December 30, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: Christian's Year-In-Review 2009

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
December 30, 2009- TCS # 179

Ok, Everyone. It’s that time of year again, tomorrow is New Year’s Eve and that means not only a new year coming. But, also a new decade; and, of course watching the ball drop. But, there’s one thing I love to watch and do BEFORE watching the ball drop and that is the Year-In-Review. So, on the last Wednesday of the year, I write what I call “Christian’s Year-In-Review”. So, without further a due here is “Christian’s Year-In-Review 2009”. Now, 2009 for me was a good year but, I know that for most of you, 2009 wasn’t the best of years. Anyway, as with every year we start in January; In January 2009, a big change happened in The City of Christianville. At The State of Metro Area Address on January 12, Christian and City Counsels of The Metro Area changed the Name of 3 Major Freeways of Christianville (Christian Centeno Frwy. Turned New England Cities Frwy., Christian Centeno Tollway turned to Sophie Memorial Thruway in honor our dog, Sophie, and Christian Centeno Expwy. Turned to Brooke Frwy.) In February, I got a call from My Best Friend, Steven telling me that he was finally coming home after 4 Years in 2 different group homes and that was very exciting for me that he was coming home. On February 17, TV Stations in smaller markets like Madison, WI and Burlington, VT changed their signals to DTV. On March 9, The Dow in the stock market closed at 6547.05 which marked lowest point of The Recession. In April, I wrote a newsletter about The History of The Christianville Spirit. Also in April and going into May, I decided to write a series called “Potocki-Lupski Syndrome: Christian’s Story” which was about explaining everything about Potocki-Lupski Syndrome to help people better understand why people with Potocki-Lupski Syndrome or PTLS do certain things or do things a certain way. June was a very awesome month for me because there was a lot of thing that happened that very monumental to me. The first thing was the DTV Switch on TV which was really awesome to watch. After that, our annual Gulf Shores trip and then, following that was the 1st ever PTLS conference where I got to meet a lot of Families who had someone with PTLS. It was really awesome to get to meet all the families and of course I saw families that I already knew. But, what amazed me the most was that their where that many families there and seeing My Brother play with some of the kids was very touching to me. And, also he finally understood everything about me and PTLS which that too was very awesome. As busy and awesome as June was, July was a very quiet month. On August 11, I turned 22 Years old and I wrote a newsletter stating how significant My Birthday was to me. In Late August into September, I took that 19 Day Cyber trip from Bethel, ME all the way home and that was the longest cyber trip I’ve ever taken. Also, in September I started Special Olympics Bowling which a lot of fun and I’m going to tell you what I got for it when I get to the “November” section. On October 22, I got to the biggest outside family reaction ever from the newsletter I wrote about the SunnyGram Email Service. The reaction was a comment from a guy named Jim from SunnyGram thanking me for talking about the service in my newsletter. On October 26, My Brother turned 21 Years Old which was really cool. Also, in October and going into November I started my “Simple Affections” Series. And, now for the part that I promised to tell you a couple minutes ago. On November 14, I had a Regional Tournament for Special Olympics Bowling and I bowled so well that I got a Silver Medal and it felt was Awesome! In fact, I wore it the rest of the day. And, now for December; On December 19, A Nor’easter hit Washington D.C, Philadelphia, and Long Island. This Nor’easter was called “The Blizzard of 2009” because of 2 reasons. The 1st reason is because it was the week before Christmas and people where trying to get to their family’s house or wherever they were going. The 2nd reason was because it snowed 2 feet or 24 Inches in Washington D.C which doesn’t happen that often. For Christmas, My Mom and I decided to spend Christmas with My Family in Atlanta and let me tell you, which was pretty awesome. Christmas was pretty fun in Atlanta, I got a lot of presents, we got to see Christmas Lights, and one family moment that I remember probably forever. You see, My Uncle Bruce and Aunt Carolee have this tradition where they go out a Christmas Light Park at Lake Lanier which is north of where they live. Anyway, at the beginning of it they had a one-by-one “12 days of Christmas” display. So, for example “The Partridge in a Pear Tree” was lit up. Anyway, So I decided that we should sing “The 12 days of Christmas” each time we saw a light display of the next day. Man, you should seen a moment like that with my Uncle Bruce, Aunt Carolee, Grandma Honey, My Mom and I, and my cousins Gram, Callie, and Parker all singing “12 days of Christmas” and it was really funny because some of us sung quieter when we didn’t know the words. But, the most awesome part was all of us singing that song as a Family, Smith and Centeno. The drive from Plano to Atlanta is really nice because I like to see all the signs, the trees, and what has changed along the route. So, to end the year 2009, I tell you that it snowed 1 Inch yesterday and it was really cool and I had a fun time playing in it. What a way to end the year 2009. All in all, I had a good year with many big events and I hope you had a good year too. And, I can’t wait for another year of touching newsletters and hopefully, the 200th newsletter of The Christianville Spirit

(For the Last Time in 2009)

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. I hope you had good year in 2009 and be back here for another year of inspirational newsletters in 2010!

December 16, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: Christmas Traditions

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
December 16, 2009- TCS # 178

Ok, Everyone. It’s that time of year again, The Holiday Season. The Holiday Season has 4 holidays which are Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanza, and New Years. But, one major thing about every holiday season that everyone has is traditions. Traditions are things you like to do around that time of year that makes you feel like it’s that holiday. Like for me, that means putting the tree in the beginning of December, taking a drive through Deerfield(which in Plano, is THE neighborhood to see The Christmas Lights), and of course getting up Christmas Morning to see what Santa got us. You see, it seems though that Christmas is getting more about the shopping than traditions and spending time with Family. According to My Mom, Traditions and spending time with family were very big back then. Hence that oh so famous song “Home for The Holidays”. Now, when it comes to Christmas Music, people are much divided between the traditional music and today’s Christmas music (or I call it, Modern Christmas Music). As for me, I’m actually both, I’m mostly modern but, I love traditional ones like “ White Christmas”, “Home for The Holidays”, and of course, “Felix Navidad”. however, there are certain songs CAN NOT be remade like “The Little Drummer Boy” and a couple others. All in all, the point here is that you should spend time with Your Family, do your traditions, and maybe create new ones.


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. I hope you have a wonderful Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy Kwanza. Enjoy The Holiday Season as much as I do.

December 9, 2009

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) What We Think as Normal is......

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
December 9, 2009- TCS # 177

Ok, Everyone it’s time for the 7th and final installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “Simple Affections”. Each time around New Years that Lake Superior State University in Michigan comes up with a list of words or phases that are overrated and shouldn’t be used in the next year; Well, I’m going to tell you should be on that list and that is Normal. But, I’m not going to write about how to be Normal, instead I’m going to write about what we think is normal and the cures of it. So, further a due this is The Christianville Spirit Series, “Simple Affections” on what we think is Normal.
WHAT WE THINK AS NORMAL is…?
Dressing a certain way to look great
Putting pictures of pretty girls to sell things. (which by the way effects little girls self-esteem)
Judging people by their language, skin color, clothes, and appearance
Hearing someone make jokes and make fun about people with Special Needs.
Misjudging people’s potential just by the way they look.
The Hurry, Hurry, Hurry lifestyle
Staring at someone because they have been burned or have something on their face.
So, now with all that stuff; how do you cure something like that?
Well, I’ll tell you, I’m calling it “How NOT to be Normal or The Anti-Normal”
Dance like no one is watching
Sing like no one is listening
Laugh at all the pictures of all the pretty girls because you know that you are more unique than them and if given the chance, Prettier than them.
Don’t laugh at the Special Needs Jokes they show on TV
Tell a little girl that she is in fact is pretty
If you’re at a festival and there’s someone playing music, stop for at least a minute and listen to them play.
And, most important of all, give someone a chance to show their potential before judging them.
All in all, the point is someone believes something is normal. But, you know there’s really no such thing is normal. There are different kinds of it.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Now, I have to ask, “Who really has disabilities, our society or people with Special Needs?” because I think it’s our society.

December 2, 2009

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) Your Soulmate is......

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
December 2, 2009- TCS # 176

Ok, everyone. It’s time for 6th installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “Simple Affections”. When I was deciding on what simplify I thought about writing about Love. But, however Love is hard to simplify because you can have different relationships. So, instead I’m going to write about something that is easier and much less complicated. So, I’m going to write about Soulmates. Now, before I begin, I have to explain what they are. Soulmates are people who you have fallen in love with or knew in a past life and then, you separate. In your current lifetime they are still out there. When you find each other again, you fall in love with them and you’re the happiest you can be. Now, some people do and don’t believe in Soulmates. But, I can tell you that I do, I know my Soulmate is out there looking for me and I know everyone has a Soulmate contrary to what they believe. Anyway, the final thing I’ll say before starting is that a lot of people believe in meeting them in different ways. Some people believe that they’ll meet them in the following ways: via Serendipity (Fate), just running in into them one day, by fasting and meditating, or just by searching for them long and hard. But, I wouldn’t recommend that last one; I plan on meeting her serendipitously. So, anyway without further a due this The Christianville Spirit Series, “Simple Affections” on Soulmates.


