actually use it. The app had other ideas.

OH come on!!!!!!!!! WTF?!?!? How can it be disabled, I have never even used it before?!?!? Visiting the website they sent me too was no help either…. Ok so back to the train…. If at first you don’t succeed try try again? In fact I was more determined than ever to figure this “whole public transportation” thing out. When we got back to the train station, I took a picture of the map (schedules had changed effective April 1st and new ones weren’t available yet?!?!) I made a “new friend” who suggested that we buy a one day charlie card which would allow us unlimited use of the buses and trains throughout the city for 24 hours.

By the end of the first day, I was cold, tired, and completely worn the hell out…. but I CAN boast that I have become quite proficient at using the MBTA. ( I still think that using a horse would have been easier)

IT RAINED ALL DAY!!!!!! (at least it wasn’t snow though)

I took a selfie before crashing for the night. I don’t know that I will claim damsel in distress, but definitely helpless, homeless, or in someone in need of assistance.

I’m not sure if I made an impression on Boston, but after one day, it certainly left an impression on me.

I will write more about our trip later this week, not only did I come back from Boston with a semblance of a silly accent, but I also picked up a scratchy voice and fever 😦

Watch out Boston….Here I come

March 28, 2018October 5, 2018 ~ msgracefulnot ~ 16 Comments

We “descend” on Boston at 9 am next Wednesday

When I started planning this trip in January, I had hoped to document and share any tools or tricks that I had learned to make traveling with MS easier, but then…..well you know, LIFE HAPPENED….. The last couple of months have been filled with so many life changing events, that I could barely make it through the present let alone write about it.

The week after I purchased our Airfare to Boston, I started investigating whether or not to rent a car while we were there. The AAA guide book I ordered says, and I quote….

Ralph Waldo Emerson once observed, “We say the cows laid out Boston. Well, there are worse surveyors.” Emerson, of course, never had to drive through the city. Downtown- occupying a peninsula surrounded by the Charles River, Boston Inner Harbor and Fort Point Channel- is a challenging place for residents, let alone visitors, to negotiate by vehicle. Furthermore, Boston drivers are legendary for their aggressiveness.

This kind of makes me wonder what AAA says about Chicago drivers. (I am tempted to see if my picture appears somewhere as an example of aggressive.)

Ok, So we are NOT RENTING A CAR!!!.

Public Transportation or Uber.com?

A couple of people suggested using Uber.com for rides instead of relying on the MBTA. “It’s just like taking a cab” they said. (One person even offered that we would have less of a chance of sitting in CUM STAINS with Uber) EWWWWW!!! I guess I should have mentioned that I have also never taken a cab before. I grew up beyond the sticks- literally in the middle of nowhere. Public transportation did not exist. Remember the post about riding a horse on a subway?

I have to learn everything I can about everything, so after spending almost an hour on their website reading all the FAQ’s, I entered a “test” route to check rates. The rate was almost $30.00! I can drive this same distance in my car in 20 minutes and it only costs me $25.00 to fill my whole tank. I was shocked! People actually do this?!?!….ahhh but I guess you would have to pay for parking etc if you didn’t?!?!? I am hoping the rates for Uber are cheaper in Boston, but just in case….

We decided to stay close to the Boston Convention Center, (the actual purpose of our trip). I began to investigate hotels within walking distance of the convention center. OUCH, just ouch! A ” simple” google search “hotels near the Boston Convention Center” produced 1,060,000 results (0.87 seconds). Of course I had to investigate them ALL…. Booking.com, Expedia, Orbitz, hotels.com, kayak to name a few. I couldn’t find anything for less than $200.00 a night. After a couple days of this, I stumbled on Airbnb.com.

What is Airbnb.com?

For those of you not familiar with Airbnb.com the explanation on wikipedia is here: What is Airbnb?, they also have pages and pages of FAQ’s on their website. At first glance, I was a little intimidated by the thought of staying in a strangers house or apartment, so I just bookmarked the site to go back to . I looked at hotels in other cities for cheaper prices, but they included an hour or more time on the train to and from Boston…… Ok staying at a strangers house it is…… Well a couple of different stranger’s houses, but I will have to write more about that later.

