December 29, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: Christian's Year-In-Review 2010

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

December 29, 2010- TCS # 230


Ok, Everyone, it’s that Time of Year again, New Years and A Tradition that I’ve been doing for 3 Years here at The Christianville Spirit. You See, In 2007 as My Newsletter grew I decided that I would join in to one of my favorite things to watch on New Year’s Eve, The Year-In-Reviews. I decided to start writing Year-In-Reviews because first of all it was my last newsletter of the year and it seems appropriate. Also, I think it’s fun to refresh your memory of the Year’s Past before the New Year. Anyway, this is My Year-In-Review that I like to call, “Christian’s Year-In-Review”. So, without further a due, this is “Christian’s Year-In-Review 2010”. Now, 2010 was in many ways A crazy year, both in Good Ways and in Bad Ways. There were quite a bit of Awesome Things that happened this year that I won’t forget. So, as with every year, we begin in January 2010, the beginning of the 2010’s Decade. On January 20, I saw a Commercial for the now hit MTV Show, The Buried Life. Now, for those of you who don’t know what this show is about, It’s about 4 Young Guys who made a list of 100 things that they wanted to do before they die and along with doing their things, They also helped others with what was on their list. Also in January, to everyone’s shock was the famous Haiti Earthquake that rocked what is said to be one of the World’s Poorest Countries. I didn’t really know that Haiti got earthquakes because it was in the Caribbean but, it is along the fault line of The North American and Caribbean Plate. On January 28, I got my echocardiogram which I was both excited and nervous about but, it was really cool because I got to see “The Very Thing that Keeps My Alive”. In February, It was very snowy both here in Plano and Other Places. The first snowstorm that happened on the night of February 5 going into February 6 that I actually can’t believe I didn’t write about was the famous snowstorm that Weather Forecasters called “Snowmageddon”. Also, some people called it “The Blizzard of 2010”. Anyway, there are 2 reasons why they called it that. Because first off it hit an area (Washington DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia) that doesn’t get that much snow as often as New York City or Boston. To make it worse, the next week another blizzard or as they call a “Nor’Easter” hit the same area that the last one did. In Fact, with this “Snowmageddon” Series, it broke many cities‘ Snowiest Winter on Record. So, here are the cities and their new records:

  • Philadelphia, PA with 78 Inches
  • Baltimore, MD with 77 Inches
  • Washington DC with 56 Inches
  • Wilmington, DE with 72 Inches
  • Atlantic City, NJ with 58 Inches

So, as you can tell it Snowed A LOT in that Area. Actually, that is not the only place it snowed a lot because on February 10, it snowed 9 to 12 Inches in Dallas during what I called “The All-Star Historic Snow Storm”. Anyway, in March, My Brother and I went to Myerson Symphony Center to go see the Dallas Symphony Orchestra because My Brother was taking a Music Appreciation Class and he had to go see a musical performance for his class. Anyway, on March 31, I wrote about The Economist's Democracy Index in My Newsletter because I was interested about The European Union and To see how each Country stands. Now, April, Unfortunately was a Sad Month for a lot of People like on April 7, Sandra Bullock got divorced. On April 20, was believe it or not, the beginning of the BP Oil Spill which lasted all the way till‘ August. Also and I’m deeply sorry to Grandma honey for this but, in this month, Our Healthful Great Grandma Mimi passed away and she will be missed by all! On a lighter note, near the end of April, as a way of preparing for My 200th Newsletter, I started writing my “All Thanks to You” Series. On May 26, I wrote my 200th Newsletter. It was a Big Accomplishment for me because I had written 200 Newsletters. Meanwhile, during this Big Event was when My Mom was having her Kidney Stone Attacks which was very hard for me to deal with. Now, June was a mainly quiet month, the only events to mention was the Painful Allergy Test on June 7 and us preparing to head to Atlanta for The PTLS Birthday Party/Gathering. July was also a quiet month like June. Now, August was an awesome month because during the week of My Birthday, we decided to have a mix of a PTLS Gathering and My Birthday Party. It was so awesome that so many members of My PTLS Family came from across the country to see me and all be inspired by Each other. Also, during the week, I got to go to Amicalola Falls State Park and see the Southern End of The Appalachian Trail which was really awesome. I would say though that going to Atlanta was the best birthday ever. The awesome month of August was followed by another awesome month, September. Near the end of September, My Mom and I got to crew for the Plano Hot Air Balloon Festival which was Amazing and Awesome. Also, the best part is that they’ve invited us to crew for the festival next year. On October 6, was when The United States Government heard about terrorists in Europe so, The State Department issued a Travel Warning in Europe which worried me a little because Europe is my favorite part of the world. On October 20, I finished reading the book, AWOL On The Appalachian Trail that I got during “PTLS Birthday Week”, The book was really good to read and very interesting. On November 16-20 was the 5th annual Christian’s Best Friends Festival which introduced the most new friends of any Best Friends’ Festival so far. For Thanksgiving, I went to visit The Smith Family in Atlanta which was really cool because My Uncle Bruce built a Zip Line in his backyard for my cousins. Finally, in December I got to drive through Deerfield(The Neighborhood with all the Christmas Lights) with My Brother. So, I got extra time with My Brother. So, To end the year I will tell you that I got the most awesome gift for Christmas, A REAL Sleigh Bell from Santa’s Sleigh. Yes, you heard it right, a REAL SLEIGH BELL from Santa. Also, It came with a note that said the following, “Christian, Thank You for continuing to believe in Me. Keep My Spirit alive in Your Heart and in those you touch every day. Merry Christmas! St. Nicholas(Santa)”. So, all in all, This was a great year and I hope next year will be even better.


(For the Last Time in 2010)


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Be Sure to be back here for another year of Touching and Inspiring Articles. Thanks for Believing in The Sprit of Christianville!

December 22, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: The Meaning of Christmas and Why We Have It

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

December 22, 2010- TCS # 229


So, My Readers, let me ask you a Question? What does Christmas mean to you and Why do you think we have it? Is it about Presents and Santa Claus? Maybe. Is it about the Birth of Jesus Christ? I say, absolutely! but, that’s yours to decide. You See, that big question, “What is the meaning of Christmas and Why we have it?” is in many ways, A hard question to answer. The truth is, we sometimes forget the meaning of Christmas because of our busy lives and trying to get shopping done by Christmas Day. So, what is the meaning? Well, it has many meanings to different people. For Kids, it means Santa Claus is coming to Town and they have to be on their best behavior because as we’ve heard before, He’s Watching. For Adults it’s more about shopping for presents and, the stress of making enough money for it. and, for some, funny enough, the stress of finding a Parking Spot. But, In My View, in a way, it’s about Presents but, it’s more about Santa Claus‘ Spirit of Giving, hence the reason we believe in him. Also and Majorly, It’s about Jesus Christ’s Birth because without him there wouldn’t be a Christmas. In Fact, Christmas‘ technical name is Christ’s Mass, only they shortened it with erasing the extra S off Christ and the S of Mass. But, here’s the thing, there’s one thing missing in the meaning of Christmas, Family. Now, the reason behind that one thing missing, is that in a Cold and Below Freezing Winter, Christmas is the only day by which you are Warm, and I don’t mean “Warm” like the heating on the A/C. I mean feeling the warmth of being with, near, or just knowing You are in the hearts of Your Family. When Baby Jesus was born, He was loved by his parents and those who came to see him from afar and Every Year we celebrate his Birthday with Love and Family. If you want to know how warm I am during Christmas, I’m Extra Warm, because I have my 3 Families; My Immediate, The Smith Family, and PTLS Family. All in all here, Christmas is about Love, Family’s Warmth, and Giving.




Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Merry Christmas to all from The Christianville Spirit!

December 15, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: Time with My Brother

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

December 15, 2010- TCS # 228


So, Every Christmas here in Plano, My Family(My Mom, My Brother, and I) have several traditions that we do. Of Course, One of them is going to the Special Friends Christmas Dinner but, this one I’m going to mention has been a tradition for several years and one that many Plano Families do. You See, there is a neighborhood in Plano called Deerfield where they have house after house decorated with Christmas Lights that we drive by. Anyway, My Mom has working one night and asked My Brother to take me through it. Now, My Mom and I usually go through it and My Brother either doesn’t get to go or doesn’t really want to go. My Brother was sweet enough to take me through the neighborhood. Another thing I like to do while we drive through Deerfield is listen to Christmas Music because I believe that you have to listen to Christmas Music when looking at Christmas Lights; I guess you can add that to my list of Preferences. Let’s just say that the only time that My Brother and I listened to Christmas Music was when we were passing some houses that had Syndicated Christmas Lights which had you listen to a Radio Station. But, at least My Brother tried it for a little while. It was really awesome to go with My Brother and spent time with him. The best house that we saw was a Syndicated house that had 4 Rings that would light up in circles, according to My Brother, that also was his favorite house.

Another day, My Brother and I spent a full day together. First, we went to Five Guys Burgers for lunch, then, we went to go to the movie to see Due Date, which was a hilarious movie. After that, we did some Christmas Shopping and then, finally we had dinner with My Mom at a pizza place called Goodfellas. All in all, I had a fun time with My Brother.



Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Spend time with Your Siblings.

December 8, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: The Special Friends Christmas Dinner

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

December 8, 2010- TCS# 227


So, This past Monday Night, My Mom and I went to an event that is a tradition of us. You See, This Event called the “Special Friends Christmas Dinner”, A Christmas Dinner for People with Special Needs that they have at one of the churches here in Plano. The Church just happens to be one of the biggest in Plano, In fact, we call it “Six Flags Over Jesus”, it’s that big. Anyway, This church has a Special Needs Ministry and to honor them, they put on a Dinner for members, friends, family, and anyone else who wants to come. So, after dinner, My Mom and I are walking to the car, summarizing the fun time we had and right when we walk toward the Car, She says “How do you feel when your around them?” and, by Them, she means people of Various Special Needs. So, for this week’s newsletter, I’m going to write how I feel around what I’ll called “The Various Special Needs” Group. So, I look at it at it in 2 ways. Firstly, It’s really awesome to hang out with all people with Special Needs, Various or PTLS because they are sometimes at the same level and sometimes Maturity then you. In a way, They understand You, The Person not what you have. As with what I’ll call “Normals”, They concentrate on what you have instead of the person themselves. Now, My 2nd view is different because it deals with me having PTLS or as I formally address it, “My Rareness”. In that format, You feel lonely because there’s no one in that has PTLS in My Area. Now, Don’t get Me wrong, I like hanging out with People with Special Needs and I don’t focus on what they have. But, when it does come to that, It’s hard to relate to them because they go through different things than You. and, we PTLSers go through our own thing. The only Special Need that PTLS has a tie with is Autism and that can give you more or less information. So, in other words, in a room full of people of Autism and Down Syndrome, I feel like I’m the only Rare one there which is both a good thing and bad thing. Now, with PTLSers you can relate in alot of ways to what they’re going though which is the same things that you are. The only difference is their health and behavior on what I’ll call the “Moderate-Severity Level” because some people with PTLS can widely range from Moderate which means not as many health issues and not as hyper to Severe which means more health issues like Heart Issues or having more of a hard time Talking. Now, Parents, My Intention here is not to scare you, I’m teaching about it. Anyway, when it comes to seeing or meeting people with PTLS is at first very awkward because it’s like meeting someone who looks exactly like You and Has the same thing as You. So, after you get over the awkwardness, then you connect with each other. Now, I have to say it’s a little lonely here in Dallas because no one around here has PTLS or let alone is my age. The only person nearby is in Houston and is older than Me with not only PTLS but, CMT. So, all in all here, that’s how I feel about the difference between “Various Special Needs” and PTLSers. Now, if you feel the same way about this, Please don’t count out those with Various Special Needs because otherwise you won’t have anyone to relate to.



Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Remember when around People with Special Needs. It’s not about what they have, it’s about who they are.

December 1, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: My Thanksgiving and What I'm Thankful For

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

December 1, 2010- TCS # 226


As many of you heard, I went to Atlanta for thanksgiving and I couldn’t do a Newsletter. So, to make up for it, I’m going to tell you about my Thanksgiving Trip to Atlanta. It’s started early Tuesday Morning with My Mom and I driving to Atlanta; Along the way, there is a place in a town called Canton which is about 45 Minutes east of Dallas and they sell something special, Fried Pies. Well, for the first time I finally got one and it was good. You see, I had been thinking about getting a Fried Pie several times driving between Dallas and Atlanta but, either it was too early in the morning for Me(because my stomach is still waking up), the fact that I’m in the car because I’m not always the cleanest of eaters and Fried Pies isn’t car food, or other reasons. Whenever I wouldn’t get one in the morning, I’d try to get one on the way back but, by that time My Mom and I are tired and ready to get home. So, anyway this time I finally got one, I got a Pulled Pork Fried Pie and Apple Fried Pie. The Pulled Pork Pie was good but, got too spicy to eat. And, of course the Apple was really good but, really messy. Anyway, when we finally got to Atlanta it was exciting and it was awesome knowing that I got to sleep in My favorite Room at My Grandma Honey’s House, Her Sunroom or as I call it “The Treehouse”. I call it “The Treehouse” because there are a lot of tall trees that surround it. on Wednesday, which is my “Newsletter Day”, We began the day going to Grandma Honey’s Favorite Hangout where Everyone knows her name and got to see our good friend, Georgette. After that, My Mom and I got Pedicures, but My Mom’s is different than mine. I love the way mine is because I sit in a chair that massages my back, I get my feet and legs rubbed, and my feet afterwords felt very soft. Also, we prepared and got the things we needed for Thanksgiving Dinner, We also hung out at My Uncle Bruce’s House. On Thanksgiving Day, My cousin Gram and I had a sleepover at Grandma Honey’s House so, that we could watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a tradition for me on Thanksgiving that I love and can’t go a Thanksgiving without because the end to me is the beginning of The Holiday Season, My Favorite Time of Year. After we watched some of the parade, we drove to Uncle Bruce’s House again because that’s where we were having Thanksgiving Dinner. The day itself was much fun because I got to play with My Cousins. We got to jump on the trampoline, go to the park, and play in the treehouse that Uncle Bruce built. Now, Thanksgiving Dinner was really good and Uncle Bruce made the turkey so juicy, it was the best turkey I ever had. On Friday, we played some more and the most awesome thing happened. My Uncle Bruce built a Zip Line in his backyard and after it was done, we got to ride on it. It was my first time riding on a Zip Line and it was Awesome. After all that excitement, we went back to Grandma Honey’s House and one more night in “The Treehouse” then, we headed back home. So, now The Most Important Part, What I’m Thankful for. I’m Thankful for the following things..

