The Christianville Spirit: What Does Thanksgiving Mean to You?

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

November 27, 2013-TCS # 378

So, I know it is a day early (I wrote this The Day before Thanksgiving), but, Happy Thanksgiving! So, Let me ask you a Question. Yes, It has been a short time since the last question but, This is Good, I Promise You! So, What does “Thanksgiving” mean to You? Does it mean (in a Radio Announcer's Voice): FOOTBALL!? Does it mean Quality Time with Family? or Maybe Shopping on Thanksgiving or God Help You, Black Friday? The Sad thing about Thanksgiving is that although it is an Important Holiday to us Americans, it is often overlooked by My Favorite Holiday, Christmas. Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas and I Live for It but, getting excited about it too early, like listening to Christmas Music or watching Christmas Movies (They started November 1st on The Hallmark Channel, by the way), by the time Christmas Day actually comes, after you have opened your presents, You are burnt out on it. But, I think I’ll explain that more when it gets closer to Christmas, but Anyway, I often think to Myself saying, “Why aren’t there any Thanksgiving Music or Thanksgiving Movies?” I know that there is one song called “The Thanksgiving Song” by Adam Sandler. Okay, I think I am rambling too much on this Christmas vs. Thanksgiving and how I feel about it but as They say in the News, I digress. So, for those still following along, What does Thanksgiving mean to Me? Well, it means many things, For Me, it starts in The Morning (Shocker, since I sleep in till 2:45PM) and I watch the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.” It is My All-Time Favorite Tradition of Thanksgiving. I Love watching all the different floats and of course, all bands that are big that year like Selena Gomez, The Jonas Brothers, One Direction, You get the idea.. and, then watching all the balloons (again they are different each year). Then, comes My Favorite Part, when Santa Claus comes and They say that, that marks, “Official Beginning of The Holiday Season”. That always gets me excited! So, after that, Thanksgiving turns toward what it should be; About Quality Time with Family (either Smith Family in Georgia or Ohio, or Immediate Family here in Town). It is also fun watching them cook the Turkey, which My Mom names it every Year. Once it is time for Dinner, then Thanksgiving means Two big Things: Turkey and Stuffing! Of Course, after we are all served, We go around the Table and ask what Everyone is Thankful For. Again, This is what Thanksgiving is majorly about, Being Thankful for What You Have like, The Roof over Your Head (to protect you from Bad Weather); for Me, My very loving Dogs (they’ll hangout with you, You can love on them, and You can talk to them and They don’t judge!); My Readers as well (Because They keep Me writing) and, Finally, The Most Important Thing, Family because Family is all You have! Now, Do Remember that Thanksgiving is not all about Thank Yous but, also Giving, hence the name (In My View), Thanks-Giving. In other words, You give Thanks and Give to others as well. Also, Remember to give extra Thanks to God and Your Family if your going to be one of those People who are going to get up and Fight People to get a Good Deal at The Store or The Mall on Black Friday. But, all in all, here Thanksgiving is a day to Give Thanks and Spend Time with Family. Oh! and Some Good Turkey!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Give Thanks and Cherish What You have, This Thanksgiving. Also, it goes without saying, Happy Thanksgiving!

The Christianville Spirit: Aunt Kellie in Dallas!

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

November 20, 2013-TCS # 377

So, As all of You know, My Uncle Craig is in Town for a Year, but Something Special happened while he was in town. As Mentioned a Couple Years Ago, Uncle Craig got re-married to someone named Kellie (We refer to her as “Aunt Kellie”). Well, for the first time ever, Kellie actually came to Dallas to Visit Uncle Craig as well as Us! You See, The Smith Family all live in the Eastern US; being Georgia, Florida, and Ohio, respectively. So, it is rare that They come to visit us here in Dallas because it makes more sense to go there. Anyway, After having some good Quality Time with Uncle Craig, Kellie hung out with us for 2 Days Last Week. But, It was a really fun 2 Days to show her around The Area. So, on Tuesday, We drove out to pick up Kellie, out toward Craig’s Job-site (the Whole Reason why he is Here) and We checked out My Favorite Place to show people, the Gaylord Texan. It is My Favorite Place, even when I’m just showing My Mom around. I believe that This Hotel, summarizes the State of Texas to Visitors and Locals. It works both ways because You are proud as a Texan to show it (or see it) and You as well as The Other Person appreciates it. I Love the way Kellie travels, People travel in different ways and fashions but what I love most about the way she travels is that she is as Inquisitive as I am about How everything works and what things are. Curiosity Abound! With that Curiosity, it makes you proud to Explain everything because all the places are just “Normal” to You. Anyway, after we visited the Gaylord Texan, We drove up to Denton, Where My Brother’s Art is in a Gallery. The Show at The Gallery is called, “Metabolic Art & Sciences” and My Brother put an entry in and He got a chance to have his art for All of Denton and UNT to see. So, We got to take Uncle Craig and Kellie up to see it and They loved it! My Mom figured that it would be awesome to have a Family Member other than just My Mom and I, to see his Wonderful Art. I am very proud of My Brother for having his art in a Gallery. I mean, He has had his art on a Mural but, a Gallery is very different. Also, to Plus that, His Art was one of the first Art Pieces you see up front, How Awesome! So, then We walked around the Square of Downtown Denton (which is quite nice!), along the walk around, we ran into a lovely store called Serendipity On The Square. When we walked in, the owner of The Store gave us a funny greeting, something like “Hey! Haven’t I seen you before!” This is What I thought that I heard. Anyway, The Store Owner and I had a Short-but-Deep conversation about Serendipity, it’s meaning, and Something New that she taught me. Serendipity means Fate or Destiny to Me but, to the Store Owner, it means that there are No Coincidences, only “Happy Accidents.” Happy Accidents happen when You focus on The Positive, The Event will turn into a Positive in The End. So, that left me leaving The Store with a Big Smile on My Face and It is funny because it wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Kellie visiting. The Reason being because we have not been all the way along The Square of Downtown Denton because we don’t stay there long enough or We do other things. After walking around, We all had a Cool Dinner at a Restaurant on The Square. So, on Wednesday (Newsletter Day), The 2nd Day, only this time in McKinney. It seems funny to Me, because Denton and McKinney are directly across each other on a Map but, Opposite Sides of The Counties. Anyway, We showed Kellie the Historic McKinney area (Again This is a Personal Favorite for Local Reasons) and We showed her some of the Historic Houses in the Area, which I love a lot because it feels like a Texas Version of Norcross, Where My Uncle Bruce lives. So, we showed Kellie around the Square in McKinney, which I didn’t realize how many shops are There! So, Our first stop was a nice Texas Wine Shop called Lone Star Wine Cellar. The Owner, Moreen was Very Nice to Me as well, considering I was the only guy amongst Two Women (three, if you count Moreen). Uncle Craig, by the way, was at Work during some of our time with Aunt Kellie in McKinney. I thank Moreen because She made me feel included by giving me Water to drink while My Mom and Kellie were Tasting Wine. Usually, I would think, The Guy would just sit there while The Women do the Tasting. We all had some good conversation between all of us and The Singer, Steve jumping in as well, He was pretty funny too! After we finished that, We walked around The Square until Uncle Craig got off work and joined us for Dinner at a Nice Restaurant/Bar called The Pub. I Liked this place because They have really good Pork Sliders There. At Dinner, I thanked Aunt Kellie for coming to visit Dallas and It was an Honor to show her My City. As I told them, “You don’t realize what things are around you until Someone from Out-of-Town shows You” All in All, it was an Awesome Time having Kellie in town and I hope she comes back again!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Be Proud of Your Hometown. Show Visitors or Yourself around, even if You have seen it a Million Times already.  

