The Christianville Spirit: What's it's like having PTLS

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

November 28, 2012-TCS # 327

So, This Week’s Newsletter is a PTLS Parent-submitted idea that I’m going to take a shot at. You See, The question does come up every now and then about “What is it like to have PTLS” or “Why do you love having PTLS.” Now, for Me, I’ve lived through it my whole life but, I found out when I was 8 Years Old. The Doctors and My Mom told me I was unique and that I had something called a “Duplication of Chromosome 17” but, again in my 8 Year Old mind, I just understood that I was unique in some way. I was very proud to say what I had (and, I still am proud) but, I had a hard time explaining it to people, yes even Today. Of Course, My “PTLS Sister” will tell you what she has and tells you what she knows about it and says to “look it up”. Quite Frankly, though, I think that’s the best idea to do. However, when I was a High School age, we didn’t have a website or let alone ANY Information about it. Now, to answer the question of “What is it Like to have PTLS?” to me, It’s not a big deal that I have Special Needs (I am aware of it though) because I believe it makes me, Me. The best part about it that makes it a big deal is having PTLS Family Members all over The World. Of Course, with everything, it has Pros and Cons about it, just like Chicago O’Hare vs. Chicago Midway Airport, Irrelevant I know, but I wanted to stick that in there. Generally though, There are some wonderful perks to it, like that You don’t judge People by their looks or their story because we see the good in People, We have No Filter, which can be a good thing or bad thing depending on who you are listening to, and we love anyone and everyone, unless they really hurt us, then we don’t understand why people would be so Mean. If it were up to us, we would hug every person that looks Sad or who just feels sad. Then, there are the not-so-perky parts of it; the #1 less-perky thing about PTLS is the Anxiety. Anxiety can come from different sources like Trying New Things, the Doctor’s Office, or Irrational Fears. By The Way, We do have Irrational Fears that we go through, where it comes out of nowhere, strikes, and then goes away after a while. The next thing is Imitating, which can be Good or Bad depending on who or what your imitating. And the final one, It’s a pain when people look down on you, as if you are dumber or less-able than them, It’s where and why people call us, the dreaded R-Word. At Least, for me I get offended whether someone calls me the R-Word directly or indirectly. Even if they use it in a funny way like “That’s R-Worded” to mean that something is funny (I’ll save you from hearing or reading the word itself, but you get the point). Bottom line, I Hate that word. And Yes, I had a friend who did that a lot and I’m sure still does. So, He’s not My Friend anymore. As far as, Why do I Love it? Because it makes me unique and I love my “Uniqueness” plus, there are lots of Understanding PTLS Members all over The World and it gives me an excuse to visit those places. Understanding though, is the Most Important (I mean it with emphasis) part of having PTLS or Having someone with PTLS, whether it’s your son, daughter, cousin, or friend. Unfortunately, in some families, including my own, it’s hard for people to Understand. If you have Friends or Family that do understand, Never let them go and cherish them, because they will be your ringleader and on Team “Insert Child’s Name Here.” You need Cheerleaders in the times when we are Bullied or made fun of. I know I had Friends that protected me when I was younger but, didn’t know why. I didn’t know what a bully was until I got older. Now, I’m aware when people aren’t being nice. But, it doesn’t happen very often, thank goodness. So, all in all, just because people see me as being “Special” doesn’t mean, I’m not able.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Embrace your Uniqueness because We are all special in our own way.         

The Christianville Spirit: Christian's Best Friends' Festival 2012

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Open Your Eyes

November 21, 2012-TCS # 326

So, Around this time every year, I have a Festival from November 16-20 called Christian’s Best Friends’ Festival. What is Christian’s Best Friends’ Festival, You ask? I like to tell people that It’s My Way of thanking the friends that I have. You See, In my made-up City of Christianville (Hence the name of This Newsletter and Where it is from), I have this festival in which is spread out over 5 Days, with “Days” to honor my Friends and on these days I have a theme for them which includes the things that they like. For instance, I named the first day after My Brother, Michael (after the name had been changed, over and over). On Michael Day, besides the opening of the festival and Presentation of Friends, I follow it with “The Parade of Michael Centeno” which has all the things My Brother likes on floats, including Michael himself. However, the “Friends Days” aren’t the only way of honoring my friends; I honor them by the Presentation and Introduction of Friends. The Presentation of Friends is for not only the ones with themed days but, also a count of the long-standing friends. The fun part then comes with the Introduction of Friends, which means the friends that I made that year, like Sabrina Yep and Ken Lu (“My Museum Buddies”); Sam & Vickie Sample and Kytha Higgins(“My Train-Riding Buddies”); My PTLS “Sister”, Danielle; My #1 Fan, Lynne Neff; My Neighbor Woody & Robin; Neighbors down the street, Paul & Alyson, as well our other neighbors that join in our “2nd Saturday Gathering”, just to name a few that were introduced. I have had this Festival in Christianville for 7 Years now; It’s an honor to me to have the great friends that I do and I’m sure it’s an honor to them that I honor them. It’s Important to me to thank them and to show how important THEY are to ME. Wouldn’t it be a nice world if we honored our friends for a week-long celebration? For You, PTLS Parents, I would like to explain how I celebrate this. First, I have it marked on all my calendars, saying either “Christian’s Best Friends‘ Festival” or the festival Name and who’s day it is. The night before, I put up “Day Markers” that tell me who’s day it is on the wall. The Morning of, I wake up and I make the announcements in my head, which is like talking on the radio, of all the festivities and the sounds that go with it (like Cheering, The Band, The Sounds of the Doors Opening as the people walk through them, The Voice of the announcer on the street, announcing “Ladies and Gentlemen...”). Again, In My Head, I listen to the Christianville Radio Station,     97.9 WPSKI (call letters meaning Potocki-LupSKI), on this Radio Station, they have a Morning Show from 7-9AM called “What’s Going On Here?!?!”, with the Tag Line, “Christianville’s News & Laugh Show”. Every Day but, Friday, they say, “Good Morning, Christianville! Today is (says Day and Date) and Here’s Your News” and on Fridays, they say in an excited way, “Gooooood Morning, Christianville!!, It’s Friiiidddayyy!”. From there, they tell you the news which includes what’s going on in the Best Friends‘ Festival. So, Parents, If you’re wondering, what your child might be talking to themselves about, they might be just having their own wonderful festival. All in all, The Festival was a great success this year.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Everyone should thank their friends in a Special Way.    