  • My Mom and The Things she does for me
  • My PTLS Family
  • All the PTLS Family Members that came all the way to Atlanta for the PTLS Gathering and My Birthday
  • My Friends and Family
  • The Balloonists who let me join in and crew for The Hot Air Balloon Festival
  • My Readers and Subscribers
  • The Roof over My Head
  • Food and Water
  • Air Conditioning(since people in other countries don’t get A/C)
  • and, Finally, God

All in all, It was an awesome Thanksgiving Holiday and I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving.



Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. I am Thankful for Everything and Everyone that I have around Me, Thank You All!

November 17, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: Christian's Best Friends' Festival 2010

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

November 17, 2010- TCS # 225


For those You who really know me, You know that I celebrate the friends annually via a made-up festival in My City of Christianville. So, For Those of You who don’t, Let me explain. You See, back in 2005 around the same time The Christianville Spirit started, I also created a Festival in Christianville called Christian’s Best Friends’ Festival which I designed to be held from November 16-20 on Friends Street in Downtown Christianville. Anyway, on each day during the festival, I made the day about that person and it would be my version of honoring them. Now, I chose those dates because it was close to Thanksgiving and The Holiday Season(which is my favorite time of year) So, the first day of Christian’s Best Friends’ Festival is called Michael Day, honoring my brother. The first thing that happens, is the City of Christianville Band comes through like a parade and opens The Festival Doors, which are big Doors below the stage, and represents the festival’s opening and closing. Following that, They introduce The US Flag, Tennessee Flag, and City of Christianville Flag, this represents Christianville’s place in Tennessee. After the City of Christianville Band has passed, They present the Friends that I made that year on the stage above the “Festival Doors”. This Year’s Friends presented includes Amy and David Taylor, JJ, Rick Garland, Pam Tate, Chris Norris, Georgette Black, Kelli (My Mom’s Boss), and Several Members of My PTLS Family. Anyway, After that comes a parade honoring my brother called “The Parade of Michael Centeno”. The next day, November 17 is Brooke Day, honoring my childhood friend, Brooke. For Brooke Day, They have a Fair called “Christian Smith-Centeno and Brooke Herrick Fair” which unlike the other days are on Friend Street. This Fair is in the city I named after her, called Brooke, which is up the road from Christianville. This Fair has ferris wheels, slides, and everything to do with Soccer. Following Brooke Day, on November 18 is Meredith Day which honors My Brothers and I’s Childhood friend, Meredith Herrick. for this day, They have a fair called “Meredith’s Fun Day”. This time, The fair is on Friends Street. This Fair has Ferris wheels, Spinning Rides, Slides, and Roller Coasters. The next day, November 19 is called Whitney Day which honors our childhood friend, Whitney Herrick. For Whitney Day, which for a lot of people in The Christianville Area is their favorite day because they have an event called “Wacky Whitney’s Play in Downtown Day” which mean they close the streets in Downtown Christianville, so people can walk all the streets and hang out. Now, if your wondering how I came up with the name, “Wacky Whitney”. Back when living at Mr. Jeff’s House(by the way, Mr. Jeff is the guy My M0m dated and was going to marry at the time) when jumping on the trampoline Whitney would be really funny and she was so funny that she called herself “Wacky Whitney” and that is how I came up with that name. The final day of the festival, November 20 is Steven Day, which is in honor of My Best Friend, Steven Vandeneyekel. For Steven Day, They close the Festival with a Parade called “The Tigger Parade” because he loves Tigger and He always will. After the Parade, they close “Festival Doors” and that’s the end of Christian’s Best Friends‘ Festival for the year. By the way, after the festival ends, Steven Day is a metro-wide holiday. All in all, Christian’s Best Friends‘ Festival is my way of honoring the friends I have and showing them I do cherish them.




Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Maybe We should consider having a real-life Festival like this. So, Cherish your Friends

November 10, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: What was I Thinking when I was Young?!?

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

November 10, 2010- TCS # 224


So, I know alot of My PTLS Family are wondering about the “Stemming” your child is doing and then, ask questions like “What is going on inside their head?”. Now, since I’m now a Young Adult, there are times when I look at My PTLS Brothers and Sisters and wonder the same thing. Also, I think of whether I did those particular movements. Well, I’ve decided to tell you what I was thinking. When I was a kid living with My Mom and Mr. Jeff at his House, I found a spot in the yard to “Stem” which in my case, was Pacing back and forth. Before I started pacing, I would first make sure no one was watching because it would stop me. After I figured that no one was around I’d start pacing, I would think about many things. One of the things I thought of was the sounds of the roads here in Dallas, by the way the major highways in Dallas have grooves in the cement which when driving on it made a high pitch noise. When I was young, I didn’t know what to call it or how to describe the noise of the road, so, I called it the “Holler Road” because that’s what it sounded like to me. In order to simulate the noise I would hum at a high pitch like I thought the road would sound like. Another thing, I paced about was pretending that I was in a different place and it was even funner because we had a creek in the backyard. Now, there were 2 Places where I would pretend I was at and I would make the creek a border line. The First place which was spurred from one place My Dad took My Brother and I to, Laredo, Texas-Nuevo Laredo, Mexico area, I would pretend that the creek was The Border between Texas and Mexico; and that we lived in Laredo, Texas(Because we were on the North side of the creek) and My Elementary School, which on the south side of the creek was in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Anyway, when you walked into Mr. Jeff’s House we had a game room. I pretended that was a US Customs Station and you had to walk through the Kitchen and Living Room to get into the country. Not only that but, I pretended that above the doors and on the walls throughout the house were signs saying “To Laredo” for the people going into the country. The other place I imagined while pacing back and forth in the backyard was that I was on the Texas/Oklahoma Border. Now, this was spurred by the lake house that Mr. Jeff had that we would go to every other weekend which was close to Oklahoma. As you can imagine, in my “Dream World,” we’ll call it, we lived in Marietta, Oklahoma and My School was in Gainesville, Texas. Another thing I thought about when pacing was images of my imaginary city, Christianville. You See, I would Imagine The cities of Christianville I named the cities of Brooke, Christianville, South Christianville, and what was then The City of Elizabethvania. In those 3 cities, I imagined 3 things, the street signs of Brooke, the Bridge over the Tennessee River between Christianville, Tennessee and South Christianville, Mississippi(by the way, the bridge is similar to The Golden Gate Bridge) and the border between South Christianville and Elizabethvania. Just so you know, Elizabeth is Mr. Jeff’s Daughter and Brooke was My childhood best friend. The former city of Elizabethvania, which is now Izzyville, was a very messy city filled with trash and ugly street signs. Now, at the time, I figured that I wanted Christianville to be the city where everyone wanted to go to and Elizabethvania was the worst. Now, don’t get me wrong, Elizabethvania’s condition was no reflection of her or what I thought of her, it was just the way I thought of the city. Now, Once I got older, I had a big clean up of the city and changed it’s name to the present name, Izzyville. and, yes Izzyville is a nice and clean city now.