YOUR SOULMATE is….
The person that you knew in a past life and are probably trying to find you.
“The One”
The Love of Your Life
“The One” that will make you the happiest you have ever seen yourself
“The One” who will take care of you when you need it(as long as you do the same to them)
The One person that your family will actually like
The One person that your friends will actually like
The One person that, that statement “It’s too good to be true” never apply. But, remember that Your Soulmate will not be perfect. They will have a couple flaws but, none that you have to worry about.
The One person will do anything to keep the Romance and the chemical in your Brain, dopamine up. Now, as for me. If that ever happened I would take her to an amusement park, a new restaurant, drive down a new road; because they say that doing those things will give the brain adrenaline.
The One person created by God for You
And, finally the one person in which you will actually be very happy with everyday in the rest of your life!
All in all, Soulmates will have a very wonderful aspect on Your Life and you will with their life as well. So, I hope that for me and for you that your Soulmates show up. I mean, after all they may be just around the corner waiting for you with open arms.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. If you have met your Soulmate already, be very grateful that you have them with your life.

November 25, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: (TCS Series) Thanksgiving is....

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
November 25, 2009-TCS # 175

Ok, Everyone. It’s time for the 5th Installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “Simple Affections”. For this installment, I’m going to tell about this time of year, Thanksgiving and going into The Holiday Season. So, without a due, this is The Christianville Spirit Series, “Simple Affections” on Thanksgiving.
THANKSGIVING is…
The Holiday which give thanks to the Home you live in, Your Family, Your Friends, Animals, and that Turkey your going to eat.
The Holiday that when it comes to decorations and songs often gets overlooked to Christmas (Although I love Christmas. But, I love Thanksgiving)
The Holiday that only has ONE song about it and it’s from Adam Sandler.
The Holiday that marks the beginning of The Holiday Season.
One of the holidays that I like because I love to eat stuffing.
The Holiday that no matter how much you try to keep your weight down, it always goes up after words.
The Holiday that after Thanksgiving, it’s the busiest shopping day of the year, it’s called “Black Friday”
The Holiday that you’re allowed to sleep the rest of the day after you eat Thanksgiving Dinner.
The Holiday that you can secretly sneak to “the fridge” in the middle of the night to eat left-over turkey and stuffing because it’s SO good!(but, make sure not overstuff yourself)
And, finally the most important of all, The Holiday that you should be thankful for EVERYTHING you have. The People, The Places, The Things, That ever comfortable A/C and of course the roof over your head.
All in all, Thanksgiving is about being thankful for things you have and not just the turkey that’ll be in your stomach.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. I will say that I am very thankful for my readers here on The Christianville Spirit. And, all the doctors and parents of The Potocki-Lupski Syndrome Union!

November 18, 2009

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) Animals are....

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
November 18, 2009- TCS # 174

Ok, Everyone it’s time for the 4th Installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “Simple Affections”. for this installment I’m going to tell you about something that a lot of us have passion for, Animals. A lot of people have a passion for Animals, whether you like dressing them in what we think are hilarious or cute outfits that they probably think are ridiculous. To those who very quickly change the channel before they see an animal attack and eat another animal but can’t get it out of their head after they’ve changed the channel. So, without further a due this is The Christianville Spirit Series, “Simple Affections” on Animals.
ANIMALS Are….
Our “Four-legged Friends” and often our children as well
The “Four-legged Friends” that will sit with us and try not to cry when your watching a sad movie and your crying.
The “Friends” that understand everything your saying and if need be they’ll give a bark or meow in response.
The “Friends” that you can talk about your troubles and they won’t tell anyone.
The Furry things we very unfortunately slaughter and kill to have our precious hamburger(unless, that is you’re a vegetarian or vegan.) and I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to be after I wrote that.
Also beaten by very cruel people and it makes you cringe like crazy
The “Friends” that will still love you even if you discipline them or accidentally step on their tail.
The poor racing horses that get names that they really shouldn’t have.
The “Friends” that if you won’t have children or don’t want children. They are your children, your “Four-Legged Children” that is.
And, the most important of all, they are “Friends”, “Four-Legged Friends/Children”, and Furry things that should be treated with love and respect.
Now, as any Animal Lover will tell you, if you are ready for an animal and you will respect it, I would suggest that you run down to ASPCA or your Animal Shelter and go get a “Four-Legged Friend” or “Four-Legged Friends”. if you won’t respect one, then DON’T GET ONE! All in all, here Animals are a piece of God’s Work. So, Honor him and them.

Thanks For Reading The Christianville Spirit. Animals are a piece of God’s Work. So, Honor him and them.

November 11, 2009

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) Friends Are.....

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
November 11, 2009- TCS # 173

Ok, Everyone it’s time for the 3rd installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “Simple Affections”. For this installment, I’m going to write about what Friends mean to me. So, without further a due, this is The Christianville Spirit Series “Simple Affections” on Friends.
FRIENDS are….
The People who support you(besides Your Family) when your in trouble
The people who become Your Best Friend when they are the first nice person to welcome you to a new town
An exception to the statement: Friends can be Your Own Dog or Cat when you don’t have any friends
The People who will sit through YOUR genre of movie instead of their own. Like for example, your friend like Action Movie and you like Romantic Comedy.
The people who are willing to walk or drive to your house when you have just had an ugly break-up
The people who start a weekly hang out event with you a bunch of your friends, just to see you.
The people who are the first to call you after you’ve gotten home from a trip
And, the Most Important one is that friends will be there for you when you need them the most.
All in all, you should cherish the friends you have because believe it or not, they influence you and you influence them.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Once you pick good friends, cherish them. Because they lead you places( Hopefully, good places) no one else besides your family does.


November 4, 2009

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) Family is...

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
November 4, 2009- TCS # 172

Ok, everyone it’s time for the 2nd Installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “Simple Affections”. For this installment I’m going to tell you about something will touch your heart. It’s something that we care about more than ourselves, Family. So, without further a due, this is The Christianville Spirit Series, “Simple Affections” about Family
FAMILY is…
The People your somehow related to
When your laughing at a weird joke someone made and you think, “ wow, This is My Family”
When there’s a Family Emergency, you are willing to fly or drive halfway across the world to see them and help them.
When you have a “Family Moment” you feel closer to your own Mom, Brother, or Sister than you do on a normal day.
If you do something wrong or someone wrongs you, It effects the whole family and of course Reputation (or Rep. for short) of your Last Name.
However, if you become a star like Oprah or Brad Pitt, your family becomes a star also.
If you do something really wrong, it becomes a family table meeting. Like on the ABC show Brothers and Sisters for example, if one of them does something it becomes a “Family Dinner”
And, finally the most important, Family makes you who you are.
All in all here, Family is Family and like it or not they are you. So, cherish the family you have now; Because you may not have any later.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. This week’s inspiring note comes from Financial Advisor Susie Orman “If you make your average, great. Your dreams will come true.”

October 28, 2009

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) Home is...

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
October 28, 2009- TCS # 171

It’s seems like Everyday we hear about The ever-damaging Recession, Health Care Issues, Taxes, and peoples 401Ks that went cafluey. So, it’s not very often that we hear about the Simple Things in life and what we take for granted. So, I’m going to a series about it, I’m going to call it “Simple Affections”. This series will be about thing put in Simple format about one subject. So, without further a due this is The Christianville Spirit Series, Simple Affections. For this installment of this series we’re going to start from where our days end and begin, Home.
HOME is…
Where the Heart is
Where, when a bully says “Go Home and cry to your mommy!” you can do that and no one will ever know(except your family, of course)
Where your loving family is waiting for you
The place to go for The Holidays
Where you can share secrets to Your Family instead of your friends
If you are single and depressed, you can sit and cry through tearjerkers alone, instead of at the movies
Where you can secretly crush on a celebrity in the comfort of your room instead of the movies
And, probably the most important, where you have a roof over your head and A/C to keep you cool and Heat to keep warm.
All in all here, there are people who don’t have these lovely things. So, cherish the house you live in, No matter if it’s chaotic or eerily quiet.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish the home you live in, you don’t know what you got till’ it’s gone.

October 21, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: A SunnyGram, A New Way to Email


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
October 21, 2009- TCS # 170
So, I was watching the News like I always do and the other day, they mentioned that I thought would be helpful to our “Younger People”. You know how people these days email each other a lot? Well, how about emailing your grandparents or parents that don’t know how to work or not have a computer, well now you can. They call it a SunnyGram, a SunnyGram is a service for people who either don’t know how to a work a computer or a person who doesn’t have a computer. And, how it works is you and other write an email to them and, SunnyGram compiles all the emails into a newsletter-like format and then, sends it to them via Their Mailbox. And, they can respond by writing their response in a pre-paid envelope back to you. So, now you can email a family member that doesn’t know how to work a computer or have one by email and have it sent to them. And, by the way, the newsletter format is in big letters so that they can read it also. I believe it will be a faster way to communicate with them, without sending letters that take a longer time to get to them. All in all, it’s an amazing way to keep your “Younger” member of the family both informed and in the loop.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. With SunnyGram, you can email anyone and they can read it too!

