Transportation: Not as easy as it looks...

Hi everyone! This is Katie, again. Kyle is playing words with friends (and he's supposed to be doing work). And I like writing this :).

Today, I wanted to share my thoughts on transportation-- public and otherwise. You know, I'm a big fan of the whole "yeah, we're disabled, but we can do normal stuff too. And we probably do it in a cooler way than you" movement, but being disabled really does make transportation a pain in the butt.

As previously mentioned, neither Kyle or I can drive. So there's one problem. However, since we are currently in College Station, there are a lot of restaurants and stuff that are in walking distance (even for me). So there's one plus. Usually if we walk somewhere I ride on the back of Kyle's wheelchair because there are two little pegs that you can stand on. I can usually only ride for a few minutes because standing on those pegs is really hard on your calves and feet. So then, I walk for a while. And the cycle continues until we reach our desired destination. And trust me, if I were to walk the whole way, it would add like an hour to any commute, so props to Kyle for having two little pegs on the back of his chair.

For the places that aren't in walking distance, we ride the bus. I hate the bus. And here's why: First of all the drivers never seem to know how to work the wheelchair lift. Every time I think, "Did you actually have training for this? Because all my instincts are pointing to no..." And then I get all self-conscious because it can take up to seven minutes just to get on the bus and people start to give us that look. You know, that "oh my gosh, I have important things to do, couldn't these handicapped kids have picked ANY other bus" look? Yeah, you may have never seen that look. It's intense.

Most importantly, I hate the bus because I have had the overwhelmingly wonderful pleasure of being jammed in the bus door. Yes, you read correctly. The bus door has closed while I was in the process of getting off the bus. Basically, Kyle had already gotten off, so the driver was waiting in his seat. And since I move slower than the average human being, he assumed that I had situated myself safely on the ground, when in fact, I had not. Thankfully all the passengers on the bus started screaming so the driver opened the doors before he drove off. Nobody was injured during this ordeal, with the exception of my pride. I was embarrassed and mad and frustrated with myself and the bus and the driver and everyone within a mile radius.

But all in all, I feel like the whole incident really strengthened Kyle and I's relationship. It really made us both upset and I think it scared the pants off of Kyle. I think it showed us that we're gonna have to go through a lot of hard stuff as a couple, but it's how it has to be. And at the end of the day, having someone that can really relate to your struggles is an amazing gift.

So, in conclusion, if you're looking for a relationship strengthening exercise, get stuck in a bus door. That one will definitely through your boyfriend for a loop. And he'll realize how awesomely irreplaceable you are. You're welcome, ladies.

P.S. Kyle's brother Corey has been angered by the fact that he has not been mentioned up to this point so Corey, this one's for you: Thank you for driving our handicapped asses around in your awesome yellow truck. Beats the bus any day.