Now, when I was at school I would rock back and forth. When I was in 4th Grade I actually had 2 crushes, one was Lynee. But, my secret crush was on a girl with orange hair named Lauren. What I thought about might be funny to you, but I imagined I rescued this girl from the room next to us in the 4th grade from a fire or an evil teacher. After Elementary School, My Pacing slowed down but, I still Rocked back and forth because it made me feel good. But, every school that I went to, after I knew my way around, I would imagine street signs on the wall and would name the hallways which I would do all the way up to Senior High School. So, if your children are rocking, humming, or pacing, they are thinking deeply about something. We PTLSers have great imaginations. All in all, that’s a little peek into my head of what I was thinking.



Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Just because someone doesn’t talk, doesn’t mean their mind isn’t working.

November 3, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: Labels, Labels, Labels!

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

November 3, 2010- TCS # 223


So, Let me ask you a Question, What does a “Label” mean to you? Does it to say where your from like Europe or Canada? Is it a tool you use to judge someone? Well, the truth is that there are many labels to people and things. In fact, there’s pretty much a label to everything like what country or state your from (etc. American, Texan, Mexican, European), There are Labels to color of your hair like Brunette, Dirty Blonde, or just Blonde, and of course, there are what I’ll call “School Labels” like Nerd, Geek, Special Ed, Cheerleaders, and many more.. And, finally there are labels to your lifestyle and things that let’s just say are your own business like sexual preference. But, those are the most common labels that some I don’t like and others I don’t mind. The way I see Labels is that they are words to put on people so, that others can judge. To know what it feels like to have a Label is like putting a sign on your front that says what your labeled by others and then, you walk down a street and watch the way people look at you. Now, I have to say though that sometimes in the case of having a “Rare Duplication” that not many people know what it is, in a way it’s helps and in a way it doesn’t. It helps so, Your Child can get the help in school and the real world that they need. But, however, if you just want to be diagnosed with Autism(which to people with Special Needs is a Label) just so people know what you have, I believe takes away the “Rareness” and being more Special that anyone else away. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is some Autism behaviors in kids and adults with Potocki-Lupski Syndrome. In fact, by a mere chance of My Mother jumping in and saying “I know he has something else” at one of the many doctor’s appointments in The Study in Houston, I could have been diagnosed with Autism. The reason why was because there was an open window view of Downtown Houston and I wouldn’t answer the questions because I fixated on the view of Downtown Houston. So, Today when it comes to Labels, I know that I have Special Needs. But, I consider myself to just be Me, The special person I am. You See, when a person has Special Needs it’s more about them as People not what they have, People need to look beyond the label. Recently, a law that would help in many ways has passed, it’s called “Rosa’s Law” that eliminates the name, the government and some many people use to describe Special Needs, it used to be what I call the R-Word and now it’s called “Intellectual Disability”. A law that I am Extremely Happy to hear about. All in All, Labels are a tool to judge people. So, Learn to see pass the label of that person.




Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Labels are things you find on Canned Foods, Not hanging on People.

October 27, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: My Brother is Awesome

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

October 27, 2010- TCS # 222


So, Yesterday was My Brother Michael’s Birthday, He turned 22 Years Old. So, as a treat to him, what’s a better birthday present than to Write about him in My Newsletter. Michael Centeno was born on October 26, 1988 in San Antonio, TX at the same hospital as I was. Michael has always been a great brother to Me; although when we were younger, he didn’t like it when I touched him in any way or If I hurt him he would start hitting me until I cried but, you know that’s typical brotherly behavior at that age. Now, please know that He didn’t hit me very hard, it was just enough to get me upset. When We lived in San Antonio, there was a park that we used to go and play at. My Brother would always give me a boost up to get on the slide or the merry-go-round. He put would get behind me and push me up from My Bottom. When we lived with Mr. Jeff, Us and The Barsis‘ would jump on the trampoline and all of them including Michael wanted me to do what we called “Butt Busters”. When I did “Butt Busters” it bounced everyone high in the air. You See, how “Butt Busters” worked was that all of us would jump on the trampoline and I would land on my butt with perfect timing then, everyone would fly in the air and everyone stayed on the trampoline. My Brother would always say “Thank You Christian” and he would always including when other kids came to play and that continued all the way through High School and even today. Also, around the time he was in Middle School, he became more interested in Art and then, he started doing his own drawings that are very unique. At Rice Middle School, they even asked him to help design and paint the school mural, since when we went there, it was a New School. Today, he still does drawings of different things, his art work is awesome! Michael says that in the future, He wants to have his own TV Show based on his animations. His TV Show will be similar to Family Guy and The Simpsons. I want him to know that I’m very proud to call him My Brother and I can’t wait to see his show, which I know He’ll be very successful. All in all, I have an awesome brother and If there was a sticker that said “My Brother is BETTER than Yours!”, I would get it. Until then, I’ll just keep hugging and loving him.




Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish The Brothers or Sisters that You have.

October 20, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: AWOL On The Appalachian Trail

