The Christianville Spirit: (TCS Series) My PTLS Family

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
July 28, 2010- TCS # 209

Ok, Everyone it’s time for the 4th Installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “A Day in the Life of Christian and PTLS”. For this installment, I’m going to tell you about an important element of my life, My PTLS Family. So, without further a due, this is The Christianville Spirit Series, “A Day in the Life of Christian and PTLS”. Ever since I was blessed with Potocki-Lupski Syndrome(back then, it was called a Duplication of Chromosome 17 or dup.17p11.2). My Mom and I didn’t really have any support for My Special Needs, we had to wait several years before anyone else was diagnosed or any other doctors picked it up. Until finally, someone was finally diagnosed. Today, after 19 Years from being diagnosed, thanks to better technology, there is finally a name, and a larger group of people to join The PTLS Union, I have a PTLS Family of just over than 30 People. Recently there have been a couple of people who refer to my PTLS Family as “Strangers”, but obviously they don’t understand who strong and special the bond of this Special Family is to Me. My PTLS Family may not be Blood Relatives but, in many ways they means more to me than some of my family. I may be Hope in their eyes, But, They are support to me through my eyes, because they are the true people that understand me and celebrate me. They don’t question why and why not I don’t do things because they accept me for who I am. In fact, next week I’m going to celebrate my birthday with a group of them and The Smith Family in Atlanta. I Thank them for being such an important part of my life. Because PTLS is a rare syndrome, It’s very important to have a such a close bond between each other. For those who I’ve already met, they are awesome people and I look forward to meeting the others.
All in all, My PTLS Family is a source of encouragement for me and I love them for it.



Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Remember that sometimes, The closest people may not be blood. But, their family.

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) My Love Life

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
July 21, 2010-TCS # 208

Ok, Everyone it’s time for the 3rd Installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “A Day in the Life of Christian and PTLS”. For this Installment I’m going to tell you about My Crushes and My Girlfriends. So, without further a due this is The Christianville Spirit Series, “A Day in The Life of Christian and PTLS”. Now, I know there are people who think that Special Needs People don’t or won’t get to experience Love and Having Girlfriends but, boy are they wrong. In my life, I’ve had 2 Major Crushes and 2 Girlfriends(One of them, not official). The first girl I had a Crush on was way back in Elementary School when I was in the 4th Grade, her name was Lynee. I was in a class with her and played with her in the playground. Now, as I can remember I don’t think Lynee had Special Needs and around the time, I didn’t think I had any either. Anyway, I’d always like talk about her to My Brother, The Barsis, and The Herricks while all of us jumped in the trampoline. Every now and then, they would cheerfully shout “Lynee, Lynee” because I would always blush and smile when I heard her name. Several Years Later, in The 8th Grade I met a girl named Ali. Now, Ali had Special Needs, Down Syndrome to be exact and in the 8th Grade I had the biggest crush on her. I even made her a Christmas Card which I was too Nervous to Give to Her. A Couple Years Later, I saw her again when I was in Grade 10.5 (as My Best Friend, Steven and I would call it) and then she was my “unofficial” girlfriend. Which meant that we liked each other and acted like boyfriend/girlfriend but, her parents wouldn’t let her date until she was 15. When I was a Junior in High School, I met a girl named Madison. She was the girl that not many people liked and I liked her. People told me that she wasn’t a nice person and I tried to prove them wrong, until we broke up and I saw the light. Madison was the first girl that I went on actual dates with and I went to Homecoming with Her, She was the first girl I ever kissed and I kiss her many times. There was even one time that I kissed her in front of My Mom, Which gave her a Heart Attack. It was Hard to get over her only because she was very mean after the break up and I worked with her, I couldn’t get away from her. So, Quitting my job was the only way out. Boy, that thought to get any girl angry. After Dating Madison, I decided to write about “My Dream Girl” and what she was going to be like and I named her, Carol Holiday. Well, one day I decided to look up her name on Face book, I found someone with that same name and it turned out that she had the same Qualities, She lives up North, She worked with Special Needs Kids, Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes, and Same Physical Features. I had also written that Her dad’s name was going to be John and it actually was. So, She was Almost Everything I had listed but, she was much older than me, Married, and had kids. However, I was very happy when I met her. After I told her the story about what I wrote, she was amazed. As of Right Now, I’m very hopeful that I’ll find “My Dream Girl”. All in all, I know that Soulmate/Dream Girl is out there and I can’t wait to meet her.


