The Christianville Spirit: The Texas Country Reporter Festival

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
October 29, 2008-TCS # 123
In Texas, there is a show on TV called “Texas Country Reporter”. Texas Country Reporter is hosted by a man named Bob Phillips. This show is about this guy that travels all over Texas, spotlighting the unique people of Small-Town Texas. So, every year now he has a festival about it in Waxahachie, Texas, a town about an hour south of Dallas and last weekend, that is where My Mom and I went. It was a lot of fun and they had some of the people they spotlighted on the show. Some of the things we saw were of course, the Texas Country Reporter himself, Bob Phillips although I wanted his autograph he wasn’t doing it when I was there but, however I did get to see him. Also, they had a Texan who makes New York Hotdogs which I didn’t try because it had sauerkraut on it and I don’t like that. However, I did try what they called “Natchitoches Fried Meat Pie” courtesy of Mama’s Fried Pies which was really good; I tried both the meat pie and a fruit pie. After that, we saw what I wanted to see which was a lady who makes houses with miniature things in it and I thought that was really cool. Next to her was another lady who is completely blind and makes quilts which I found very amazing that she could do that. Finally, they had a family of mariachis who called themselves “Mariachi “L”. All in all, it has a fun time at the Texas Country Reporter Festival

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Be Grateful for Everyone you come into contact with, whether they deserve it or not!

The Christianville Spirit: A Fun Sunday in Dallas

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
October 22, 2008- TCS # 122

So, My Mom and I were on the computer trying to decide what to do on this past Sunday so, we tried looking up DART(which is the Light Rail System name in Dallas) and we checked to see what the hours for the TRE(A train that goes between Downtown Dallas to Fort Worth). So, we found out it doesn’t run on Sundays. Then, I looked at the DART website I saw something that caught my attention; it was an another rail line that runs in Dallas that I always wanted to go on; it is called the “M-Line Trolley” which runs up and down a historic street named McKinney Ave. so, we figured out how to get there and we headed out. So, we took DART’s Red Line from Downtown Plano and took it a station called Cityplace Station. After that, we up long escalators because Cityplace Station is deep underground and went up to meet to M-Line Trolley. The M-Line Trolley was really cool. The way the M-Line Trolley ran was on a single wire above the ground which was the way light rail was in the old days and our conductor was very insightful and funny. After that, we got back on the DART and headed toward Downtown Dallas to see the West End. When we got there we found out that the “West End Marketplace” which used to be a famous mall with chocolate makers that when they made chocolate it was a show to watch. Also, they used to have Laser Tag and a Movie Theater. After we walked by that, we ended the day by eating dinner at Sonny Bryans Barbeque; All in all, though it was a really fun-packed day.

Thanks for the reading The Christianville Spirit. Make a good mark on someone’s heart or mind and chances are they’ll NEVER Forget You.