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

October 20, 2010- TCS # 221


So, A couple days ago, I finished reading something that I’ve been reading for while. You see, When I went to Atlanta for what I’m going to call “My PTLS Gathering and Birthday Week” this past summer, My Mom, My Grandma Honey, My Cousin Gram, and I went up to a place in the North Georgia Mountains called Amicalola Falls State Park, While there I saw the southern end of The Appalachian Trail. Anyway, Just before I got a souvenir Map of The Trail, the guide that I was talking to turned me around and showed me a shelf of books written about The Trail and showed me a couple really cool pictures, from the book that I just got done reading, and told me about some of the things that were in it. So, after some consideration, I decided to get it to read when I got home. This Book that I got is called AWOL On The Appalachian Trail by David Miller; Anyway, This book was a really good book and I learned about what it was like walking 2,000+ Miles on The Appalachian Trail. He taught me about where hikers sleep, What they’re thinking, The Weather on The Trail, and Trail Lingo. Like for Example, a Northbound Hiker is called NoBo(meaning Northbound) and GAME(for Georgia to Maine) and A Southbound Hiker is called SoBo(meaning Southbound) and MEGA(for Maine to Georgia). Now, the GAME and MEGA, I already knew but, here are some that I didn’t know; “AYCE” , Hikers say is their favorite saying because it means an All You Can Eat meal which is wonderful when you go several days with small meals like Trail Mix or freeze-dried food. Also, I learned about the types of “Thru-Hikers” and methods of Hiking. There are 2 types of hikers, a Thru-Hiker who hikes the entire trail in one year and a Section Hiker who hikes the trail in sections. There are types of Hikers in the way they hike, There are “White Blazers” named from the White Blazes on the main trail. Then, there are “Blue Blazers” who take the Side Trails ( The Side Trails have Blue Blazes) to either get around a Mountain or cut the mileage down. Next, there are “Aqua Blazers” who take Rivers or Creeks to points on The Trail. And, finally there are “Yellow Blazer” named from the double yellow lines of The Road. Now, there are different methods of hiking, You can just walk with a 50 pound pack on your back or You can do something where you don’t carry anything and have a team meet you at a road crossing at the end of the day. Then, they take you to a hotel. But, I don’t think that sounds Natural as easy as it may be. My Favorite Part of this book is reading about how pretty the scenery in the mountains are and passing all the milestones that come with a hike that is 2,000 Miles long, go’s through 14 States, and takes an average of 6 Months to Hike. Now, It is really peaceful and wonderful to walk in the woods that long but, it can also be dangerous because of the weather sometimes and The Animals that roam around like Bears, Snakes, Mice, and Moose (in Maine and Northern New England).Now, I have to warn you that this book has alot of Big Words in it and it took me a while to read the word and figure out what it means. All in all, AWOL On The Appalachian Trail was a really good book to read and I highly recommend it if you are a Nature-Lover or someone who is ready for Adventure.




Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish Nature and Everything in it.

October 13, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: Love is Louder

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

October 13, 2010- TCS # 220


As You all know, Lately on The News, they’ve been talking about many things like The Trapped Chilean Miners and Election Stuff. But, there is one thing in The News that is happening that someone is trying prevent from happening again. You See, Lately there has an increase in suicides because of bullying and other people tormenting others. So, when I heard what was being done about it, I had to write about and cheer. You See, I was watching CNN and they were talking about all of it and then, they introduced the person who’s doing something. This Person is Actress, Brittany Snow from Gossip Girl, she said that when she heard about the increase in suicides and bulling that she should create a movement defending those affected or those who just want positivity in the world. This is called “Love is Louder”, “Love is Louder” proves to everyone that Love is Louder than ANYTHING! She says it can be applied to anything whether you were bullied or not. I will give a couple of examples, LOVE IS LOUDER Than...

  • Hate
  • Bullying
  • Depression
  • Misunderstanding
  • Anger
  • Fear
  • and above all, Anything Negative


So, as you can see Love is Louder than anything. As for Me, I applaud Brittany for making this movement to Stop and Stand Up to anything Negative. Because any of those things, we can all relate to and I mean, when I was in 5th Grade, I was bullied so, I know how it feels. I also understand being misunderstood because I have Special Needs. All in all, We should all stand up and join Brittany’s Movement.




Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Scream Out Love because LOVE IS LOUDER!

October 6, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: The Travel Warning in Europe

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

October 6, 2010-TCS #219


So, The other day I was Watching TV when My Mom came home and told me something that really shocked me, There was a Travel Warning issued for all of Europe because of possible Terrorist Attacks. After I watched the News to confirm it, I was disappointed. The reason I was disappointed was that Europe to me is one of the most fascinating and one of the safest parts of the world. Not only that but, I can’t think of why the terrorists would want to attack Europe and Europe isn’t necessarily in the “Western World”. You See, Lately I have gotten interested in reading about individual nations through The State Department’s section on Travel. Every Year or so, The US State Department updates the information about different countries. You can learn a lot of interesting things about each country, like Their Laws, Crime Issues, What Americans should do if their a Victim of one, Where the US Embassy and Consulates are, Road Conditions, and of course the typical things Americans should or shouldn’t do when in another country like dress like the locals, don’t look like a tourist, act like you know where your going even if you don’t, and let The State Department know where your going so, they can inform you of any warnings or issues in that country, which is optional. Now, if you were to ask me about any of those things, I would recommend all of them and The Most Important Thing, Know where the US Embassy/Consulate is in that country just in case you into Trouble. Now, I know a lot of you wondering about the difference between a Travel Warning and a Travel Alert. A Travel Alert is a temporary precaution of that country due to Natural Disasters, Terrorists, Political Issues, other issues. And, Travel Warning means to totally avoid that country. In the case of Europe, it’s only a Travel Alert even though the media say, “Travel Warning”. The point is it disappoints me that The Terrorists have to threaten the people of such a Great Region. All in all, You can learn interesting things about The World from The State Department and I hope that The Terrorist will stop threatening everyone.



Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish The Great Places of The World and The People that Live There.

September 29, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: What I Learned From The Balloonists

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

September 29, 2010- TCS # 218


When I wrote about crewing for The Plano Balloon Festival last week, there was something that I didn’t mention in it, The things I learned about the balloonists that I didn’t know. I already told you about how hard the work was and how fun it was. But, I didn’t mention the interesting things that they do. So, This week I figured that I would write it as a Part 2 of My Hot Air Balloon Adventure. One thing that I learned by one of the other balloonists, David, that He and His Wife along with our Pilot, Rick and his wife Carol, do something called GeoCaching. You See, one time I was talking to My Brother’s Friend, Spencer and he told me about GeoCaching but, didn’t really explain it in detail like David. Now, for those of you who don’t know, GeoCaching is like an internet and GPS powered Treasure Hunt. What you do is you go online to a GeoCaching website and find where little things such as Postal Stamps or other little trinkets are and then, you plug in Geographical Coordinates (it’s location) and it’ll take you to where it is. According to David and Spencer, there are hundreds of GeoCaches in your town alone and trillions of them around the world. He also says that you can buy these devices called Travel Bugs and then, send them out. Next thing you know, it’ll make it’s way around the world. He told us that one of Rick’s travelled across Norway and across other European Countries. I think that is really awesome. The next thing I learned was a lot about the Albuquerque Balloon Festival (in Albuquerque it’s called the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.) Anyway, Chris told us that because it’s the largest and most known balloon festival in the world that it lasts 10 Days. Now, before you freak out, they only do one session a day and two if they decide to Glow. The thing that amazed me the most was that they have to get up at 3:30 in the morning to get on the field because there is so much traffic on the road to the field, between The Balloonists and The Spectators. What was amazing was the fact that Chris told me that there are up to 800 Balloons at the festival. Which was really amazing to hear considering how big the balloons are and how long the Crown Line is. I wondering more about how you prevent your Crown Line and others from overlapping. Along with the interesting things you learn, there’s also the important stuff about ballooning like the fact that they don’t care to fly in winds higher than 10 MPH. Another Thing is, you have to be careful about flying over Cattle and Cows because some cows don’t like it when they hear the balloon overhead and other cows will come up and sniff the basket. The Next Thing is, you have to figure out what direction the wind is blowing so, they can plan out where to land. One More Thing is, according to Rick, they have a 3 Strikes Your Out Policy which means that if you can find 3 things wrong with putting a balloon in the air, like not having a radio, not enough propane, or having any wind problems, then you don’t fly or you land. All in all, it was quite a learning and unique experience. I would love to thank all the Balloonists(including Rick, Pete, Carol, Chris, and David) for taking us in and letting us do this experience.




Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. I enjoyed being taught something new, Embrace Education.

September 22, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: My Hot Air Balloon Adventure


The Crew hard at Work during Friday Morning Session


The Crew of Friday Morning Session sitting on The Balloon Bag



The First View of the Hot Air Balloon Sunrise



View of The Festival during Flight, Saturday Morning Session


Me getting ready to fly in The Hot Air Balloon, Saturday Morning Session




The Unforgettable Sunrise from The Hot Air Balloon, Saturday Morning Session


The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

September 22, 2010- TCS # 217


Do you remember when I told you about me getting to be on The Crew for The Hot Air Balloon Festival 2 weeks ago? Well, this past weekend was the Plano Hot Air Balloon Festival and my chance to be on the crew. All of this excitement began Thursday Night. You See, I was thinking that we were doing our first crewing part, which I called “Sessions” on Friday Night since that was when it started, little did I know that, in fact, our first session was in the morning on Friday. Now, the surprise of this was that it wasn’t just in the morning; it meant we had to get up at 5:00 IN THE MORNING so we could meet at the Southfork Hotel, where all the pilots and crew had to meet. So, on Friday Morning at 5 AM, My Mom and I get up and head to Southfork Hotel. Once we got there, we had to find our pilot, Rick, so we could drive to the field. When we met Rick on that fateful day, 2 weeks ago, he told us to go to the Volunteer Crew Booth to register our names, but they didn’t have our names. So, the first thing they asked “Are You Part of The Media” and of course, My Mom jokingly replied, “Sure, which channel do you want me to be for, WFAA?” anyway, it turned out we didn’t need to sign in, we just have to find Rick and It just took a minute to remember what he looked like. After we found him, we met our crew for the day, of course there was Rick, his son Chris who was assigned to be Crew Chief, and their mom Carol who was in charge in Balloon Operations. After we all met, we drove down to field where the festival was. Now, I have to say that it was really awesome to not see many spectators there, the only other people besides The Other Balloonists where The Media. After finding our spot to set up, the hard work began which included pulling the Basket out of the trailer, setting up the poles and the heating element, pulling the balloon out of it’s bag, and inflating the balloon. Inflating the Balloon was done in 2 parts, the first part was using a fan and the 2nd part was using The Heating Element. During the inflating, 2 People had to be on the back side of the Balloon to hold the rope that attached to the top of the balloon or in Balloonist Terms, The crown. Once the balloon was up, you had to hold the “Crown Line” to make sure that the balloon didn’t sway and move over in different directions. Now, as I told My Brother and others about getting up that early to do this hard work, there are many times when it’s worth it, like seeing the sunrise, seeing the balloon stand up, and then, watching it lift off whether you are in the basket or on the Balloon Chase is a very proud moment because you think of all the work you did to get it ready. So, after watching it lift off it was time to chase the balloon. Now, one thing that I learned about the Chasing part of the work is how they view the spectators. Now, don’t get me wrong, they think that they are wonderful but, the spectators can be annoying sometimes because, as Chris pointed out, there are 4 things they do, they either walk in front of you, get in the way when your in a rush, follow you(which again, doesn’t help when your trying to get somewhere), or they just stare at you. Anyway, we chased the balloon down the way from the field and then, they landed. Now, the landing side of being on the crew was another story from getting it ready. After they landed, some of us had to hold on to the basket so, it wouldn’t go back up. The key was to hold it down on the ground, you had hold on to the basket and put your weight on it. Whenever we had to do that, Rick would say, “Weight On”. Also, after they landed a couple people had to hold the “Crown Line” to put the balloon down to help it deflate. After the balloon was down, then we had to get the air out of it and that require people on basket side of the balloon to choke the air to send it toward the crown, where I was. In balloonist Terms, they call it funneling. The people on the “Crown Line” side had to pull the line itself and then, pull the rope attached to the fabric of the balloon outward. Now, I have to say first that our balloon (City of Plano Balloon) like many others, the heating element is powered by propane and let me tell you, it smells like rotten eggs with warmth, it makes you feel like gagging. After the air is out of the balloon, The Funneling, then we stand in a line 3 feet apart from each other, we grab the fabric of the balloon (which is very heavy) and put it into the Balloon Bag. After that, we sit on the Balloon Bag to get the remaining air out of it. Once that is done, we take the pads off the poles and then, put them in their own bag. Then, we put the Balloon Bag and The Basket back in the trailer. After That, we head to a spot where they allow all the balloonists to fill their tanks with Propane and then, head back to our meeting place at The Southfork Hotel. After all that work, My Mom and I went to have breakfast at IHOP and After Breakfast, My Mom turned on the car and she had to chuckle because the clock only said it was 10:30AM. and, Then My Mom “We got up, set up a balloon, got it up, sent it in the air, brought it down, packed it up, ate breakfast, and it’s only 10:30!”. The Friday Morning Session went off without a hitch and it was head home, take a nap, and get ready for The Afternoon Session. Now, The Afternoon Session started off at 4:00 which didn’t go as planned because out of nowhere, came thunderstorms. So, we couldn’t fly that day so, instead things were delayed and we instead just glowed. Now, The Glowing Part was awesome because I got to be on the field and even in the basket to “Weight On” during the glowing. After The Glowing, everyone went to tent that they had set up to eat dinner which was BBQ happened at 9:30 that night which was a really later dinner for me. On Saturday Morning, we again got up at 5 AM and repeated the work process, only this time we were pleasantly surprised that My Mom and I got to fly in The Hot Air Balloon, It was Awesome. And, I have to say that nothing beats seeing a sunrise in a Hot Air Balloon and I also found that riding in one is very peaceful, except for when the Heating Element was used. After all the excitement and the landing side of crewing, Rick invited us to breakfast with all the other balloonists. By the time we were done eating breakfast, we felt like a family with them. on Afternoon Session on Saturday, there are almost too much wind but, They decided to fly again. You See, the rule of ballooning is that you can’t fly in winds higher than 10 MPH and the winds were at 8 MPH. The way they tested the wind was by a small balloon which in Balloonist Terms is a PieBall meaning Pilot Balloon. Chasing The Balloon was a little stressful because it going so fast and some spectators were in the way. That day they landed in a tall grass field which was really hard to work in because the grass and bugs were biting us. When I saw how tall the grass was, I thought, “Are we really going to run our crew procedures HERE?!”. on Sunday Morning, we got up at 5 AM for the final 2 sessions of the year, we did the same process on both sides, and then, all of us went to this nice breakfast place in East Plano. The food there was really good and they had good service, unlike the place went Saturday Morning. on the Sunday Afternoon, they sent the PieBall up to test the wind and it went straight up so, decided to blow the balloon up to have a show. All in all, it was a very productive, fun, and busy weekend.




Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. If you get the opportunity to have you go up in a Hot Balloon, Take it.

September 15, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: Special Needs Week

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

September 15, 2010-TCS # 216


So, Yesterday after My Mom came home from Work, she told me something that I didn’t know. As you all know, The Mothers get one day called Mother’s Day, The Father’s get one day of Father’s Day, and of course, there’s the rarely known Grandparents Day this month which is on September 23, I believe. Anyway, did you know that there is something called Special Education Week? Well, neither did I and I can’t believe it. That really makes me feel happy and it feels awesome to have a full week that’s about us people with Special Needs. My Mom found out about this Special Needs Week from a link that My Grandma Honey’s Friend posted onto Facebook which Grandma Honey responded to the link. So, that night I got onto Facebook and read about it, got excited, and thought that I would write about it. I feel that us people with Special Needs should be acknowledged whether it’s a week, a day, or all the time. Please Know that to have Special Needs is not a disease, it’s not contagious, and it’s not a disaster. It’s who we are, it’s the way God made us. So, celebrate all of our unique selves. So, all in all, our Special Needs defines what we have but, it doesn’t define who we are.




Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish the things that make you special.

The Christianville Spirit: Special Needs Week

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

September 15, 2010-TCS # 216


So, Yesterday after My Mom came home from Work, she told me something that I didn’t know. As you all know, The Mothers get one day called Mother’s Day, The Father’s get one day of Father’s Day, and of course, there’s the rarely known Grandparents Day this month which is on September 23, I believe. Anyway, did you know that there is something called Special Education Week? Well, neither did I and I can’t believe it. That really makes me feel happy and it feels awesome to have a full week that’s about us people with Special Needs. My Mom found out about this Special Needs Week from a link that My Grandma Honey’s Friend posted onto Facebook which Grandma Honey responded to the link. So, that night I got onto Facebook and read about it, got excited, and thought that I would write about it. I feel that us people with Special Needs should be acknowledged whether it’s a week, a day, or all the time. Please Know that to have Special Needs is not a disease, it’s not contagious, and it’s not a disaster. It’s who we are, it’s the way God made us. So, celebrate all of our unique selves. So, all in all, our Special Needs defines what we have but, it doesn’t define who we are.




Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish the things that make you special.

September 8, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: A Pre-Hot Air Balloon Adventure

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

September 8, 2010- TCS # 215


As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter about the Hot Air Balloon Class, I said that I was going to write more about it later. So, as promised, I’m going to tell you. So, My Mom had a student in her class that was on a Hot Air Balloon Crew and asked I would like to join. And, I said “yes”. So, she told My Mom that I would have take a Hot Air Balloon Safety Class, one class on Thursday and then, a trial run on Saturday Morning which both classes were canceled. So, My Mom and I went on with our lives, thinking I wasn’t going to get to do it. That is until a couple days ago. So, My Mom and I decided to go get Ice Cream for an evening snack on a normal day, while we were driving up the road, My Mom spotted 4 Hot Air Balloons in the distance but, we continued our quest to get Ice Cream, watching them as they flew. Anyway, around the time that we got to Braums(where we were getting Ice Cream) I thought about chasing the Hot Air Balloon to see where they landed. So, We decided to chase them even though it wasn’t even the balloon festival yet. We had chased them to a spot farther North that where I thought we would go. So, we watched them land and then watched as the crew pulled the balloon down, then My Mom asked “Do you want to go talk to them?”. I thought that probably not because they looked busy and they would wonder why I was talking to them. So, I decided to go to talk to them and asked if I could help and they said “sure”. After the Hard Work of wrapping the balloon up, a crew member from “The City of Plano Balloon” asked if we would be part of his crew because it was only him and his son. My Mom and I were so excited at that chance even though we didn’t go to the Safety School but, My Mom put it, “We already learned half of it!”. The awesome part about it is that since there are only 2 people on the crew, it gives me an a lot better chance of riding in the balloon. It is exciting because I’ve never ridden in one and it’ll give me a much better view of the roads and the people below, imagine the view of the city from up there. All in all, I can’t wait for the Plano Hot Air Balloon Festival on the weekend of September 17.



Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. When You chase the passion or something that you are after, You just might get it in an unexpected way.

September 1, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: An International Skype Video Call

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

September 1, 2010- TCS # 214


So, Last Week I was watching TV at around 3:00PM and My Mom told me that she was talking with one of the PTLS Families which are from Sweden. You see, ever since I found out that there was a Family in Sweden, I’ve been really excited because I’ve been interested in the Scandinavia Region. So, When My Mom told me that he was online, I really wanted to talk to him. but, then I remembered the time difference between Dallas, Texas and Stockholm, Sweden so, I checked my time zone app on my ipod and found that it was almost midnight in Sweden. So, I thought, “I better get on Facebook quick if I want to talk to him” so, I rushed into my room to get my computer and got on Facebook. So, near the end of our conversation, I told him that we should talk earlier next time. So, to pick the time, I downloaded a World Time Zone App. to figure what time on My Time Zone which is Central Time Zone equal to theirs which Central European Time. By the way, the time difference is 8 Hours. Anyway, so I figured that if we talk to 1:00PM My Time it would equal 8:00 in the Evening his time. So, I thought since I had a Hot Air Balloon Class on Saturday Morning (More on that later) I would be around so, that I could talk to them around 1:00 our time. So, Saturday came and I was soo excited to get to talk to him, only this time on Skype. It was awesome to talk to someone on the other side of the world, or the person we were talking to named Stefan put it, 35,000 Kilometers away. Also, they have 2 options on Skype, you can either call them on the phone which costs you or you can Video Chat if you have a web cam. We however talked to him on Video Chat. It was really exciting for both My Mom and I to chat and we hope to do it more often. Something that really awesome was that after we got done chatting there was a Sweden flag in the corner by his name. All in All, talking to Stefan on Video on really awesome. Now, I’m ready to chat with more people with around the world.



Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. With a simple click of a mouse on Skype, You can connect with anyone around the world.