October 14, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: Your Body is like A Computer


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
October 14, 2009- TCS # 169
So, one day I was thinking about something that I could write about in my newsletter and I came up with something that you will think is pretty funny and actually, will help you learn something. You see, a lot of people don’t know a lot about computers, even the younger people. So, I’m going to compare parts of a computer to your body and your life. So, let’s start with the most important part of a computer, the CPU or Central Processing Unit, the brain of the computer and funny enough, your body. Also, in the brain is the Hard Drive, the Hard Drive holds everything on your computer like Programs, Documents, Temporary Internet Files, and more.. Just like the human brain hold Emotions, Memories, Thoughts, controls blood flow, and your heart. Next, we move to the Eyes, Nose and Mouth. The human eyes to a computer would be like downloading something(a Program, Software, or just a picture of someone) and , sometimes, if we see something that disturbs us that we download onto our brains and it’s hard to get off. The human nose is the air flow for ventilation of the computer like it is the air flow(Besides the mouth) of a human. The Mouth is how the computer talks to other computers and funny enough, when you IM someone, your computer is talking their computer. Now for the stuff that badly effects your computer, a Virus is when you get sick like when you have The Flu, A cold, or other illnesses. You get a Trojan when you are very negative and if it doesn’t get fixed, it “Steals” your happiness(other wise known as Programs and Safety on Your Computer) and regular behavior(computer running fine) Crashes. Just like a Computer Trojan steals your Credit Card info, Passwords, and other things. Spyware, you get if your in a relationship and your jealous or cheating on your partner. And, you need to “Spy” on them. In a computer‘s case, a Hacker spies on you and watches websites you go to, see through your built-in camera and even key strokes. Your Heart holds the “Feelings Folders” or your system folders that the system HAS TO keep and the keys to your heart or otherwise known as your passwords. Just like you protect your heart, you should protect your passwords. Food to a human is RAM to a computer(or other wise known as how much your computer can hold.) and occasionally, you have dump your RAM into your Recycle Bin to empty it and guess what part of the body that is. So, when you poop your getting rid of unwanted or old documents, “temporary negative files”, and RAM. Finally, the human skin is the same as the keys on your computer so, when touch them your inputting data into your computer. All in all, The human body is very much like a computer and I hope this helps you better understand computers and your body.
 
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Like the human body, a computer should be treated with Respect.

October 7, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: The Sweet Albinos


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
October 7, 2009- TCS # 168

On Friday nights on ABC they have a show called 20/20. It’s a show by ABC News that about the events of the day or something that is happening that we don’t take notice of and gets you thinking about it. This past Friday, they talked about Albinism and what life is like with it. Albinism, people mostly refer to as “Albino“. “Albinos” are people whose skin doesn’t show any color, their skin is pale white. They said that a lot of Albinos get made fun of in Public School which usually pushes them into going to either Private School or just be home schooled. They showed one girl who she says she was walking down the street in New York City and “This fashion photographer” as she says came up to her and told her how pretty she looked and she should be a model. And, today actually she is a model, probably the first model with Albinism. The great thing is that I met that photographer in Houston when we where speaking at a conference together and he took my picture. His name is Rick Guidotti. His photo organization is called Positive Exposure and he is very involved in the Tanzania issue. And, let me tell you that part really touched and bothered me so much that I didn’t want to watch the rest of it. You see, in Tanzania they abuse them like they abuse the animals that make our food. They cut off their legs, arms, and other body parts like their not even human and they SELL THEM in a Black Market. Oh and by the way, those sweet albino people are still alive when they cut off their body parts and also their family are forced watches this. And, they say that if the family or the sweet albino screams then they cut off more body parts. So, say a prayer for those people. All in all, just because albinos have pale skin doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be treated like Humans.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Albinos deserve respect from our society and our world!

September 30, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: Special Olympics is Fun


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
September 30, 2009-TCS # 167
So, a couple years ago My Best Friend Steven and I decided to do Special Olympics Bowling one year and it was really fun. We went all the way to the area tournament and I think I got 4th place and I got a ribbon, however I had forgotten I put it. Anyway, after years of not playing on the team, this past summer I decided to join the team again and it is fun. You would be amazed at how well we bowl. You see, just because we have special needs and bowl differently doesn’t mean we don’t bowl well. I mean, take me for instance I can bowl from a 96 to 135 and get many strikes. Some of my friends on my team bowl just as well. Even the parents are amazed and my brother, even though he’s seen me bowl before is really amazed. A dad of one of the kids on my team said, “A lot of people don’t see the potential that these kids have”, even though we’re young adults but I have to agree that he’s right, some of these guys are very good. We play every Sunday for 2 hours, the parents come to cheer, and we all have fun. Some of the families with kids of PTLS reading this might want to have them join a Special Olympic sport because they might have fun as well. All in all here, we all do pretty well and better than you would expect from someone with Special Needs.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Don’t misjudge someone’s potential because you will be awed at what they can do.

September 23, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: My Awesome Cyber Trip, Continued


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
September 23, 2009- TCS # 166

So, right after I wrote last week’s newsletter I had forgotten to give to the totals of my cyber trip and that my trip wasn’t finished. So, here is the last leg of it. From Shreveport, LA I drove further into our home state of Texas and drove the rest of the way into Dallas and then, home. So, here are the grand totals for this long cyber trip…
72 Hours on the computer driving
19 days altogether
15 States
112 Counties
$36.45 in tolls
I wrote Notes about things I saw, Passed, Facts about places, or just things I wanted to note: all ending in 84 Pages of Notes
3 Pens used to write those notes
And, of course all of adventure and culture
All of this added up was one long cyber trip and I’m actually marking it as the longest trip ever taken.
What I learned from this 19 day trip is that there’s a new kind of culture each time you cross a State Line or even just a County Line. As I narrated my cyber trip to you, you could probably in vision all the beautifulness of the places I went. And, of course all the many changes in English dialect and many regional jokes about themselves and other parts of the country. In fact, a lot of Jokes about Up North(From New York State and New England) say things like their “deep south” is Philadelphia, PA and that as far south as they’ll go. Then, the mid-Atlantic with all the politicians living around Washington D.C, and then, last but not least The South, with their sweet Southern Hospitality, Sweet Iced Tea, and Classic Southern Roots. All in all, here is that all this culture you see from State-to-State is why our United States of America is great.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Culture and dialects from State-to-State is makes our country great and amazing.

September 16, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: My Awesome Cyber Trip


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
September 16, 2009- TCS # 165
As I mention a lot, I love to use Google Maps’ Street View and do a “Cyber Trip” a lot. So, the one I’m going to tell you about isn’t that much different. Except for the fact that it could be the longest cyber trip I’ve been on. You see, it started out as an idea of cyberly driving from Maine, back home to Plano, TX and how many days it takes to drive without flying. See, usually I’ll drive from say The Adirondacks and to New York City, then fly to Baltimore and see Washington D.C. then fly again to Atlanta and see my family and then, drive home. But, this trip is all about driving; In fact, I’m still driving, I’m going to cyberly drive later today. So, I decided where to start and I started in a town called Bethel, Maine because they say it’s the most beautiful village in Maine. Next, I drove across New Hampshire going up and down Mt. Washington, the tallest mountain in northeast and the meeting of many storm tracks, hence the extreme weather there. In fact, it’s so extreme here are some facts for you…
The highest wind speed on earth, 231 MPH was recorded on Mt. Washington’s Weather Observatory
Yearly snow amount is 314.8 Inches of Snow
It is the meeting of many weather systems like Gulf Moisture Storms, Nor’easters, Alberta Clippers, and Pacific-Northwest/Cross Country Storms, and finally a couple Lake-Effect Storms from the Great Lakes.
So, now you can see why it gets so extreme. Anyway, then I continued across New Hampshire and into Vermont. Following That, I saw the Adirondacks(or what I call A-Dacks for short) in New York State which were very pretty and then, drove to New York City to see Times Square, Rockefeller Center, The Empire State Building, and a place in Uptown Manhattan called Serendipity 3. Serendipity 3 is a General Store/Restaurant on E. 60th St. between 2nd and 3rd Ave. They say that they have the best desserts including a treat called the frozen hot chocolate which they say is really good and believe it or not, a $1,000 sundae with edible gold. After that, I drove through New Jersey (which had not been done before) and down to Philadelphia. I went into D-town Philadelphia (Downtown for short) and saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Still in Philadelphia, I went to a restaurant featured on The Travel Channel called Pat’s King of Steaks which is said to be the birthplace of the Philly Cheese Steak. After That, I went to Broad St. in South Philadelphia not meaning to find much and I found the flags of the United States in alphabetical order hanging on the street lights. They say that they call that section of S. Broad St. “Ave. of The States” After That, I drove past the Mason-Dixon Line which is the cultural divide of The North and The South. After that, I went to Baltimore which was where the Star-Spangled Banner was sewed and inspired “The Star-Spangled Banner” to be written. In Fact, in Baltimore a place called The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House and Historical Museum which is the home of Mary Pickersgill who sewed The Star-Spangled Banner Flag that inspired the written of our nation anthem. Before D-Town Baltimore was the last of may toll booths along the way from Albany, NY to Baltimore, MD. So, here are the toll booths I went through and what they cost…
New York State Thruway
$2.50 from Albany to Kingston, NY(Kingston is Where I spent the night)
$ 2.75 from Kingston to a toll booth south of West Point
$5.00 to cross the Tappen Zee Bridge
$ 1.25 at End of the New York Thruway
New York City Area
$5.50 to take the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel
$11.00 to cross the Verrazano Bridge into Staten Island
New Jersey Turnpike
$0.60 from Perth Amboy to New Brunswick(New Brunswick is where I spend another night)
$ 2.60 from New Brunswick to Pennsylvania Turnpike Extension
Pennsylvania Turnpike
$1.25 from beginning of turnpike to Bristol Pike(one exit after beginning)
Other Tolls
$4.00 for Delaware Turnpike(one toll booth)
And, the final toll: $ 2.00 for the Fort Mc Henry Tunnel
And, final total is $ 36.45
After that, I drove down Baltimore-Washington Pkwy. Which is sort of a scenic highway between Baltimore and Washington D.C.? Then, I drove into Washington D.C to see a place outside of Union Station that should be called “50 State Flag Plaza” because it has the flags of the states of the US in order by state admitted to the union. Still in Washington D.C I drove down Pennsylvania Ave. to what is known as the Zero Milestone which is just south of The White House. The Zero Milestone is supposed to be to where all mileages to Washington D.C should be measured. But, the sad thing is that only mileages in the Washington D.C area measure to it. Anyway, after that I drove through Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina (which also hadn’t been done before) and along the way I almost passed a town called Thomasville in North Carolina; and, it’s good thing that I didn’t miss it because first off it’s where the furniture store, Thomasville Furniture originated and also, they had a big chair in the town square that is the world largest chair. After That, I drove passed something that I didn’t know I was going to see. The funny thing was that day I watched a You Tube video about a huge peach water tower in Gaffney, South Carolina called “peachoid” and when I was cyber traveling I saw it that day I saw it and I thought “how ironic that I saw that on a you tube video but, I didn’t think that I would pass it!”. After that excited, I drove to Norcross, GA and stayed there for a little break in my trip and 2 days later, I drove to my Grandma Honey’s House to see her. After Grandma Honey, I passed The Weather Channel and started driving west across The Eastern/Central Time Zone Line and of course, the biggest cultural divide, The Mississippi River. And, I write this newsletter today I’m cyberly in Shreveport, Louisiana. But, all in all here the trip has been awesome and it teaches you how much culture can change as you travel.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. The Culture I’ve seen is so amazing; it can change as soon as you say “Happy New State!”