The Christianville Spirit: Labels, Labels, Labels! Remixed

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

November 13, 2013-TCS # 376

The Following Newsletter was Written back in November of 2010 but, a few added twists in it. This is Showing Up as a New Newsletter because it is a High Requested Newsletter that Should be Rebirthed. Enjoy!

So, Let me ask you a Question, What does a “Label” mean to you? Does it to say where your from, a certain place 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 for everything like what country or state your from (etc. American, Texan, Mexican, European, Norwegian, “Swede” or a Swedish Person), 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, 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 than 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 if My Mother didn’t jump in and say, “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. Back in November 2010, 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 in all legal areas and now it’s called “Intellectual Disability”. By The Way, Even when The R-Word is used in an “Oh My Gosh, That’s Funny or That’s Stupid” way, it is still offensive to those with Special Needs because it promotes exclusion compared to Everyone Else. And Really, the only thing that People with Special Needs wants is to Be Included, whether they play along or they just observe. There was a Young Girl here in Plano named Shea and She was bullied because She has Special Needs. They sent her Horrible Text Messages via an app on the internet that makes the Phone Number Anonymous to hide the real number.  Now, in My Opinion, She is a Pretty Girl and it doesn’t seem like she has anything but, She has a Syndrome in which causes her to have Seizures. Luckily, Plano Police caught the people who did it.  Anyway, “Rosa’s Law” is 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.

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The Christianville Spirit: Asking Questions

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

November 6, 2013-TCS # 375

Having Special Needs is a Great Thing but, There is always one concern about it. It is actually a Common Thing that People encounter, and that is whether to ask someone about their Special Needs or Not. It is a Big Concern of Everyone including The Person with Special Needs, The Parents (either of The Child or of Someone Else’s Child), and yes, Even those that Don’t have Special Needs. This Common Concern comes because You don’t know how the person is going to React. Your not sure if They are comfortable with talking about Their Special Needs. So, The only other alternative is to Stare at them, which in Fact, only makes them feel worse. As for Me, I don’t mind talking about Having PTLS and How it affects My Life, but I’ll tell you that even I am uncomfortable sometimes Asking about someone’s Special Needs (Outside of PTLS). But, What is the solution to This Common Concern? Well, For Me; Ask any question that You have because I will Answer the best I can and I would rather you come out and Ask me, instead ignoring me, calling me names, or staring at me. But, for Others, It is best to just be Upfront about it and Ask them (or their parents) What kind of Special Needs they have, and then add in if they are comfortable talking about it. Even for Me, it is a little hard to ask someone that has different Special Needs because I never know what they are going to Say. Once when I was in School, There was one student who had a Rare Disorder which made her look different physically. I wasn’t sure how to ask her because I did not want to Embarrass Her. So, One Day I asked her what she had, She told me, and she thanked me for asking her. We became good friends and I would help her everyday at school. If you asked me what I have, I would tell you that I have Potocki-Lupski Syndrome, which is a Duplication of Chromosome 17p11.2. I would say that it has Autistic-Like Behaviors (Only we smile a lot, We prefer a Gentle Touch; Not a Hard One  and Like to give Hugs!) We are hypersensitive to sounds, and get overstimulated easily. If they would like to know the Medical Side, I refer them to My Mom because She is better at explaining it than I am. However, If they are interesting in Me, then I will tell them about My Lack of Filter, Texture Issues, and How I get Anxious Trying New Things as well as Other Things. The Part that would Wow Them would be all the knowledge I have about Geography, History, Politics, and The World. If anyone comes up to Me or My Mom, We will just come out and tell them about it. All in all, If You see someone that has Special Needs, Take an Interest in Them and Ask Them.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Special Needs People are just like Us. Don’t be Afraid!  

