Author Archives: Tracy

About Tracy

A day in the life of a mommy, wife, daughter, sister, aunt and friend with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis! I'm a 40 something mom of 3. Married to an awesome man for 18 years. I love creating things; graphics, jewelry. My family and my friends are my life. I try to be positive...it can be very hard some days, but in the end it is worth it. Blessings!
February 4, 2012

Hotel Hell update!!

By Tracy

After my blog yesterday, the Fabulous Vicki Day tweeted it to @hiltononline. Well soon after, hiltononline tweeted me asking me to dm them. I did, and after a few dms they called me.

The explanation was, to say the least [the very least], comical! Really, all I heard was blah, blah, blah.

The gentleman who phoned was very business like and polite. I’m sure the typical PR guy. The reasoning behind the reservation person saying that I could reserve the room, but no guarantees, was due to… get this, here it comes… natural disasters! You know, floods, earthquakes, even fires. You see if they guarantee the room and this happens then issues can arise. Seriously… do I sound [or look like] I have STUPID written on my forehead? I mean really, if that happens the majority of people would understand. It was very hard for me to keep from lmao and saying something sarcastic.

Marriott had no problem guaranteeing my room.

I explained that I told the guy [reservationist] that if I got there and the room was gone, I would expect my money back so I could go elsewhere and was told, no, there is a 48 hours cancellation policy. PR guy said that if that happened they would definitely accommodate me and find me the proper room I needed. Now I’m confused, do they not train the reservationists? [maybe Paris trains them, oh wait she does nothing] If the RG [reservation guy] had explained the natural disaster problem [roflmao] I would have said okay! But, I know, from experience that the real issue is someone coming in before we get there, needing a roll in shower and them giving it to that person. How do I know this… because  this was done for me at the Hilton Garden Inn when my friend and I had a mom’s night away. [now I feel like shit for that] We said we would go elsewhere, but he said, no he could change the rooms. Anything for a buck!!

Like the Hilton's need more money... grrrrr

The PR guy also said he would give me their direct number, and in the future I can call them directly and they will get the manager to make sure I get the room reserved. Just train your fucking employees.

So there you have it! Again, all I heard was blah, blah, blah!

PEACE!!!!

8 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Craziness, FUCK, FUNNY, Ramblings, sarcasm, silly

February 3, 2012

Hotel HELL

By Tracy

In my head I do not ‘see’ myself as crippled. I just see me. Unfortunately there are little issues that pop up to remind me.

Next week we are heading to Carlsbad/San Diego so I can go see my Uncle, the dentist. Finally going to find out what’s happening with my painful mouth. We usually stay with my parents in Carlsbad at their home, but it can be rough for me with no ‘crippled’ access. Roger and I decided we would stay in a hotel nearby with the roll in showers and accessible rooms. We had stayed at the Hampton Inn Carlsbad once before and it was perfect. Now, here’s where the fun starts. I called to make a reservation making sure I could get a roll-in shower room. They said they were booked for those rooms on those dates but had an ADA bathtub room. I explained that will not work for me and he said to try the hotel next door, the Homewood Suites by Hilton. Okay, cool. I thanked him and called. The Homewood Suites had no availability for these rooms either so he said he would call the Hilton Garden Inn Carlsbad. By now I’m feeling a bit nervous and stressed and crippled. All this to get a hotel room? I figured 3rd times the charm, right? Wrong!

The Hilton Garden Inn had roll-in shower available rooms. Woot woot! Not so much. Now we could pay for and ‘reserve’ this room…but…they can not guarantee we will get the roll-in room. Ummmmm, what? I’m paying for the reservation [reserving] the roll-in room, but you cannot guarantee it. WTF! Basically, we can pay for it, but once we get there is may not be available and we will get an ADA bathtub room. Now I’m not only confused but getting angry and tearing up. I ask the guy why the other hotel has the rooms and also has them reserved for the people. [why I couldn't get one there] He’s sorry but there will be no guarantees for the roll-in room. I explain that if we pay for it and it is not available that I will need to cancel and get my money back so I CAN find a hotel with the room I need. He explains that no money will be refunded as it’s a two day cancellation policy. I then explained that the ADA will not be happy to hear about this.

After a few no so nice, yet adult like comments, I hung up. Wow, I can’t even get a hotel room… I really am crippled! Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!

I call my parents and burst into tears explaining what happened. After a few minutes, I calmed down, [thank you Cheryl] regained my composure, and realized I can tough it out for two days in their house. It’s just the bathrooms that cause me stress.

Now that I was composed, I noticed there was a Marriott nearby as well. I figured, maybe the 4th time is the charm and fuck Hilton! :-P

Dialing the number, crossing everything, I call The Courtyard By Marriott Carlsbad. [oh please, oh please] My first question to the sweet voice on the other end was, “Do you have roll-in shower rooms?” She says yes. My second question was, “If we reserve one, will we be sure to get one?” She says yes, they will reserve it and put a block on that room for me!!! HALLELUJAH…HALLELUJAH Really, I heard music! So this  lovely girl made our reservations, blocked the room, and instantly sent me a confirmation.