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. This Piece of Inspiration comes to you from Eric on Boy Meets World, “Lose One Friend, Lose All Friends, Lose Yourself”

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) My Interests

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
July 14, 2010- TCS # 207

Ok, Everyone It’s time for the 2nd Installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “A Day In The Life of Christian and PTLS”. For this Installment, I’m going to tell you about the things I’m Interested in and why I love them. So, without further a due, This is The Christianville Spirit Series, “A Day In The Life of Christian and PTLS”. You See, as with every other person, I have the things that Interest me and things I love to do. The first thing is Geography. I have always loved Geography since I was a little kid. Everyone who has ever known me can tell those who haven’t met me that I get them anywhere. But, of course with my 6th sense, to “Stop and Smell The Roses” I’m going to give The Main Way to go and The Scenic Route. So, Most People that really know me know they have to specify which route they want. The Next Thing I’m interested in is something that a lot of people don’t know what it is, and that is Cyber traveling. You See, I use Google Maps’ Street View and put the little yellow figure that is me on a road somewhere and start “driving” to wherever I feel like going to. I love that I can see the country and the world without even leaving my living room. While Cyber traveling, I get to see one of the other things I’m interested in, Road Signs. Whoever travels with me knows that I’ll notice a change in Road Signs if I’ve been on the road before and I’ll tell you. What’s really amazing is that I have found websites about Road Signs that are mainly in The US. Now, Occasionally I’ll find a site about International Road Signs which really amazes My Mom when I show them to her. Other things I like to do is go to The Movies and Bowling. The kind of movies that I like to go to see are Comedies, Cartoons, and Romantic Comedies. I like Comedies because they make me laugh. I like Cartoons, like Shrek, Toy Story, and Other Disney Movies because I grew up with them. I like Romantic Comedies because they are sweet and they make you feel good. The Final Thing I like is Bowling. In fact, I like Bowling that I joined the Special Olympics Bowling last week and another reason I like it is because it’s fun. All in all, I have interests like everyone else even though they may be different.


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Figure Out what you love to do and go do it.

The Christianville Spirit: (TCS Series) About Me

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
July 7, 2010- TCS # 206

Now, I know a lot of My Readers and Parents of PLTS Families wonder a lot about me; like what my daily life is like or what it feels like to have and deal with having PTLS. So, I decided that it would be awesome to tell you how I live and deal with PTLS. So, I’m going to have a series on it, I’m calling it “A day in the life of Christian and PTLS”. So, without further a due, this is The Christianville Spirit Series, “A Day in The Life of Christian and PTLS”. To start this series, I’m going to start with general things about me. First off, of course, I’m Christian and I was born in San Antonio, TX on August 11, 1987; right now, I’m 22 going on 23 Years Old and Yes, I still live at Home. Because of my reaction time, I probably won’t be Driving because I’m busy looking at Road Signs and My Reaction Time is very slow. Over the years, The foods that I eat have progressed a lot since I was a kid. You see, When I was a kid all I ate was Yogurt, Mac n’ Cheese, Grilled Cheese, and Spaghetti because I had a lot of issues with Textures and Appearances. Today though, I eat a lot more things than I did. But, I still have Texture Issues and I won’t eat things that look funny. My Eyes and Ears were very sensitive through the years. But, now their not as bad. The Sound of The Ocean Waves, People talking Loud, Loud Music, Trains, and Thunder really bothered my hearing. Speech has been an on-going issue, I took my time beginning to talk because I was too busy taking in everything about me. Because of my submucous cleft palate, I had to learn how to speak with the air going out my mouth, not my nose. Sometimes I tend to talk with my teeth together and I don’t make the words clear. So, I have to be reminded to speak clearly. But, I don’t have any problems with my vocabulary words; that many teachers have been impressed with since I started talking at 5. Just because I started talking later in my life, does not mean I wasn’t paying attention and once I started talking, I didn’t stop. My Mom says “He’s making up for lost time”. My Motor Skills have been a little different, My Mom says I have poor muscle tone but, I have strength. She also says I have always had problems with my fine motor skills. I’m very routine oriented and My teachers in school almost knew when I was off my routine because I couldn’t focus on what I needed to do. I have to know what to expect or I have a lot of Anxiety. All in all, All of this makes me the special person that I am.



Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Having Special Needs isn’t a bad thing, It’s just a different thing.