The Christianville Spirit: Mandy, The Momma Dog

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

October 30, 2013-TCS # 374

So, The Following Newsletter maybe The Most Raw of My Newsletters as I was crying about this, a Couple Minutes before I started and I’ll explain it as I go. You See, as You Know or Are About to Find Out, We had to put our Oldest Dog, Mandy down Last Tuesday. For Reference, We had 3 Dogs being Mandy (The Oldest), Zoe (We like to say, she is a Sophie-Incarnate, 5 Years Old), and finally Our “Foster Dog” Sadie Good-Lord (as of now, she is not a “Foster Dog”; she is ours now. 1 Year and a Half Old) Anyway, Mandy was the Main Dog in our family after we put down Sophie, back in 2008. Mandy’s Story started as a Very Odd One. Now, as You know (or will know), We are fans of Rescue Dogs or in Mandy’s Case, taking care of her until we could find a home for Her. Mandy was given to us to find a home for her from a My Brother’s School Buddy’s Brother. The Brother took her in but, realized that he couldn’t have her because His Apartment was too Small and Mandy was a Big Dog. Mandy was a Black Lab for Reference. Anyway, the Brother came over and gave Mandy to us to find a home. Well, Long Story-Short, Her Home was the Smith-Centeno House, Of Course! She was the Original “Foster Dog”, Now that I think about it. The Best Part about Mandy was Her 2 Trademarks that set her apart from The Rest. One was that, she is a Momma type of Dog (so much that We called her “Momma Mandy”) that takes care of The Other Dog, that being Sophie and Zoe. She would lick Sophie and Zoe’s Ears and all over Their Faces. And, then, we found out of Mandy’s Second Trademark and that was the way that she talk to us. Often, My Brother and I would make an “ooooohh” noise and she would respond with her Trademark Voice that sounded just like My Brother and It was a funny one. I do wish that I would have caught it on Video before we had to put her down but, I’m sure it’ll be ringing in My Ears for Now. In Fact, when Mandy would bark which was her way of talking, I could understand what she wanted because She barked in Syllables; As in “I-am-Hun-Gry.” When Mandy was Young, She was the one to drive Sophie crazy wanting to Play, then The Roles reversed when we got Zoe. After Sophie left in 2008, Mandy fell into a Depression, Eating nothing but, Treats. I helped by loving on her and scratching her on Her Favorite Spot. So, we asked Sophie in Prayer to tell us when she was ready for us to get another dog. When it came time to get another dog, which We got on December 22, My Mom went to the SPCA (again We Love Rescue Dogs) along with Mandy to pick the dog for her as Her Friend and for us. Now, My Mom thought that Mandy would like an Older Dog but, Mandy would growl at them. Then, My Adopted-Aunt Kathy, Went to the Puppy Section and found a Cute Dog. My Mom thought, “Oh No, I don’t want a Puppy!” Well, when they let this puppy in, The Puppy, Now known as Zoe, ran all round the room and Mandy stopped her, put her paw on her on her head, and licked her face; that is how we knew! So, we got to spend Christmas with our new dog, Zoe. Now, My Brother was the one to Name her but, My Brother came up with some really weird names before Zoe. So, Then we come to Last Weekend. All of a sudden Mandy’s Health declined to where she was losing her grip on the Wooden Floor, She slowed down Her Eating to Barely Nothing ,and She slowed in Walking as well and started Laying Down more often. On Monday of Last Week, it turned into Mandy Throwing Up every couple minutes and She didn’t want to Move at all. So, We knew that She was in lot of Pain and we weren’t sure how long she was going to live. My Mom and I had to have that, “We have to Talk about Putting Her Down Discussion” and After that, I figured that I would announce it on Facebook as a Way of Helping Myself deal with Mandy not being around anymore. I made it official that We were keeping Sadie-Good Lord and telling about Mandy as well. Because in My Literal Mind, People weren’t sure if we were keeping Sadie or not because We kept calling her, “The Foster Dog” and I wanted to reassure those people that we were keeping her.  So, on Tuesday, October 22; a few days before My Brother’s Birthday, it was pretty clear that Mandy was in so much pain, it would be Wrong and Inhumane to keep her alive. So, My Mom and Adopted Aunt Kathy went to take Mandy to put her to sleep. As My Mom recalls, “She was so Ready” and She went very peacefully. By Now, I’m sure Mandy is having such a fun time in Heaven while Eating Treats, Chasing Bunnies, and Plenty of Food. And Yes, I’m sure she is really happy to hang out with Sophie and Best of all, Not in Pain! So, I’ll end with this, I have two final thoughts. When My Mom put Mandy down, Mandy did a little smile to My Mom. And, on The Day that Mandy passed, I was getting the food for Sadie and Zoe, I saw a Picture of a Black Lab on the Box of Soft Food that We fed Mandy in her Final Days. It was then, I could hear The Long Island Medium’s Theresa Cuputo’s Voice in My Head saying, “That is Confirmation that Mandy loves You and She thanks you for doing that.”

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. If Your is in Pain, Don’t be Selfish, and Let Them Go. They will Thank You Later when They come to Welcome You in Heaven!

The Christianville Spirit: Catfish in Your Life

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

October 23, 2013-TCS # 373

So, There is This Show here in The United States that My Mom and I watch called “Catfish: The TV Show” on MTV. And, No I don’t mean, The Actual Fish, Catfish. You See, “Catfish: The TV Show” is based on the documentary that a Filmmaker named Nev (short for “Yaniv”) and his filmmaker friend, Max. This Documentary, Without Spoiling It, is about something that People these days, don’t know about but, can be done. The Term, Catfish means that Someone creates a Fake Profile on a Social Media Site while using someone else’s pictures and then, Tricking Someone into falling in love with Them. The Basis of The Show is to Find out who is “Catfishing” and their motivation. They catch the “Catfish”, They reveal themselves to the person that has fallen in love with them, and Nev and Max interview them and record the process. Now, if all this Interests you, I would recommend seeing the documentary first before you see the show. By The Way, The Documentary is not as Scary as the Previews make it look like. So, How does this relate to Your Life? Well, at the realization of The fact that it has been a Year since The Divorce of “Mom X-1 & 2” (I use that that term as a Nice Way of not Naming Names or Assigning Blame) and I still think, “Why did they do such a Hurtful Act toward Me and My Family?” Well, In an Odd Way, it relates to the “Catfish” Term. Now, I’m Sorry but, There is a SPOILER QUOTE Coming. According to a Guy named “Vince” in The Documentary, He tells the Purpose of “Catfish.” According to Vince, “They used to ship Cod from Alaska to China, They would put them in Huge Vats on The Ship. By the time that The Codfish got to China, the cod’s Flesh was Mushy and Tasteless. So, This Guy came up with The Idea that If You put Catfish in the Vat with The Cod, Then the Cod would arrive in China less Mushy and More Active.” He continues, “There are those people who are Catfish in Our Lives and We thank God for Those Catfish because they keep us on our feet, keeps us guessing, keeps you thinking, and keeps you fresh. Without These Catfish in Our Lives, We would be Droll, Boring, and Dull without Somebody nipping at Our Fin.” As I explained to My Mom, I told her that We need “Catfish” in Our Lives. It is like You swimming in your own school of fish, going the same direction but, Not really going anywhere and all of sudden, Here come the Catfish and They will start annoying us until all of us in the School of Fish go different directions. I told her, after pointing out all the things that She has done in The Past Year including the Non-Profit Organization, The Delaware Dave Walk, and So many others. Most People believe that You just become successful like the snap of a finger. But, The Sad Secret about Becoming Successful, is that it is painful and annoying, that those “Catfish” in Our Lives will actually push you to head in a Direction that Keeps You Fresh, instead of Going Nowhere. Because They will nip at you to keep going and after saying, “Okay, Okay!”, You end up in a place where you never thought you would be a Year Later. Then I asked her, if that whole event never happened, Where would You be at this time a Year later. Now, to say that The events of the “Mom X’s” wasn’t painful would be an understatement but, I now see why it had to happen. All in all, We all have “Catfish’s” to deal with in Our Life but, They will push us to be better than we were before. In a Twisted and Bizarre Way, We Thank Them for being our “Catfish.” 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. If You have a “Catfish” in your life, You are the one who will move forward and The “Catfish” will always remain a “Catfish.”

The Christianville Spirit: TCS Series; A Letter to Siblings

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

October 16, 2013-TCS # 372

So, Let’s Start This Week’s with One Last Question for You. Don’t Worry, I promise this is going to be a good one. So, When was the Last Time that You Wrote a Letter to a Sibling or Siblings? Most People would say, “Why on Earth Would You want to Write a Letter to Your Sibling?” Believe it or Not, There are people who do write letters to their siblings, but Only if They are in The Army (Thank You, Guys!); They are in Distress (like if they were in The Hospital), or They are really Mad at Them. Usually, The Siblings are either living with you or are Close to You. After All, Behind Family, Siblings are Very Important. Because They influence you in many ways, that Parents can’t. If However, You have Long-Distance Siblings, there is always Email. But, once in a while You should Write a Letter. So, That is What I’m going to Do, I’m going to write   a Letter to My Sibling; My Brother, Michael as well as Other Siblings of PTLSers. So, Without further a due, This is The Christianville Spirit Series, “Letters to Loved Ones!”