September 9, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: My Road Trip Preferences


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
September 9, 2009(9-9-09)-TCS # 164
If you remember that a couple months ago I wrote a newsletter about My Radio and TV Preferences. Well, I’m going to tell you something in the area of Preferences. This one, I’m calling My Road Trip Preferences. Now, remember I don’t HAVE to do these things I’m going to list but, I like to. Now, first off I have to sit in the front seat or on the right side of the car so, that I can see the front and back of the Road Signs on the side of the road which we’re on. Now, in case you’re wondering, the Radio preferences stay pretty much the same. The next one is when we cross into another county, I have to announce it. Like saying “Hey Mom, now we’re in Smith County” and of course, then comes the most fun preference of road trips, when we cross a State Line, I have to count it down from 10 Seconds and then, when I enter that state, I say “ Happy New State!” like we say “Happy New Year!” on New Year’s Eve. Now, once we’re in the new state, I immediately look at the front and back of the road signs to see what the style of the new states’ signs look like. Also, I like to listen to a radio station from that state. If we stop for the night, I feel like I have to watch the news in that city because I like to see the logo of the channel in that city. For example, I like that Atlanta’s WSB-TV, the ABC channel in Atlanta has a yellow number 2 with a blue background. And, at the end of the newscast it shows that and below it says in white with a red background “WSB-TV- Atlanta”. And, finally, if the state has a different color surrounding their traffic lights like Georgia’s is Black, and, Maine and New York’s are dark green then, I like to look at those also. All in all, those are my Road Trip Preferences. Now, who wants to go a trip with me?
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Life is a Highway. So, hop in your life car, take a couple exits, and explore the unique towns along the way!

September 2, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: Stop and Smell The Passion


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
September 2, 2009-TCS # 163
So, This past Sunday, My Mom and I where watching church online like we always do and our Pastor was talking about Passion; Well, here’s a test how much passion people have today, someone did a study where they sent a someone to play a Violin in the middle a busy Washington DC METRO station to see what would happen. Well, after he started playing the violin it took 30 minutes for someone to stop only for a minute or two and then, they continued walking along their normal busy lives. A couple children turned their heads and wanted to stop and listen to this guy but, the parents pulled the children away so, that they could continue going. The sad thing is that very 30 or 45 minutes later, someone would stop for a second to listen and then move on to work or wherever they were going. Now, here is the most shocking part of this study, the violin player was the most famous violin player in the world and actually, he sold out seats at his concert the night before. So, what’s the point here? Well, it says that people these days are such in a hurry and don’t have a lot of passion that they don’t “Stop and smell the roses”. But, you know that if you did stop and smell the roses you would actually be very enlightened and even surprised at what you’ll find or see. So, all in all here don’t be one of those people who hurry on with your lives, stop and enjoy it. Talk to someone with Special Needs and see what enlightening things they tell you, drive through a small town on a US or State Highway/Route and see what amazing things you’ll find in that town, or literally stopping the smell roses, other flowers, or even trees. And, you’ll be surprised what you find or learn.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Have passion to stop see things for what they are and you will be surprised, learn a lot, and be enlightened.

August 26, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: Cyber Traveling, What is it?


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
August 26, 2009- TCS # 162
If anyone where to ask me what my interests are, I would tell them that I love Road Signs, Maps, Bowling, and Cyber Traveling. And, I know a lot of people are asking “Christian, What is Cyber Traveling?” well, I’m going to tell you what “Cyber Traveling”. First off, obviously Cyber means on the internet and traveling means traveling on the road. You see, there is this function on Google Maps called “Street View” and Street View is moving picture of your street, front of your house, and even your car. How they came up with it was Google wanted you to see the street in which you’re searching for. So, sometime during the day, they have people drive down a street with a revolving camera to get a panorama of your street and then put on Google Maps. And, I use it as if I’m really driving somewhere. I can tell you now that I’ve done countless trips to places, all ending at My House in Plano, TX. I could probably name many places I’ve been. The following is a list of just some of the places I’ve been:
Albany, NY and Adirondack Mountains
Atlanta, GA
The Gulf Coast(Gulf Shores, AL; some of the coast of Mississippi and Louisiana; and, Galveston, TX
Road trip from Adirondacks to New York City
Road Trip from Atlanta to Plano, TX
And, More…
So, as you can see I’ve been a lot of places. Now, If your wondering what I do on my trips is I drive down the highway and when I’m ready to go to bed, I’ll find a Hotel and neighborhood to stay at. Usually, after I’ve stopped for the night, I look at my maps to see where I’ve been and occasionally see what’s ahead. So, all in all here, my trips are really fun and they show me the culture of America without even going anywhere.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. With Spirit in you, your life is so much better.

August 19, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: Daytrips are Fun and Surprising


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
August 19, 2009-TCS # 161
As most of you know, I love to go on road trips whether I just go to see the ending of a major street, just drive on a new road, or go on a daytrip. And, that’s just what My Wonderful Mom and I went on this past weekend. You see, My Mom and I felt like we wanted to see a town we haven’t been to before instead of seeing the same old towns around here. So, we decided to go check out the towns of Glen Rose and Granbury with a detour to Dinosaur Valley State Park. Glen Rose and Granbury are towns southwest of Fort Worth and the area is known as the North Texas Hill Country. That was certainly true for Glen Rose because there were a lot of hills around it which made the surrounding area very pretty. In fact, it felt like the real Texas Hill Country northwest of San Antonio. But, a lot of the towns in that area have a lot of bed and breakfasts. Now, Dinosaur Valley State Park wasn’t very impressive, except for the giant dinosaurs standing at the front of the park. But, I found the giant dinosaurs there unique and cool because you don’t find that just anywhere. But, anyway the non-impressive part was the dino tracks because 2 of the 3 tracks we either couldn’t find or were blocked off. The first tracks were a few feet under the river there, the second tracks we found but, you would think it was just a hole in the ground. And, the 3rd one was blocked off. Now, don’t get me wrong, the park was nice to hike and camp. But, for what it was worth ($5 a person) it wasn’t worth coming to see the dino tracks and leave. Now, the town of Granbury was an awesome town because it had cool stuff like it has a lake called Lake Granbury which runs along the Brazos River, Log Cabins, a nice downtown area, and pretty houses along Lake Granbury. But, what really made this town special was the fact that they had a real sandy beach along Lake Granbury. Yes, you heard it right, a REAL SANDY BEACH in the middle of Texas on a lake. Also, in downtown area (or what I call D-town area for short) was nice and quaint. It had nice shops and believe it or not they were selling wine in one of them because to my surprise, they actually have a winery nearby the town of Granbury. So, all in all here daytrips are fun and you’ll be surprised at what you fill find.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Take a Daytrip to some towns and you’ll find the amazing treasures there are.