The Christianville Spirit: Being Classy is Cool

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

November 14, 2012-TCS # 325

So, This Week I’m going to discuss something that My Family, being The Smith Family cares about. It’s about how much Class you have, which has nothing to do with where you live, how much money you have or don’t have, what your job is, the color of your skin, who your married to, or anything else like that. It means how you handle yourself. Now Honestly, I’ll tell you I wish there wasn’t a divider like Class and everyone was Loving, Good, and Real, that’s the way I see it. Now, for those who wonder, I will never judge you based on that, you’ll still be a friend to me. The only exception to that rule is if your hateful, bullying people, or dabbling into Trouble. Trouble which I wouldn’t want to go down that road. In Our Family, Whenever someone is behaving in a bad manner, we say, “That’s Low Class.” To us, though, having Class is a very important part of what makes people so charm-able. In Fact, My Grandma Honey calls it, “Being Genuine and Real” because everyone is attracted to these people because they are Warm, Loving, and Welcome Everyone.  Anyway, I made up my own Class Scale to determine how Classy someone is or isn’t, again I should note here, No Judging. This is purely my own. So, it’s numbered from 100.0 to 0.0, 100 being the Most Classy and 0 being the Least Classy. So, here is the Class Scale,

• From 100.0 to 85.5 are the “Highest Class” of People, very behaved, very loving and very real. They are the people who are very honest, Good Morals and Values, They try to make people feel good, and Good People in the community. They are the person everyone loves. I would put myself, as well as Many PTLSers on that list.
• Next, we move into the “Classy” stage, 85.4 to 65.5, These people are Classy, a little less behaved, this margin is where people start being less honest, less caring, and less liked
• Then, we move into the “Mid-Class”, 65.4 to 45.5, These People are less real and genuine, Behavior can swing from good to bad, when they talk, it’s questionable whether they are telling the truth or lying, they are clever liars and people don’t want to be around them as much.
• After That, is the “Low Class” margin, 45.4 to 25.5, These people are always calling people names, lying to people, don’t care about people’s feelings, hurt people and animals, and this makes God really upset
• Finally, the “Bottom of The Barrel” as My Mom would say or “the Lowest of The Low”, 25.4 to 0.0, These people are the murders, the thieves, they abuse Animals and People, Have a hard time being excepted by other people. These people need a lot of love to help them.

So, I make it my job and I hope you do to, to help bring people up the scale of class. All in all, I say, “All we need is Love!”

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. In the words of My Mom, she tells me, “Life is like a box of chocolates, each piece needs to be eaten and not left behind!”  

    

The Christianville Spirit: If I were President

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

November 7, 2012-TCS # 324

So, Considering that Everyone is talking about and sharing their view on US Politics, I figure that I would put my own twist on it. However, instead of writing all about The Election and The President, I’m going to take a different road. You See, the thought occurred in my mind sometime ago and then, I was reminded when I read the wonderful post on Facebook about Daniel Honda for President. I was really excited and thought, “YEA! A PTLS Child for President!”. So, I thought of what I would do if I were President of The United States. So, here we go, what would I do if I was President. Of Course, there are many things going on that I could change, for instance, I would make sure that Everyone had Health Insurance, that they could choose on their own and If it comes from the job they have, then they can choose from what the company does or what you want. For Illegal Immigration, I would have a “Stay or Leave” Condition, which meant that If you want to stay here in The US, You must get citizenship, Pay Taxes, and Speak at least Half English compared to your native language. I would love for you to keep some of your language to add a little flavor to the culture pot of America. If you choose not to do those things, (not to sound mean or anything but..) then you will need to go back home and come back for a visit. In the Jobs Sector, I would encourage people to find what their passion is or what they love to do and go after it. My Belief is that if You go after your passion then, Everyone will have a Job to do. I would really make sure though that Jobs stay here and Things are made here in America. In the Debt, I would cut spending and Tax heavy on the bad stuff like Trans Fat, High Fructose Corn Syrup (yes, that’s a big word; I know it because My Mom and Brother mention it a lot) and Cigarettes which would make the Government money and which in turn would Pay off the debt. I would incorporate Hugs as Currency in exchange for some things like Groceries, Electricity, Water, and Phone Bill. I would incorporate a PTLS Holiday called “PTLS Awareness Day” to be on March 7 because it was the day that PTLS (Potocki-Lupski Syndrome) was named. People with Special Needs would get the services they need and their seen as Honorary Members of Society. I would believe that if you say your going to do something, you do something. It’s called “Say what you mean and Mean what you say.” The next one most people don’t think about until it is brought up to them, I would make that there were Anti-Bulling and Anti-Hatred Laws in Every State. Truth is, there is quite a bit of separation in our country, let alone The World because of Bulling and Hatred. I Mean, without Hatred we would all get along and be at peace with The World and the funny thing would be The World would be at peace with all of us. After all the debt is paid off, I would make sure that those really poor countries like Haiti and Nations in Africa would get money and food to help them until they sustain themselves. As for The Military, I would pull them out of Afghanistan and elsewhere for 2 reasons. 1. To give them a little break to be with their families and 2. I read in a magazine once that the less countries we occupy, the less we get attacked and the less Suicide Bombings. Then, there’s Oil. The World would use it until it’s gone and then, we switch to Vegetables and then, to Hemp, because Hemp powered cars much better than Oil or Vegetables. Finally with Social Security, I would keep both Medicaid and Medicare. Considering that Everyone would have a Job and Health Insurance including those with Special Needs, not many People would have to have it, only the people who really need it like the elderly. I can tell you though that things will certainly be organized with me as President, because of My OCD and needing structure and needing routine. Things like the Tax Code would be so simple because I would bring the code down to 1 Page instead of the 100’s, you could do it in an hour. All in all, Things would be very simple, Organized, and Loving...if I were President. Of Course, it wouldn’t be a good team without Daniel Honda as Vice President.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. PTLS for President!     

The Christianville Spirit: A Look through My Eyes

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

October 31, 2012-TCS # 323

So, Happy Halloween, Everyone! Halloween is not really my favorite holiday but, Happy Halloween anyway. So, there’s something I haven’t mentioned in a while about Having PTLS. You See, it came with a question when My Mom was talking with her friend about her concern if I could see in 3D or Not. I thought to myself, “Do I see in 3D?” and “What is 3D?”. As far as I knew, it was a type of movie and I know when I see those kind of movies, it hurts my eyes. Well, the truth is that I never really thought of it. I mean, I didn’t really know the meaning of “Can I see in 3D?” Well, the thing of it is, is that we PTLSers have vision problems sometimes. Like when lights are flashing like a Strobe Light or flashes of light on TV, it bothers my eyes and I squint, and when I was younger, I would cover my eyes with my arm. The sunlight would really bother me when I was younger, to the point where it would make me close my eyes. Now, I have 2 pairs of Glasses that I switch out, I have my sunglasses for the daytime and Prescription   Glasses for inside and at nighttime. The Prescription Glasses are so I can see far away better. When I was Young, the eye doctor told My Mom that I was not able to pick up 3D images and had poor depth perception. It has only been recently that I have become aware of what this all means. Here’s an example; So, When My Brother took me to school with him, I was looking at different art pieces in the Art Hall of where he was. People had to make figures from wire without cutting it and I was looking for My Brother’s Project and I had a hard time seeing the object that was made out of the wire, Because the object was in 3D. So, a couple years ago, there was an event that was in 3D on TV which required that you had to get 3D glasses to watch this. When I put the glass on, it bothered me because one side I saw red and other side I saw blue. So, it didn’t make sense to me that these were red and blue  and it didn’t help with what I was looking at. My Mom used to say that when I was younger, I would stare at a shelf on a wall and look at it from all angles, studying very hard. She would wonder how I was seeing it, since I wasn’t talking yet and I couldn’t tell her what I was doing. Another Example is when My Mom and I drove to Houston for a PTLS Conference, My Mom noticed a building that she was fascinated by in Downtown Houston, she pointed it out to me but, I couldn’t understand she was so excited because to me it looked like a flat building. All in all, Vision is a crazy thing because you never know how you see things is how others see things.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Take a look through My Eyes. You’ll be another world! 