For The 5th and Final Installment of My Series, “Letters to Loved Ones” I’m going to write a Mixer Letter to My Brother as well Siblings of PTLS Children. Since The Original Idea was to Write to My Brother, I’ll start with him first. So, Here it goes. Enjoy! 

“Dear Sibling of Christian (Michael) & PTLSer Siblings,

Hey There, Michael! Yes, I know we live in the same house but, I thought I would give you some credit and a little fame. I know that You are quite the Hard-Working Artist that You Are and I am extremely proud of You for all the Hard Work that You have done to get where you are right now. If you were to ask me, What My Proudest Moment in Your Process to Achieve Your Dream is, I would say that, The Mural that You worked on at UNT was So Awesome and I can’t believe that You took such a Big Part in Designing and Painting it. If I wouldn’t have known that You were in a Team doing it, I would have thought that by the looks of it, It was done by a Famous Artist. I want to Thank You, Michael, considering that You are My Little Brother and I am the Big Brother, for taking that Big Brother role in My Life. I am sure that it was Very Different. Thank You for Introducing Me to some of Your Friends like Spencer and Zach. As Well as Allowing me to be “One of The Guys”. I’m sure that Life can be Hard sometimes but, I Love being Your Brother. Even though I often get the last two letters before the “L” confused Sometimes! Know that Whatever happens in Life that I am Very Proud of You and Remember too that Family (and, God) always comes First! 

So, to Siblings of PTLS Kids, I’m sure it may be hard to be a Sibling of Someone who is Different from You but, You are doing a Really Good Job. If You are a New Sibling to the PTLS Family, The Best Thing to do is to Help Your Sibling the best you can, as well as Show Good Behavior toward them and around them because You will be the ones that They imitate the most, Besides Your Parents. Your Sibling is Unique, that is the best word to use. The Words, Disabled and Disability shouldn’t have to be used unless it has to. Your Brother or Sister is Unique because God made them that way, if Anyone, like Your Friends or Bullies ask. It is up to you to teach them how to do things, Like My Brother did. Yes, They may Get Anxious or Get Upset (We PTLSers do this when Trying New Things) but, the best thing is to help them Get Through it and Try it. If they don’t like it after they try it, then Let that one be. If They do like it, They probably will keep doing the new thing over and over again. An Important Thing to Note, The Looks on Their Faces, Behaviors, and What to do when They are Overwhelmed. First, The Looks on Their Faces, We all have that “Look” that tells people when Something is Wrong. For Me, My Look, Looks like I’m going to be Sick. My Mom calls it, “The I’m going to be Sick/Something’s Bothering Me Face.” For Behavior, If something is bothering them, they will be unusually Quiet or not acting like their usual self. Other than That, If They are doing some kind of Behavior that is not from You or Your Parents, Then Chances are, it is from another kid in School. They are Imitating what they seeing at School, which may not be Good Behavior. They will look to you to their friend, playmate, teacher, one who comforts them, and ones who really understands them well. When Your Sibling has too much Activity going around them, They will Shut Down, Start to Cry, or Have a Behavior Problem. The Best Thing is to do is the give them a Big Hug and Take them out of The Situation. Know that We PTLSers care a lot and appreciate what you do for Us and How You are always there for Us. I Thank You on the Behalf of PTLsers Everywhere.

Your Brother (to Michael) & PTLS Sibling Spokesperson,

Christian Smith-Centeno.”

All in all, As You Can See, Siblings are a HUGE Part of Our Lives.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish Your Siblings, Young and Old.

The Christianville Spirit; TCS Series: A Letter to My Future Self

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

October 9, 2013-TCS # 371

So, I know I have asked a lot of Questions on all the Newsletters of This Series, “Enough with The Questions!” You Might Say, but I promise that this one is going to be a Gold One. By The Way, “Gold Newsletter” is my term for a Really Good Newsletter. So, Here comes the Question, Have you written a Letter to Yourself? For Most People, They don’t write letters to themselves unless they are going through a Really Bad Breakup and They want to Make Sure not to trust another Guy or Girl again. Then, there are those again, Very Rare now, where They take it upon themselves to write a letter to their Future Self. If you are lucky, Which I wish I was this lucky, they give it as Project in School. “Write a Letter to Yourself, Telling Things like, What You want to be when you grow up, What do you want to Accomplish in Life, and Where do you want to be in Your Life”, The Teacher would say. But, it would be hard to think of it at that age, but maybe when you are 16, then you do it. Although 26 is a late age to be writing a “Future Letter” I’m going to do one. So, without further a due, This is The Christianville Spirit Series, “Letters to Loved Ones”!  So, For the 4th Installment of The “Letters to Loved Ones” Series, I’m going to write a “Future Letter” to Myself. 

“Dear Future Christian,

Hey! This is Christian from 2013! This is a Future Letter to You and For Reference, it was written on October 9th of 2013. By The Time that You read this, You will be in your late 30s’ or 40s’. If you are not above at least 10 Years (You’ll be 36) after You Wrote this, I recommend You stop reading! So, on to The Future! Now, Normally these start out with Job, the Girl, and Where in Life I want to be like Marshall did on How I Met Your Mother (That is how You got this Idea from!) But, There is one major Priority before all of that. This, I want to make sure will always be there, and that is Your Love of Family. Out of all the things I list below, Remember This, No Matter how crazy Life gets and No Matter what happens in Life; Remember that Family always comes First! Of Course, God always comes first but, On Earth, Along with God, Family comes First. Now, at this point, If you live on Your own or with a Significant Other, Don’t forget the Key People, being Your Mom, Your Brother, and Yes, even Your Dad. So, on the Significant other thing, If Who Should be Your Wife by Now is The Women of Your Dreams that You came up with, named Bridgett, Then One, You are Very Lucky and Two, Congratulations on Your Dream coming True because Not Many people have that power. If however, Her Name is not Bridgett, but She is still The Women of Your Dreams, then that is Okay too. I’m Sure Your Wedding was Nice and Beautiful, but Small. and Your Honeymoon was really Romantic. By Now, You should be Traveling the World, in Real Life, seeing all there is to see in this Beautiful World. I’m sure it is so Awesome! So, on to The Job, You should have a Job that You Love! So, that could mean Navteq, Tour Guide or a Travel Agent. A little extra note about Your Family, More along the line of Your Immediate Family, Your Mother at this time, should be Re-Married to The Person that She spends the rest of Her Life with. The Plan is that You live with Bridgett and Your Mother lives down the street. If that didn’t work out, Make Sure that You at least live NEAR Your Mom. I’m sure that Your Mom’s Wedding was Really Beautiful and It was a really Happy Moment for all of You. Next, Your Brother too, should be with His Women of His Dreams and should  be getting ready for Grandchildren for Your Mom, If that has not happened already. So, For Fun, We travel The World and along with visiting with PTLS Family Members, and helping spread Awareness of PTLS. By The Way, PTLS has really grown and is becoming the Size of Autism. Also, Just a Note, Not that it will happen, but If in the event that The Doctors offer a Helper or Cure to Your PTLS, for the love of Goodness, Don’t Take It! And, Encourage Your Other PTLS Family Members not to as Well. And, Finally, Your Newsletter is Very Successful and You are still Writing, against all odds. The Future sounds really great and I can’t wait to be You!

