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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!”

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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