The Christianville Spirit: The Adventures of Flooring

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
June 30, 2010- TCS # 205

So, Yesterday was the near end of something We’ve been dealing with for a while now. You see, It started 2 weeks ago when My Mom first told me that something was leaking and the fact that when she stepped on our hardwood floor, little bits of water was seeping out of it. My Mom came home that night and there was much more water and we found out that it was coming from The Refrigerator. After finding that, My Mom panicked because she didn’t where in the refrigerator it came from. And, The next day, the trial began. First, They had to tear up most of the kitchen hardwood floor which meant there was just gritty concrete in the kitchen. But, oh it gets worse; next, to dry to wet spots they had to put 5 roaring fans and a humidifier. And, I’ll just tell you how loud it was! You see, Normally our TV’s Volume Number during the day sits anywhere between 15 and 20. So, when they were turning on the fans, I was watching ABC’s World News Tonight and my volume was at 17. As each fan went on, I had increase the volume so, I could hear it. By the time, the workers left from Part 1 of the project, the volume was a blasting 35 and even then, I couldn’t hear everything that they were saying. So, eventually I couldn’t take the noise anymore. So, My Mom and I started watching TV in her room. The next day, They had to put a plastic containment border around the kitchen and a little bit of the living room, which the Insurance Company required them to put up instead of humidifying the whole house. So, each time we wanted to get food, drinks, or let the dogs out we had to lower a zipper and go through. And, eventually it came to Watching TV in My Mom’s Room and eating in the edge of the living room. One night, while My Mom and I were watching TV, My Mom says “We’re really bonding as a Family!” and I said “Why do you say that?”, she responds, “Because of My Kidney Stone and now, this”. She was Right about that. So, for the next 4 Days, My Mom and I had to watch TV in her room, eating in living room, and all with fans roaring. The fans were removed one by one until finally they were gone and we celebrated with what My Mom called a “Noise Reduction Cake”. So, After That we had to clean up the house so, that they can pull up the old floors and it left more gritty concrete which really drove me crazy. To top it off, Everything wasn’t in it’s place and they had to keep moving the furniture which really confused me. Which brings us to yesterday, they finally finished to the flooring, it looks really nice. All in all, I am so thankful that it’s over.


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Home Repairs can drive you insane. But, it’s worth it in the end.

The Christianville Spirit: Siblings, The 2nd Most Important People

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

June 23, 2010- TCS # 204

So, I bet a lot of PTLS Families are wondering is who is The Most Important Person besides Their Parents that they need rely on? Their siblings, Their Brothers and/or Sisters. You See, a lot of PTLS Kids rely a lot of their parents because they understand them the most and they help stand up for their child if they need it. But, however though as we get older, The Parents start thinking about one hard question to answer for them, ”Who is going to take care of My Child, if something happens to me?” What makes it hard is that The Parents want to make sure that whoever is left to take care of them will do a good job. Most of the time, when it comes to who to choose for their guardian, which is the person next in line to take care of them can be the secondary parent, the sibling, or aunt/uncle.(depending on who understand them more and can support them) But, the way they choose is that The Parents and The PTLS Child themselves have to know that they can rely on their Brother/Sister to protect and support them. Let’s just say that, The Parents have an emergency out of town that they have to take care of. Who is going to take care of their child? Even as a Young Adult, I need My Brother to understand and watch out for Me. For The Most Part, I can take care of myself but, I still need someone to watch out for me. It’s important to My Mom that My Brother is there for me; I’m sure it’s same for other PTLS Parents. All in all, no matter what age, We still need someone to watch over us.



Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. If you’re a PTLS Family, Cherish The Fact that you have 2 or more Kids because it’ll make that question easier to answer.

The Christianville Spirit: The Oil Spill and Our Beach

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
June 16, 2010- TCS # 203

As most of You know, around this time of year My Mom, Grandma Honey, Myself and other family members are getting excited about our annual Smith Family Beach Vacation in Gulf Shores. But, as you can tell by the news about the oil spill, we’re most likely not going this year and if the oil isn’t stopped soon, likely stop going. Now, My Fellow Readers I can probably say that you’ve heard about and are sick of it. But, I feel it has gone on long enough that I have to say something about it. First of all, My Family’s Traditional Beach that we go to now Black from The Oil. Now, the space between the beach houses and the end of where the water washes up is still white. But, the thing is that is where no one goes there, except during a walk on the beach where you don’t get feet wet. Anyway, all of this oil stuff is making me mad because no one seems to doing anything, I mean I can say that at least BP is doing SOMETHING. But, still I think they should be doing more or either that BP should have let the other Nations like The Netherlands or Norway to help(which they have decided to do now) Anyway, The point is that their ruining 2 things, Our Family’s Beach Tradition and The best beach on the gulf. Actually, I know for sure the beaches spacing from Panama City to Biloxi/Gulfport are the best and most white beaches on the gulf. If you go farther west, The beach’s beauty doesn’t get better until around Corpus Christi and South Padre Island. One of the things that we loved about Gulf Shores were The Dolphins that put on a really good show for us every year, The Crabs that we would watch scurry across the beach, and The Sea Turtles come to nest their eggs every year at the same time, same place. But, now I’m concerned about all of them. All in all, I love my annual trip to the beach and I am really going to miss it.