All The Best to You,

Christian Smith-Centeno

October 2013”

That was really great! Parents of My Readers, I truly do recommend having your child (or Yourself) write a Future Letter to Yourself and have them read it 10 or 20 Years later and see where they (or You) are after that many years. All in all, It could be exciting to look forward to The Future.

Thanks For Reading The Christianville Spirit. The Future is as Bright as You see it.

The Christianville Spirit: TCS Series; A Friends Letter

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

October 2, 2013-TCS # 370

Happy October, Everyone! So, Let me ask you yet another question. Yes, I know I am asking questions with Each Letter in My Series, but I believe that it hits the point home better. So, The Question is have you ever written a Letter to Your Friends? Now, Friends are probably the ones that you would write a letter to least. But, They deserve a handwritten letter whether they live close to you or more of a Long-Distance Friendship. Usually, the only time You write a letter to Your Friends is to say Your Sorry, That You need Help with Something, Thank You, and to Drop a Bombshell on them. Most People would think, “You can Call, Text, Maybe FaceTime or Skype Them, or Facebook Them, Man!” Well, that is true. But, nothing is as Sincere as a Letter to Them. So, That is What I’m going to do. Without Further A Due, This is The Christianville Spirit Series, “Letters to Loved Ones.” So, for the 3rd Installment of the “Letters to Loved Ones”, I’m going to write a Letter to My Friends. Because I have a Good Amount of Them, I will address them individually and as a group, so I don’t miss anyone.

“Dear Friends of Christian,

I would love to say Thank You for Being My Friend, Regardless of Whether I talk to You all the time or Rarely. So, I guess I will start with My Childhood Friends; Izzy, Meredith, Whitney, and Brooke. I really enjoyed My Childhood with You Guys! From Jumping on the Trampoline all day, Playing Nintendo 64 in the evening, or when it was Raining or When it was too hot. I enjoyed the fact that We could run through 4 Yards and Not Run into a Fence. To Meredith, I remember us “Kidnapping” You and taking you to Gulf Shores with Us, it felt like You were part of Our Family, as if You weren’t already. Unfortunately, All, it seems like we have lost contact with each other and it makes me Sad because You Guys were (and, still are, an Important Part of My Life). To Spencer, Although You are actually, My Brother’s Friend, You Have become “My Adopted Friend” and A very good one at That! I want to Thank You for learning about PTLS and Treating me like I am “just one of the guys.” Thank You for Accepting Me! To Karleen, My Best Friend; We have been Friends for 10 Years Now and We met on My Birthday back in 2003. I remember that You would yell so loud (in a Fun Way!) That it would hurt My Ears. I am very sorry for deserting you and dating the girl you hated the most when you needed me the most. Although it was interesting to say the least to Date this girl, I hate that it nearly cost me, losing you. I am glad that we are still friends, against all odds. To My Best Friend, Steven, I know that You are in your own world but, I do miss you from time to time. I’m Sorry about the way you are treated by those who you are around. But, That Happens sometimes. To Popi, I wish I could have known you better and wish I could have been there to see how much you loved My Grandma Honey back in the Old Days. To My PTLS “Brother” Tyler, Thanks for our “Male-Bonding” Nights Together. and, Finally, To PTLS “Gal-Pals” that I chat with a lot online, I’m so glad that I found people that take time to chat with me, share their lives, and let me share mine. You are all True Friends! Thanks for The “Dates”, Skype (known as “Camming”) sessions, and Phone Calls. Y’all Rock!

Your Special Friend and BFF,

Christian Smith-Centeno”

All in all, So, as You can tell Friends are Very Important to Me and when the Friendship Bond is Broken, it hurts me deeply. Without My Friends, My Life wouldn’t be the same. 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish All Friends and Keep the Old, One is Silver and The Other is Gold!

The Christianville Spirit: TCS Series; A Family Letter

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

September 25, 2013-TCS # 369

So, Let’s Start This Week’s Continuation of My Series, with yet another question. When was the Last Time that You wrote a Letter to a Family Member? By That, I mean, A Family Member can be Your Uncle, Your Cousin, Your Grandma, or even Your Aunt. It can be someone in your Immediate Family, or someone in your Extended Family. It is, believe it or not, Rare to write a letter to a Family Member unless They are Serving Overseas. Thank You for Your Service, By The Way! The Most Common Written Letter is a “Love Letter” but, a Family Letter? Well, Most People will tell you while leaning back, “Ehh, We have Email for That!” True. But, Again it is Rare and Getting Rarer. So, In My Case, Because I have 3 Families (Immediate, Smith, and PTLS Family, respectively) I’m going to write to My PTLS Family. So, without further a due, This is The Christianville Spirit Series, “Letters to Loved Ones!”. For the 2nd Installment of the “Letters to Loved Ones” Series, I’m going to write one to My dearest PTLS Family.

“Dear PTLS Family Members,

Hi! For Those who don’t know me, My Name is Christian Centeno, I am the son of My Mom, Julie Smith-Centeno. although I liked to be referred to as “Christian Smith-Centeno” but, I answer to both. I am now 26 Years Old and Yes, I have PTLS. I am actually proud to say that I have PTLS (or Potocki-Lupski Syndrome). Also, known as Duplication 17p11.2 and Yes, all that Medical Lingo Matters! I have had PTLS My Whole Life, although I didn’t really know until I was about 9 Years Old but, it didn’t really matter much to Me. It doesn’t matter to Me now. For Those that are wondering, “Why am so I Proud to have PTLS?” Because it makes me Unique. Not in a “I’m-Better-than-You” kind of Way but, in a more “I’m One of God’s Many Unique Creatures in This World.” So, People will always ask me, “How do You handle having this ‘disease’?” First of all, It is NOT a “Disease”! It is a Unique Chromosome Disorder, and, How do I deal with it? I have lived with PTLS, My Whole Life so, It became part of My Life. Anyway, The One Thing I wanted to tell you, besides Giving You an Education about It, is that Everything is Going to be Okay! Life through My Eyes, it is pretty Awesome! Excuse Me if I sound like My Mother for a minute, but Your Child is going to Talk either words or through their eyes; Your Child hears and understands Everything and I mean, Everything, Believe Me, I drive My Mom crazy when I hear her talking on the other side of The House and I have always understood what was being told to me; Your Child might want to have a Girlfriend (like I did) or Boyfriend; Depending on the Child’s choice, They could go to Homecoming or Prom (I went to Homecoming, but I didn’t go to Prom); and, Finally, as scary as it sounds, Will find someone and Will get Married (As I plan on doing). A little note about PTLSers having Children, There is a 50/50 Chance of their child having PTLS. As for Me, I don’t plan on having Children for that Reason, Crying or Children/Animals in Distress really bothers me, as well it would be Hard for me to take care of. So, Will they get to Go to College, Get a Job or Drive? Well, College will be up to the Child’s Discretion and Abilities. As for Me, maybe I’ll take a few Continuing Education Classes but, College isn’t high on My List. A Job is a Definite Yes! I have, had one before and I was really good at it. and, Driving...Well, I’ll put it this way, If we lived in a Small Town where Everyone knew who I was, then maybe I would Drive but, considering I live in a Big City, it might be Hard. Of Course, That is not to say that I never Drove before. Because My Brother had me drive around the Neighborhood and When I was younger, We had a Go Cart and I drove that a lot around the yard. So, Your Child will get there eventually, it just takes a lot of patience. So, If you are reading this and you have been here a while, You pretty much know all this. For Those that are New, Welcome to The Family! Remember though, that No Family is Perfect and Remember too, that Family should always come First! I believe that we are literally, a Family, we may not be Blood, but We Are Family!

