Monday, June 20, 2011

A nice trip


We took a trip to Washington DC recently. I had a convention to attend and it seemed like the perfect time to take Tina and Amanda out of town.

Amanda flies well. Her small build actually allows her to be comfortable in coach while us normal sized human beings wonder how many of the Seven Dwarves work for Boeing.

American Airlines does a great job with Amanda's wheelchair. We board right after the pilot and get settled in and then watch the other 140 passengers try to store their 280 carry ons on an oversold flight.

We stayed at a Homewood Suites. Tina and I had the bedroom with the kingsize bed and Amanda used the sofa pull out. We had enough supplies with us to survive Amanda getting food poisoning and cholera but she showed her maturity and had five perfect nights.

Our first full day we went from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. Everybody asked me how Amanda did. She did great, her feet never touched the ground and she didn't have to climb any stairs. My legs hurt for two days.

While I was working the convention, Amanda and Tina went to museums and the zoo. Tina discovered the entire national zoo was an uphill experience.

The dinners were nice. We ate with one of my salesmen who had brought his wife and two daughters, for three nights in a row. The kids really bonded with one another and I thought it was special. Amanda all but overdosed on chocolate cake.

The main reason she wanted to go to DC was to see Dorthy's shoes at the Smithsonian. Amanda watches the Wizard Of Oz at least twice a week. So she all but burst when she saw them.

One of the upsides to trips like this, other than the enjoyment we have at the time, is how much Amanda matures. She is forced out of her comfort zone and has to try harder and the great thing about Amanda is, once she does something the first time, she will do it again.

We're through traveling for the summer, but she is counting down the days until our trip to Disney this fall. She says she doesn't want anyone to tell her about it because she wants to see it herself.