The Christianville Spirit: Conversation about My Anxieties

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

October 24, 2012-TCS # 322

So, Last Thursday, My Mom and I had one of the best talks we’ve had in a while. However, as My Uncle Bruce would call it, “The context of it” wasn’t that fun and happening at the time it was happening. Now, don’t worry it’s not bad, I promise! You See, about 2 weeks ago, My Mom told me that I had a Dentist Appointment on Thursday, The 18th. She let me know so I would be prepared and not spring up on me like “Oh, by the way...We’re going to The Dentist today.” Now, the reason she told me is because having predictability is essential to us PTLSers because we don’t focus without it. Not only that but, the Anxiety increases as well. On the other hand, when I know about it, I obsess about it and I get anxious about it. So, usually when I’m told in advance, I get nervous and fret about it until the day of. Bottom line, I’m nervous the most the night before, the morning of, and when the event starts. So, that brings me to This Afternoon (it was Thursday when I wrote this). So, I was nervous as usual and we discovered that the appointment was an hour later than she thought, so we had time talk, but it also gave me more time to be worried. Here is how the talk began. You see, Everyone, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE having PTLS and I wouldn’t give it up for anything, Nothing! However, there are parts of the behaviors that I would love to get rid, that one being Anxiety and, that was one of the first thing I told My Mom. So, she was wondering if I sit during this extra hour of waiting, and do nothing, does it help with my Anxiety? Unfortunately, No. In fact it only makes it worse because I obsess about it even more, because I know, wether I sit still and Watch TV or check Facebook, whatever the event is, it is still going to happen. So, she suggested that we hop in the car, start driving toward the Dentist’s Office and keep moving. So, we started discussing, how I feel about my anxiety and methods on how I can get through it and how she could help me get through it. This ha always been something she wondered about if she handled me the right way when I was a Child. As far as the sitting still or delaying it, that only makes me frustrated because it just means the event in question is still in your face and it’s not going to move unless you go through it. So, then comes the question of “should I tell you about a week before or be like, Surprise! We’re doing This”(in this case, “You and I are going to The Dentist, right now.”) I told her that it would be a Defiance of Trust to me if she didn’t give me enough warning. Remember though that My Mom and I have a good relationship, I tell her what’s going on with me and she tells me some of the stuff going on with her. So, how would I tell the difference when someone says, “Let’s get in the Car”; does it mean that your going out to Dinner, to The Movies maybe, on a Drive (which I love to do), or going to The Doctor to get your blood drawn. So I told her, that I have to know about it because I need predictability and predictable outcomes. Now, It may make me nervous, physically sick to my stomach and fret to no end, but it’s better for me to know than be surprised with something like that. The only thing is that it is frustrating is to know I am going to get sick (which is very ugly, loud and embarrassing) to know that you can’t get around it. So, then the problem comes, when the event happens, what do you (the parents & Kids) do? Well, that’s the part that gets me emotionally confused (and it had me very emotional talking about). Whether you ease into it slowly or be outfront about it, just make me do it. When it comes to Doctors, Dentists, and Needles, the best thing is just do it, be direct, but with a gentle firmness that gets it over with quickly. Once I get through it, I am fine. Now, I know PTLS Parents are wondering, “But, I don’t want to force it on them!”. Well, the thing is, you don’t have to force but, you have to push a little bit. I mean, as I told My Mom, “If you didn’t push while I was worried and getting sick to my stomach, then I wouldn’t have given a Love Note to Ali and she wouldn’t have known that I liked her” Other examples, I would never have learned to swim, go down a slide, snow ski, or performed in the Second Grade play at School (all which I really liked and didn’t want to stop after I did it), go into the 4th grade Economic Fair (because they had “Gak” and the sight of this makes me throw up), I would have never went out on a date, Went to Homecoming, had a Girlfriend, had a job or I would have never even have met My PTLS “Sister” (yes, it’s been awhile since I mentioned her). Now, I know your also wondering about the whole dentist appointment thing went, well I have an easy Gag Reflex and I was afraid that I was going to gag when I had to open your mouth. I do not like peoples hands and dental things in my mouth, so when they do I gag and get sick. However, a positive note, I didn’t gag this time, because Julie (the Dental Hygienist) was very nice and talked me through it, they had a T.V. for me to watch CNN, as well as the fact that she was very pretty. So the appointment went fine. I should mention though that these anxieties lasts until the event starts happening and then I start to calm down and have a good time. Anyway, the bottom line here is that your child can do a long list of things, but sometimes though, we need a little loving push to get through the anxiety we have and we’ll get it done.

All in All, remember that it depends on what the event is will tell if the PTLSer will be anxious about it and be able to get through it, no matter how hard you push them, but try anyway. This is what My Mom did and it worked.  

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Why do people eat Desserts when they are Stressed? Because Desserts is Stressed spelled backwards.      

The Christianville Spirit: Travelling with Street View

            This is one of My Favorite Views of the Atlanta Skyline. To Me, it's screams
          "Welcome to Atlanta!" for all the people coming into Atlanta from Alabama or
                                                                 Western Georgia

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

October 17, 2012-TCS # 321

 So, As most of you know, I love to cyber travel, whether it is down the street or across the country. I used to love traveling on Street View on My Ipad when I got bored or when I felt like it. However, having an Apple Device, like all computers and devices, need to be updated every now and then. I remember when I had a PC, on Windows Vista and it would pop up and tell me I had a minute to close and save everything before it restarted and updated. However, luckily Apple is different in that sense. However, I didn’t realize that this new update would cause the one thing I LIVE for to go away, Google Street View on My Ipad. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Apple and it’s Products for many reasons, like the Macs don’t get viruses and Ipads/IPods/IPhones are easy to figure out (once you get the hang of it). By Now though, I’m used to not having Street View on IPad, although I’m still waiting for a miracle from the programmers. But, when it happened, it was so frustrating because I lost the thing that I used my ipad the most for, Street View. On the bright side, Street View is and forever will be on My Computer and that really helps. When I was watching the news, I saw on the ticker that Google Street View had added 240,000 Miles of Road across The World! I read yesterday that it was the largest update in Street View History. So, I figured I would test it to see where the new Street View was, so I picked a spot nearby My Grandma Honey’s House, I found that they had what I call, “Clarity.” And I know your asking, what is “Clarity”? Well, back when Street View first started in Early 2007, they used 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Generation cameras to drive on the road and take pictures. It was a big deal back then because you could see everything in detail, the road signs, store signs, the list goes on.. So, around 2010, they started taking pictures with 4th & 5th Generation Cameras, which made the picture much, much clearer. To describe it, would be like sitting on top of the car and seeing everything as if you were there. That’s why I call it, “Clarity.” So, anyway, slowly but surely, Google has added “Clear-as-day Street View” across the country. So, when the “Clarity Street View” reached the Atlanta Area, they only stayed within the City Center as well as certain highways and roads like the Vinings area and along The Perimeter (or I-285 to non-locals). Now however, they’ve added not only roads in areas like Buckhead and Outside The Perimeter (OTP as Atlantans call it) but, across the State of Georgia! To me, it’s really exciting when they add new “Clarity” to the roads of the country. So, being the person I am, I checked out all the areas in, around, and outside of Atlanta. I discovered that you can drive in “Clear View” on I-20, all the way to the Alabama Border when it used to stop at I-285 (The Perimeter). So, although it is not on My Ipad, which still annoys me sometimes, Thank God, it’s on My Computer. All in all, I love to travel the world! I’ll be coming to your area soon. 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Travel the World, it’s full of Adventure!     