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish the Places that you visit and Your Family’s Traditions because you never know when you’re going to lose them.

The Christianville Spirit: My Allergy Test

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
June 9, 2010- TCS # 202

So, 2 Days ago, I had to go to ENT because I have headaches all the time and we’re trying to figure out why I’m having them. Anyway, I had to go I had to have an Allergy Test done. Now, I had known for weeks about what it generally was and what was going to happen. But, Boy was I in for a treat. Now, Most People hate needles, including me but, for someone who hates them, this allergy testing was like your worst fears come true. This test had 2 parts to it, The first part, which I was ready for was a caterpillar-like prong with 20 small needles on it and that went on my lower arm(below where you usually have blood drawn) and that went up my arm to that point. After that was done I had to wait 20 Minutes to see if there was any reaction and there were only 2 that I saw. After the results were recorded, It was time for the 2nd part. Now, what they told me it was going to be was that they were going inject a needle just below the skin. Well, I actually assumed that it was going to be one shot, little did I know. So, the test was actually 36 INDIVIDUAL SHOTS. Yes, You heard me right 36! What a Surprise! They made 3 rows on my upper arm. Some of them you couldn’t feel much and other really hurt. The Results of the whole testing were that I was allergic to Cottonwood, Bermuda Grass, and The most surprising to me, Cats. So, all in all, It’s good to at least know what your allergic to so, yourself and others know so, they can prevent you from having an allergic reaction. But, it’s quite a test.


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. If your going to get an allergy test, be ready for it.

The Christianville Spirit: My Mom's Kidney Stone

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
June 2, 2010- TCS # 201

So, On the Eve of my 200th Newsletter, I got up on Tuesday and everything was normal. I was having my lunch and my brother was sitting with me eating his lunch. That was until my Aunt Kathy came in and told me and my brother that My Mom was sick and had pains in her belly. So, I walk in to My Mom’s room to see if she was ok and she was laying across her bed in a curled position, quivering in pain. I asked her if she was ok and she said in a quivery voice, “No” and I asked her how I could help and she told me to put my hand on her lower back for pressure which actually helped. She turned out okay after an hour or so. Now, this wasn’t the case but, I actually thought that she was pregnant but she wasn’t. She was fine for the next couple days until she felt the same way again on Friday. But, this time Kathy and Michael weren’t around to help. Kathy was probably doing a massage and Michael was at Work. So, I was the only one at home with My Mom quivering in pain. This time since there wasn’t any help around, I panicked. I was so close to calling 911 because I didn’t know what was going on. I tried the stuff I knew, Ask Questions about how it started and if she had called anyone. She had told me she had called Kathy to let her know and so, I called her again saying “My Mom’s having an attack again” and she replied “I know”. so, there I was the only one at home and My Mom having what I called an “Attack” and waiting for Kathy to come over again. Aside from having my hand on her side, I felt so helpless because I didn’t know what to do and even if I called 911 which I was so close to doing, I thought to myself “I know the main parts of calling 911, You have the address, important details on if you have animals to watch for so the people are prepared.” but, then I thought, ”How do I describe what’s wrong with My Mom” well, after a little while of waiting Kathy comes over and help My Mom with this one. On Saturday, we decided to have a Garage Sale and she was fine all day. That was until around 5 o’ clock when My Mom and her long-time friend Judy began making plans for a cook-out that evening. But, then it happened again. But, this time I was more prepared for it. So, I did the same thing and while My Mom told me to look up “Kidney Stones”. So, I looked it up and read the symptoms, meanwhile Judy came to get My Mom to the Emergency Room. At about 11 PM she comes homes with 4 Band-Aids on her arms because she had been poked 4 times because they couldn’t find her vein. So, I was right and it was a 5mm Kidney Stone that she named Baby Huey. Since her diagnosis, she had several more “attacks”. Poor Mom! During this ordeal I felt helpless, sad, and sick to see My Mom like that. I was scared to death of what was happening with My Mom. I made me have an emotional crying/worrying spell and I was afraid she was going to die, stay in the hospital for several days and there wouldn’t be enough food for me to eat. My Mom had to assure me that she was not going to die, there would be food and people to take care of me, and that I did a lot to help her. And, in the end while I was crying to her, she told me I saved her life and I was the biggest help to her. All in all, this is has been an experience with how I deal with Emergencies. Though My Mom still chuckles when she thinks about the time she is quivering in pain and My OCD kicks in. She asked me to bring her medicine and stay and push on her back. But, I had to take the medicine back to the medicine cabinet, reminding you that I walk slow everywhere, before I could go rub her back. That’s just the way I am.




Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. I hear having a baby is less painful that giving birth to a Kidney Stone. I don’t want to experience either.

The Christianville Spirit: (TCS Series) My Readers

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
May 26, 2010- TCS # 200

OK, Everyone it’s time for the 6th and final Installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “All Thanks to You”. But, First. This is my 200th Newsletter of The Christianville Spirit. You See, Little did I know that My Newsletter would be so popular and read by as many people as I thought it would be. You see, The Christianville Spirit started as an emailed newsletter being emailed to a couple Family Members and Friends. As the life of My Newsletter grew on, I changed my writing from every now and then to every other week. Then, as My Readership started to grow more. I decided to pick a day of the week to write and of course, I chose the day I write on now, Wednesday. This Newsletter itself has had changes as well. I went from just writing about whatever was going on in my life and News in Christianville, to writing Inspirational Articles on something I saw on TV, Heard on The News, Discussions I had with My Mom or Brother and how I viewed events in life and feelings behind it. But, before I ramble on too much about The History of My Newsletter, I’m going to thank the very people who keep me writing and keep this newsletter going. So, without further a due This is The Christianville Spirit Series, “All Thanks to You”. So, For the finale of the series, I’m going to thank YOU, My Readers because you mean so much to Me. So, anyway, The First Thing I Thank You for is Taking time to learn about me, my special needs, and not judging. I know My Grammar is not the best, as I just had to correct the way I spelled “Grammer”, so, The next thing I thank you for tolerating my need to capitalize words. The next thing I want to thank you for is thinking enough to share it with your family and friends. At the end of every newsletter that I’ve ever written, I write My trademark ending “Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit”, This is The MOST Important thing I thank you for because I really mean, Thank You for Reading The Christianville Spirit. All in all, If I could hug all of you wonderful readers, I would. Take this hug and know you are loved.


Thanks for Reading The 200th Edition of The Christianville Spirit. What a day to Celebrate to the 200th Newsletter and being blessed by God, Family, Friends, and Readers.

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series): PTLS Families

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
May 19, 2010- TCS # 199

Ok, Everyone it’s time for the 5th Installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “All Thanks to You”. Now, before I get to the people I’m going to thank, If you have been following me and my newsletter since the beginning, next week’s newsletter is going to my 200th Newsletter of The Christianville Spirit and I’m very excited about it. And, of course, I’m going to end the “All Thanks to You” Series with a bang. Anyway, back to the people I’m going to thank. So, without further a due this is The Christianville Spirit Series, “All Thanks to You”. For this installment, I’m going to thank an entire union of people, The Families of The PTLS Union. You see, as PTLS Families are diagnosed, We add another wonderful family to what I’m going to call “The Union of PTLS Families” Anyway, so the first thing that I’m going to give thanks for are the parents for is even bringing your child for the study they have in Houston. Which as I went through myself isn’t that easy for the child or the parent. But, However it’s really worth it nowadays, because we have about 30 Families, More or Less who went through the study which we now can gain more information about PTLS. But, when I was diagnosed, there wasn’t much support or information because their weren’t any families. The next thing I thank them for is telling other people about PTLS because then, we get more families to support and support us. The next thing I thank them for is reading My Newsletter because I hear that it helps them be inspired and uplifted about their child when they grow up. I’m Happy to know that a lot of people need to read what I’m writing because most of the families who have children or a Young Adults to be able to see through the eyes of someone with PTLS, and let’s face it, it’s better than being left in the “unknown”. Anyway, another thing I want to thank them for is coming to The PTLS Conference in Houston last summer. But, for those who didn’t come, know there will be others in the future and of course know that we in “The Union of PTLS Families” love and support you. The Most Important Thing I thank them for is Loving their Children who they are. All in all, I Thank all the families for being part of “The Union of PTLS Families”.


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Though it may not have been your choice, You are a part of a wonderful Community of PTLS Families which I call a Union.

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series): PTLS Doctors and Staff

