The Christianville Spirit: Memory Lane Trip

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

January 25, 2012- TCS # 284

So, as most of you know, My Readers, based on what I’ve written many times in this newsletter, that I like to take drives to places. I love to take drives with My Mom to different places whether it’s up the road to see a new neighborhood, drive down a new road, check out new or changed road signs, or update myself on how a road or area is doing. Of Course, sometimes I like to venture out of the city and see what’s out there, which could be anywhere from a drive out a couple miles and then turn back home, or drive out of the city, up to 3 or 4 Hours. So, My Mom and I usually like to do our drives on Saturday. But, this past Saturday, we took a drive that was long-awaited for me, because the fact that it was 2 hours away and it has to do with our history. You see, back in what I call, “The Jeff Era”(or the time when we were living with Mr. Jeff), we had a Lake House that we would go to every now and then during the summer.  This Lake House was nice because it was in a secluded neighborhood in the country, I mean the nearest major city was Wichita Falls, which was around 30 Miles away. Anyway, in the “Jeff Era,” we had a lot of fun at our Lake House. Among the many things we did; we would go hiking up in the hills, spend a whole day out on the lake in our pontoon boat, and drive a go-kart around the yard and a field across the street. Of Course, Mr. Jeff and Michael loved to fish in the pond that we lived on. I, of course didn’t really like that because it looked gooey. Anyway, at night we would do bonfires and during the 4th of July, we would shoot off fireworks. Anyway, back to the drive, My Mom and I drove back to the lake house to see what it looked like now, since we haven’t seen it since the end of “The Jeff Era.” The First thing I noticed, was the street signs were Green with White Letters, when it used to be White with Black Letters. Of Course, The House itself now looks totally different, for example the new owners built a covered patio at the entrance, they also glass-enclosed the screen porch, that we used to love to sit in when it was really hot. The House’s color is now grey, when it used to be a Dark Green color. After we saw the house, then we went on the route we used to get the pontoon boat to the lake and as we drove along the pond, we were shocked at how dry it was and the main lake itself was really dry too. We drove past the 2 boat ramps that we would use and I walked down the one that we used most of the time, to see how dry it was. It was so dry that I could see the mud at the end of the ramp.  After that, we went back down to the main road, back toward the house and saw the changes again a little more up close but, not too close. We also found that the neighbors that we had across the yard from us were still living there. On one of the streets, we saw something amazing. There were water towers and on the 2nd water tower there were Hawks and Buzzards on every railing, lined up shoulder to shoulder, on the tower as well as on top and surrounding it. My Mom and I were so amazed by it that My Mom even took pictures of them. After that, we drove back out of the neighborhood where they still have someone at the manning the post at the front gate of the neighborhood. They have added more to the church and 2 speed bumps on the main road. My Mom and I wrapped up our drive by stopping at the Dairy Queen that we used to go to on the way home.  Yummy ice cream! All in all, we had a fun time reminiscing about all the fun we had at the lake house.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. We all have “Memory Lane Trips”. Take one and you might be surprised what you’ll find. 