August 12, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: The Truth of How Siblings Feel


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
August 12, 2009- TCS # 160
For most of my readers, you know that this years’ phrase for The Christianville Spirit is “The Spirit that touches Your Life”. Well, I know that this week’s newsletter will touch your heart because it really touches mine. You see, there is a feeling that I believe I pick up about your PTLS child’s siblings and I’m sure your child will pick it up when they get older. The fact is I feel that their siblings are feeling left out because they feel that their families surround the person with Special Needs and it bothers and hurts me that they would feel that way. But, it’s actually true that in a lot of cases, the family does surround the person with special needs for many reasons like the fact that we people with Special Needs and PTLS need more help with things than Normal People. Another reason would be that the parents just can’t help but, attend to us to make sure that we are making it through life and making the right choices. Now, unfortunately it’s kind of hard to find a cure for it; all you need to do is show both your Special Needs child and Normal child that you love them equally. All in all here, I think this will help you understand not only the special needs child but, the normal one also.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Show your special needs and normal child that you understand them equally.

August 5, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: The Significance of My Birthday


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
August 5, 2009- TCS # 159
As most of My Readers know, this coming Tuesday will be my 22nd birthday. But, before I get into the significance of this day, August 11; Please know that I’m not going to boast about being one of the oldest with PTLS, which I’m very proud of. Now, on to the significance of my birthday; My Birthday, some may say is like any other persons birthday. But, it’s more special than you think. See, the second I was born on August 11, 1987 at 1:12pm, God knew exactly what he was going to do with me and he turned me into the First State in the First Family Nation of The PLTS Union and to be the leader of the families. Amazing things have happened since that fateful August 11th day like for example, as mentioned above, I was the first diagnosed and declared the oldest in the PTLS Union until Stacy was diagnosed then, she became the oldest, and I am happy to have her with me as part of the leaders in the PTLS. One guy, one girl; Awesome! But, anyway; celebrating your birthday, no matter what date it is, it represents your life that you’ve spent on earth. And, the presents, although they are for fun, they represent the stages of your life. Like I remember when I turned 11, I wanted what I referred to as “man stuff” like cologne and deodorant. Finally, Birthdays can mean, a transition from Childhood to Adulthood which was important to me; All in all, My Birthday is very important to me.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. We are all blessed to celebrate and have a Birthday

July 29, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: New York State is the Better Choice


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
July 29, 2009-TCS # 158

Ok, My fellow readers. This newsletter, I believe will intrigue you. Why? Well, My Friend, you’re about to find out. Now, let me ask you, when you think of New York, what do you think of? I could probably tell you that you’re thinking of New York City, not as much about New York State. Now, we all know that NYC has Broadway Musicals, Times Square, and the ever-romantic and iconic, Empire State Building. But, what about New York State; Well, the only part of NY State that people think of is the famous Niagara Falls but, the thing is even though Niagara Falls is in New York State when you think of New York, New York CITY comes to mind most of the time. Well, I’m here to tell you that there is much more to New York than New York City. First, there’s the extremely beautiful and scenic Adirondack Mountains and Park. In the Adirondacks, My favorite place, there are many places to see. Like for example, there’s Lake Placid, the site of the Winter Olympics and of course in the winter Lake Placid is a ski Mecca. Now, there’s the Adirondack Scenic Railroad which runs from Lake Placid to Utica and along the way is very beautiful scenery of the mountains. Now, this area isn’t JUST a mountain range, it’s more special. And, I know your thinking, “But, why though?” Well, the mountains here are part of Adirondack Park which is a 6 million acre forest preserve which is said to be kept “forever wild”. For the Sports fanatics, New York State has Cooperstown which is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame where you can learn the history of Baseball and see the famous stars that made baseball the way it is today. So, you see my fellow readers, there is much more to see than New York City. So, back to my favorite place, So, Can’t you just see me sitting in an Adirondack Chair on the porch of an authentic Adirondack Log Cabin over looking the lake and mountains? I dream of it. All in all, New York State is an awesome State and I Can’t wait to go.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Where do you dream of yourself sitting?

July 22, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: All We Need is Positiveness


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
July 22, 2009- TCS # 157
So, I was watching ABC News with Charles Gibson and talking to My Mom about something, when they mentioned something, to my shock that an unknown donor spent money to put signs up all over the country saying positive things to lift people’s spirits in this economy; and, it actually helps. According to The Closing Bell’s Maria Bartiromo on CNBC says that when positive things are said about the economy, the stock market go up and when bad things are said then, it doesn’t moved at all. In fact, an example of this happened the other day Maria interviewed an economist who had always thought the stock market was doomed said “The worst is behind us now” in the middle of the day. But, the amazing was that by the time the closing bell rang for the stock market it went 263 POINTS! Actually, as far as I know it stands at 8900. But, all in all here, Positive things make the world a lot better.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Mr. Unknown donor, if you are reading this now, God Bless You for putting those signs up across the country!

July 15, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: My Short-Term Memory


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
July 15, 2009-TCS # 156
As you are aware of, there’s a thing that we all deal with at some point of our life, it’s called Short-Term Memory Loss. Most people these days blame 2 factors Age and just plain laziness. But, as I forgot to mention this about the PTLS Conference, funny enough; People with my special needs (or PTLS) have Short-Term Memory problems. You see, they mentioned it at the conference along with many other things and that one, again funny enough I forgot. Now, the only exception to not forgetting something someone said or did is if it’s important to the person with PTLS. Now, My fellow readers don’t get me wrong, I think educating you about myself and special needs is important it’s that there were so many things said but, it’s hard for me to remember a certain amount of things. A thing I actually found out when I was in school is that I could only take 3 instructions at a time. Now, I can tell you that my Long-Time Memory is very good. In fact, I can remember things that people said or did from years back. So, don’t be surprised if your child can remember what you said to them or someone else 7 years ago. All in all, My Long-Term Memory is awesome.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Whenever you have Short-Memory Issues, Remember that you still have a lot of Spirit in You!

July 8, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: The PLTS Union


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
July 8, 2009- TCS # 155
As you all know, last week I talked about The PTLS Conference and PTLS Union. So, I bet that last week you were thinking “What is the PTLS union?” so, this week I’m going to tell what to PTLS Union is. First off, you should know that I think every person has a State and a State Capitol. Like for example Ed’s capitol would be Ed City, Ed; anyway, also a family a nation with the family members being states. But, what is a Union? A Union is group of family nations much like The European Union is a collection of most of the European countries. Now, with a Union, Country, or State; it has to have a capitol. So, the PTLS Union Capitol actually isn’t made up, it’s based in a real city and that city is Houston, TX where I and many other families’ Children where diagnosed. The actual capitol building is where all this is centered which is at Texas Children’s Hospital. Now, there’s more I’ve made up besides the capitol building, a union has to have a president or some kind of government. So, here are the important people of the PTLS Union…
Dr. Potocki and Dr. Lupski are the President of The PLTS Union
Patti Furman(a psychologist at Texas Children’s Hospital) is the Vice-President of the union
Julie Smith-Centeno(My Mom) is the Commissioner and head supporter of The PTLS Union
So, they are the major people that run The PTLS Union. All in all, The PTLS Union is one awesome place.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. As the years go on the PTLS Union gets bigger. The more, the merrier!

July 1, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: The Awesome PTLS Conference


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
July 1, 2009- TCS # 154
If you have been reading this newsletter for a long time, then you know that I have special needs, I have what is known as Potocki-Lupski Syndrome (or duplication 17p11.2) anyway, this past weekend was a big milestone for Potocki-Lupski Syndrome and The PTLS Union. You see, on Friday June 26, 2009 was the inaugural PTLS Conference in Houston, TX at Texas Children’s Hospital. Anyway, this conference was awesome because a lot of families showed up to the conference, more than I had expected. In fact, the whole thing was more than I thought it would be. The conference consisted of a whole day of talks from experts about this and of course I got to meet a ton of families; but, I’ll get to that later. Anyway, even I learned new things about Potocki-Lupski Syndrome. Like for instance, there’s a gene in PTLS that protects against cholesterol which I kind of thought was cool and funny. However, (and, this surprised me) that PTLS kids have extra long intestinal tracks which cause them to have constipation. Also, they say that you should keep watch on your PTLS child’s Connective Tissue because apparently this is an issue. The doctors learn a lot from our mouse model that has PTLS. I’m anxious to find out more about the adult mouse because that would help me. Now, the family part of it; There were a lot of families there that were around the world like there’s a family from The Netherlands, two families from England, one from France, and the rest from the United States. But, the thing that I was most surprised by were how many comments I got about this newsletter and I didn’t realize how many people are reading this newsletter. That really makes me very happy. I want all the families for both reading this newsletter and for talking to me. And, if I didn’t get to you and you were there, I’m sorry I didn’t get to talk to you. But, I do want to thank you for at least coming. My Mom and I have waited many years for this conference and I’m glad you got to come and if you didn’t get to come, I can’t wait to meet you sometime soon. All in all, the conference was awesome and a historical day.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Thanks to the families and doctors who make the PLTS Union possible.

June 17, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: International Road Signs


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
June 17, 2009- TC S # 153
Many of you have been reading my newsletter for a while know that I love to look at Road Signs. And, for the most part I’ve told you about American Road Signs. Well, Road Signs are totally different internationally then in America. For example, in most of the other side of the world the overhead signs blue as their background whereas in the US the background is Green. Now, here’s something that I think is amazing; In most of the world, except for what I thought was only The United States the signs were in the metric system. But, however The United Kingdom also has the same system as us. But, the difference between the signs in United Kingdom and United States is that their signs of up coming intersections say “Yards” instead of “Feet”. an example of this would be a sign of a intersection ahead. In the United States it would say “Intersection Ahead: 500 Feet” and In The United Kingdom it would say “Intersection Ahead: 300 Yards”. all in all, there are really cool and different signs in the world.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. There’s a large pool of Spirit just waiting for you to swim in. So, Jump In and watch your life change!

June 10, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: The DTV Switch(The REAL Deal)


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
June 10, 2009- TCS # 152
Ok, Now I know I wrote about TV’s switch to Digital Television back in February. But, as many of us know Congress and President Obama moved the switch to June 12 which is THIS FRIDAY. The reason congress moved the date was because of the concern that Americans weren’t ready for it and sadly I’m sure there are still many Americans are still not ready. But, you know; as excited as I am about this new change I believe they shouldn’t make it so hard to get ready. It should just a simple switch and that’s it. Or send people to help those who do know how to do it or can’t afford it. Here’s a thought on something I heard on Dallas’ Local TV Station, WFAA-TV. They say that if you have a analog battery-operated TV then, you have to now get a battery-operated converter box and my thought is that let’s say your on a road trip and your child or your self want to watch or at least hear a show then, that you have not only take your TV but, lug around a converter box that has to stay attached to the TV to watch or listen to a show. Now, I must say though that the converter box is small. But, still. Who wants to carry a TV AND converter box? But, like it or not, the switch is on Friday so, unless you want rush out with the rest of America and get a digital TV, you unfortunately have to do that. Now, if your one of those people who have to do this to get the show you want, I feel for you. All in all, I hope this switch is pleasant for you and your family.
 
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. If you change the way you see other people your life will be like the switch to DTV!

June 3, 2009

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) My Future


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
June 3, 2009- TCS # 151
Ok, Everyone it’s time for the 7th and final installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “Potocki-Lupski Syndrome: Christian’s Story” for this installment, I’m going to tell you about the future and how I want the world to be. In the future, I see myself very successful and traveling the world. I dream of traveling the world to see what’s out there and show my uniqueness and inspiration around the world. Along with that, I see myself writing about all this here in The Christianville Spirit and yes, you’ll get in vision what I’m seeing. Now, I got to say that I wish the world was a lot better than it is. Like for Example, I wish the world was at peace and people weren’t so negative and judging about things and other people. If were in charge of the world along with God, I would make sure that everyone is fed food(including those in Africa), I would make sure all government was fair to people, and finally I would feed the Stock Traders positive news just so The Stock Market would go up. You see, We would probably be in harmony if there wasn’t negative in the world. But, we need a little bit of it to challenge us and help us learn the lessons we need to learn. But, today the negative doesn’t help us anymore, it hurts us and that’s why we need to stop it. Now, if you want to know the major places I see myself visiting are following places:
 
New England
The Adirondack Mountains of New York State
Italy(Venice, Tuscany, Rome, and end of “the foot of Italy”
Switzerland and France
England(Big Ben in London)
And, finally Japan(just to see how crowded it is)
All in all, as you can see there are a lot of places that I see myself going to.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Things would be a lot better if you understood your special needs child.

May 27, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: (TCS Series) Friends


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
May 27, 2009- TCS # 150
Ok, everyone it’s time for the 6th Installment of The Christianville Spirit, “Potocki-Lupski Syndrome: Christian’s Story” for this installment, I’m going to tell you about friends. Our social skills may not be at the normal level but, we can make friends and keep them. I have many friends with different kinds of Special Needs from Shaken Baby Syndrome to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. a lot of the friends I have now, I met in High School or some before. Also, I have non-special needs friends, they understand me, and they’re nice to me. Some of my childhood friends would defend me if someone was not nice to me. For example, our friend Meredith Herrick defended me when I was bullied in the 5th Grade and she asked My Mom, “what are the consequences if I hit the kid who has been bullying Christian?” and My Mom told her what would happen. She thought about it and she said it would be worth it. Eventually, The bullying stopped. Now, I don’t want you to get worried about it because it was just a few boys in the 5th grade and that was it. It never happened again and the rest of my schooling went fine. The bullying consisted of kids throwing spitballs at me and there was no physical bullying and it happened in the 5th Grade. Other than that, everyone was nice to me. All in all, it’s good to have Family and Friends helping you.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. If you have good friends by your side, you’ll get through life great

May 20, 2009

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) The Things We Like


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
May 20, 2009- TCS # 149
Alright, everyone it’s time for the 5th installment of The Christianville Spirit series “Potocki-Lupski Syndrome: Christian’s Story”. For this installment I’m going to tell you about the things that we like. Some of these things are not what you would expect from a child like that we love to ride in the car. Why? Because we love to look at the signs, listen to road noises, and see the sights. I love to do those things; I like to see the front and back of the road signs because I like the different of the back of the signs in other states. I also like the different sounds of the roads and bridges. Because I like to look at the road signs and the surroundings, I probably won’t be driving for a while because my reaction speed is slow and I wouldn’t be able to react in time because I would looking at the road signs and other things. I like to also “cyber travel” with Google Maps’ Street View I can drive up and down roads and see what they look like. So, I can practically go on my own road trips. Also, I like to look at my maps and run my finger down to the road like I’m on a road trip.
This is something that people find different about me and that is that I like certain foods if they have certain things on them like for example I won’t eat French Fries but, I’ll eat them if they have cheese on them. You see, that is somewhat how My Mom wanted me to try something new to eat. When I was a kid, she put honey or something I like on the new food and I would eat it. That’s how I got started eating new things. After a while, though I just started eating things that looked good whether it was new or not and that’s how I eat the foods I eat today. All in all, those are the things we like.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Everyone in the world is only 1% different. So, you are literally the most special person to this world and god!

May 13, 2009

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) The Things We Do


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
May 13, 2009- TCS # 148
Ok, Everyone. It’s time for the 4th installment of The Christianville Sprit Series “Potocki-Lupski Syndrome: Christian’s Story”. For this installment I’m going to elaborate as much as I can about what parts of my Special Needs there are. The first one is about my motor skills, when I was little one of my issues was with buttoned pants; I had issues buttoning them on and off. So, I now wear athletic pants that are easy to pull up and down. Although I do wear button pants too and I can button them now; Another thing I had trouble with was tying my shoes, I liked to just slip them on and go instead spending time tying them because it was hard for me to figure out how to do it. One major important thing about understanding your child is that they’re very schedule and routine oriented. They do things at a specific time and in a specific order like when I was going to High School, I always had to get up at 7:56 each morning and Today, I have to get up on a time ending in 5. Another thing we do is have anxiety and fears, some of those things are as simple trying new things, I get all worked up about trying something new. There was one time that Mr. Jeff (a guy My Mom was dating) had a boat and when I got on it I started gagging and after get going on the boat I was fine. Another time was when My Mom put me on a slide and I started crying because I didn’t want to go down it and after I went down it. I wanted to go on it again and again. We have also sensitivities which have to do with food textures, lights, and sounds. All My Life I have had some kind of food texture issue when I was little was Mac n’ Cheese, Pasta, and Yogurt; The sunlight really bothered me. Sounds like were louder than they actually were. The final thing we do is called stemming. One of those things was pacing back and forth and lining things up like my toy cars I had. All in all, those are the things that make us special.
 
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. We are special in our own way, special needs or not.

May 6, 2009

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) The Importance of Family and Understanding


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
May 6, 2009-TCS # 147
OK, everyone it’s time for the 2nd installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “Potocki-Lupski Syndrome: Christian’s Story”. Today, I’m going to tell you about the importance of Family and Understanding. You see, we are very appreciative about our family. Because it’s our Moms or Dads that are there to guide their PTLS Children into The World and the thing is they need help from you. Like for example, us PTLS Kids/Adults have motor skill issues, schedule and routine oriented, a lot of anxiety and fears, feeding/texture issues, and special little
Quirks. All these things need an understanding parent. My Mom was and still is an awesome mom because she understands me and has gone through a lot for me. She has gone up to bat for me and I want to wish her and all you moms a 2x’s very Happy Mother’s Day. All in all, My Mom is great and awesome mom.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. With understanding your child, you have the power to be an awesome mom.

April 29, 2009

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series)History and Beginning

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
April 29, 2009- TCS # 146
For those of you who have been following with this newsletter know I haven’t had a Series in a while. So, I’ve decided to do another series. You see, there are a lot of people who follow this newsletter for the sake of what is happening and what will happen to their child with Potocki-Lupski Syndrome so, I thought that I would try to help you with another series. We’ll call this “Potocki-Lupski Syndrome: Christian’s Story”. so, without a due this is “Potocki-Lupski Syndrome: Christian’s Story”. For those of you who don’t know, I was the first official person in The United States and the 4th in The World diagnosed with what is now known as Potocki-Lupski Syndrome. Back then, it was just known as a duplication of chromosome 17 p.11.2 which when I wanted to tell people about it; I would just say “I have a Duplication of Chromosome 17” which no one knew what the world it was. Now, there were several differences that were unlike normal kids. I have a lot of Texture Issues and I wouldn’t eat anything besides Macaroni n’ Cheese and Yogurt. I started talking when I was 4 but it wasn’t that clear. In fact, when people talked to me and asked me to repeat myself; I had to repeat myself several times and that frustrated me. So, when I had to do it; each time I had to repeat myself and talked a bit louder so, people could hear me. Now, I had Speech Therapy from when I was 15 Months Old to about My Junior Year of High School. I had a lot of fears like getting on a slide, a swing, and a boat but, once I was put on it and it got going I loved it and I wouldn’t get off. All in all, If your child is afraid of something they shouldn’t be, just put them on. But, be ready because they won’t want to get off

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. All Special Needs people want the most is understanding for everyone.