The Christianville Spirit: OCD & Me

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

October 10, 2012-TCS # 320

So, I’m sure for most of you, Last Week’s Newsletter left you hanging about what else I obsess and OCD about. So, for this week’s Newsletter, I’m going to continue on the things that I have OCD about. Now, to assure you, I have OCD about more things than just girls or a specific one. I do OCD about other things, some of them you might consider minor and some are more Major, to the point of where I can’t function unless it’s done. Now, I’ll tell you, that’s not as extreme like touching a door handle 5 times in a row. So, I’ll start with when I watch TV; First is that I’m a Control Freak so, I have to have control of the TV, so I make sure that I have the remotes next to me or near me so that I know where they are. The Weird thing about it is that I like to stack the remotes on top of each other so, it’s easier to know which one I need or just to know that they are near me. Sometimes, while I’m watching TV or even listening to the radio, I have a thing about the Volume Number. Whether it’s on the TV or Radio, it has to be that number, for example usually the volume on our TV sits about 20(the volume on the TV isn’t as great, so that’s the why number is high) and when raising it I find a number close to it like 20, 22, 25, 27, and 30. And, when I go to sleep, I turn the volume down to 5 so, I don’t hear it in My Room if the door is open. For Radio, which I don’t have to use that high of numbers, I like it to be at 5 if you want to talk while listening to the radio; 7, 10,12 if it’s a really good song and 3 if you just want to talk. The next one is more major, I have to make sure that things are organized and organized in a certain way. Like My Room is very clean and Everything is put in it’s place and has a place. If it’s not, then it feels out of order. An example is that I have a lot of Travel Books and Maps. So, I organized my Travel Books on my shelf by the region. Like they start Local and The West. And, then go from there to Arkansas, Tennessee & Kentucky, Chicago, Canada, New York City & New York State (and, there is a different between them), Montreal, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. From There, I go down to the Caribbean and then, to The UK and Roma (Rome in Italian). As You can tell from My Writing, I like it write in capital letters, even though I understand English grammar and Writing rules. You may call this, Passive-Aggressive like My Teachers would tell me, but It’s the way I like to write. The next thing that I OCD about, is the time I get up, the time I eat, or the time I go to bed. For Getting Up, I have to get up at a time ending in 5 (It’s On The 5’s!, as My Brother would say) like :05, :15, :25, :35, :45, and :55. If I miss a 5 by a minute or wake up at a different number, I wait until the next 5. When I was in school I would get up at 7:56 every morning which was not on the 5’s but I was able to do it. As for when I eat, I usual eat anywhere from 5:30 to 6. And, going to sleep, If I know I have to get up early, I’ll go to bed on a 5 as well, which would be something like 12:30AM or 1. Usually, I go to bed at 2. Just so you know, this doesn’t stop My Life, I can be flexible when I need to be. Sometimes, Anxiety slips in when I’m OCDing about things like Events of the Next Day or Next Week, like Doctor’s Appointments, Going somewhere special, or having to do something I’m not sure about. Because I stay focused on it too long, the Anxiety builds and it can make me sick to my stomach. Once the event gets going, then I’m just fine. All in all, I OCD about many things and it may slow it down but, it’s doesn’t completely stop My Life.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Keep Moving through Life and Don’t let anything or anyone Stop You.

The Christianville Spirit: My Obsessions

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

October 3, 2012-TCS # 319

So, Before I begin This Week’s Newsletter, I should mention that I finally got My Computer back! I didn’t lose anything I left on it. It turned out that the covering on both sides of the computer needed to be changed. So, with that being said, on to the newsletter. So, There’s a PTLS Trait that I have but, I’m not sure I have mentioned before and I think needs mentioning, It’s called Obsession (or OCD). Obsession is one of the many PTLS Traits that we PTLSers have including, Imitation, Lack of Filter, Anxiety, and Seeing only the Good in People. However, sometimes, Obsession can get you in trouble, as I’ve learned. You See, Obsession is one of those things that you, yourself don’t realize your doing it but, others watching can tell that you are. Anyway, Obsession, depending on what it’s about, can be a good thing or bad thing. And Believe Me, we obsess and compulse (or OCD) about various things. We have OCD about an Object (like for me that was a Map), a Thing, A Behavior or Thought, and also People. For instance, whenever I start dating or liking someone, My Friends & Family hear about them, constantly. Everything that that person is doing or does. So, usually what happens as “The Stages of Obsession.” First Stage is the beginning of the thought of that thing that enters your mind and you think about it over and over. the Next Stage is when you get curious; if it’s a behavior, you’ll start wanting to do that behavior; if it’s a person, you’ll start to mention their name in every sentence. The 3rd Stage, is investigating, where you start gathering any information or research about that thought, which is now an Obsession. After you’ve gathered all the information, you share it with everyone. The 4th Stage, is that you get Obsessed about it; where it’s the only thing on your mind and the only major thing that you discuss with Everyone because it keeps your interest. As far as a current Obsession it was about a girl but it was short lived, who I went to Elementary School with, back when I was crushing on Lynee. I decided to do a, “Where are they now?” discovery on Facebook a couple days ago of Friends I went to Elementary School with, and In my luck, I found one of the girls that I was in 5th Grade with named Hayley. So, I typed her name and found her on Facebook. I can tell you, her appearance hasn’t changed and she’s still as pretty as she was before. She lives in another city now, She lives in Austin (The State Capitol of Texas) and she is an artist. Anyway, the next day I googled her and found quite an Internet Presence of her. By the way, Internet Presence is my term for how often someone appears on the internet and how many sites that they are on. I found all her art pictures and I took a look at some of them and most of them were good. It was interesting to see where she was after all these years. After finding that, I shared it with My Mom and some with My Brother.  So, after finding her and seeing what she’s doing with her life, My Mind jumped to being friends with her again, meeting up with her, and doing a friendly reunion. But, as much I really wanted to reconnect with Hayley, something (My Gut, Lynee, and My Mom) told me not to get involved because I didn’t have an “Emotional Connection” with her as much I did with childhood friends of higher roles like The Herrick Girls, The Barsis, or The Hoopers. In my further research, the other day, I realized I wasn’t really that social back in 5th Grade as I am now. I mean, I could talk, just not clearly enough for people to understand me. As far as Hayley was concerned, I don’t think I connected with her back then, she was more of a classmate. I connected more with people like Lynee or Hanna, by the way Lynee was in 4th Grade and Hanna was 5th Grade. Because I sat next to them everyday and they learned to understand my speech, so they could understand me. It’s amazing to see where I am as well as Everyone Else. Most People back then would never think that I would be the Social butterfly that I am today. All in all, It’s fun to catch up with everyone, I just have to make sure that I don’t Obsess too much about it.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Catching up with The Past is great, but don’t get stuck on it.   

The Christianville Spirit: My Guardian Angel

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

September 26, 2012-TCS # 318

 

      So, a couple weeks ago, on the morning of September 11 (which was the 11^th Anniversary) I was awoken by a voice. Now, usually I don’t hear “little voices” waking me up but, this was different, the voice was of My Guardian Angel, Lynee and her voice said, “We need to talk”. So, I thought about it all that day about what she needed to tell me, let alone the question of how to talk to her. I’ve heard that when it comes to talking with God and Angels, it requires intense concentrating to hear exactly what they are trying to say. So, I thought about doing it in a way that I understand, by writing. So, what I thought about doing was writing a conversation with her via Microsoft Word. I wanted to stage it as if I was IM-ing a friend of mine the old fashioned way; meaning, just Im-ing before there was Facebook or Myspace. Anyway, I found that My Computer didn’t work. So, I figured I would use my IPad. I thought there has got to be some other way of doing this, since the A/C adapter from my computer would not charge it, so I thought. So I used the notes program on the IPad, but I wasn’t sure what she would say, or how I was going to feel about the thought that Lynee was going to actually talk to me while I wrote. This was a crazy thing, but I thought I would just go with it and see what happens.