The Christianville Spirit: Christian on Writing

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

January 18, 2012- TCS # 283

So, The subject that I’m going to write about in this week’s newsletter is something that to most people who really know me already know and normal people think, “Your doing this now?.” Anyway, I’m going to write about..well, writing. My Writing in particular, I’m calling this newsletter, “Christian on Writing.” Now, thinking back, I would think that I should have wrote this years ago as an introduction and to warn you about My Style of Writing. You See, I’ve been writing this way since I started writing my newsletter, The Christianville Spirit. I never really noticed the way I wrote because it just flowed naturally and to me, I was and still am, concentrated on the material of the newsletter, not necessarily that it makes sense, Capitols are in place, it’s not a run-on sentence, and punctuation. Of Course, most people think, “Christian, If you know the rules then why don’t you use them?” and I know, for Members of My PTLS Family who are new and don’t know me are concerned if I even know the rules. Now, to help you, I do know the rules, I just choose not to use all of them because to put it kindly, I’m concentrating on what I want to say and what I talking about. Also, sometimes My mind goes faster than my fingers can type. So, to resolve the issue of those rules, I have My Mom help edit the newsletter before it’s released. Of Course, when we’re editing (to the point, that I allow her to edit), My Mom jokingly says things like “Oh, Christian, the capitols!” and “Christian, your an English Professor’s Nightmare.” Now, what the capitol’s part of what My Mom refers to is that I put Capitol Letters on words that shouldn’t be capitalized and shockingly I forget to capitalize the first letter of a sentence sometimes because when I used to write on Microsoft Word, it capitalized the beginning for me. Of Course, again to calm the nerves of PTLS Members, I capitalize words, not because they need to capitalized but, because I somehow feel the need to capitalize the words. Also, It might have been that My Handwriting was and still to this day is, nearly all capitol letters. Actually, it took some time transitioning from my handwriting to a computer, this by the way was in the very beginning of My Newsletter, back when it was an email to My Family. At that time, I wrote in all caps, all the time even when I talked to my friends on IM or Instant Message on AIM. It took My Childhood Friend, Izzy to convince me to stop using all caps because it made it look like I was yelling all the time. Now, I don’t write in all caps anymore unless I’m angry (which is rarely) or I’m trying to put emphasis on something. I want to thank Mrs. Bachman for teaching me so much, I really did learn from you, I just like to write the way I do. All in all, that’s how I feel like writing and I hope it helps in getting to know me better.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Look at the content on the inside, don’t judge the looks on the outside. 

The Christianville Spirit: Those Darn Electronics

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

January 11, 2012- TCS # 282

So, among the cool things that My Mom, My Brother, and I did for Christmas, besides having an “Italian Christmas,” that was a candlelit dinner and playing with one of My Gifts. You See, for years I’ve had an Ipod Touch to play on and by playing on it, I mean I researched things on the internet and listened to Music. Of Course, I never downloaded any games on it because that never interests me. Anyway, for this Christmas, I got an Ipad and I love it now. I’ve gotten many apps, including a Living Earth app that tells the time and weather of a location. Let me tell you though that this Ipad is quite addicting to use, I mean just the Living Earth and now, the Google Earth app is hard enough for me to put it down. Ho Ho! Now, you know, like any young person, I’ve followed the technology a little slower than others but, I followed it. However, there are times when Technology can get in the way. You See, I’ve noticed whenever I’m out with My Mom and Brother, I notice kids and their families playing with their Iphones or Ipod Touch and not talking to each other at all. You know that scene where a family of 3 or 4 are sitting together, 2 parents and 1 or 2 kids, the kids are playing their Apple Devices while the parents talk alone and eat. You Know, I’ve never done that and never will. You See, when I was growing up, we didn’t have any Apple Devices to play on and not talk to my family. In my day, it was that we all sat at the table and talked the whole time, when it came to leaving the table, you had to excuse your self. Believe it or not, I survived very well without electronics, Why? Because we had a trampoline and kids in all directions to play with. I mean, I consider myself quite lucky to have the childhood that I did, with no fences between 4 Yards and a cul-de-sac. Now, I know most kids here in Plano don’t get that kind of childhood but, still. As far as any electronics, what we had was the TV and a Nintendo 64, at times all the Herrick, Barsis, and others wanted to play. Of Course, when we’d go out, we would all sit and talk, and if we were at Joe’s Crab Shack, we would go and play on the playground sometimes for a couple hours, it was awesomely fun. So, of course, I learned my Social Skills pretty easily between 3 Barsi kids and 3 Herrick girls and of course, our trampoline in our backyard. Now, of course, to this day, whenever My Mom, Brother, and I go out, we talk the whole time. And, yes I make sure not to bring my Ipad to the table unless it’s something I really want to show My Mom, other than that, I don’t bring it to the table at home or out. It’s kind of sad to see families that let their kids bring their devices to the dinner table because and it shows how dysfunctional electronics can makes us. I’m saying this because everyone should be able to talk with one another and as My Grandma Honey would probably say, “There’s no one or thing on that device that is more important than Family.” Besides, the best way for PTLS Kids to learn to talk is by imitating those around us who are talking, not texting or playing on a device. All in all, put down those electronics and get back to basics. if your excuse is to use it for entertainment to keep your kids quiet when they’re little, don’t expect them to converse with you when their older. 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Be your kids’ entertainment, not the give the job to electronics.           