The Christianville Spirit: My Childhood

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
October 15, 2008-TCS # 121
So, My Mom and I decided to take our dog, Mandy for a walk as we do every Sunday because we had to put Sophie to sleep and Mandy has been depressed because of that so, we walk her each week. But, I decided to walk down one of the trails in Plano. And, we walked to the park down the street from Mr. Jeff’s House; just because I wanted to see if it had changed or not and to relive a little bit of history. You see, at that park and in that neighborhood held a lot of history, mainly history of my childhood. The way I grew up isn’t like the normal stay-behind-the-fence or play in the street kind of childhood to the average planoan. Mr. Jeff’s yard was a big yard without fences between our neighbors and it was along a creek. Not only that but, it had a trampoline that we’d jump on practically all day. And, all the neighborhood kids would jump with me and wanting me to bounce them or do what we called “Butt Busters”. All the kids loved that about me. Even my brother wanted me to do a “Butt Buster”. Also, in our neighborhood, we were free to run through the yards we were connected to and down to street to our friend Hunter and Ashley Hooper’s House. On some days, we would go down to the Hooper’s House because they had a pool and a fort that we play on or go swimming in the pool. Also, next door to our long-time friend’s family, The Herrick’s; The Herrick’s move in a little while after we moved from our townhouse we moved to when we first moved to Dallas. Anyway, The Herrick’s were made 3 Girls, The Mom, and The Dad. The 3 girls were Meredith, Whitney, and Brooke (later the 4th child Katherine was born) The Mom, I referred to as Mrs. Judy and the dad was Mr. Dave. Back then, we used to hang out a lot with them. Michael would hang out with Meredith a lot and I would hangout with Brooke a lot. There were many fun things we did. One thing, Brooke and I made up a name for our cul-de-sac; we named it “Idyllwild Village”. For the holiday events we had 2 major traditions for 2 holidays. On Halloween, we would have a Halloween Block Party where we have a party on the cul-de-sac and one or adults would take us trick or treating. On New Years, we would gather together at Mr. Jeff’s House and would celebrate the New Years. Finally, the thing that follows me today that I haven’t forgotten about was a rule at Mr. Jeff’s House that we had to take our shoes off when entering the house and I still do it today. There are many stories in my childhood I could tell but, all in all I had a great childhood and I have Mr. Jeff to thank for that.

Thanks for the reading The Christianville Spirit. If you had an awesome childhood, embrace it!

The Christianville Spirit: You're Beautiful

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
October 8, 2008- TCS # 120
Wow! I’ve written 120 newsletters of The Christianville Spirit which have been filled with life changes and things that affect me. And, what I’m going to tell you this week is no different. So, My Mom and I were grocery shopping at Wal-Mart earlier this week and while we were looking for makeup for My Mom I glanced over to this family with a girl who looked like she was in her tween years and she did something that really disturbed me. She decided to grab a tube of lipstick, and I thought, “why should she have to do that to look and feel beautiful.” But, that is a sad fact of today’s world. Little girls have to sneak to get lipstick behind their parents back so they can look pretty because they’re under pressure to look pretty and because of all the extremely pretty girls they see on TV, as well as in the media. In fact, the company “Dove” has commercials about how little girls are under pressure because of that and how they have Self-Esteem Workshops so, they’ll no longer feel under pressure and actually feel pretty. Now, the cause isn’t only the media, there’s also their Self-Esteem is low because of the way others have treated them, and just the fact that Girls are wired to want to look pretty and nice. But, most of you are wondering “Christian, how do we fix this, because I would hate to have my daughter feel that way?” well, the way girls are wired; that you can’t fix, however, just a simple compliment of “You’re Pretty” or even “You’re pretty just the way you are” and of course that’ll help boost their Self-Esteem so, they can feel pretty. But, the most important thing to know is that no one is perfect and there’s no such thing as perfecality (my own word I made).

Thanks for the Reading The Christianville Spirit. Tell someone that they are beautiful to help their self-esteem. YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL!(as my mom sings all the time.)

