Hawaii, and the end of the cruise

In Nawiliwili, we went on the helicopter ride. After that, we went on another excursion called “Tubing the Ditch.” I also got a video from the helicopter ride.

The helicopter ride

Tubing in the ditch

Then in Honolulu, in the morning, we walked around. We caught the bus in the morning, he dropped us off at Wal-mart. We walked around in there, and then we went on the other side and then there was a Starbucks and we went online and then we went into two stores, and then Laura and I went to the beach at 12:30 and we left there at 6:30 to go back to the ship.

All in all, it was an excellent cruise, and I would do it again.

New Zealand!

Well, that time is coming fast: going on another holiday with my best friend! We are leaving on April 1st from Vancouver and then flying from Vancouver over to New Zealand. We are staying in New Zealand for 2 days, and we get on the cruise ship on the 5th. But before we get on the cruise, I am going to jump off the SkyTower in New Zealand. I am going with my roommate/best friend. I hope we both make it out alive!

My family and friends think that I am crazy for bungee-jumping off the SkyTower, but I want to show people that I can do anything that I put my mind to. I think it'll be fun! I hope I can do it. That's why I'm working out a lot and doing the treadmill. So I am doing this in New Zealand with my best friend because I am making her do it with me. I don't know what she'll do to me after, but I don't care.

Anyway, we get on the cruise on the 5th and then on the 6th, we are in Tauranga and we are going kayaking! I am doing other activities too, and then I will blog about what I did, where, and how I get around. It'll be a good time to go and see other cultures.

This is where we're going: Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Picton, Akaroa, Port Chalmers, and the Fiordland National Park in New Zealand; Hobart, Melbourne, and Sydney in Australia; Noumea and Easo in New Caledonia; Port Vila in Vanuatu; Suva in Fiji Islands; Pago Pago in American Samoa; Nawiliwili Kauai and Honolulu in Hawaii; and finally, Vancouver, Canada.

Hi everybody!

How are you? I hope you're having a good winter, and I hope you are staying warm.

I've had a good winter so far; I went to Hawaii with my best friend and roommate for 5 weeks. It was so nice to wear T-shirts, shorts and sandals, and be outside in the sun. My skin was soft and it was nice to not have to put on lotion every day. My hair was also soft and clean so I only washed it two times a week.

I did a lot of exercise while I was there; I went swimming every day, and did 30-40 laps a day in the pool. I did it all without a life jacket. Instead, I had a flotation belt around my waist. It was fantastic to get back in the water and swim. I forgot how much I miss the water! Every day after swimming, we went back to our place where we were staying at, and had something to eat. We changed into dry bathing suits, laid by the pool and got tanned.

There was one day when we went shopping, and I wanted to get a necklace and a couple things for myself. A couple days before, it was a bit chilly so we went shopping. I bought some things for my nieces and nephews because I thought that it would be better to get something for them in Hawaii than in New Zealand which I would have to carry around for 37 days (I'm going on a cruise to New Zealand in April). On that day, it was raining, but it was a warm rain. When Laura and I were walking around, there were people trying to get out of the rain. It was kind of funny because it wasn't a cold type of rain where you can freeze your butt off. I was wearing a T-shirt and shorts and after we finished shopping, we had to walk far because we had to park a ways away. It was nice to walk in the rain, but when we got home, we were soaking wet! It was still a good day.

We went to the beach for one day only because it was hard for me to get in the water due to the waves; you have to move fast to get in. I sat on the beach instead and watched my roommate go in the water.  When we were getting ready to go, we saw a whale. It was cool to see! I felt a little sad though that I couldn't go into the water where we were at. At another beach in another town (Kihei, which was 15 minutes away from us), I could have gone in the water because they had a floating wheelchair there, but every time we went to this beach, something else came up. The week before we were able to go, my ear got infected, so I didn't want to get in the water.

For food, we mostly cooked all of it. We only went out to eat three times. The first day, we went to IHOPs after we landed. The second time, we went over to a friend's house to have supper. Finally, the night before we left, we bought burgers. Also, I made a couple of new friends at the pool; they were the lifeguards. So now, two of them are my Facebook friends.

The 5 weeks that I was there went by so fast! I hope I can go back soon.

Plans for this year

Hello!

Happy New Year! I hope everybody had a good holiday. I had a good holiday with my family and this is a new year so I am doing a lot of things.
First, I am going to Hawaii for five weeks with my best friend, relaxing and having fun. Then in April, I'm going to New Zealand and going on a cruise back to Vancouver. I will see a lot of new places like Sydney, Australia and Fiji Islands. There are a couple of places where the cruise ship can't go up to the dock, so I can't get off. There will be a little boat that comes out to get the people from the cruise ship, and they'll have to climb over the side to get in. It will be difficult for me to get in the little boat, so I decided to stay on the ship. I will blog about the places I'm going to and how able I am to get around in a wheelchair.
I also thought of a new idea for my next book to write. So I have started writing it and I hope it doesn't take me fifty years to finish it. 
This year, I am working more on my writing and getting better. So stay tuned!

The next chapter in my life...

It's a new day.  I am at Starbucks watching people coming and going. They are getting their coffee to start the day. I am trying to write but it is hard, so I sit here thinking about life in general and wonder about what I want to do next.  Tomorrow I will be starting another writing course.  It runs for six weeks.  The last writing course that I took will also apply to this one and will help me to finish my book. Hopefully I will be able to get into speech therapy and physiotherapy.  This will help me a lot with talking better and also building my muscles.  Next year will be a big year for me.  I am going on two holidays. The first holiday that my best friend and I are going on is Hawaii in February and then New Zealand in April.  New Zealand is the first holiday in another country without my family. I am so excited to see another part of the world and how well I am able to get around in my power wheelchair. We are going to New Zealand for two days before getting on a cruise for 36 days from New Zealand to Vancouver Canada. When we are on the cruise I will blog about my trip to tell you guys how the accessibility is for me. Stay tuned!