If you would like to Comment, Read past newsletters. Go to thechristianvillespirit.blogspot.com

And, if your interested in the Christianville Metro Area go to our sister site, christianvilletribune.blogspot.com

April 22, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: The Sister of My Childhood

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
April 22, 2009- TCS # 145

As you all know, I have told you a lot about my childhood and how I grew up at Mr. Jeff’s House. We had a lot of fun growing up there. There was 7 of us Me, Michael, Alex, Mr. Jeff, My Mom, Jeffery, and of course Izzy. As most people in the Christianville Metro Area know that one of our sister cities is Izzyville, MS which the neighbor to the south of Christianville. Izzy is in way is part of my family and Christianville’s originality, she’s always been there. You see, If My Mom would have married Mr. Jeff, which he wanted her to; Izzy would have been My Sister. Though I do have a sister named Hope down in Houston but, she is my Step-Sister which to me doesn’t mean much to me because I was never that close to Hope. Izzy however, I was close to her. Heck, I grew up with her. Now, although Izzy would technically been another Step-Sister, I actually would have considered Izzy my sister. Why? Because we were close and I’ve always wanted a sister but, I wouldn’t want My Mom to have another baby. Now, aside from that I and she had great fun and memories. At Mr. Jeff’s we had a creek and a trampoline in our backyard and in top of that between us and The Herrick’s House there was no fence. Anyway, there were many times we would go down into the creek and run through the water and one time we even made a dam. Usually, during the day we were either in the creek, at the Herrick’s, or on the trampoline. A funny memory that I am thinking as I write is one time My Dad came to town for my birthday and surprised me with a Bounce House. Anyway, that day in our back yard was both a Bounce House and the trampoline. Although, we jumped in The Bounce House; the funny thing was we jumped on the trampoline more. Also, not only did we have a trampoline and the creek. But, our friend down the street named Hunter and Ashley Hooper had a pool to swim in. all in all, it was an awesome childhood filled with great memories.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Enjoy and cherish your Life and The People you have. Cause, it can be taken away so easily.

April 15, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: The Buliding of People's Moods


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
April 15, 2009-TCS # 144
OK, I know everyone is sick of hearing about The Stock Market and The Economy. But, here is what I’ve noticed about the problem with the investors besides Wall Street Greed. It is also their mood; when their mood is down the stocks goes down and when their mood is up the stocks goes up. You see, people’s moods depend on how they see things. Let’s think of people’s mood as a 120-Floor Building we‘ll call “The Building of People‘s Moods, The 120th floor is the happiest you can be or “Being on top on the world” and then, the ground floor is when your very sad or “Hitting Rock Bottom”. in this building, colored floors that reflect the mood the floor reflects to. These colors and floors are as follows:
Floors 0-40 (Purple Floors)
Floors 40-60 (Red Floors)
Floors 60-80(Orange Floors)
Floors 81-90(Yellow Floors)
Floors 91-120(Green Floors)
Here is what the colors means:
Green Floors: Really Happy People
Yellow Floors: Happy People
Orange Floors: Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad
Red Floors: Sad People
Purple Floors: Sad and Angry People
Now, these are the positive side of the building, the really angry, sad, depressed, and evil people go on the Negative Floors or “N-Floors” these floors only go to 20 “N-Floors”. being on the “N-Floors” too long can result in not believing in God, not believing in Happiness, and a lowering Self-Esteem. All it takes is a quick hop on the Elevator and go up to the Happy Floors, just go up!
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. If you are feeling lower than the Orange Floors, Elevate Your Life!

April 8, 2009

The Christianvile Spirit: My Prefrences


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
April 8, 2009-TCS # 143
For those of you that know me real well know what with my Special Needs, the things people with My Special Needs do are very detailed and have to have things in specific way, we’ll call them Preferences. Some of My Preferences are easy to get around or some aren’t. My 1st one is when I up in the morning. The time that my head rises from the pillow has to be at a time that ends in 5 like: 45, :55, or :15 just for example. Another one is not so easy to get around for other people, whenever we out at eat I have to sit in a seat that faces North or East because those are my favorite directions however, sometimes it matters what’s going on around like if there is something I don’t like facing North, then I’ll face directions. Now, please know that I don’t HAVE TO sit in those directions but, I like to. The next preference is one that has to be fulfilled, while riding in the car I have to sit on the right side window because I like to see the front and back of the road signs on the highway. Also, while flying on an airplane I like sit at the window seat so, I can look out. But, I don’t care which side of the plane I sit on. The next one is easy to work around for others, the volume for the TV and Radio. The number has to be not too loud and on the 5’s, 7’s., And 10’s. TV volume goes on 5’s and 10’s (like 10 or 15). The final preference of the day is that I have to have my snack at 8 PM each night. All in all, we are very scheduled and preference oriented.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. All special needs people want are love, respect, and understanding. It’s that simple!

April 1, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: The History of The Christianville Spirit

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
April 1, 2009-TCS # 142

For those of you who have been reading The Christianville Spirit for a while have seen all the changes of this newsletter. But, however there are people who have been reading this since the beginning. So, I thought I would give you a view of the history of a newsletter called The Christianville Spirit. The Christianville Spirit or TCS for short started in Christianville, TN in November of 2005 as an email to My Mom and my friend Karleen about the 1st Christian’s Best Friends’ Festival. My Mom told me I should start writing a newsletter about my view on life because my view on life and the world is a unique view. One time I was writing stuff about The City of Christianville and I wanted a newspaper name for The Metro Area so, the word “Spirit” seamed like a good name to symbolize the Christianville Area. On Wednesday, October 4, 2006 was the first official “Christianville Spirit” and it was about my best friend Steven’s “10 Weeks of Awesome Behavior” back when he was in The Group Home. The Christianville Spirit has been known for its slogans. The slogans have changed over the years so, Here are a list of slogans and how long they lasted.
· The first slogan was “Serving The Christianville Metro Area” that lasted from the first Christianville Spirit to December 29, 2006.
· The 2nd slogan was “Christianville Metro Area’s Delight” which lasted one newsletter in January 2007
· The 3rd slogan was “Christianville’s #1 Newspaper” which lasted one newsletter on January 4, 2007
· The 4th slogan was “The Spirit of Christianville” which lasted January 9, 2007-December 27, 2007
· The 5th slogan was “The Spirit that touches Lives” which lasted January 3, 2008-December 29, 2008
· The 6th and current slogan is “The Spirit that touches Your Life” which lasts January 2009-the end of the year
Also, The Christianville Spirit has it’s share of websites it was posted on. The first website was 360.yahoo.com/mapkid2 which was my own personal Yahoo 360 site and after that it moved to it’s current site, thechristianvillespirit.blogspot.com. another The Christianville Spirit has been known for is it’s inspirational lines at the end of the newsletter, the first inspirational line was “ Have a Spiritful Day” in the 14th newsletter. The next thing my newsletter has been known for is its series. The first TCS Series was “Christianville Metro Highlight” which about my friends and family. In the series, I got the biggest reaction to my newsletter is the “Julie Smith-Centeno Edition” of that series. Before I started writing full articles I wrote about what was going on in my life and what was going on in Christianville, those sections of the newsletter were known the “Personal News” and Christianville News” section and Another section change was the addition of the “C. Metro Commentary”. Finally, In case your wondering what the “TCS # 143” heading means, that shows how many newsletters I’ve written since the 1st in October of 2006. all in all, it’s a lot of fun to write these newsletters each week.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. People’s good attitude depends on a good thought and good input. So, feed them good stuff!

March 25, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: The Bradford Pear Tree


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
March 25, 2009- TCS # 141
As we all know already, It’s spring which rain showers, flowers, and trees growing their leaves. That is my favorite part of spring in Plano, the trees growing their leaves. You see, here in Plano we have these tree called the Bradford Pear Tree. The Bradford Pear Tree is really pretty in the spring. What happens is around the last of February(Depending the weather of course) White flowers start to grow on the tree and then, after that the leaves start growing along with the white flowers. From the distance, you see a combination of St. Patrick’s Day Green and White on the tree; to me it looks really beautiful. To me, seeing the flowers tells me that Spring is on it’s way. Every Spring I like to follow the growth of the tree because I like watching the process of it. All in all, The Bradford Pear Tree is a really awesome tree.
Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Tell someone you love that they are as pretty as a flower.