The Christianville Spirit The Spirit that Inspires YouMay 12, 2010- TCS # 198

Ok, Everyone. It’s time for the 4th Installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “All Thanks to You”. For this Installment I’m going to thank a group of people that rarely get thanked and that is Doctors and their Staff. The thing is, Doctors and Staff rarely get thanked for the things they do. Unfortunately, the only time Doctors get thanked when the patient is appreciative . But, you see the Doctors/Staff that I’m Talking about aren’t just any Doctors, They’re the Doctors/Staff of The PTLS Union. There are the very baseline of the Special Needs known as Potocki-Lupski Syndrome( also known as a duplication of Chromosome 17p11.2) so, without further a due, This is The Christianville Spirit Series “All Thanks to You”, the Doctors and Staff of The PTLS Union. The First thing I want to thank them for is putting me through the study to find this duplication in Me. Because, that is why I’m so unique and rare. You see, if it weren’t for them, I could have just been diagnosed with just Autism or unknown, nothing else. The 2nd thing I thank them for all their hard work in discovering everything about PTLS. The 3rd thing I thank them for is for putting together a website so people can learn more about all the things related to it. So, then Parents can know if their child or young adult has PTLS. The 4th thing I want to thank them for is having the first PTLS conference in Houston to bring all the PTLS families to come together, meet, and support each other. The next and most important thing that I want to thank them for is finally naming my duplication Because I feel that it’s easier to say that you have PTLS instead of “a duplication of Chromosome 17”. Anyway, My duplication was actually named by both Dr. Potocki and Dr. Lupski in March 2007. All in all, the people I’m thanking are Dr. Potocki, Dr. Lupski, Patti Furman, and All the other doctors involved because they are awesome.


Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Thank a Doctor every now and then. Because they are there to heal you.

The Christianville Spirit: (TCS Series): The Smith Family

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
May 5, 2010- TCS # 197

Ok, Everyone. It’s time for the 3rd Installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “All Thanks to You”. For this installment, I’m not only going to thank one person but, a whole group of people, The Smith Family. So, Without further a due this is The Christianville Spirit Series, “All Thanks to You” on The Smith Family. Now, to give you a little info. about The Smith Family, they are on My Mom’s side of the family, most of them live in the Eastern US. Here’s an interesting fact, If you put where they live on a map, they turn out to live on a straight line. (usually, near I-75, which I affectionately called “ The Smith Alignment”.) Anyway, The first thing I thank them, Mainly Grandma Honey with this one, is giving My Brother and I an awesome, classy Mom. The next thing I thank them for is for even being so classy because if they weren’t, then they could be disrespectful and rude to everyone. Now, this next thing I thank them for may sound funny to you but, I thank them for also looking so good and being loving to everyone. Funny enough, In our family we affectionately called it “The Smith Curse”, though I call it “The Smith Blessing”. and, of course the most important thing is understanding and supporting me with my special needs. All in all, The Smith Family are an awesome, loving family and I love being in it.


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish The Family You Have and Have a Happy Cinco de Mayo

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series) My Brother

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
April 28, 2010 - TCS # 196

Ok, Everyone. It’s time for the 2nd Installment of The Christianville Spirit Series, “All Thanks to You”. For this installment of this series I’m going to thank a person that I live with everyday at home, My Brother Michael. So, without further a due this The Christianville Spirit Series, “All Thanks to You”; Now, My Brother has quite a busy life. He’s got College Classes with tons of Homework and of course, working at Market Street. But, anyway the first thing I want to thank him for was for something he did back in High School. You see, it was his job to drive me home everyday from School since I can’t drive because of my reaction time and wanting to look at all the sites. The second thing I thank him for is having me fit in and sometimes hang out with his friends. Sometimes (usually in the week of Final Exams) when he took me home from school, my brother, myself, and some of his friends would go eat lunch or even one time we hung out at the mall for a while. The next thing and probably the most important thing I thank him for was coming with My Mom and I to Houston for The PTLS Conference. Instead of going home or going to Atlanta with my Uncle Bruce. And, after the conference he actually understood things about Potocki-Lupski Syndrome, and that really touched me. The final thing I thank him for was taking me to the Myerson Symphony Center to see the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Because that concert that really fun. All in all here, I have quite an awesome brother who loves me a lot as I love him.


Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Everybody needs a Brother like My Brother Michael.

The Christianville Spirit:(TCS Series): My Mom

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
April 21, 2010- TCS # 195

When was the last time you thanked someone? Was it someone in The Army, Your Parents, Your Brother or Sister, or some stranger you met? Well, that got my thinking, thanking the people in my life that should be thanked every now and then. So, I’m deciding that since my 200th edition of The Christianville Spirit is short approaching, I should do a “Thank You” series leading up to it. So, here we go. I’m calling this The Christianville Spirit Series, “All Thanks to You”. So, without further a due, This is The Christianville Series, “All Thanks to You”. Now, this person I’m going to thank for the 1st Installment of this series is the most important of my life, My Mother. Now, don’t get my wrong, I thank My Mom all the time. But, I think she deserves a huge thank you that more than just “Thanks for Dinner” and “Thanks for taking me down some road or to some town”. So, the First thing I thank My Mom for is even giving birth to me. So, that I can be the light of the world and help lots of families with something that I didn’t know I had until I was around 9 Years old which is Potocki-Lupski Syndrome. Then, the second thing is giving me an awesome childhood by having us live with Mr. Jeff. Because otherwise My Childhood would be boring and stuck inside a fence or a single street like most of the kids in Plano have. Of course, there’s also thanking her for all the numerous road trips either down a new street or to a town I haven’t been to. I know, I’ve told you, my readers many times before but, My Mom took to a town called Texarkana which by the way, 3 Hours away from Plano in one day. Next, is one of the most important reason to thank her and that is that she understands me and My Special Needs. And, of course, when I have a problem, she helps me with it. Another thing tying to My Special Needs, she helped My Brother understand about My Special Needs and that most likely touched me the most. But, most importantly I just thank her for being My Mom. All in all here, My Mom is such an awesome Mom beyond belief and needs to be thanked every now and then.