Well, I began to talk with her like I was talking to a friend who was chatting with me on the computer. I began the conversation with “Hey, Lynee!” She responded with “Hey! Good to hear from you, finally.” At this moment I stopped and thought “Oh! Schniekies! There was a response!”  So I continued to respond back to her, and before I knew it, there was a conversation going between us. I felt she expressed a genuine love and caring about me and my well being. So, she assured me that she was ok, then she gave me some good advice and a few warnings, which I chose not to really pay attention to, and now crazy things are happening to me and my electronics. Blame it all on the full moon, the time of year, coincidence, or Lynee, but let Me tell you what negative energy can do to someone, which is what she was trying to tell me about. My Mom talks about positive and negative people and events, and how they can affect you and your health, but I never thought it would happen to me. Well, one thing after another happened. I was sick this past weekend, and I rarely get sick. My 2 year old MAC Computer would not turn on, which I thought it was not charging, so my Mom bought a new charger only to find that it is the Mother Board that is blown. Then, I upgrade My Ipad and it took away my reason for living…Google Streetview, Youtube and all my Bookmarks! What is happening???

Now, all I can hear is Lynee telling me “I tried to tell You, Christian! You are such a happy guy! What happened? Negative energy will hurt you; positive is your friend, like your Mom said!” I agree with them! I do not feel good inside when negativity gets me down, even for 1 day.

All in all, negative energy killed my Mother Board on my computer and made my body sick for days. Don’t let this happen to You!  Listen to your Guardian Angel when She talks to You.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Listen to Your Guardian Angel, they are usually right!

  

The Christianville Spirit: Fun Through My Eyes

The Christianville Spirit 

The Spirit that Opens Your Heart

September 19, 2012-TCS # 317

So, Last Saturday, My Mom, My Brother, and I went to a soapbox derby, it was really awesome. We had heard about it for several weeks called Red Bull Soapbox Derby. I had never been to one before but, I had heard of them because they have one in Austin where they drive the soapbox car into the lake there. Anyway, so I thought, “That would be really cool to see.” I told My Brother and My Mom about it and they said, “Let’s Go!” Anyway, I was looking forward to it but, I forgot one little-but-big thing, My Issue with Costumes. Now, I’ve had an issue with Costumes since I was young. I never really liked Costumes or Halloween. Now, My only favorite part was the Candy and one year, dressing like a Doctor. But, other than that, I haven’t enjoyed it, I just went along with it like everyone else. You See, I don’t like costumes for several reasons, one is The Masks, I’d rather talk to a person’s face rather than a scary mask with the person’s voice muffed in it. Many of them, I don’t like the appearance of like how they do the eyes on it, it grosses me out. Secondly, I REALLY hate those costumes that are large and blown up. By The Way, I didn’t know about the blow up costumes until I one day, a guy in one of those came up to me while I was working at the Frisco Roughriders Baseball Stadium. I mean, you probably could figure out that if something larger than you comes up to you, it’s going to be scary. Anyway, without trailing too far, I’m going back to the Soapbox Race. So, we decided to walk by all the soapbox cars, which I thought would be funny and it was, but, I forgot the dang costume thing, once I realized that, I did what I normally do. I make what My Mom calls, “The I’m going to be sick or something’s bothering me face.” And yes, I felt it too. So, I tried looking further ahead to see different cars without people too dressed up or I’d look at the people walking by. Now, the point of going to the race, to me, was seeing the race. Although, it did help in a way to see the cars because you knew which you were going to see first and which you were going to see last or if you didn’t stay around, you would miss. Now, I do have to give some compliments  because Red Bull paid a lot of money to put all this together and it was the first one in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area. But, My Highlight was that, which I didn’t know, Lolo Jones was there. By The Way, If you’re wondering who Lolo Jones is, she is an Olympic Hurdle Champion and she has been through a lot to get where she is. What amazed me was that she was there because she had been in Washington to see the president the day before. The Race was alot of fun to watch especially when you could look one way and see the cars coming down the track, and look the way and see the details of the race on the big TV screens setup. It was funny to watch them perform then, get in their car and drive down the hill without falling apart or crashing, which many did. The cars had to go over 2 jumps, around one obstacle, and over the “Widow Maker” without falling apart. It was great fun! First, I do want to remind parents with Halloween coming, though it may be fun, you child may have a fear they can’t explain and since you can’t see through their eyes to see what their world looks like, keep it in mind that it might be a bit scary to them like it is to me. All in all, People with PTLS love to have fun and go to these events, but remember they see them differently.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Life is fun, but think about who’s eyes it’s being seen through.   

The Christianville Spirit: Texting God

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

September 12, 2012-TCS # 316

Now, I’m going to let you know that This Week’s Newsletter to most people may sound a bit unconventional, but I promise you it will make sense in the end.  So, for those Christians of all ages out there, have you ever seen or heard the phrase, “God is Cool!” in a church or ministry? Well, don’t get me wrong, God is THE most awesome God in the World, but to be honest, it has always been hard to make God sound cool. You See, when people think of God, Jesus, Mary, and Other Angels; People know that there are 3 ways in connecting with God, through Praying, Fasting(otherwise known as the original meaning of Lent), and following his Commandments. Often Times, when People are wanting or needing something, they will pray, “God, Send Me a Sign or Something!” But to God, when it comes to Signs and Communicating that’s often how he does it, but to Young People it may seem a bit old fashioned, especially in this day of Technology. Now, most people who have lived on Earth for a while will tell you that you can communicate via Praying or sitting in a quiet place and try really hard to hear him speak to you. But, to people who are My Age, that doesn’t always make sense or really work out for them. I talked to My Mom, the other night, about an easier way of communicating with God and Spirits. Well, most people know that there are Signs (like Lights flickering on and off, Miracles, or sudden Anxiety) and then, there are the “Confirmation Codes” which are a sequence of numbers like 111, 222, 333 and other numbers like 2,3,7,11,12 just to name a few. But, what if God decided to get on the technology bandwagon and become a bit more Modernized. You Know, Where You and God can have nightly conversations whenever you want or just need to talk via something like Text Messages, Facebook Message, or Phone Calls. My Mom and I got a good laugh talking about this and she told me, “Can you imagine If your Ipad rang with harp sounds and it was God, Skypeing or FaceTiming You?”. Honestly, I personally, would rather work with Text Messages or Facebook Messages. But, she asked “Would you answer his call?” (now, this is a Serious Question). So, whenever your doing right or wrong He’ll send you a message either encouraging you to keep going or stop what your doing; also, maybe God gets a little bored too and maybe he wants to talk to you about the stuff going on in his life. I mean, God’s Life in Heaven, isn’t perfect, you know. Of Course, it would be a little weird when a Text from God says, “We need to Talk. Now!” Then you know your in trouble. But, I believe though, that it certainly helps Young People like Teens and Young Adults communication with God in their way, of course there’s always Praying in between but, when you really need Him, just Text Him at 333 or Contact Him on Facebook under “Your Lord, God”. And, if you want there’s always, Skype and FaceTime, or Twitter; the list goes on. So, I don’t mean to sound sacrilegious, but it is an interesting thought, if not, funny to envision God sitting in Heaven with His Computer, Ipad & Iphone, checking in on everyone. But, the real question is when God calls “Would you answer?”. All in all, God is with us all the time, whether He’s modernized or not. and, He is Cool!  