March 18, 2009

The Christianville Spririt: Temporary Negative Thought Files

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches lives
March 18, 2009-TCS # 140
You know, when you get on online your computer saves the web pages you’ve visited. Well, those are called “Temporary Internet Files”. Well, in a way that can relate to your life. You see, computers have this part of it known as the “Hard Drive” or “Hard Disk”; the Hard Drive contains all the information of your computer like programs, web sites, computer errors, and more. By now, I’m sure your asking me, “Christian, what does all this stuff have to do with my life?” well, Your Brain much like the Hard Drive stores all the information about Your Body and Mind. The “Temporary Internet Files” are much like your thoughts. You see, the “Temporary Internet Files” store on the computer’s Hard Drive and that’s why your computer gets so slow. Well, your thoughts mainly if they’re negative instead of making you slow, they make you both bitter and slow. Body wise these “Files” we’ll call “Temporary Negative Thought Files”. These “Files” however are only temporary if you get rid of them. If not then, they stay in your brain’s “Hard Drive” and eventually turn into “Viruses” (body wise that means you get sick and bitter). The point that I’m trying to get here is that you should get rid of those nasty “Temporary Negative Thought Files” so that you can run more beautifully.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Instead of worrying about your life and things, wonder how God’s Life is going. I mean, he’s got a life too!!

March 11, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: The Amazing Acela Train

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
March 11, 2009-TCS # 138/139

So, A couple weeks ago I was scanning through the TV Channels looking for something to watch and I found this new show on The History Channel. The show was called “Extreme Trains”, a show about a guy from Maine, who worked at a Train Depot; who crosses the country in search of the way America functions with Trains. Anyway, on the this episode he rode what is known as The Acela Train that runs along The Northeast Corridor or “ The Northeast Megalopolis”, which is an area ranging from Washington D.C to Boston, MA. Anyway, what makes this train amazing is that it is the fastest train in North America. In fact, the top speed of The Acela Train goes an astounding 150 miles per hour! There are no other trains in North America that go that fast. However, there are many trains in Europe that go even faster; Like one in Europe goes around 500 miles an hour. The Acela Train runs via a High Speed cable overhead and The Train is actually a part of the AMTRAK system.
The host rode the train line from Union Station in Washington D.C to South Station in Boston, MA. When the host rode the train he noticed the Hudson River Tunnel was really small. So small that it seemed like only the train could fit in it. Also He also found out that New York’s Pennsylvania Station is the busiest train station in The US. All in all, The Acela Train is an amazing Train.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Don’t waste your life going as fast as this train, slow down and enjoy life.

March 4, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: Wonders of International Borders(Part 2)

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
March 4, 2009-TCS # 137

If you read last week’s “Christianville Spirit” I told you of the many different kinds of International Borders. So, This Week’s “Christianville Spirit” is part 2 of it. Why? Because I believe that just one newsletter to explain the borders wasn’t enough. So, I’m going to do a 2nd part of it. You see, it’s not just the Customs part of the International Border Fascination. It’s also what they put On The Border; like for example one of the most fascinating borders I’ve seen on Google Maps is the Turkey/Greece Border because the rails of the side of the road on the bridge are colored the National colors, like the rails on the Turkish side has red and white rails and on the Greek side the rails are light blue and white. And, to top it off the flags of Turkey and Greece meet at the center. Another border that is fascinating is the already mentioned Thailand/Myanmar (Burma) Border at the northern most point of Thailand. There is a bridge with the Thailand and Myanmar flags on the side of bridge to the center of the bridge. The final way International Borders are interesting is some borders put plaque to mark where the countries meet. I find it interesting that on the Amistad Dam; on US/Mexico Border near Del Rio, TX, they have the American eagle with the name of the country on the US Side and the Mexican Eagle on the Mexican Side. Another interesting International fact is about what is known as The European Union; there is an agreement in some countries in Europe that people and goods can freely travel from one country to another. And, if you are a citizen of The European Union you can live in a nation like Italy and work in France. All in all, The World has fascinating International Borders.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Think that The Economy will get better and it will!

February 25, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: Wonders of International Borders

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
February 25, 2009-TCS # 136

As you all know I love Travel and like find things related to travel online. One of the things I like to is look at Google Maps. I like to look at Google Maps because it has really cool functions like Street View, Pictures, Wikipedia, and more… anyway, my latest interest seems to be using that Pictures function and go to International Borders in many parts of the world. Now, in real life the only International Borders I’ve been to are the US/Mexico Border at Laredo and Progresso, TX; and US/Canada at Sault Ste. Marie, MI. but, with Google Maps I’ve been to many borders like China/Russia, Turkey/Iran, Sweden/Denmark, and more. Seeing that many borders makes you realize the different styles of International Borders. Some International Borders have gates on either side; some borders have bridges with the flags of the countries to the middle of the bridge like for example at the Myanmar/Thailand Border they have a bridge with Thailand’s Flags and Myanmar Flags on the side of them and in the middle they meet. But, the 2 things that amazes me the most is that 2 countries with 2 different languages can meet on a bridge or in the middle of land or 2 counties with different building styles and different political systems meet in one place. All in all, though it’s really cool to see pictures of different International Borders.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Be blessed that you live in The United States because some countries aren’t as lucky as us.

February 18, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: Switch or not to switch to DTV?; that is the question

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
February 18, 2009- TCS # 135

As we know, 2 weeks ago Congress and President Obama voted to delay the DTV Switch to June 12. But, the other day I looked up which TV stations are going to change anyway because I read in several places that even though the February 17th deadline has been delayed, it told me that some TV Stations that are ready to change will in fact change on or after February 17th. So, I looked up which ones were changing just out of curiosity and I found that hundreds of TV Stations are changing. Many of them weren’t in many major city markets. A majority of them were in smaller markets like Madison, WI; Sioux Falls, SD; and, Burlington, VT just to give you an idea. The most surprising was The Burlington, Vermont Market; there they changed all the TV stations in the market including major TV networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS. Now, although you might think the smaller markets changed, the minor TV stations of major markets changed. Like in the Atlanta market, they’re PBS stations changed and in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, a religious and Spanish channel changed to DTV. So, all in all you might need to check which station changed to DTV and if one of them is your favorite station you might want to get a converter box or connect to Cable. Also, there’s the option of watching your show online.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Focus on Happy things and happy things will come.

February 11, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: Steven's Finally Back!

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
February 11, 2009-TCS # 134

So, one day I was sitting watching TV when the phone rang and it was My Best Friend Steven. When I starting talking to him, he told me something you wouldn’t believe. You see, he’s been in 2 Group Homes in the past 4 years because his behavior was bad because of his Special Needs. So, he begins the call with “what would you say if I told you that I was coming back home?!?!?” it turned out that he was in fact coming back home to Plano after 4 years to try to live at home and work on his behavior. After he told me this, I was shocked and excited that he was coming back home because that meant that him and I can spend time together doing things we used to like going to Movies, Hanging at his house, and Special Olympics Bowling. So far, his behavior has been pretty good while he’s been here. All in all, I am really happy and excited that he’s back in Plano.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Awesome Friends are hard to find. so, cherish the ones you have!

February 4, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: You Are Loved, This Valentine's Day

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches your life
February 4, 2009-TCS # 134

Valentines Day, a day on the 14th of February that many people have different feelings about; some people absolutely love it because that’s the day that they can surprise their significant other or they get lovely roses from them or if you are in High School, your secret crush. But, most people who are single, divorced, being cheated on, or widowed; it’s a depressing and feeling-like-your-unloved day. But, here’s the truth about that, you may not have someone to kiss all over but, the thing is you ARE loved. Who you say? Well, God, Jesus Christ (or whomever of higher power you worship), and of course Your Family, both the ones you live with and those far away. Also, Your Friends and even a guy/girl you know who’s been secretly crushing on you loves you. But, the point here is that there is SOMEONE in this world who loves you and don’t you forget that. There are more people out there who love you then you realize. So, open you heart let them in this Valentine’s Day.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Drink to Your Health with MonaVie! What’s MonaVie? Email My Mom at julie8788@aol.com or call 972-400-2273 to find out!

January 28, 2009

The Christianville Spirit: Great Days at The Lake House

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that touches Your Life
January 28, 2009- TCS # 132

When I was a kid, it seemed like every summer Me, My Brother, My Mom, and Mr. Jeff (A guy My Mom was dating at the time) and his kids Alex, Elizabeth, and sometimes Jeffery, would go to a cabin up near a lake called Nocona, which is about a 2 hour drive from Plano. This cabin, aptly named “The Lake House”, was on the east shore of a small lake, which was next door to Lake Nocona, called “Leisure Lake” in a country neighborhood called “Nocona Hills”. Anyway, we had a lot of fun there each summer and after awhile I start making up names for places around “The Lake House”. You see, back then and even today my imagination was quite something. In my mind I would make up whole cities or even metro areas like Christianville. But, the things I named were actually real places around the house. Like for example, since The Lake House was at the east end of the lake, the shore looked like a horseshoe curve that I named “Kids Bend”. I came up with that name because we were kids, and us kids would sit on the dock on the edge of “Kids Bend”. In my mind, “Kids Bend” extended a couple blocks away from the house. I called the hill down the road from the house “Downtown Kids Bend”. There was a small creek running next to the house across from us that was called the Christian River after a long debate between us kids. After the naming, we found a flat piece of wood that wrote the name on. All in all, all of us kids had a great time up there and a great childhood.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. If you see someone who needs a hug, give them a hug and let them know they’re loved.