Marriott - a crippled persons dream! :p

My stress was lifted, my spoons replenished. I will NEVER deal with Hilton again. They may be and have accessible rooms, but they are NOT cripple friendly. Marriott, you are my new love, Thank You!!

Love and light peeps!

12 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in anger, bathroom, Depression, FUCK, HELL, multiple sclerosis, Ramblings, RANDOM, sarcasm

February 2, 2012

Time Heals

By Tracy

There are so many times I cannot put my life, my emotions into the right words. In my head it comes out clearly, but when trying to express it into words it comes out jumbled. I tend to use music to to let my feelings known. [as shown in my blogs more than once]

Many of the songs I post will resonate with others who deal with chronic illness’.

Todd Rundgren is an amazing artist and his songs show real emotion.

This is the Music video for Todd’s 1981 song “Time Heals”.

If I’m not mistaken it was the third video ever played on MTV, when MTV was actually music videos… ah the good ole days!

________________________

If you’re bleeding,
Then everyone can see you’re bleeding
They can call for the doctor,
Who’ll provide what the diagnosis says you’re needing
Then he’ll take away your pain
But if your heart,
Your heart has been broken
And you don’t wear it on your sleeve
No one can tell,
Your hell goes unspoken
But there’s one thing you must believe

Time heals the wounds no one can see
Time heals the wounds that no one can see

If you’re crying
Then everyone can see you crying
And they all sympathize
But it just doesn’t matter
Though they may be trying,
They can’t feel the hurt inside
You can’t go on,
You’ve gone to the limit
And your life seems to slip away
You’re on your own
Alone you must face it
And tomorrow’s so far away

You got to hold on baby
Got to give it time to heal
Time heals the wounds that no one can see
You must believe what they say is true
It do’s wonders for ya, yeah, yeah

Peace out!

2 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in hope, love, music

January 31, 2012

Wildflower

By Tracy

This song resonates deeply inside of me. Thank you Laurie for posting on my FB!

My favorite part of the song is…

“Be careful how you touch her for she’ll awaken; and sleep’s the only freedom that she knows”

The whole song means so many things to me..

__________________________________

Wildflower by Skylark

She’s faced the hardest times,
You could imagine
And many times,
Her eyes fought back the tears
And when her youthful world,
Was about to fall in
Each time her slender shoulders,
Bore the weight of all her fears
And a sorrow no one hears
Still rings in midnight silence
In her ears

Let her cry,
For she’s a lady
Let her dream
For she’s a child
Let the rain,
Fall down upon her
She’s a free and gentle flower
Growing wild

And if by chance,
I should hold her
Let me hold her for a time
But if allowed just one possession
I would pick her from the garden,
To be mine

Ummmm………………..
Be careful how you touch her,
For she’ll awaken
And sleep’s the only freedom,
That she knows
And when you walk into her eyes,
You won’t believe
The way she’s always payin’
For a debt she never owes
And a silent wind still blows
That only she can hear
And so, she goes

Let her cry,
For she’s a lady
Let her dream,
For she’s a child
Let the rain
Fall down upon her
She’s a free and gentle flower
Growing wild

Let her cry,
For she’s a lady
Let her dream,
For she’s a child
Let the rain
Fall down upon her
She’s a free and gentle flower
Growing wild

She’s a flower
Growing wild

She’s free…….

Love and Light ~Tracy

1 comment   |  tags: , , | posted in love, Lupus, multiple sclerosis, music, Ramblings, RANDOM

January 23, 2012

Finally getting to that darned disclaimer….

By Tracy

Finally getting to that darned disclaimer…..

LOVE IT!!

Go Ruby!!!

Leave a comment | posted in RANDOM, sarcasm

January 23, 2012

A Dog Named Patrick – UPDATE

By Tracy

For his story click here

For the love of Patrick

I remember when I saw the first picture of Patrick, I knew this poor soul was gone. When I finally got up the courage to look, to my happy surprise, he was alive… barely. AHS had him for the first day to stabilize him then he was of to Garden State Veterinary Hospital, where the miraculous recovery truly began.

The monster, Keisha Curtis, who did this to him, we pray will pay for her heinous abuse and torture to Patrick.

From the Capt. at NJ SPCA:

To All: In answer to the questions of the Plea Agreement, that Plea was rejected by the Defense Attorney representing Kisha Curtis. The Plea Agreement included 18 months in jail, $5000.00 in fines and an animal ban on the defendent. Again this is not unusual and moving forward we are confident that this case was handled properly by NJSPCA and that our case is strong and solid. Capt

——————————————

AHS is still fighting to tear Patrick away from the only loving home he has ever known. Patrick has been with The Scavelli Family during this ordeal. He is loved for the first time in his life and they want to adopt him permanently. Yet, AHS is fighting to have him returned to their shelter/zoo. I thought shelters were supposed to want the best for the animals… guess not this one.