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Go Ahead and ring God up, he’ll always answer. 

The Christianville Spirit: Our Neighborhood Gathering

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

September 5, 2012-TCS # 315

So, for those who live outside The US, this past Monday was a day called Labor Day. In America, Labor Day means the “unofficial end of summer” so we have the last cookout of the season. So, that brings us to what happened to us during Labor Day Weekend. You See, recently on our street, we have decided have a monthly gathering of Neighbors were we pick the place, which is usually our neighbor, Woody’s House (the one that threw me the surprise birthday party last month) and we choose a theme like a Burgers & Chicken Cookout or a Lobster Bake. Anyway, we usually have them on either the first or second Saturday of the Month, depending on everyone’s schedule. This Time, however, we had it on a Sunday instead, to make it unique and to celebrate our neighbor Paul’s Birthday. Anyway, it’s always fun meeting and talking with the Neighbors to see what’s going on with Everyone. Plus, it’s a bonus because I love to talk to people. Most of My Childhood, until I was around 7, as My Mom will point out was spend with me not talking and just mumbling. So, gradually, My Voice has gotten much clearer and as well as full length sentences come out of my mouth. So, My Mom always likes to say that, “He spent most of his childhood not talking, and now, he’s making up for it.” Of Course, though, “Making Up for it” does have it’s challenges because I have a lack of a filter. So, usually whenever we go to a party or gathering, My Mom always tells me, “Do not talk about Politics, Religion, or The News unless someone else brings it up.” The Reason for that is because I like to share my knowledge about how the News, Politics, History and Geography all relate. However, sometimes, I just want to tell everyone the news and what’s going on but, remember the whole, “No Politics and Religion.” Anyway, we had a gathering next door on Monday Night to eat the leftovers from the cookout the day before. So, it turns out that one of the people who came was a retired Colonel  named Jack and his wife Miss Patti. Once they came, they started talking about the Democratic Convention and then, I jumped in thrill because I could talk to him about Politics (from the Right-wing side) and even better, I got to talk to Miss Patti about Religion, both of the no-no’s My Mom says I shouldn’t talk about. Now, I have to say though, that the conversation I had with Miss Patti about all the News/Politics/Religion, it got to a pretty deep talk about all of it, more than I’ve had with anyone. Not Only That, I got to tell her about My “Confirmation Codes,” 11 and 2. And, she told me the meanings of those numbers as well as the meaning of “God’s Phone Number,” 333. Miss Patti explained the numbers like this, 11 means two souls and oneness with God. She says the number 2 means, Adam & Eve, Man & Women, or 2 of every kind of Animal in Noah’s Ark. and, finally 333 means both, “Holy, Holy, Holy”, “Good, Better, Best”, or “Trinity, Trinity, Trinity.” So, it really helped me to know the meanings of the numbers that I use all the time. So, I was very happy to talk with her about all of that and she was very welcoming to talk about it with me. Of Course, one of the other favorite parts is to talk to Woody’s wife, Robin about all the news too as well as other things. She’s such a great listener. I feel loved and cared about, whenever we get together. I love everyone and Thank You for being such awesome Neighbors.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. We should all have Neighborhood Gatherings to get to know your neighbors because you never know when your going to need them.          

The Christianville Spirit: My Birthday in Atlanta

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

August 29, 2012-TCS # 314

Hello Again, Everyone! I’m sorry I had such late notice with whether my newsletter was going to be released or not. But, I’m sure some of you, though, were sitting at your computer desk last week at Work or at Home, thinking; “Where’s Christian’s Newsletter?”. Well, to tell you the truth, it was up in the air whether I was going to write it or not. But, here’s my reason why. So, we decided to continue the “Having Christian’s Birthday in Atlanta” tradition only a bit more smaller than last time we had it. So, it started with all of us, including My Brother this time, driving to Atlanta last Friday. Now, keep in mind that it’s been a long time since My Brother has come with us to Atlanta, due to his busy life. I have to tell you, it was awesome having My Brother come along. So, on Saturday Morning, we went to breakfast with a couple PTLS Family Members, a more spur of the moment thing, not anything planned like last time. We got to hang out with 4 Families, 1 of which we hadn’t met before that was from around Atlanta and it was very wonderful to meet them. After Breakfast, My PTLS Aunt Christina had a friend that lived in Atlanta and said that we could go swimming and have a mini-party there. After I met the friends, as I walked in, I heard excited screaming coming my Grandma Honey, she had what I call one of her many “Serendipitous Meetings” where a person you’ve never met, has a connection with someone that you do know. It turned out that the friend is one of Grandma honey’s grandchildren’s teacher and she knows the family. Anyway, we had a really great time with these wonderful PTLS families. The kids really loved playing in the pool with my brother. They had the most awesome yard, with tons of tall trees including two on either side of the driveway that were really close. Anyway, they had their house, a pool, a playground, and even a Tennis court. They had some nice shrubbery in their backyard along with all the tall trees of Georgia. Tall Trees are one of my favorite parts of coming to Atlanta because there are so many tall trees that you don’t even know that your in a Major Metro Area. Anyway, that night we went over to My Uncle Bruce’s House and had dinner. We also got to see my Aunt Carolee’s shop that was really cool. And best of all, my cousin Gram and I got to spend a lot of fun time together. We walked through the downtown of Norcross, played at the park, climbed in the tree house, and played the piano together. On Sunday, all of us including Uncle Brian and Uncle Bruce got to watch My Brother skate at one of the skate parks nearby. On Monday, all of us (My Mom, My Brother, Grandma Honey, and I) drove up to a town called Dahlonega, which is a really awesome small town in the mountains. We were originally going up there to eat at this place called “The Smith House” but it turned out that it was closed on Monday. But that was okay because we found a nice place to go instead. Before Lunch, we walked into this pottery shop with a guy that’s been there for almost 37 Years doing his passion of Pottery, and he does pretty good work at it. Of course, after lunch I found a shirt called “The Georgia Red Clay Shirt” that was made from famous Georgia Red Clay. On Tuesday, my brother and my uncle had an awesome tour and meeting at Turner Broadcasting, where Michael and the guy hit it off. He may have a potential job there, that would be awesome! Them we had to take My Brother to the airport to get him home because he had to work. After dropping Michael off, being the Geography lover I am, I couldn’t go without checking out the new International Terminal at the Atlanta Airport, of course this didn’t go without confusing Grandma Honey about how to get there. On Tuesday night, we all separated to where My Mom and Grandma Honey went out on a mother/daughter dinner, while I went to dinner on an “Uncle’s Night” with My Uncle Bruce. On Wednesday (Newsletter Day), My Mom and Grandma Honey went to go pick my new Aunt Kellie(Uncle Craig’s Wife) from the airport and when she got back the Grandma Honey’s House, we hung out with her for a while and then, Kellie and I got pedicures while My Mom got a manicure. By The Way, I do love to get Pedicures, it’s very relaxing and I love when my feet are rubbed and are soft and clean. You guys do not know what you are missing if you don’t try a pedicure. You don’t get nail polish! On Wednesday Night was the main event, a birthday party for me with Family and it was really awesome & special because My Mom and all 4 of her brothers where all together for the first time in a year. We had the most awesome dinner that night, we had really good BBQ and wait for it...Ultra Fattening “Georgia Mac n‘ Cheese.” By the way, the idea came from watching Dr. Oz surprise people to change their fattening meals to more healthier ones. Now, here’s a Cultural Note for you, Georgia is the only state of The US in which “Mac n‘ Cheese” is considered a vegetable. In case, you are wondering though, what “Georgia Mac n‘ Cheese” is, it’s Mac n‘ Cheese, smothered in cheese sauce. Anyway, on Thursday while My Mom was in a meeting, Grandma Honey and I went for a drive to one of my Favorite Neighborhoods in one of my Favorite Georgia Cities, John’s Creek. Of Course, I got to teach Grandma Honey about all the different road signs, the sounds of the road, and she taught me about “Sunday Drives” from when she was a kid. Friday was kind of a “lazy day” for me, I slept in, I had the left over “Georgia Mac n‘ Cheese” and, I talked to My PTLS Sister on Skype and spent a wonderful time with Ms. Libby (who is my G-Honey’s neighbor and ex-wife of a famous football player). I love talking with Ms. Libby! We share our knowledge, and she knows a lot! On Friday Night, though, we had a dinner celebration at Uncle Bruce’s House for what My Cousin Gram called “Christian’s Last Night in Atlanta.” And finally, My Mom and I drove home on Saturday Morning. But, a lot of good came from this trip, being with Family (which is always a plus), My Mom got to help out and advocate at the school for a PTLS family, meet new PTLS Members, and having a great “once in a life time” meeting for my brother. All in all, I love being around Family, I love all the Tall Trees, and there are Plenty of PTLS Members around.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Family is more important than anything, even if that family is not blood!         