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Thank the people in your life for the things they do for you, because if you don’t they may stop.

The Christianville Spirit: My Great Grandma Mimi

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
April 14, 2010- TCS # 194

For those for you who know or about to find out, My Great Grandma Mimi passed away early Sunday morning. My Great Grandma Mimi (who I refer to as “Grandma Mimi”) was actually 94 Years Old. You see, My Grandma Mimi was a very strong women and she was famous in our family for that. In my eyes, from what I knew of her she was famous for two things. First, according to My Mom, when she washed the dishes after dinner, she would not just use hot water and it’s done. My Grandma Mimi would have the water soo hot that lot of steam would be coming from the sink. The second thing she was famous for was her health. In Fact, she was by far the healthiest person in our family. Each time that we would talk about her, I would always say that she was “As Healthy as a Horse”. Now, My Grandma Mimi was also a person of tradition, in fact whenever, there was a death, birthday, wedding, or other big event, My Mom, Grandma Honey, and others went to one Italian restaurant to celebrate and have a good old fashioned Italian Family 5 course dinner. The 2nd to last time that I saw Grandma Mimi was a couple years ago at that same restaurant for a surprise party for her 90th Birthday. At the party, each of us kids (My Brother, me, and some of my cousins) had a job to do. Like My job was to welcome everyone to the party. Anyway, the part I remember the most was when she whispered in my ear, “You’re My Favorite Great Grandson”. But, I didn’t realize of how grateful I am because not many people get to see their Great Grandmothers because most of the time, they pass away either when you were young or not even born yet. And, I got to see My Great Grandma into my 20’s. So, if that doesn’t tell you how healthy she is, I don’t know what will. All in all, Great Grandma Mimi or just “Grandma Mimi” she was quite and awesome one. And, by the way, adding to her health record, her sister is nearing 100 and she is still alive!


Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. If your Great Grandma is still alive, cherish what you have while you have it.

This Week’s The Christianville Spirit is dedicated in memory of My Great Grandma Mimi.

The Christianville Spirit: My Out-of-Nowhere Questions

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
April 7, 2010- TCS # 193

For those of you that know me really well. I will sometimes out-of-nowhere ask a question that makes you really think and this question is no different. It started when I was watching Entertainment Tonight, watching a combination of Sandra Bullock’s divorce with Jesse James and Kate Gosling’s performance on Dancing with the Stars when a thought came to my mind as I watched the show and I glanced over at My Mom’s Cell Phone. And, then I asked “Hey Mom, Let me ask you a question.” I went on. “If it was possible to call any celebrity (TV, Movies, or Weather people) what would you tell them?” After I asked her, she didn’t know what to say. So, I told her” do you want to hear what I would say?” She says Yes, I continued” I would call Sandra Bullock. I would tell her that everything is going to be fine, everyone loves her (including me), and that I’m on her side with what happening with her.” And, now I’m going to ask you, My Readers the same question. If it were possible for you to call any celebrity (From TV, Movies, Others), what would you say to them? If you would like to answer this question, you can email me or Send me a comment on this newsletter, I would love to hear from you. All in all, Celebrities are people too, even though they are famous.


Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Don’t judge people, because they may have something good to say to you.

