The past few months have been fun and extraordinary. Here are some highlights of my summer:
April
This year I made a quarter of a century. I am really proud of what I have already accomplished in life. Young Brooke would be ecstatic. I mean I spent most days dreaming of getting a college degree and marrying a nice guy. Before my twenty-fifth birthday, those dreams have come true. What do I have planned for the next twenty-five years? Well, I will show you…
Goals
- Become a successful author
- Be a good, loving wife
- Start a family
- Be an amazing mother
- Continue to inspire others
I am sure it won’t be easy to achieve some of these goals. I have proved that I am able to handle rough paths though. I actually enjoy the thrill of rolling through obstacles.
Day 1 of my twenty-fifth year
May
I have always loved getting the opportunity to inspire others. On May 5th, my mother and I got to share our stories at an event called Women on the Rise. The event was created and hosted by Chrisie Allemand. Chrisie is a nutritionist and personal trainer in Florida. Chrisie is one of my mother’s best friends. She basically helped mom raised me. She is one of my inspirations.
Getting to be a part of the event was a wonderful experience! I got to meet many inspiring women like Dr. Carolyn George and Ann Karay. Dr. George is an amazing functional medicine practitioner and author. Mrs. Karay is an inspiring mentor who wrote the book called The I AM Series. It was great meeting a couple of successful authors. My favorite part was doing the presentation with my mother though. I love the bond we have!
From left to right: Dr. Carolyn George, Ann Karay, Chrisie Allemand, Katie Normand (my mom)
Mrs. and Mr. Karay, Mom, and Chrisie
Chrisie is like a big sister to me.
June
My favorite part of summer is going to Orange Beach with my big, crazy family. We plan a family beach trip every year. Each year always turns out interesting for me. Brandon and my family surprised me with the proposal last year. This year's surprise was completely different. It was scary but yet hilarious. We should have got it on video.
My cousin Brianna and I decided to get on a raft in the ocean. It wasn't even twenty minutes when a big wave knocked us over. It felt like we were in slow motion. We were tangled up in the raft. We rolled and rolled until Brianna was able to gain control. She pulled me up quickly. The salty water burned my eyes and nose. We were ok, faithfully. Brianna even was able to find both of our sunglasses. We will always remember this year's trip, unfortunately... LOL!
before we got in the water, posing with our cousin Sarah
After we got out, wet but still having fun
July
I traveled to Bermuda with my family in early July. My grandfather was fishing in a couple of fishing tournaments. He invited us to come to experience the beautiful, historical island with him. My inner history nerd was thrilled. Bermuda was discovered by the British in 1609. It is a small island with only one city and one town. It is also divided into nine parishes. We stayed in the city which is called Hamilton. Our hotel was called the Hamiton Princess Hotel and it was painted pink. Perfect for a girl like me, right? The coolest thing I learned about Bermuda was how many families lived there for many generations. One of our cab drivers said that he was the twentieth or thirtieth generation of his family. I thought that was amazing.
My most favorite part of the trip was chilling on the pink sand beach called Horseshoe Bay Cove. It was a stunning place. The water was crystal blue and the sand had a pink tint to it. There were massive rocks that the waves crashed into it. It was not many tourists around so it was peaceful. I just laid back and enjoyed a pina-colada. It was a perfect day!
If you are wheeled traveler and you are thinking about visiting Bermuda, there are some tips and suggestions:
- There are only a few accessible cabs. It's best to bring a manual chair to have as a backup if you are a motorized wheelchair user.
- The island is very hilly, so make sure that your wheelchair has good breaks.
- Some restaurants and shops are not accessible.
- Beaches like Horseshoe Bay Cove are actually a little bit easy to roll on.
Horseshoe Bay Cove
I love making memories with my cousins Sarah and Brianna
August
Brandon surprised me with Imagine Dragons concert tickets for my birthday. Imagine Dragons has always been one of my favorite bands. I usually play their songs as I write stories and poems. I literally screamed five minutes after Brandon told me that we were going. The concert was at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on August 5th. It was an incredible experience! The concert was spectacular! They played all my favorite songs. They even walked by our seats and I got high-five a couple of them. I was ecstatic! It was honestly one of the best concerts I have ever been to.
Brandon and I
My grandmother Lisa loves the Imagine Dragons too. We all ate together before the concert.
I love how free-spirited my grandparents are.
We had floor seats!
I cannot believe they walked right by us