I have given both my kids names, addresses, contact information etc in case I get “lost”. Can you think of anything I am forgetting? Do you think Boston will leave an impression on me, or that I will leave an impression on Boston?

SO. DAMN. PROUD!

March 23, 2018March 24, 2018 ~ msgracefulnot ~ 23 Comments

If I told you that I don’t worry about my daughter, you would probably think that I was a monster, but I don’t. I honestly, don’t “Worry” about her at all. Now LOVE her?. That is a completely different story! Of Course I do!!!

TO THE ENDS OF THE UNIVERSE and then some.

Have you ever gone to a wedding and felt like YOU were the guest of honor? (Your own wedding doesn’t count) I’m still not sure HOW she pulled it off, but I think everyone who was there that day will agree that it was an honor to be included in HER DAY.

I think I have to try to “stick to the facts” when I talk about Thing One’s Wedding. My usual words like Fuck, Shit, and Damn have no place in this story, …..yet WONDERFUL, MAGICAL, FAIRYTALE, and PERFECT, really don’t scratch the surface. To say I am Proud would be an understatement. Honored seems hollow, however, MY HEART IS FULL!!!

Friday, March 9, 2018

Einstein and I arrived at Thing One, and her fiancee’s house at 10 am. The hotel and venue were two hours away, and we told Thing One that we would be her “beck and call people” for the day. “Just tell us what you need kiddo, and it’s done.”

She handed me the schedule for the next day to look over, and the book that would be used to hold the officiant’s notes for the ceremony, asking me to remove the sticker from the cover. Truly, trying to get that damn sticker off with fake nails was the most difficult thing I had to do. I called the hotel, and asked if we could check in early because we were so ahead of schedule. The coordinator said, “Yes we have yours and your daughter’s room’s ready, Come on in.”

Because so many people were coming from out of town, Thing One had reserved a block of 25 rooms for her guests. She didn’t tell us that she had used hotel points to upgrade us to a suite. Believe it or not, our suite was not even half the size of the kids suite!!!

The guys made quick work of unloading the cars, and then the four of us went to lunch at the hotel’s restaurant while we waited for the venue to open so we could start decorating.

We ate lunch, drove the mile to the venue, and began carrying the totes full of decorations inside. When we opened the doors to the banquet room, everything froze. I looked at my daughter’s face as she saw that The Banquet hall had not even begun cleaning up from prior evenings event. It only took ONEtear rolling down my daughter’s cheek for me to launch into Lieutenant mode.

Wait a minute Grace, I thought you said EVERYTHING was perfect?

No, I am not a masochist, but I am a “fixer”!!!!

FINALLY, something that I COULD DO to help!!!!!!

My daughter has her own army

The entire bridal party came to help clean and decorate. Within a couple hours, the hall was mostly decorated and we were able to begin the wedding rehearsal. I’ve never lead a rehearsal before, so it did take a couple of “run-throughs” before I got that part right. But all in all, it was ALOT of fun. We all left the venue and headed to a local pizza place for dinner. Hours of good food and company!

When the evening was over, Einstein and I were sitting in our room talking about how proud we were of Thing One and her fiancee. They are both incredibly strong, intelligent, and outgoing people. They have both put in a lot of hard work to achieve their dreams, and the love and respect they share for each other can be felt for miles. As we were getting ready to sleep…. Thing One texted me….

“Mommy, open your door?”

I looked at the clock, sure enough…… 11 O’ clock on the dot!!!!!

I know that I said I was going to stick to the facts and leave emotions out of this story, but here’s the thing… For as long as I can remember all of the “heartfelt, tearful, world changing” conversations that occur between THING ONE and I have always begun at 11 pm. Her choice, not mine. She had told me a couple days prior to this that she had a letter she wanted me to read at the rehearsal dinner. I gave her 10,000 excuses why we didn’t need to do THAT, and thought I had managed to avoid it.

But here they were at 11 O Clock, using the word, “Mommy”…..

For all you sadists out there…..

Yes I read the letter. NO not on video. Yes I do cry and here is the picture to prove it…..