The Christianville Spirit: My 25th Birthday

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

August 15, 2012-TCS # 313

So, As most of you know, Last Week was what I call, “My Birthday Week” or the week of My Birthday. You See, My Mom and our friend, Max always say, “It’s more fun if you celebrate the entire month or the week of, not just one day” So, that’s what we did, we celebrated the whole week. So, on Tuesday, I got celebrate with a dinner with a family friend at a place that we like to go to eat. Thursday was the most awesome day because, I hung out with My Brother and 2 of his & my friends, Spencer and Zach to go to this indoor trampoline place called “Jump-street.” I came up with the idea, when passing one on the way to Mockingbird Station (as mentioned, Last Week) and I thought, “Am I too old to have a party at a Trampoline Place?”, because in my mind, I thought only kids have parties at places like that, kind of like those Bounce House party places, but, not true. Believe it or not, at Jump-street, they actually have Corporate Events there. So, maybe work for a company that brings you to a trampoline place every 3rd Friday, now that would be fun. Anyway, My Brother, Spencer, Zack, and I spend that evening jumping on those trampolines. It brought back all the memories of jumping on the trampoline when I was young. but, I’ll say though, that jumping like that, wears out on you really quickly; so, My Advice is to take it slow if your around my age or an adult age. As far as Kids go, they were all over the place, jumping non-stop and full of energy. Although, the kids had their own area to play and jump in. Of Course, at this place, their where dozens of different trampolines; ones that were Wavy, ones that were Flat and angled the end of it on the wall. Not only that, but also they had 2 Trampoline Dodgeball Courts, one for younger kids and the other for adults and teens. I think between the wavy trampoline and the dodgeball, I think Dodgeball might have been My Brother’s favorite. Also, though, they had an inverted slide(where you slide down, it becomes flat, and it goes back up) and a foam pit to jump into. I liked the wavy trampoline and the slide the most. So, after going to the trampoline place, we went out to Dinner and hung out. On the day of My Birthday was packed full of events and some unexpected events. So, it started with a Drive I wanted to take, It was from a AAA Trip Book that one of the PTLS Members gave me at the conference (Thank you, Samples!) It told me that, “World’s Largest Peanut” was in a town, an hour and 30 Minutes north of Plano called Durant. so, that was what we went to go see. Now, I thought that it was going to be larger-than-life, kind of like “The World’s Largest Chair” in Thomasville, North Carolina. But, it turned out to be a 3 Foot Peanut on top of a statue and plaque. So, that was a learning experience, make sure you know what it looks like or have an idea where it is, before you drive that far for it. We had a good laugh at it though. Fortunately, I’ve had a lot of luck with “Road Nerd” Attractions (my term for those roadside attractions) like the Giant Peachoid in Gaffney, South Carolina or the chair in North Carolina. Anyway, after we drove up there, on the way back we stopped at a peanut store which had all sorts of things peanut and then, we saw a Giant Head statue of US President Eisenhower in Denison, Texas; who the American Interstate Highway System is named after. After the drive, we had dinner at an Italian Place (which I love Italian) with my Aunt Kathy and a couple of our friends as well. the Final event and most unexpected, was when we went over to our Neighbor’s House, Woody & Robyn to hang out with them; and, My Mom and I thought that it would just us, Woody & Robyn, and the neighbors next to them. However, it turned out to be a little surprise party for Me because when I came in, I saw one of the neighbors down the street and I thought it was going to be a couple of us, little did I know, our whole clan of neighbors joined us. But, it was really awesome and Thank You to Woody & Robyn for throwing that party for Me. So, I’ll end with us, You know how I told you about the 11 and 2 Confirmation. Well, My new thought is at because I was born the 11th of August, that’s a confirmation..that I’m a gift not only to being myself to so many other people out there, around the world or in the same state and, even people, I’ve never met yet. All in all, though, I had the most excellent birthday week last week and I was happy to share it with You.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit, Cherish The Gifts that you have, you give, and you get; meant both Literally and Figuratively.              