The Christianville Spirit: Sophie, The Greatest Dog in History

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
October 1, 2008-TCS # 119
As some of you know or are soon to find out that unfortunately one of our dogs passed away a week ago today. It happened to our dog that was the most famous and loved dog, Sophie. Sophie was getting really old and having health issues. So, we decided to put her down. Amazingly, she passed at 15 Years Old (which is about 104 Years Young Dog Years) but, aside from her passing away. She was an awesome dog to our family. The Story of Sophie has a sad beginning, months before we found her and she just hoped in Mr. Jeff’s Van; she was beaten by her old owner who lived across the street from My Mom’s friend Barb and Terrell’s House in Canyon Lake, TX (which is north of San Antonio). And, Barb told us about her crawling up to the dog bowl Barb put out for her because she would always come over to their house. So, one time we went down to visit Barb and Terrell. And, up comes Sophie crawling up to us and just hops in the van we had and sat on my brother’s lap. So, we decided “well, I guess we’re taking her home with us” so, from then on she just stuck to our family. Now, there are some funny stories about Sophie; like a couple times before our bedtime when we lived at the guy my mom dated named Mr. Jeff’s House. My brother’s bed was on one side of the room and mine was on the other. And, Mr. Jeff would have Sophie jump off my bed, to the floor, and on my brother’s bed. And, she would do it several times before we would go to bed. Also, Sophie had a thing about barking at cows. So, whenever drove to Mr. Jeff’s Lake house there would be cows in the farms on the side of the road so, we would say “Hey Sophie, Cows!” and she would bark like crazy. Another thing she would bark at was a huge giraffe standing in front of The Dallas Zoo. We would say “ Sophie, Look there’s the Giraffe” and she would bark. And, finally, my funniest thing she would do. There was one time, we were at the gas station that we would wait for My Dad, Sophie would get in the front seat and bark and her paws would be on the horn and when she barked, the horn honked. All in all, Sophie’s life has been quite an awesome one and she has been a GREAT dog to us.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Think Positive on everything and everything will be ok.
This edition of The Christianville Spirit is dedicated in memory of Sophie

The Christianville Spirit: My Brother is Awesome

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Lives
September 24, 2008- TCS # 118
So, the other day My Mom took me to Barnes and Noble. And, I looked at some maps and read a couple books. But, there was one book that caught my attention; a book about something that is close to Potocki-Lupski Syndrome, Autism. The book was called “The Everything Parents Guide to Autism”. Just to see how much it compares to me. So, as I looked through it I came upon a section about Autism’s effect of their siblings. It said that their sibling/ or siblings get jealous of the autistic person because they get more attention then, their normal siblings. So, that got me wondering about my brother. Then, I talked to My Mom about it and she said I have an awesome brother she knows that wouldn’t happen. Then, she brought up to tell him how much and why I love him. So, here it goes. First off, I should tell how much and even why I love him. Well, how much, that is the easy part because I love him a lot. So, let’s get to deep part; why I love him. Well, I have several reasons. The first one, he’s my brother and he’s family. Not deep enough. The next one, is that he’s helps me out and lets me hang with his friends. Getting there; Ok, the next one; he’s the best brother ever, I wouldn’t ask for anything more, and I’m very proud of him for his accomplishments and going after his dream. All in all, he’s such an awesome brother that I could NEVER ask for more.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. If you have an awesome brother or sister, tell them how much and why you love them.

The Christianville Spirit: Beauty and Perfectality

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
September 17, 2008-TCS # 117
So, I was watching one of my regular shows named “Life with Derek” and on the show, there was this new kid in the school on the show. He rated every girl in the school on a rating from 0 to 10. 10 being very beautiful and 0 being very ugly; well, the main character, Casey got a 6 and half. By the middle of the show, this guy was actually trying to get Casey’s attention and Derek, the 2nd main character, his ex-girlfriend Kendra was going to hold a fashion show using this guy rating. But, by the end of the show Casey decides hold another fashion show for those who didn’t get a good rating. She said the point is it was to wear what makes feel happy and like you. But, my friend; that’s not what people believe in our society. These days, People care more about beauty and perfectality. People unfortunately don’t care about you being yourself or see you from the inside. But, that we need to change. There wouldn’t such pressure on girls and even guys to be beautiful or handsome. So, I bet your thinking “Christian, how do we change that because people judging people about their looks is sooo ANNOYING!?!?!” well, first off meet the person and talk to them before you even judge them because first off, you may actually like them and also they might have a heart of gold. The next thing would be to see people from the inside because you may run into a girl who is as ugly as sin and she is the sweetest person you’ll get to know. The final thing would be to dress to makes YOU happy; not to impress people and of course, the most important rule, be yourself. All in all, don’t let yourself be judged by other people and if so, don’t let it bother you because there’s no such thing as being perfect and all-around beautiful.

Thanks for the reading The Christianville Spirit. You are Beautiful/Handsome! No mater what others say.