The Christianville Spirit: Happy New Year 2012

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

January 4, 2012- TCS # 281

Hello again, My Readers, and Welcome Back to another exciting year of My Newsletters, to Open Your Eyes, and for your enjoyment. But, first off, Happy New Year! and Welcome to what should be an interesting year of 2012. I believe that 2012 will be an awesome year, maybe filled with a bit of trial but, also, infinite possibilities and great opportunities. Anyway, to start the year of 2012, I’m going to tell you how I celebrate the New Year’s holiday. It starts once I get up at my normal time (which is 2:45 in the afternoon) I watch HLN News every hour to see footage of where the new year is at that time. Also, I check my “World Clock” app on My Ipod Touch to see where, as I say, “Midnight’s location is”. During the day, while I’m watching New Year’s around the world, My Mom and I take down our Christmas Decorations, because in my eyes It’s a sign of the old, past year and I want to go to a New Year. Now, I know those of you who know me are wondering, “Christian, if you love Christmas so much why would you take the decorations down on New Year’s Eve?”. Well, don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas with every thread of me, but, I like to move on to the New Year instead being behind in the old year. Anyway, after that is done I have to at least hear or read Lake Superior State University’s “List of Banned Words for the New Year.” Now, I have to say that this year’s list wasn’t as funny as I expected it to be. One of the words that wasn’t on the list should have been the classic phase from Charlie Sheen, “Winning!” or maybe (and, not to offend anyone), “Rapture” from the Rapture Scare. Anyway, then comes another one of my traditions which is to see the last sunset of the year, because it signifies the end of the year and it’s time to have fun and party. This Year, I got to watch it with My Brother on a hill behind Wal-Mart(there aren’t many hills here in Plano). So, that was really awesome that My Brother and I could do that together. I love bonding time with My Brother. I even hugged him to thank him for doing that for me. After that, we went back home and ate dinner with Two Friends, they ate Crab Legs and I ate Turkey Enchiladas, which were yummy. Later on in the evening, around 9:00 I like to watch “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin‘ Eve” because I like to watch the ball drop in New York City and I do that until the last newscast at 10 (The News is at 10 in Central Time Zone, everywhere else it’s at 11). Following that, is the 2nd half of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin‘ Eve. Now, because of a show called Big D NYE on Dallas‘ ABC Station, they broadcast that until 12:30AM and then they show the second half, when it used to be Dick Clark, The News, and Dick Clark 2nd Half until 11:15 and then, Big D NYE would cut in. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve waited a long time for Dallas to have a New Year’s show but, I don’t want it to take over the 2nd half of Dick Clark. So, the alternative is to watch “Anderson Cooper’s New Year” on CNN, which by the way is equally funny because Kathy Griffin is on there and the look on Anderson Cooper’s face when Kathy Griffin does or says something really funny or not-so-funny, his face is priceless. Anyway, After New York’s New Years’, I then flip back over to “Big D NYE” to watch the countdown of Dallas‘ New Year and it results in an awesome firework show. All in all, I Love New Years! Out with the Old and In with the New! Also, 12 Grapes for good luck will help.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Hope you have a awesome 2012 and let me know what you think of this year’s new tagline, “The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes”