So which one was it, right? Amazing or awful? Did I go on awesome vacations or did I go to weird coffee shops? Did I go on really great dates or really bad ones? Did I read some cool books or watch not-so-great movies? Did I laugh hysterically or cry a lot? Did I go to a fun concert or did I go to a boring club???

I guess you’ll just have to sit and read to find out the answers to those.

Hell yea I went on some awesome vacations. In June, I went away for a few days to Montauk with my friends- my first vacation without my family really. I was super anxious about going away with anyone other than family and I even expressed my concerns to my friends a couple weeks prior.

… my concerns? Oh you know, just what the average disabled gal ever has.

I was nervous about things like showering or getting into bed at night because not everything is always as accessible in hotels or resorts as advertised. Actions so simple for most but struggles for me whenever I go away.

Safe to say, that everything worked out. Not everything was accessible and I think it made my friends more angry than it made me. It’s very frustrating to me as well, but I’m used to it by now.

My friends made me feel so at ease and not like it was a burden for them at all. I almost want to cry happy tears thinking about it while I’m writing this. Their friendships mean a lot to me and I couldn’t have asked for a better girls trip!!

And then in July, I went on a Caribbean Cruise with my family. Awesome vacation. Same worries. Same issues. I’m used to it. But I have the best family ever to help me out when I need! ❤

I did experience not being able to go to a nightclub on the cruise because the room it was in had a bunch of stairs and no way to get down there. It sucked, yes. But it didn’t matter. My family and I found something else to do and still had an amazing time.

Weird coffee shop? Check! I went to a coffee shop with friends and used their restroom only to have a worker pound on the door several times telling me to hurry up… and then she was mortified and taken aback by her own words when I rolled out of the stall. Yup, upsetting and hilarious. 

My friends and I had a few words with her. I don’t think you would have wanted to be in her shoes that day.

Ok enough about vacations and coffee shops, this summer I also got myself back into the dating world… and boy, dating is tough. Especially in this day and age where most people meet online and think they can say anything just because you’re not face-to-face. But it’s not everyone, that’s for sure.

Confidence is key!! I’m just happy to put myself out there and not at all give a damn what people think of my condition… I also think it would be hella interesting to write a blog post about dating on wheels so I’ll be keeping that in mind for the future 🙂

I went on great dates, I went on bad ones, and what else can I say? That story is still being written.

Speaking of stories, I really enjoyed reading this summer. It’s my absolute favorite pastime. And if you told me that two summers ago, I would have laughed in your face and told you I haven’t read a book for fun since middle school. Hey, people change- actually, I should say they grow! Yup I like that better.

If you like fictional thrillers and romance, check out some of these books:

“The Good Girl” by Mary Kubica 

“Maybe Someday” by Colleen Hoover

“The Last Mrs. Parrish” by Liv Constantine

“The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood

“Verity” by Colleen Hoover

And really just any Colleen Hoover book lol.

What about the not-so-great movies?

Yea, a couple of those.

Laughed hysterically?

Hell yeah!

Cried a lot?

Unfortunately, yes!

Went to a fun concert?

Yes, super fun!!!

How about a boring club?

Yup, I would have rather stayed in and watched a movie that night lol.

In case you have no clue where I’m going with all of this, well I have this canvas with a quote hanging up in my living room. And one summer day, I just started reading it… over, and over, and over again. I think it’s one of the truest things I ever read.

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.”

– L.R. Knost

My summer was filled with both amazing and awful moments… okay maybe not-so-awful after all. There are good and bad moments though. I go through it, everybody does. That’s just life. I rather experience the amazing and the awful, than not experience any moment at all. Summer 2023 has been my favorite summer so far and it was not perfect.

My life is definitely far from perfect.

And honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.