The Christianville Spirit: Saving Your Marriage

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
September 10, 2008- TCS # 116

Marriage; It’s a wonderful thing, filled with love, compassion, trust, and commitment. But, here’s a sad fact about Marriages. Most of them these days end in divorce. So, why are they ending that much and why do we have such a high divorce rate. Well, there could be many reasons why depending on your situation. But, The 2 biggest reasons are that they get married to young or too early in a relationship and a lack of respect and communication. The most important reason though is the 2nd reason, a lack of respect and communication. So, how can you have a lack of communication when the world is filled with it? There are many forms of communication; there is emailing, text messaging, instant messaging, and of course talking. But, it’s just the communication side of communication. For men in particular, they often have a hard time expressing feelings. Most women will ask in a frustrated tone “Why don’t you express feelings to me?!?!?” and, the reason for that is that Men believe that they would be weak if they expressed how they felt. Mainly though, it’s due a tough stereotype that says that Men are strong and they don’t show emotion or cry. But, the truth is that everyone has the same feelings. But, some people just don’t know how to express those feelings. So, the best advice to save your marriage is to ALWAYS respect people and of course, communicate even if it means texting your significant other how you feel and then, meet and talk about it in person. All in all, Respect and Communication are key to any relationship.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. If someone you see needs a friend, be a friend for them.

The Christianville Spirit: TCS Series; My First Job and The Future

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
September 3, 2008- TCS # 115
Ok, everyone it’s time for the 9th and Final Installment of the series “Life is a fun Highway with PTLS”. For this installment, I’m going to cover My First Job and The Future. So, without further a due; this is My First Job and The Future. In the summer of 2006, I decided to apply for My First Job which was at a Double-A League Baseball Team called the Frisco Roughriders. I wanted to work there because My Friend, Madison Shields worked there and what she did there sounded like something that I could do and would have fun doing. She was what they called a “Playball Attendant” which means you pass out programs to visitors. So, I worked there for 3 Years and then, Madison becomes a bully to me and finally I wanted to quit because I didn’t want to deal with her anymore. But, aside from Madison being a bully it was a lot of fun working there. As for the future for me, health wise we will watch as it happens and think positive about it. Career Wise, I know that I’m meant to help families of my special needs and bring light and love to people. And, finally personally I am holding out for My Dream Girl who will be named Carol Holiday. And, she will be an awesome and sweet girl. All in all, I had fun working at the Roughriders and My Future is pretty bright. Anyway, thank you for tuning into The Christianville Spirit Series, “Life is a fun Highway with PLTS”. I hope this series has helped you a lot in guiding your child through Childhood to Young Adulthood.
Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. You are Blessed and Loved. Get your Spirit on!

The Christianville Spirit: TCS Series; Clothing

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
August 27, 2008- TCS # 114
Ok, everyone, it’s time for 8th installment of the series “ Life is a fun Highway with PTLS” this week, I’m going to cover something that you’ll definitely notice in your children and that is clothing and how they feel about it. So, without further a due here is how we Potocki-Lupski Syndrome kids and Adults feel about clothing. First off, I don’t like clothes that I have to button together. When I was a kid, I had to always have my mom help me button my pants that had buttons on them. My Mom and I found out that it would be better to wear pants and shorts that you can just pull them up and have them on. Even today, I have issues with those kinds of pants. In fact, it’s a rarity that I wear blue jeans because I don’t like the way they feel. So, I wear soft mesh athletic shorts and pants most of the time. I also have a thing about shirts as well. I don’t like t-shirts that have too many pictures because I don’t like the texture of the picture on the shirt. Also, I don’t like having tags on the back of my shirts because I don’t like the tags touching my back and it itching me. Also, I have a hard time tying shoes so; I use shoes that I just pull on. So, I wear sandals most of the time. All in all, I hope this helps with buying your child clothes. If you would like me to cover a topic on PTLS or if you would like to comment or add a suggestion, email me at thechristianvillespirit@gmail.com
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Live Life spiritfully and as a blessed person. Get your Spirit on!