I Love You All, PTLS Family!

Your PTLSer, 

Christian Smith-Centeno”

So, as You can see, whether You are New or a Veteran, We welcome you with Open Arms, a Hug, and Lots of Encouragement. All in All, Family may be what you make of it but, Family is Important!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Remember the Importance of Family!

The Christianville Spirit: TCS Series; A Love Letter

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

September 18, 2013-TCS # 368

So, Let me Ask You a Question. If You had the opportunity to Write a Letter to Someone, Living or Dead, Would You? It is a Sad Fact but, Not Many People write letters anymore. By that I mean a Letter-written-on-Paper Letter. You Know, the old fashioned way of communicating, unfortunately People have resorted to “Writing Letters” in an Email but, it is not the same thing. So, with that said, to Whom would this letter be to? A Friend, Family Member, A Loved One or Partner, or maybe Someone Famous. I mean, the possibilities are endless! And, one final question, What would you say to them? A Good Job, I’m Missing You, or maybe just a simple Thank You. So, with that in Mind, I’m going to write a Series on Letters. I’m calling it “Letters to Loved Ones.” So, without further a-due This is The Christianville Spirit Series, “Letters to Loved Ones”! Sponsored by The Christianville Spirit & WTSOC Communications. So, This Installment, I’m going to write a letter to My Guardian Angel, Lynee Watson.

“Dear Lynee, It is nice to write to you for My Newsletter Series. I Think about You a lot. There are times that I miss you dearly, Even though You are My Guardian Angel. I do have the comfort of knowing that You are around if I need you and You are around sometimes when I least expect it. I know that You are around because even when I am in a Room Temperature, Room, I feel chills and I know that you are probably hugging me a lot to give me comfort. Other ways that weird things happen like The Dogs looking up at the sky or I hear very faint and quiet words in my ear including “We need to Talk” whispers in My Ears. I’m going to Meet My Soulmate soon and I can’t wait because I know that your spirit will be inside her, and that is how I will know that it is her. Because she will look Exactly like You. Oh!, I forgot to tell you that I wrote a real letter to your parents, I told them I was sorry for their loss, What a Great Friend to Me, that You were going to be missed, and I hope they got it. I hope that it comforted them as well as, it helping me. I wrote it after I found out that You passed away, which was 2 Years Later. I guess I’ll finish by saying that I Love and Miss You alot and I guess, My Friend was Right. Maybe it was best to find out later than, at the time that You Passed Away. I wonder what your Personal Heaven is Like though. I’m sure it is Beautiful, Just Like You! I Love You, Lynee!

Till Then;

The Person You are Watching, 

Christian Smith-Centeno.” 

So, as You can see I truly loved Lynee even though I was too young and not as social to understand it yet. All in all, I hope I didn’t make you cry, writing this but, that’s how you know it is a good letter, when it is Heart Felt!  

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Write a Heart Felt Letter to Someone that You Love!

The Christianville Spirit: A Tour with My Uncle

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

September 11, 2013-TCS # 367

So, Before I write about This Week’s Newsletter, I want to wish Everyone a Happy Patriot’s Day (according to The Calendar in My Kitchen, it says, “Patriot’s Day.”) Never Forget What Happened that That Day, 12 Years Ago and If You see a Fireman or Police Officer Today, Thank them for all their Service! Thank You Fire and Police for Your Service in America Today and on That Day from The Christianville Spirit! So, with that said, We move on to This Week’s Newsletter. So, Something very rare is occurring in and around the Smith-Centeno Household. My Uncle Craig will be in town on Business for a Year in Dallas. Now, considering that he lives in Ohio, He will spend a week up there to spend time with his family and then, will be here for Two Weeks each. Now, it is rare that Uncle Craig is in town because it is his first time here in Dallas and the first time in Texas, since 20 Years Ago, more and less. So, on the first weekend that he was here (which was Last Weekend), I felt that it was My Duty to Introduce Him to Dallas. So, that is what we did and it was an honor to do so. So, Before starting the tour, My Uncle Craig did one of his Famous Magic Tricks, which he always was really cool ones. So, The First Place on our “Uncle Craig Tour of Dallas” was an odd thing that was placed in the middle of Downtown Dallas. It is a giant sculpture of an Eye Ball. Yes, Ladies and Gents, You heard me, An Eye Ball! This  30 Foot Tall “Eye Ball” was made in Chicago and shipped to Downtown Dallas on Main St. between Akard and Ervay St., for Reference. At That Time, It was fenced in, so no one could get a Front Row Seat to it, however, it is being fixed up around it so that you can get a Front Row Seat in front of it at a later time. After we saw it, We decided to take a little walk around the block to see if we could find anything else. I can tell you that we found the Dallas Fish Market, The Pegasus Building, The Adolphus Hotel (which I’ve never seen or been inside of) and Thanks Giving Square. The Adolphus Hotel, by the way, is a very upscale hotel. To tell you how upscale it is, We arrived at “Tea Time” also known as “High Tea.” The Next Place on Our Tour was where JFK was shot and passing “The Grassy Knoll.” He was shot going down Elm Street after you passed Houston Street. After That, We made an unscheduled drive across The Margaret Hunt-hill Bridge (or “The Bridge to No Where”). Uncle Craig was amazed by that! He was so amazed (crowd says: “How Amazed was He!?!”) that he even took a lot of Pictures of it. Our Next Stop, which was scheduled, was to see “The Deck Park” called Klyde Warren Park. We took him to The Windspear Opera House first though, because we wanted to take his picture in front the “BIG” Sign. We did also check out The Water Walkway/Pond that My Brother and I checked out. Uncle Craig (along with My Mom) took a lot of Pictures of Me playing on the water. After we did, The “BIG” Sign, we decided that it was time to get ourselves a drink because it was REALLY Hot outside and we were getting thirsty. So, we stopped at one of the many Food Trucks in Klyde Warren Park at get ourselves a drink. It did help cool us down a little bit from The Heat. The Lesson Here, though, is not to go to Klyde Warren Park during The Summer Months because it is Unbearably Hot! It might have been better to see it in The Spring or Fall Months, like My Brother and I did. So, after that, we took a drive through the upscale areas of Uptown and Highland Park, and then it was time for Dinner. So, considering that Uncle Craig is from Ohio, They don’t have as good of Mexican Food as they do here in Texas. That is one of the benefits that I love about living in Texas. So, we took him at a place called Gloria’s and he enjoyed having it because Gloria’s is a Dallas-area Institution. Anyway, My Mom, Uncle Craig, and I had a great time touring Dallas to show the cool parts of it. The one thing that we missed was Victory Park and American Airlines Center, but we can do that later. It is amazing that when You are showing people from out-of-town your city, You learn more about our own city than you would on Your Own. It makes you proud of your own city, even though there is often nothing exciting to do during The Weekend. All in all, It was a really awesome “Tour Day” and Quality Time with My Uncle Craig. 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Tour Your Own City, with or without a Visitor. You might just learn something! 

