u/tables_04

Finished my last assignments last weekend, so I am officially done with one degree. I have one summer class to finish my other degree, technical certificate, and certificate. Big shout out to community college for allowing me to obtain a grand total of 5 very expensive (and fancy) pieces of paper during my three years there! (2 degrees, 2 technical certificates, and a certificate) As well as helping me make a great deal of progress in my dream to have more degrees than my dad (because that would drive him crazy.)

My journey wasn’t easy, I had two surgeries, one hospital admission, two ER trips, two baclofen pump overdoses, countless PT, OT, and speech therapy sessions, and countless neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery and PM&R appointments. (Probably how my GPA ended up being 0.3 points away from the honor cord threshold of 3.5) Anyhow, we made it. The biggest tip I could offer regarding going to college in a chair is to make friends with your school’s disability support office. They helped me from my second semester all the way to my graduation day by ensuring a seat was taken out so I could park my chair.

In case you were wondering how I got to 2.75: 1 (degree) + 1 (degree) + 0.50 (technical certificate) + 0.25 (certificate) = 2.75. The other technical certificate was earned last year.

Next up is my first big kid job, and a bachelor’s degree! My goal is to eventually work for the military as a civilian. (Unfortunately, can’t enlist because my green chair is too bright) Now if you’ll excuse me; I’m off to figure out how to frame 5 different expensive and fancy pieces of paper!

Picture is from a few weeks back, but you can never go wrong with a classic beer and a great view!

1st picture is from the fitness center, 2nd and 3rd pictures are from the executive lounge. Didn’t get any photos of the room, because I was too focused on the views!

It was a great stay with a few hiccups, but I would stay here again. The trip was to celebrate my college graduation, and I ensured that when booking the room that I got a “shower only” room. (This is essential for me due to my disability) However upon checking in I discovered they gave me a room with a tub. I ended up having to go down to the lobby and spent 20ish minutes trying to get it switched, and was eventually switched to a room with a roll in shower. The manager seemed irritated, but the front desk attendant was great and understanding of my needs. They even had a bellhop grab my stuff and put it in the new room.

The executive lounge was nice, I had some really good appetizers before my dinner reservation; and they even had NA beer which is great. However, the design of the lounge entrance is not the best, as the doors swing directly into the path of the area where you scan your key card to gain access. However, the staff were great and extremely helpful.

The skywalks were great, and allowed me to get to a nearby restaurant with minimal time outside in the cold. The parking garage can be really tight when trying to exit a spot, so i recommend valet as far as parking goes.

The rooms have floor to celling windows, and feature premium touches. However, there is a lip in the room doorway; which made getting into the hotel room in my wheelchair a challenge. The hotel was quiet, despite there being a lot of conference attendees.

The executive lounge didn’t offer the type of breakfast I typically like, so I ended up going to the on-site sports bar for breakfast. The French toast was absolutely amazing. They (seemingly?) had one server for the entire restaurant, so the service wasn’t the fastest. However, I cannot recommend the iced caramel latte enough.

I grew up passing by this hotel all the time, and even watched it be built as a kid. It had always been my dream growing up to stay there, and college graduation was the perfect occasion. Overall, it was worth the splurge, and I truly felt like I got to celebrate like royalty.