The Christianville Spirit: TCS Series; High School

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
August 20, 2008-TCS # 113

Ok, Everyone; it’s time for the 7th installment of the series “Life is a fun highway with PTLS”. This time I’m going to cover High School which is ages 14-18. So, without further a due these are my experiences that you might notice when your child goes through High School. In the 10th Grade, I met 2 of my current best friends named Karleen Frishman and Steven Vandeneykel which was really cool. I met Karleen on the first day of school at Jasper High School on August 11 by walking over to her and one of my friends, Patrick Huggins talking to her and we started talking and that is how we met. Back in High School, they had 8 classes and they have a certain numbers of classes a day and then the second half of number of classes were the next day, they separated them into A and B days. So, on A-days I had Karleen in all those classes and on B-days I had Karleen in some classes. So, I called A-days “All-Karleen Day” to help me remember which day it was. Also, in the 10th grade, I stayed an extra year at Jasper because I wasn’t ready for the Senior High School (by the way, in Plano they have a High School and a Senior High School.) I and Steven decided to call the extra year we stayed in Jasper, 10. 5 Grade; In 10.5 Grade, the assistant principal has me walk the teacher parking lot and make sure that the staff was parked in the staff spots and the visitors were in the visitor lot. By the end of the year, I got 100% compliance from all the teachers and I actually got an award for it. In the summer of 2006, I got together with my 1st real girlfriend, Madison Shields who also had special needs; she has OCD and it was from her that I got my First Kiss when I was 19 Years Old. In October of 2006, Madison and I went to the homecoming dance as friends who the second time I went to a dance and this time I stayed the whole time which really amazed me that I did that. Finally, in May of 2007 I graduated from Plano Senior High School which was a very proud moment for me. All in all, I hope this has helped in taking your child through High School. If you would like me to cover a certain topic about PTLS I haven’t covered, make a comment, or make a suggestion, email me at thechristianvillespirit@gmail.com

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Have a Spiritful week! Get your Spirit on!

The Christianville Spirit: TCS Series; 21 Years Old, Special Needs Style!

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
August 14, 2008-TCS # 112

Ok. Everyone it’s time for the 6th installment of the series “Life is a fun highway with PTLS”. Today, I’m going to cover something that just happened to me. See, at 1:12 PM on August 11 I turned 21 and I would like to cover that part of The Special Needs Life Trail. So, without further a due here it goes. 21Years Old, the year that many youths dream about; Being 21 means that you can drink alcohol, go to Dance and Sex Clubs, buying Lottery Tickets, and of course Gambling. My thought is basically they’re saying “Happy Birthday! Now, you can screw up your life”. But, I believe for normal people, they already do things like drink way before they even turn 21. But, what about people with Special Needs and myself; Well, people with Special Needs can do the things I mentioned if they want to but, that’s their choice. As far as I’m concerned I don’t want to do those things. Now, I’m sure your thinking “Christian, Why Not?? It would fun!” the reason why is because I don’t believe any of that stuff except for buying yourself a scratch off lottery ticket is very healthy. All of them are non-healthy habit forming and if it gets out of control. Then, my friends; you’ve screwed up your life by doing things like drinking or going to Sex Clubs. All in all though, if you know your child not to be the one to drink or do any of those things; then, you’re a pretty blessed parent.
If you would like me to cover a certain topic about Potocki-Lupski Syndrome, have a comment or suggestion; feel free to email me at thechristianvillespirit@gmail.com


Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Every Year is even more Spiritful than the next. Hence, why I’ve written 3 years and 112 newsletters of Spirit; so, get your Spirit on!