Saturday, March 10, 2018

The morning started with Breakfast in Thing One’s Room. The make up ladies, showed up to her room soon after.

Thing One, let me go first so I could make a “break for it” ( I don’t do good with a room full of girls being girls), no matter how nice they all are. I also do not sit still very well.

Thing One..BEAUTIFUL

So I got to go first and then was tasked with making sure everything was “Fixed” at the venue and making sure everyone was were they were supposed to be. YAH “busy work”.

I spent the next several hours running between our hotel rooms (the guys were in mine and Einstein’s suite and the ladies in Thing One’s) and the Venue. FTR I only knocked on the wrong room door one time 😛

I took pictures and video to “report back” that everything looked perfect… You tell me?

The 3d printed centerpieces and table numbers we made, turned out beautiful as well

As Five O’clock drew near, Thing Two helped Thing One with the finishing touches…

The Bridal party took the shuttle to the venue.

Einstein and I loaded Thing One AND her dress into the car and headed to the ceremony.

(I don’t have any pictures of this yet, but I will share some pictures that have been shared with me from the remainder of the evening below)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Now, I hope you can see why I can’t find the words to describe just how perfect the entire weekend was.

Dearest daughter of mine,

As I mentioned before, I do not worry about you. I don’t have to!!!! You are smart, beautiful, caring, determined and independent. You’ve Got this! You posted the picture that I used as a featured image on this page to your facebook page with a caption stating that I was the greatest woman you know. You wrote me a letter that made me cry. (and bought me an awesome “mother of the bride” coffee mug.) In your marriage, you have also given me a “son”. I am so sorry that I’m not good with words, but please believe me when I tell you…..

YOU are the Greatest Woman I know!!!! and having you as my daughter is the GREATEST GIFT of all!!!!

Please put more on my plate?!?!

February 18, 2018February 19, 2018 ~ msgracefulnot ~ 8 Comments

When you are making “to do lists”, it is important to prioritize your tasks so that you don’t get overwhelmed, however, sometimes due to other circumstances ,or other people’s influences (which happens all to frequently for me) it seems that everything has to be done at once.

My kiddo is getting married in March. The date is picked, event is planned, and everything is paid for, now it’s a matter of waiting for it to happen. (Which as that day draws closer will cause a whole new TO DO list to be created.) but for now I can let that rest. My kiddo is hyper organized and I’m really just here to do what she asks of me and for moral support.
Botox Surgery– Yah this date has come and gone thankfully, but I DID NOT expect the 15 lb weight lifting limit for 2 weeks. (yeah that’s not gonna work for me)
Getting off the Grace/Einstein roller coaster. (My body kind of decided this one for me). I have realized that when the heart and brain argue, it’s really the liver that pays for it. I have finally figured out where I will be living, but not all the logistics of it yet. It’s the fricking middle of winter Grace, GREAT timing!!!!…smh
Planning my trip to Boston and blogging about it. (This has been temporarily tabled for now.) Airfare is purchased, and sleeping arrangements have been made and “paid for”. More about that later though. (I will get to finishing the posts about that but again, tabled for now)
The newest, most pressing issue is that my father is having his shoulder replaced next week. It’s funny, I have literally had over 40 surgeries in my life and for the most part, I take the procedure and recovery in stride, but I am losing my shit about my DAD having surgery. I really can NOT handle my loved ones going through pain. I would gladly take his place, ok well maybe not gladly, but if he could avoid it, I would certainly step in his place.

On a positive note, I have the time to be there. I HAVE to be there. As I mentioned before, I am always the patient. I know the rules for that. I know that I have to fast for at least 12 hours before surgery. I know that I can’t wear make up, jewelry, deodorant etc. I know most of the staff in the surgery center of my local hospital by name, and I even know some of their children’s names. I know the drill. But NOT this time.

My father’s surgery is being performed at their local hospital (an hour away). I don’t know the doctor, or the doctor’s abilities. I don’t know the staff, I don’t know….oh my god I just don’t know. I do know my role as a patient, but I don’t know how to be the one on the outside waiting. Any advice? Please?

Update

Surgery is being rescheduled……. (at least I got the call before I drove all the way out there). Doesn’t make me any less nervous though