The Christianville Spirit: Democracy Index

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
March 31, 2010- TCS # 192

So, one day I decided to learn more about The European Union because Europe, to me is the most interesting part of the world to me. Anyway, at one point I was reading about European Union International Relations and they mentioned about countries with different governments. Well, that led me to learn about all the different types of Government. And, finally that led me to a list from the author, The Economist called The Democracy Index. The Democracy Index ranks countries to their “State of Democracy“. They put the statistics by five general categories: Electoral Process and Pluralism, Civil Liberties, Functioning of Government, Political Participation, and Political Culture. Anyway, each country is given a score from 0 to 10 and the rank comes with the score. Also, next to score and rank they put one of the countries on the categories of “Full Democracy”, “Flawed Democracy”, “Hybrid Regimes”, and “Authoritarian Regimes”. (By the way, everything to “Hybrid Regimes” is Democracies) So, this is what I found, I’m going to give you to top 5 best; Sweden is 1st with a score of 9.88, Norway is 2nd-9.68, Iceland is 3rd- 9.65, Netherlands is 4th-9.53, and Denmark is 5th-9.52. And, here are a couple others…
Canada: 11th Place
Germany: 13th Place
Austria: 14th Place
Japan: 17th Place
United States: 18th Place
The Very Worst Country is North Korea with a score of 0.86
So, as you can tell these are the Ranks and Scores in the Democracy Index. After reading all of this, I was surprised by the scores because My Country, The United States was a higher score because it’s the democracy leader of the world. So, I wonder why the Europeans are more of a democracy than us. All in all, Each Respective Country has its own government and way of life. And, it’s very interesting to me to learn about.


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. If you want learn more about The Democracy Index or see where your country, go to wikipedia.org and search “Democracy Index”

The Christianville Spirit: The Orchestra Adventure

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
March 24, 2010-TCS # 191

So, Last Saturday Night, My Brother and I decided to go see a performance at a place called The Myerson Symphony Center in the Arts District of Dallas to see The Dallas Symphony Orchestra. You see, My Brother takes a Music Appreciation Class and they told him that he had to go see a performance of some kind. So, He and I decided to go see this one. Now, I have never been to this place or even seen an orchestra performance. I mean, I watched a little bit of Boston Pops Orchestra one time on the 4th of July on TV. But, other than that, I haven’t seen one. Anyway, after walking around inside the Symphony Center, My Brother had go to a nice prelude lecture from his teacher about what we were going to hear, what inspired them, and where they were from. The People’s music we where going to here from was Back, Mozart, and Handel. My Brother’s Teacher taught us a lot about the different artists. The one I remember the most was Bach because the teacher showed a map of where he went to. She showed us that Bach moved all over Germany but, the main city he was in was a town called Leipzig which is south of Hannover and Berlin. Back then, he lived in West Germany which had a mix of Western German and Eastern French Culture. So, that is the origin of his music. The thing I remember from the Mozart part was that he was born in Hannover, Germany and he traveled to Italy many times. The part of Handel was that he made music for what was known as The Royal Family Fireworks which was a fireworks show put on in Green Park in London for the royal family. Now, just so you know Green Park is just north of Buckingham Palace. But, in the time period of Handel, Buckingham Palace wasn’t even built yet. So, after the prelude lecture, it was time to go to watch the show. The Show was actually really awesome and what amazed me the most was how fast their fingers moved across the violin. In the middle of the show, they brought out a 17 year old solo violin artist who was really good. In fact, one time she actually won an award for how good she was. After the performance, as we walked out it was snowing and I got to see what the place next door, The Winspear Opera House looked like in the dark and it lit up beautifully. So, all in all here, the performance was really awesome and it was cool to spend time with My Brother. I would recommend everyone to go see the orchestra.


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Spend time with your family, even if it’s the one you see everyday.

The Christianville Spirit: Remembering Our Childhood

The Christianville Spirit
The Spirit that Inspires You
March 17, 2010- TCS # 190

So, Last Saturday, our childhood friend Meredith Herrick told us that she was going to have her 21st birthday party that night and not a lot of her friends were coming because Spring Break already happened for them. So, we decided we would go because we haven‘t seen them in a while and we should go see them. Now, keep in mind here that the last time we saw them was like 3 years ago. So, in a way it was sort of a reunion to see each other again after 3 years and a party for Meredith. Anyway, it was quite a surprise to see everyone all grown up. Like for example, the last time I saw my childhood friend, Brooke she was 13 years old, now she’s 16 years old and she looks prettier and taller than before. Whitney and Meredith look pretty as ever. Their younger sister Katherine is very smart and funny. After most of the people at the party left, all of us got to reminisce about our wonderful childhood we had and of course, the highlight of it, The Trampoline we had. In fact, Brooke told me that it was so special to her that she even wrote about it in a school paper recently about her Favorite Childhood Memory. Well, with such a great childhood like we had, there is a lot to remember about it. I mean, we had lived on a cul-de-sac; we had a trampoline to jump on, The Park, an Occasional Bike Ride, and the best of all, Four Yards and a Creek to run through without any fences. It’s kind of sad to think that a lot of kids don’t get to have the childhood we had because their surrounded by fences or have no one to play with so, their stuck playing Video Games inside. All in all, we had an awesome childhood and it was great to reminisce about it.


Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. If you had or have a great childhood, remember it and cherish it, forever.