The Christianville Spirit: The 5-6-7 Trip

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

September 4, 2013-TCS # 366

Hello Everyone! I am back from My Made-Up Company, “WTSOC Communications & The Christianville Spirit” Mandated Vacation and I am ready to go! So, What did I do on My Vacation, You Ask? We took a drive to Atlanta, Georgia and up to The Carolinas and Back. On a Trip that I  will call “The 5-6-7 Trip” 5-6-7 means that in 5 Days, we drove across 6 States, and we met with The Smith Family and 7 PTLS Family Members. The 6 States by the way, are Louisiana (I call it “LA” for Short), Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. One thing that I noticed about traveling across 6 States is that You encounter a lot of different things, like Styles of Road Signs, The Condition of the Road (as well as The Condition of The State), and Finally, The Noise of The Road. The Best and Worst Roads that I encountered was that The best was in North Carolina and The Worst was in Louisiana. My Mom points out that The Road that captured My Attention was in North Carolina. I find that the grooves in the road make a different noise than what I am used to in Dallas. The ones in North Carolina have a lower and deeper pitch than the ones here in Dallas. As I mentioned before, also Each State has it’s own style in Road Signs, like where they put the Exit Number Tab (South Carolina is the most interesting with that and Georgia is working on theirs). The Exit Number Tab in South Carolina is Unique because their Tab is Slightly Right from the Center but, not quite to the end. Another Thing is the always interesting, State Highway Signs. In most of The States we drove through, The State Highway Sign was a Black Background with a State Shape in White and The Number on the State is Black. The one I liked the most was South Carolina because they added their Unique Touch to the usual black and white State Shaped Signs, because The Sign was more Colorful. With Traveling through 6 States, you also get to see the license plates on all the cars from the different states. I have two favorites in this category, I like Alabama’s (especially the “Sweet Home Alabama” ones) and South Carolina’s because it looked Colorful and had the two State Symbols, The Moon and The Palmetto Tree. While I’m looking at The License Plates and Road Signs, I am also listening to The Tires going over the roads and Making Different Noises. Sometimes, They are High Pitch, Sometimes They are Low Pitch, but they all sound like someone is humming or screaming. To Describe what each Pitch sounds like, The Low Pitch Roads sound like Someone is Humming and The High Pitch Roads sound like Someone is Screaming. For These Reasons Above, This is why I love to take drives and to Travel. On a side note, We had really good Pizza on Friday Night in North Carolina at this place called “Jet’s Pizza.” It was Seriously Good Pizza! All in all, It was a Good Trip and A Good Week Off.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Next Time You are on The Road, Listen to The Sounds around You.  

The Christianville Spirit: Seeing California

California Highway 9; Deep Redwoods!

Marriott's Shadow Ridge Resort



The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

August 21, 2013-TCS # 365

So, for My Birthday, My PTLS “Aunt” Sherry got me something really awesome. She got me A Shirt & Hat from San Diego, A Map of San Diego, and Little did I know, A “Sherryfied” Map of California. By “Sherryfied”, I mean that there were markings of Places that She thought I would really love. However, I noticed that on the map, it showed a large swath of Redwoods, South of San Francisco. Now, In my past Cyber-Travels, I have known that most of The Redwoods and Deep Forest was NORTH of San Francisco, like from Muir Woods on upward to Oregon. But, I wondered about that big swath of Green between The Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz, and the Curiosity swept in. Now, From My Impression In My Head, of The Silicon Valley Area, I would never think there would be as Tall of Redwoods to the South of it. For All I knew, it was only Home to the headquarters of Apple (Cupertino), Google (Mountain View), Yahoo (Sunnyvale), and Facebook (Menlo Park), Respectively. Both Apple and Facebook, by the way have large headquarters. Let me make a Quick Note of Something I noticed, The road that loops around Facebook is called “Hacker Way” and The Loop around Apple is called “Infinite Loop.”  So, Curiosity got me and I just had to do it, so I cyber-flew to San Francisco to see it. Anyway, so when I got there I Cyber-Travelled to the south of San Francisco to see these Redwoods. I will tell you that I was amazed by just how tall and how deep the Forest was. It felt very peaceful to Cyber-Drive through the deep Redwoods, If you love Nature like I do, I would recommend it! I fell most in love with most of California Highway 9 from Skyline Boulevard all the way to Santa Cruz, It is so Beautiful. The time that they took the pictures, it ran though a Segment where it was Foggy, so You would be driving down this road in a Deep Forest and Foggy Weather as if you were above the clouds. It was Awesome. I would go through a few nice Mountain Towns before ending up in Santa Cruz. The Sad Thing, In My Head anyway, is that Deep Woods is not one’s impression of California. One Instead thinks of The Beach, Palm Trees, and Hollywood. They think of Places mainly in Los Angeles or in between LA and San Diego. Personally, Although I have never been to San Diego but, I have been to LA. I think more Highly of San Diego (Not just because of “Aunt” Sherry!) but, because it is a Beautiful City. In My Cyber-Trip, I drove a little bit down the Pacific Coast Highway (which I dream of doing in Real Life) and Drove toward and through LA. Now, Again, The Pacific Coast Highway is something I would recommend because It is Beautiful and It is a Pretty Scenic Drive. I’ve heard that there are some cool places along it like Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara. I heard that there are really cool and Historic Hotels along the route as well. Once I got to LA, I figured I would try to figure out a way to get across The Hollywood Hills (Through Neighborhoods) to get to the Hollywood side of The Hill and down to Vine Street. I will tell you that it was really tricky to figure out but, I did. On My Way Out of California, I “Drove” through Palm Springs to see where I have actually stayed at. One Thing to definitely do, if You Go there is The Palm Springs Tramway. It takes you up into Mt. San Jacinto and believe it or not, there are Redwood Trees up there too! My Dad, My Brother, and I went up there one evening when We were There, Several Years Ago. It was over 100 Degrees on The Desert Floor and Up in Mt. San Jacinto, it was a cool 60 Degrees and with towering Redwoods. So, You could stand in the Mountain Station with the Redwoods surrounding you and look down to see The City of Palm Springs and The Desert. Again, This is something I would recommend doing and If I had the chance, I probably would do it again. The Last Stop before I drove toward Blythe and Out of California was to stop at where My Dad, Michael, and I stayed at a Couple Years Ago. We stayed at this place called Marriott’s Shadow Ridge Resort in Palm Desert, California (by the way, that is between Palm Springs and Indio) I remember the pool that they had there and I loved the way the lights shined up at the curve of the “Date Palm” Trees (which is a type of Palm Tree). They have a really nice Golf Course (Which My Dad loved!) and It was close to Everything that you needed. Plus, it was an Hour outside of LA, so if You wanted to take a day to drive out to LA, You Could. All in all, It was a good cyber-trip to see the different parts of California. Thank You “Aunt” Sherry!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. There are some Beautiful Places in This World, You just have to Stop and Take a Look. 