August 25, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: (TCS Series) My Obsessions

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
August 25, 2010- TCS # 213

Ok, Everyone. It’s time for the 7th and final installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “A Day in The Life of Christian and PTLS”. for this installment, I’m going to tell you the things I obsessed about when I was a child. So, without further a due, this is The Christianville Spirit Series, “A Day in The Life of Christian and PTLS”. Now, for those of you who are still learning about PTLS, We people, which I want to now refer to as PTLSers, have little sections of Autism-like and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. And, The Obsessive Disorder is what I’m going to tell you about. You see, when I was a child I would do things that people would wonder what in the world I was thinking about. The first thing I did was when I was a couple of months old, I would sit in V position and twirl my feet in circles. Then, a couple years later I would sit and rock back and forth and hum. Sometimes, I would rock so hard that I would fall over. Next, I would like up my favorite toys, which were matchbox cars and I would line them up as if they were in a Traffic Jam. Also, I would play with sidewalk chalk and I would draw roads, Road markings like Stop Lines or lane divider lines, and try to make signs. As I got older, they became more detailed, I could sit for hours doing the same thing over and over again. I would even ride my scooter on it like it was a road. Next, I would pace back and forth on a trail about 60 Feet, I would hippity-hop or just pace back and forth. Now, what I was thinking was I was picturing a road that I was driving on and I could see the signs. Sometimes, I imaged I saw the Skyline of Christianville, driving around the city on the other side of the Tennessee River in South Christianville, or driving in the City of Brooke which is just North of Christianville. The name of the Imaginary City of Christianville came about when I was 9 or 10. When I was 15, I made a map and put surrounding areas of Christianville that I named after people I knew and things I was interested in. It is in the area I now call, “The Christianville Metro Area”. When I was Younger, Humming was something I did a lot of was the sound of the road that I would hear when I was in car or on the school bus. The sounds of the highways in Dallas I would call “Holler Roads” because it sounded like someone hollering/screaming in a high pitch. As I got older, the humming was more used when I was singing a song. It would bother a lot of people in my class and they eventually knew why I would hum and that was because I was happy. All in all, Those are the things I did and what I was thinking.



Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. There is always a reason for what we do, you just have to ask.

August 18, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: (TCS Series) My Friends

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
August 18, 2010- TCS # 212

Ok, Everyone; It’s time for the 6th Installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “A Day in The Life of Christian and PTLS”. For this installment, I’m going to tell you about My Friends. So, without further a due, this is The Christianville Spirit Series, “A Day in The Life of Christian and PTLS”. You Know, I have a lot of awesome friends, from the ones I grew up with to the ones I have now. So, I’m going to start out with My Childhood Friends, Brooke, Meredith, and Whitney Herrick. I have been friends with them since I lived at Mr. Jeff’s House with My Family. Them and I with all the Barsis Kids would jump on our trampoline nearly everyday. In Fact, at any point of the day, you would find one or all of us jumping on that trampoline. You See, the awesome part about our childhood was that we could run through 4 Yards without running into a fence. Another Childhood Friend I have is named Elisabeth or as many people call her, “Izzy”. Izzy, as I like to call her, lived with us at Mr. Jeff’s House, because she was his daughter. She was fun to play with and we would do different things like we would jump on the trampoline, run around the yard, go on Bike Rides, or play video games. Also, sometimes, A group of us would go up to her room with her and play with Toys and Barbie Dolls. Another exciting thing was that Every other weekend, we would go on a Bike Ride up and down on the trail by our house and to the park or we would go up to Our Lake House. One Time, The Barsis’ and US went skiing at Crested Butte, Colorado. Another Friend I have is Steven Vandeneykel. I met Steven while I was in High School. After I attended one of his Birthday Parties, He and I became really good friends. After that, We would do several things together like going to The Movies, seeing Christmas Lights, going out to Lunch or Dinner, and even going to Church together. We are such good friends that to this day we tell each other, “I Love You like A Brother” or just “Love You like a Brother”. Another Friend I have is Karleen Frishman. I met Karleen in P.E at Jasper High School in 10th Grade, I saw her talking to my other friend Patrick and I joined in with them. When we were in High School, the classes were set up in a block schedule. Like I would 4 classes on one day called “A” Days and 4 classes on another day called “B” Days. Anyway, on “A” Day I had Karleen in all of my classes so, I decided for me to remember which day was which. I called “A” Days, “All-Karleen Days”. She went to Jasper until Thanksgiving when she had to move to a town outside of Houston called Willis. When she lived there, Her and I tried to “Computer Date” where we would eat dinner and IM(Instant Message) each other. I have a lot of Friends that are Adults that I didn’t go to school with but, I met them via My Mom and Grandma Honey. In addition to them being my friends, they are also My Mom and Grandma Honey’s Friends. All in all, I have a lot of great friends who I love and they love me.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish The Friends that You Love and They will Love You Back


August 11, 2010

The Christianville Spirit:(Special Edtion) PTLS Gathering and My Birthday Party

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
August 11, 2010- TCS # 211

Ok, everyone, this week’s edition of The Christianville Spirit going to a little different this week because this is going a Special Edition of it. Now, over the past couple of weeks I’ve writing on The Christianville Spirit Series, “A Day in The Life of Christian and PTLS” but, there was a special event that happened this past week that I’m doing a Special Edition on. You see, it all started several weeks ago when My Mom and I decided to come to Atlanta for vacation around My Birthday. So, one night I was talking to one of the PTLS Families, Samantha on Facebook and I told her about this Atlanta Trip. I told her that since she lived near Nashville and she could come to meet us. The next day, My Mom looked at her Facebook and found that she had wrote on there about this trip. To my amazement, within 3 or 4 days, there were already several families that wanted to come. So, on this past weekend, we had 5 Families come to my Uncle Bruce’s House to have both a PTLS Family Gathering and a Birthday Party to celebrate my birthday. As I told My Mom several times, this week “I can’t believe that families are coming out of their way to come to Atlanta to celebrate my birthday”. So, this thing started on Friday where we met 2 families at a Beattlemania Concert and ate at a place called The Train Station Café on D-Town Norcross, where my uncle lives. By The Way, D-Town is my way of saying “Downtown”. Anyway, then on Saturday we had a party at My Uncle Bruce’s House that so awesome that it lasted from Noon to 9:30 at night. It was amazing to see how all the families, the siblings, and even my own Smith Family interact with each other as if they had known each other forever. It was really great to see the dads of The Families talking to the other dads, being there to help, and understanding their children. A lot of the families by the end of The Party referred to me as their child’s “Big Brother” because there were a couple times, I had to make sure some of them were all right. So, a couple days later, My Mom, Grandma Honey, My Cousin Gram, and I went up to a place in the North Georgia Mountains called Amicalola Falls State Park, There they have a tall water fall which is really awesome but, the more awesomer part was that Amicalola Falls State Park is the unofficial end of The Appalachian Trail which I was ecstatic to see. I even got to see the registry of the thru-hikers that left from that spot to hike all the way to Maine. The Guide that I met told me that there was one person who hiked from Maine to Georgia and he left Maine in August 2009 and got to Georgia on December 31, 2009. so, this has been as awesome trip which by the way I’m still on. In Fact, not only is this the first time I’ve written my newsletter out-of-town but, also as I write this newsletter, I’m sitting in My Grandma Honey’s sunroom or as I call it “The Tree House”. Now, to the other families who couldn’t come, I’m Sorry and We will meet if I hadn’t already soon. Also, please know that this was not a Conference, This was a little gathering as well as it was a Birthday Party for me. Finally, I would also like to thank Grandma Honey for our transportation and of course, my uncle Bruce and Aunt Carolee for them letting us have the party at their house. All in all, It was and still is an awesome trip and All this stuff was the best birthday ever.




Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Love is Thicker than Blood.