The Christianville Spirit:TCS Series; Middle School

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Lives

TCS #111
August 6, 2008
Ok, Everyone. It’s time for the 5th Installment of the series “Life is a fun Highway with PTLS”. Today, I’m going to tell you about my Middle School years. Middle School went pretty smoothly for me. But, here are a couple things that happened to me that you might take notice of. The First thing for me was in the 6th Grade after I met my friend Jeremiah, he wanted me to go to a Social with him and so I went. But, when I got there I discovered that the music was really loud which bothered my ears and I thought it was too much for me because I didn’t now what to do and I didn’t like the fact that if I wanted to talk to Jeremiah I would have speak to him over the music. The next thing for me was also in 6th Grade, Jeremiah and I decided to sign up for a Special Needs Baseball League that is called The “Angel League” which one time a photographer from The Dallas Morning News came to do a story on The “Angel League” and I didn’t know he was there so, I didn’t get my picture in the paper, just my arm. At the end of the season I got the first trophy of my life. This today is one of my prized possessions. Another thing for me was in the 7th Grade I was in the choir and I was a really good singer. I had concerts every couple weeks. Another thing for me was in the 8th grade when I had my first big crush named Ali Goodfellow and when Christmas came around I made her a card for Christmas which I got really nervous about it from when I made it to the morning of. All in all, I hope this will help you for when your child hits Middle School. If you would like me to cover something about PTLS I haven‘t covered, comment, or suggest a topic email The Christianville Spirit at thechristanvillespirit@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Your Thinking attracts things. So, think positive.

The Christianville Spirit:TCS Series; Elementary School

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
TCS # 110-July 30, 2008
Ok, everyone. It’s time for the 4th installment of the series “Life is a fun Highway with PTLS”. This week I’m covering a very concerning topic with parents and families dealing with their kids with PTLS. And, that is School. Well, the first step to that to make sure you’re a good school district that good services for people with Special Needs. For example, I used to go to school in San Antonio, TX at Oak Grove Elementary but, the services weren’t that good so, we moved up to Plano, TX which is north of Dallas to Plano ISD which had pretty good services. Now, when it comes what to put your child on in papers, do not put them on a specific label like Autism, put them on “Other Health Impaired”. Here are some my experiences that might help you know on what’s to come. Elementary School for me was pretty good. But, there were a couple things that you might take notice of, first off for me was humming. Other Kids and Teachers got annoyed by my humming. But, to me what they heard was humming but, what I heard was singing songs. People would tell me to stop and I would; and, I would tell them that I think it’s singing through my ears and they would tell me that they thought it was humming and they would still tell me to stop. Another thing I had was what My Mom calls Stemming. Stemming is when you focus on something they like, like a map. In fact, one time there was a storyteller that showed up and read a story to us. And, their was a map behind me so, I would turn around and look at the map and start rocking and humming road noises that are common in Dallas. Afterwards, the teacher thought that I was being rude to the storyteller because I wasn’t watching them so; the teacher told My Mom that they thought that I wasn’t listening to the story and My Mom asked if I could tell her the story and I did. And, that was proof for My Mom and The Teacher. Now, who could blame me for something like that because for ANY Kid it’s hard to sit still for 8 Hours a day during a school week? Another thing was something that I got nervous about when I saw it. It was a large blow-up grey bubble that they called “The Planetarium” that they put near the library of the school I went to. After I got inside “The Planetarium” I was fine. Another thing I had was the fear of public speaking. One time I was in a play which before the play I got very nervous and sick to my stomach but, after my part I was fine. And, of course the final thing I had was that I have a thing about jelly-like substances like Gak, Silly Putty, Silly String, and stuff like that. So, one time in the 4th grade they had what they called an “Economic Fair” and the point is this was to invent something and sell it. Well, one group decided to make gak (which sort of like Silly Putty) to sell at this Economic Fair. And, that had my nervous for at least a week before until the day of which I was really nervous. It turned that I didn’t be with my group the day of the fair because of that. The things when your child knows something is coming up that there nervous about. They’ll really show that they are either the night before or the morning of the thing that going to happen. All in all, though Elementary School was good but, it just has a couple challenges. And, hear is a way to thing about it. What’s life without a couple challenges in it, after all that what makes us stronger. If you want a certain topic covered please email me or my mom.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Have some good old “Christianville Spirit” in your life.