The Christianville Spirit: A Ride on a Train

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

August 8, 2012-TCS # 312

So, nearly every weekend, My Mom and I like to go on Drives or do some kind of adventure, like ride a train. You See, going on Drives is one of my favorite things to do because I love to see new road signs, new roads, new neighborhoods, or just a scenic drive somewhere. So, what My Mom and I did this past weekend is no surprise. So, the Light Rail System here in Dallas is called DART, by the way DART means, Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Anyway, DART has recently come up with a new line called the “Orange Line.” The “Orange Line”, only in peak hours of the week, goes from Parker Road in Plano to Irving Convention Center (which is on the West side of Dallas, toward the Airport), however during non-peak hours it starts at LBJ(Lyndon B. Johnson) Freeway, known locally as LBJ or 635 and goes to the same place. Anyway, so My Mom and I drove down to Mockingbird Station instead to pick up the Orange Line and rode all the way to Irving. It is really fun for me to ride this train and many others, I love it because you get to see what places look like and to see the ongoings of where you are. I love looking at the street lights and signs to see where you are and what they look like (the font used, the appearance, the style that particular city uses, and what color they used) and, so you can see where you are on a map. Sometimes, it’s interesting to watch the people and to see who’s coming and going. The DART Orange Line though, hasn’t been the only line I’ve ridden on. I also rode the Red Line many times before and at one time, My Mom and I rode it all the way up and all the way down, from Parker Road to Westmoreland (which is on the South side of Dallas). Anyway, back to the Orange Line, it’s a well-known line, or at least it’s going to be, because in the near-future it’s going to go all the way to DFW Airport. The reason is because, as I told My Mom, “It would be a nice tour of the city” because along it passes by a lot of the places people want to see in Dallas. So, I’ll give you a tour, it runs though Las Colinas (where you can see the running cattle and longhorns statues) after that, you run past what was Texas Stadium and have a wonderful view of Downtown Dallas afterwords. Next, as you get closer to Downtown, you see the American Airlines Center (where the Dallas Mavericks play) after that come the Historic West End, which has many different places to Eat and Shop. And, it’s not too far from the 6th Floor Museum and JFK Memorial. After West End, As it goes through Downtown Dallas, you get to see all the really cool shaped buildings with Statues and Fountains and all the very interesting people. Following that, it goes through a tunnel and stops at “Cityplace Station” where you can hop off and ride the “M-Line Trolley” which is an old-fashioned trolley that runs along Historic McKinney Ave. into the Awesome Arts District.  After your done with that, hop back on the DART line and continue to Mockingbird Station, there’s a lot of shopping you can do there and a cool movie theater. finally, wrapping it up with riding the Red Line to Plano or Blue Line to Garland. When I went to The PTLS Conference in Houston, I got to ride the “MetroRail” line from Texas Medical Center to Downtown Houston, that was also wonderful to see everything that they had along it. For example, in Houston, “Midtown” is south of Downtown Houston instead of north like Dallas and Atlanta. The coolest thing about Houston’s MetroRail line was that it runs in the middle of the street in many places, whereas most run on a railroad track separate from the street. I’ve also been on the Metro in Washington D.C and the Northwest Line of the MARTA in Atlanta. All in all, I’ve been on many different rail lines in different cities and it’s all exciting to me.

Thanks to Reading The Christianville Spirit. Take a Drive one day and check out what’s in your town.   

The Christianville Spirit: The London Olympics

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

August 1, 2012-TCS # 311

So, There is an event that is happening that always gets me excited. You See, Every 4 Years, based on hundreds of years of tradition, comes The Summer Olympic Games. For those who don’t how deep the tradition is, it started in 1896 in Athens, Greece. However, it wasn’t held to such magnitude as it does now. It started as a couple games being played for the King in honor of the Greek Gods. However, nowadays it has turned into the an elaborate show for all The World to see and that’s just talking about the Opening & Closing Ceremony. In between the Opening & Closing Ceremony are many different events including Swimming, Gymnastics, Track, Canoeing, and the list goes on.. However, My Favorite Parts are some of the sports but, most importantly The Opening and Closing Ceremony. I Love the Opening the most though because it fascinates me that people from all parts of The World come to one place to compete and be at peace for 2 weeks during The Olympics. For this year’s Olympics in London, My Fascination was (and, always is) seeing what the people of each country look like and this year it just happened to be not only the people but, the outfits, they were wearing. To Me, it says alot about that Country’s culture, in what they wear or in those countries where it’s more strict, what their allowed to wear. To example, in many arab countries, like Saudi Arabia (They let women compete this year for the first time), Jordan, Palestinian Territories (Locally known as “Palestine” and Known Worldly as “The West Bank”), and Iran; just to name a few, have to wear garb that covers their hair and body; and, in some countries, most of their face as well. But, what I love about the outfits is creativeness that represents the country. Some countries like many African Countries with a very decorative garb and some countries went with a plain shirt that has the National Colors, like Sweden or Just a shirt with the letter N on it, for Norway, respectively.  Then, of course, there is as I have been mentioning, “The Parade of Nations”; some of them make you cheer, be quiet, or make you wonder, “Where in The World is that country?!” It happened to me a couple times like trying to remember what group of countries were part of what was Yugoslavia. Now, as My Mom will tell you, it didn’t go without a Geography Lesson that both made her head hurt or make her brain want to explode. The Reason why is Because she says that learning Geography from me is like her teaching Medical Terms and Anatomy to me. Anyway, another part I like about the Opening Ceremony is the performance leading to the Parade of Nations. Sometimes, though, it’s a little hard to understand some of the performances depending on the Host Country. Without spoiling London’s ceremony, I’ll just say this; it was Interesting, at some times very funny, other times a little creepy, but all good though. As for comparing it to Beijing, I’ll put it this way, It’s not fair to any host country or city to live up to Beijing. A couple comments on the Host City; for the condition of just how horrible the traffic of the city is (or so, I’ve heard, I haven’t been) and the lack of freeways or large roads through the city, The City of London & The London Committee did a VERY Good Job in preparing for these games and contrary to what Mitt Romney says, I’m very proud of Londoners and Their Committee of preparing them so well. Believe me, from what I know about London, it’s not easy to do that. Anyway, I could go on and on about The Olympics and How much I love it and why; but, All in all, I just love that People around The World come to win Gold, Silver, or Bronze in their own sport. By The Way, a shout out to The USA’s own Michael Phelps, Missy Franklin, and Jordyn Wieber for doing so well and Good Luck also to Everyone Else, your doing an awesome job.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. We are all Champions of something wether we are in sports or not, We’re all Champions!                      

The Christianville Spirit: This Ones for Parents

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

July 25, 2012-TCS # 309

So, You Know, that old 90’s song, “This ones for The Girls?” Well, for this week’s Newsletter, I’m going to put a twist on that song via a tribute to the Parents of The PTLS Family. I’m calling it, “This ones for The Parents.” For a little reference, “This ones for The Girls” is more of song to empower women. Anyway, I owe all parents of PTLS Kids a huge thank you, for not only being  the wonderful you and raising kids at the same time. But, most of all, I want to Thank You for being willing to talk to me, learning about me, and getting answers to those questions that have been bugging you to ask about what It’s like to have PTLS. Now, on that subject, the funny thing about the questions that are running through your mind are probably you are thinking, anyway, that they must be the most absurd questions that would ever come out of your mouth. But, once you hear it come out, it’s huge relief and there is actually an answer to the question. The thing that the Parents of Every PTLS Child has is that They think that they’re the only ones that have to deal with whatever they’re child does, whether it’s hitting, gagging, not eating, mumbling and not talking..the list goes on. But, Believe it or not, after talking with My PTLS Sister for so long, I always thought I was the only one who did certain behaviors or felt a certain way. Now, having talking to someone that has PTLS, we find that when we compare notes, we are very similar. Now, of course, we all know that there are different Parents, different Parenting Styles, and come from different backgrounds. But, the major thing PTLS Parents have in common is their going through, roughly the same thing and shouldn’t feel alone. Bottom Line though, is that we all have our own lives and our own junk that we deal with everyday that, its awesome that on top of that, many appreciate the fact that I might be able to help answer questions and it’s awesome that they want to talk to me and get my opinion on different things. And, yes, some people like to test my knowledge on all the stuff I know and things I’ve done, and I like to share my knowledge, so ask away! Honestly, I’m honored that people take the time to talk with me about anything and I feel so loved by Everyone, it’s a great feeling. By The Way, on the day that you meet me, Please tell me who you are and where your from, before you jump into the “I know Everything about You and I feel like I know You” thing that most people do when they meet me in person. Then again, the first thing I said to Dr. Jen Arnold from The Little Couple was “I’m your biggest Fan!” so, believe me, I understand. All in all, though Thank You once again for meeting me and talking to me like I was your own, and most importantly, taking the time to get to know me. But, even more so your children are very blessed to have you as their parent who cares so much about them, try to learn everything about them, and are such strong, wonderful parents; I’m happy to know you all.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Be Empowered to be a PTLS Parent.