Please sign and share the petition below to tell the courts to let Patrick say with the Scavelli Family!

Let the Scavelli’s Adopt Patrick

To remove Patrick would be tantamount to abusing him all over again! We MUST let our voices be heard!

For more on this part of the case go here.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -Mahatma Gandhi

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Ramblings, RANDOM

January 23, 2012

Quotes to live by…

By Tracy

Found this while surfing the net… gave me the giggles! [bold print is my jam lol]

——————————–

Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.

It’s always darkest before dawn. So if you’re going to steal your neighbor’s newspaper, that’s the time to do it.

Don’t be irreplaceable. If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.

Always remember that you’re unique. Just like everyone else.

Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.

If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.

Some days you’re the pidgeon; some days you’re the statue.

Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

A closed mouth gathers no foot.

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

Generally speaking, you aren’t learning much when your lips are moving.

Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.

——————————–

Peace out and have a fabulous day peeps!!

5 comments   |  tags: | posted in FUNNY, mindless-thoughts, Ramblings, RANDOM, sarcasm, stupid_stuff

January 21, 2012

It’s a great day!

By Tracy

I do not have many ‘great’ days in my life. Good days maybe, but far from great. Well, yesterday was a GREAT day. My brother [baby brother] Ed and his wife Kelly brought an amazing new being in to this World. Ed and Kelly have a relationship that I’ve only seen in  fairy tales. I may be biased, but my brother is pretty amazing.

I ‘met’ my brother when he was 6 months old and it was love at first site. He could not say Tracy when he started talking, so my new name became Sissy. I wear that name with pride. I’m sissy to my baby brother Ed and baby sister Laura. I would have it no other way.

And now, a new chapter in Ed’s life. The baby brother I changed, baby-sat, fed, etc. is now a daddy. I’m over the moon. [also feeling really old, lol]

So, without further ado, Welcome to the World Max – born Jan. 20, at 11:52pm. 8lbs 6oz.

he's perfect!

So, yes, this was a GREAT day!!

Love and Light!

9 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Happiness, joy, RANDOM

January 19, 2012

Prioritize?

By Tracy

Do you get overwhelmed? OMFG… I do all the time.

There are so many things that need to be done for my family and around my home. If I were MS free the shit would be over and done with. My family and house would be rockin’! It’s time for to-do lists I’m thinking. I need to put all the things that need to be done in order by priority. Then figure out how to it all…

I do not start out the day with many spoons, so I must utilize them smartly.

Need Spoons!

There is sooooooo flippen’ much clutter in my home that some places are hard to get into with my wheel-chariot. My closet has become ‘here’s where all the junk goes’ central. And, yes, I’m a bit [huge bit] of a pack rat. It’s hard to let go of things. I guess we could buy a bigger house so I can have a ‘junk’ room… Okay, back to reality!! But, that is an idea! :-P

Where to start:

  • get tax stuff together
  • go through closet and get organized
  • get salvation army pick-up together
  • get all my jewelry pieces together and clean design area
  • find someone to hangs doors and add door guards [to protect from wheelchair, lol]
  • carpets cleaned
  • front closet cleared out

Now these things may sound easy to some, and years ago I would have been done in a couple of days. Now, this stuff could and most likely will take a month or more to complete. Now all I have to do is to decide what to do first and how to get it done!!

Decisions…decisions…

Peace out peeps!!

5 comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in mindless-thoughts, multiple sclerosis, Ramblings, RANDOM, sarcasm, Wheelchair

January 18, 2012

Wheelchair seatcovers…

By Tracy

I have had my Jazzy 600 for almost 4 years now. After a while the seats WILL shred and rip. ewwwwww

you know, you've been here

I have been searching for over 1 year for a seat cover for my chair. Due to the arms on the seat it is hard to use a basic cover. I also did not want to have to cut arm holes into the cover. During a Google search I happened to look down at the sponsored links and saw an ad for Cabela’s . I went in to their auto seat covers section and found the Cabela’s Universal Fit Bucket Seat Cover. It was inexpensive [at the time 9.99] and was mad of a water-resistant urethane. Perfect. I figured for this price cutting holes in the arms would be ok to do. To my JOY, I did not have to cut anything. It is a shell of sorts.

I know wrinkles, but when seated no one sees. lol

The back, open enough for back seat bag.

The regular price is 19.99 for one seat-cover. It is sturdy and easy to put on. I love the fact no more nasty cuts on my chair or scraping on my legs. If you need a cover for your wheel-chariot, I recommend this.

My on site review:

I have been looking for a seat cover for my Jazzy 600 Power Chair [electric wheelchair] for quite some time. No one carries them. Regular seat covers are hard due to the attached arms and wires on the chair.
I figured, the price was right for this cover and I could cut arm holes. I was so happy to see that no holes had to be cut, and it fit my high-back chair perfectly.
Will be buying a couple more so i have them at the ready.
Thanks to Cableas!

Direct link to the cover is here.

Happy Shopping!

Peace out!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in multiple sclerosis, Ramblings, RANDOM, Wheelchair

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