The Christianville Spirit: TCS Series; Eating

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Lives
TCS# 109- July 23, 2008
Ok, everyone; it’s time for the 3rd installment of the series “Life is a fun highway with PTLS”. Today, I’m going to tell you what I eat then and now. So, without further a due hear is what I eat then and now. The first thing that you need to know is that a lot of PTLS Kids have issues with texture of foods. They don’t like foods or things that are too soft, hard, or slimy looking. When I was a baby, according to My Mom, I didn’t even eat Baby Food because of its texture. However, all I ate was Yogurt. As I got older, all I ate was Mac and Cheese and Yogurt. Now, before I get to how I eat the foods I eat today. Hear is how to tell when your kid has texture issues when the food that you want them to eat is front of them they start gagging or if they see a food that looks gross, they start having a nervous or “about to get sick” facial expression. Now you’re asking how I got to eat the foods I do today. If My Mom wanted me to try a new food she would put honey on it and then, I would eat it. As I got older, I started eating foods that looked good whether it was new or not. Today though, I eat Meat, Enchiladas, Fish, Crab, and more. Now-a-days I don’t eat Mac and Cheese as I used to. But, some of my Eating Preferences are often weird to others and even me. For example, I won’t eat French Fries but, however, I’ll eat them if they have cheese on them. So, the best way to get your child to try a new food is to put something they like on it like Honey, Cheese or other things that they like. All in all, mine and their eating habits will change as they get older.
If you would like me to cover a certain topic, please email me or My Mom.

Thanks for the reading The Christianville Spirit. Having a positive attitude can get you a lot and a negative attitude can get you nothing.

The Christianville Spirit: TCS Series; Hearing

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
July 16, 2008- TCS # 108
After Writing last week’s edition of The Christianville Spirit about what I did then and now, I thought now that I should do a series about what I do that reflects My Special Needs and that’ll also help the people who find me as an inspiration to them and their children. So, without further ado; here is the 2nd installment to the series I call “Life is a fun highway with PTLS”. For this installment I’m going to tell you about my hearing, then and now. Now, first keep in mind that people with PTLS have very sensitive hearing; when I was kid, my hearing was very sensitive. Whenever I heard something loud I either cried or just covered my ears. Now, this may surprise you that when I was a kid I was even sensitive to the sound of the waves of the ocean. My Mom told me that one time she took me to the beach when I was a kid and when I sat on the beach hearing the sound of the ocean; I started crying because it was too loud for me. Also, when I was a kid I couldn’t even go to a sports event like a Hockey Game because the noise was too loud. Now-a-day however, my hearing has gone down a little bit but, I can stand more noises then I did before. Like now, I can go to a concert and be fine; I can go to the beach and stand the sound of ocean. So, all in all PTLS kids have very sensitive hearing when their kids and then, it’s fine but, still sensitive when they’re adults.
Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. You Live and You Learn, That’s Life.

The Christianville Spirit: I do what I do

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
July 9, 2008- TCS # 107

We have many different people who read The Christianville Spirit and there are some people who look up to me and My Newsletter to see what their Potocki-Lupski Syndrome child could possibly be like. Most of the time when they read my newsletter it’s mainly my point of view on life. But, in the things that I do is just to bear of it; this week’s edition of The Christianville Spirit is dedicated to them. Now, keep in mind that this special need runs from a Moderate to Severe Case. Me, I happen to be in a Moderate Case of it. So, here are a couple things I did before and things I do today. First Off, when I was little I used to pace back and forth on the grass when on one was watching, in my mind I was thinking of road noises, driving on the road, and seeing road signs. Today, I don’t do that anymore. Also, when I was little I hummed a song that I liked and although people were annoyed by it, I still did it. Funny enough, back when My Brother was little, my humming put him to sleep. However, as we got older though it started to annoy him. Today, I still hum but, I think it’s a little more of singing. To most people, when I hummed I thought it was actually a song I was singing, others thought it was humming. On thing I do that’s new today is whenever something bad happened or I don’t want to remember something I take a shower “Wash It Off” and one thing I do to do that is rub the scrubber against the bottom of my feet to get it completely off. All in all, I hope this has helped the people who look up to me because they deserve to be helped and understood.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Everyone is special in their own way