The Christianville Spirit: My Birthday & Life Changes

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

August 14, 2013-TCS # 364

So, Everyone. It is That Time of Year Again and No, Unfortunately I don’t mean Christmas. But, It is something exciting to me, known as My Birthday. For those who don’t know, My Birthday is on August 11th. I was born in San Antonio, Texas at exactly 2:13PM (That is sort-of a Reference for Me because it is very important). I didn’t know that on that Fateful August Day, I would be so Unique and Found that I have a Rare Chromosome Disorder called a “Duplication of Chromosome 17p11.2” or so that I would call it before it got it’s official name. My Special Needs was named Potocki-Lupski Syndrome (or PTLS for Short). Before it was named, “In The Old Days” as My Mom likes to say; I was 4th in The World, so the doctors told us, to have this, it was that Unique. These Days however, it is known to be in 1 in 20,000 Children. Anyway, This Birthday I turned 26 Years Old.  For some reason compared to the Big Ages like 20, 21, 25, and 30. 26 seemed to be “An Awkward Age.” I Mean, I’m sure that there are many awkward ages in life, but I hadn’t realized it until Now. I can tell you that I know Women these days get married and settle down at 26.6 Years Old. But, other than that, 26 seems like No Big Deal to Me. However, I have found some positivity in this age. You See, I have been interested lately in Numerology and Number Sequences like 111, 222, 333, 444, 555, 666, 777, 888, and 999. According to This Website that I reference a lot when it comes to telling people what the sequences mean. The Most Important Ones that catch me are 222 (Your on The Right Path), 333 (A Giant “YES”), 444 (A Giant “NO”), and 666 (Your Thoughts or Actions aren’t aligned with Your Path), and 999 (Completion). So, with that, I calculated My Previous Age, 25. I just added 2 + 5 = 7 (for Age 25) and 2 + 6= 8 (for Age 26). Now, 7 in Sequence means “A Lesson has been learned” and 8 means “A Phase of Your Life is Ending and Moving On to the Next Segment”. I thought to Myself, Well I have learned many Lessons and some Reflection in My 25th Year. So, It kinda makes sense to go with that theory. So, 8 in Sequence means, the warning of the “Phase of Your Life Ending”. I’m believing that it means “Life Changes”. I don’t know what is ahead of me this year, but it sounds Exciting! I’m Thinking Big Things will Happen! Here are some of The Things that I believe will happen in My 26th Year; like the Statistic about Settling Down, I hope to find The Women of My Dreams and then, later Marry Her; I hope to Have a Job that I Love doing. I even thought of ideal hours to work, 10-3; I hope to Live closer to Family because I believe it is way overdue; I hope you let me continue to try to inspire more PTLS Family Members (Oh, Yes. My PTLS Family, You are part of My Future too!); Travel to see My PTLS Family (Especially Overseas) and, finally, I hope to go to exotic places like Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Puerto Rico; USVI; or maybe even Hawaii (pronounced Ha-Wu’-ee). All in all, I believe Good Things will happen this year, I can Feel It! 

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Your Attitude depends on what happens in Each Year!      

The Christianville Spirit: An Exciting Week

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

August 7, 2013-TCS # 363

 So, This Past Week has been quite an interesting one for Me. I got to spend another Nice Brotherly Time Together with My Brother, Michael. We spent time together doing something that he does all the time but, I have never seen him do. It is called Disk Golfing. It is similar to Regular Golf, only instead of whacking a ball down the fairway and going in the hole, you throw a Frisbee called a “Disk” and it goes into a Basket-like Thing. My Brother has been doing “Disk Golfing” for a while and with many of his friends. So, he figured that we would spend a Sunday Afternoon and Evening showing me how to play Disk Golf. To describe the course, would be a more Nature-based Course. In this case, it is in a nice park in McKinney where you walk along this dirt path and you see a sign that says; The Number of the Hole (there are 18), How Many Feet the throw is, and A Cement Slab to toss the “Disk”. For Me, I did a few “Epic Fails” where it was floppy and crashed early, then I started throwing some really good ones. My Brother told me a couple days before that He scored a -5 (Negative 5) which in Disk Golf is really good. Now, little did I know that the course had a Creek, a Road alongside, and a good amount of Trees(which can be either really helpful or really annoying) Along with that, came a few curiosities like “I wonder, has anyone ever thrown it into The Creek?” Yea, Check that one for both of us. “Has anyone ever thrown it into The Road?” Yep, That One Too! Luckily, It was just a Neighborhood Street. “Has Anyone ever Hit one of the other game players?” Yea.. But, luckily, it was My Brother. Sorry, Michael! To be fair, He hit me once too though. The Game was pretty fun. By the time that we got done, It was Dark. So, We finished off by getting some Ice Cream because it was so hot outside. It gets to be 100 or over Degrees in The Texas Summer, for reference. Luckily, My Mom packed us with Water to drink while playing. My Brother and I had a good time together and I’m sure he had fun teaching me to play Disk Golf. On another note, My Week ended with a not-so-fun 6 Hour Evaluation to help on My Quest to find a Job. It was to test My Endurance of what I could handle and what I couldn’t handle. The most Interesting Part of it was that they strapped a Heart Monitor around My Belly and a Watch that said My Heart Rate. This was because they wanted to watch my Heart Rate when I had to do Physical Activities. It was Interesting though to watch My Heart Rate as it went up and down. I can tell you that My Heart Rate went back to Normal quickly after each activity, sometimes I had had to sit down to rest to get it to come down. It as sort-of a reflection for me because I could tell if I was Relaxed or Anxious. I could tell that even giving a Girl a compliment made My Heart Rate go up. I thought, “Clearly, I am a Guy!” All in all, It was a Productive Week, Full of Excitement.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Play some Disk Golf, it’ll be a Different Experience!