September 25, 2013

The Christianville Spirit: TCS Series; A Family Letter


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up
September 25, 2013-TCS # 369

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

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

I Love You All, PTLS Family!
Your PTLSer, 
Christian Smith-Centeno”

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



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






September 18, 2013

The Christianville Spirit: TCS Series; A Love Letter


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up
September 18, 2013-TCS # 368

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

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

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



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





September 11, 2013

The Christianville Spirit: A Tour with My Uncle


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up
September 11, 2013-TCS # 367

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


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





September 4, 2013

The Christianville Spirit: The 5-6-7 Trip


The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up
September 4, 2013-TCS # 366

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


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