The Christianville Spirit: Gulf Shores 2008

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
June 30, 2008- TCS # 106
This past week was our annual Family Vacation in a place called Gulf Shores, AL in a beach house that my Grandma Honey gets every year. This trip was really fun and also this year had some history makers. This Year, my cousins Taylor and Olivia which are my Uncle Craig’s Son and 2nd Daughter came to the beach house this year. Also, Uncle Craig brought his brand new jet skis which My Brother and Uncle Craig’s girlfriend Kelly’s Brother had a ton of fun on. On one of the days, we went to this place called The Hangout which I thought was really cool. I think it seems like a place for teens to hang out at. All in all, this trip was really fun.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. What You Think is what you bring.

The Christianville Spirit: A Father's Day Tribute to Popi

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
June 18, 2008- TCS # 105
As most of you know or are soon to find out, My Grandpa (or Popi as we call him) passed away in April. And, On June 15 was Father’s Day. So, I figured that we all had Father’s Day without Popi; this is my tribute to him. Can you imagine Father’s Day knowing that your grandpa or dad passed away? Well, we all know it’s very hard especially the first one. So, here’s I did to help. That day I figured it would be a good idea on honor him. So, I asked My Mom if there were any restaurants he liked to go to that here in Dallas and she there weren’t. Then, I told her that I wanted to honor him and she said that we could have a cookout and make one of his famous recipes which were putting ketchup and cheese inside hamburgers before they even ate them. Later, we decided not to cook out because it was too hot. So, the final decision was going to eat Italian because My Mom told me that he liked seafood and Italian. Now, here are suggestions on others who want to honor their father or other family member who passed away. One thing you could do would be to find out what the person loves to eat. Another thing to try would be making up a Father’s Day Prayer about you and your family member. And, the final suggestion would be to do something unique to that person. All in all though, I am glad that we honored him because it made me feel much better about it.
Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. If you still have a Dad, Mom, other family members that you really love, be blessed that you have them in your life.

This is edition of The Christianville Spirit is dedicated in memory of Warren “budsy/popi” Smith

The Christianville Spirit: Give Love To "Silent Heroes"

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
June 11, 2008- TCS # 104
“Silent Heroes”; who and what are they? “Silent Heroes” are people who do things for you and others that either you don’t thank them, don’t acknowledge, or take advantage of. “Silent Heroes” are people who donate their time and even their money to do things for us. A “Silent Hero” can be anyone from a person at a store, your orthodontist (If your getting braces), your spouse, or even someone in your family. Now, I know you’re thinking “Why is someone like your own spouse being a “Silent Hero”?” Well, they do a lot for you and have it to put up with all the habits you have. But, then again you have to do the same. So, who are your “Silent Heroes”? Well, my orthodontist, Tammy Long is one because she put up with everything from My Nerves to me complaining about my teeth hurting for about 2 years. Now, I’ll say though it was fun along the way letting my friends choose the colors I wore. Another “Silent Hero” would My Mom because she does so much for me, some things I don’t thank her because I don’t realize what she is doing. My third “Silent Hero” would be the people out in the world who donate things and money to charity instead using all on themselves. And, my final “Silent Hero” is My Brother’s Friends because they have been really nice to me regardless of the fact that I have Special Needs, they’ve still taken me in. All in all, “Silent Heroes” are quite awesome. So, find your “Silent Hero” and thank them for what they have done.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. I thank the “Silent Heroes” who in support of The Christianville Spirit Newsletter.