The Christianville Spirit: Seeing California

California Highway 9; Deep Redwoods!

Marriott's Shadow Ridge Resort



The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

August 21, 2013-TCS # 365

So, for My Birthday, My PTLS “Aunt” Sherry got me something really awesome. She got me A Shirt & Hat from San Diego, A Map of San Diego, and Little did I know, A “Sherryfied” Map of California. By “Sherryfied”, I mean that there were markings of Places that She thought I would really love. However, I noticed that on the map, it showed a large swath of Redwoods, South of San Francisco. Now, In my past Cyber-Travels, I have known that most of The Redwoods and Deep Forest was NORTH of San Francisco, like from Muir Woods on upward to Oregon. But, I wondered about that big swath of Green between The Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz, and the Curiosity swept in. Now, From My Impression In My Head, of The Silicon Valley Area, I would never think there would be as Tall of Redwoods to the South of it. For All I knew, it was only Home to the headquarters of Apple (Cupertino), Google (Mountain View), Yahoo (Sunnyvale), and Facebook (Menlo Park), Respectively. Both Apple and Facebook, by the way have large headquarters. Let me make a Quick Note of Something I noticed, The road that loops around Facebook is called “Hacker Way” and The Loop around Apple is called “Infinite Loop.”  So, Curiosity got me and I just had to do it, so I cyber-flew to San Francisco to see it. Anyway, so when I got there I Cyber-Travelled to the south of San Francisco to see these Redwoods. I will tell you that I was amazed by just how tall and how deep the Forest was. It felt very peaceful to Cyber-Drive through the deep Redwoods, If you love Nature like I do, I would recommend it! I fell most in love with most of California Highway 9 from Skyline Boulevard all the way to Santa Cruz, It is so Beautiful. The time that they took the pictures, it ran though a Segment where it was Foggy, so You would be driving down this road in a Deep Forest and Foggy Weather as if you were above the clouds. It was Awesome. I would go through a few nice Mountain Towns before ending up in Santa Cruz. The Sad Thing, In My Head anyway, is that Deep Woods is not one’s impression of California. One Instead thinks of The Beach, Palm Trees, and Hollywood. They think of Places mainly in Los Angeles or in between LA and San Diego. Personally, Although I have never been to San Diego but, I have been to LA. I think more Highly of San Diego (Not just because of “Aunt” Sherry!) but, because it is a Beautiful City. In My Cyber-Trip, I drove a little bit down the Pacific Coast Highway (which I dream of doing in Real Life) and Drove toward and through LA. Now, Again, The Pacific Coast Highway is something I would recommend because It is Beautiful and It is a Pretty Scenic Drive. I’ve heard that there are some cool places along it like Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara. I heard that there are really cool and Historic Hotels along the route as well. Once I got to LA, I figured I would try to figure out a way to get across The Hollywood Hills (Through Neighborhoods) to get to the Hollywood side of The Hill and down to Vine Street. I will tell you that it was really tricky to figure out but, I did. On My Way Out of California, I “Drove” through Palm Springs to see where I have actually stayed at. One Thing to definitely do, if You Go there is The Palm Springs Tramway. It takes you up into Mt. San Jacinto and believe it or not, there are Redwood Trees up there too! My Dad, My Brother, and I went up there one evening when We were There, Several Years Ago. It was over 100 Degrees on The Desert Floor and Up in Mt. San Jacinto, it was a cool 60 Degrees and with towering Redwoods. So, You could stand in the Mountain Station with the Redwoods surrounding you and look down to see The City of Palm Springs and The Desert. Again, This is something I would recommend doing and If I had the chance, I probably would do it again. The Last Stop before I drove toward Blythe and Out of California was to stop at where My Dad, Michael, and I stayed at a Couple Years Ago. We stayed at this place called Marriott’s Shadow Ridge Resort in Palm Desert, California (by the way, that is between Palm Springs and Indio) I remember the pool that they had there and I loved the way the lights shined up at the curve of the “Date Palm” Trees (which is a type of Palm Tree). They have a really nice Golf Course (Which My Dad loved!) and It was close to Everything that you needed. Plus, it was an Hour outside of LA, so if You wanted to take a day to drive out to LA, You Could. All in all, It was a good cyber-trip to see the different parts of California. Thank You “Aunt” Sherry!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. There are some Beautiful Places in This World, You just have to Stop and Take a Look. 

The Christianville Spirit: My Birthday & Life Changes

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

August 14, 2013-TCS # 364

So, Everyone. It is That Time of Year Again and No, Unfortunately I don’t mean Christmas. But, It is something exciting to me, known as My Birthday. For those who don’t know, My Birthday is on August 11th. I was born in San Antonio, Texas at exactly 2:13PM (That is sort-of a Reference for Me because it is very important). I didn’t know that on that Fateful August Day, I would be so Unique and Found that I have a Rare Chromosome Disorder called a “Duplication of Chromosome 17p11.2” or so that I would call it before it got it’s official name. My Special Needs was named Potocki-Lupski Syndrome (or PTLS for Short). Before it was named, “In The Old Days” as My Mom likes to say; I was 4th in The World, so the doctors told us, to have this, it was that Unique. These Days however, it is known to be in 1 in 20,000 Children. Anyway, This Birthday I turned 26 Years Old.  For some reason compared to the Big Ages like 20, 21, 25, and 30. 26 seemed to be “An Awkward Age.” I Mean, I’m sure that there are many awkward ages in life, but I hadn’t realized it until Now. I can tell you that I know Women these days get married and settle down at 26.6 Years Old. But, other than that, 26 seems like No Big Deal to Me. However, I have found some positivity in this age. You See, I have been interested lately in Numerology and Number Sequences like 111, 222, 333, 444, 555, 666, 777, 888, and 999. According to This Website that I reference a lot when it comes to telling people what the sequences mean. The Most Important Ones that catch me are 222 (Your on The Right Path), 333 (A Giant “YES”), 444 (A Giant “NO”), and 666 (Your Thoughts or Actions aren’t aligned with Your Path), and 999 (Completion). So, with that, I calculated My Previous Age, 25. I just added 2 + 5 = 7 (for Age 25) and 2 + 6= 8 (for Age 26). Now, 7 in Sequence means “A Lesson has been learned” and 8 means “A Phase of Your Life is Ending and Moving On to the Next Segment”. I thought to Myself, Well I have learned many Lessons and some Reflection in My 25th Year. So, It kinda makes sense to go with that theory. So, 8 in Sequence means, the warning of the “Phase of Your Life Ending”. I’m believing that it means “Life Changes”. I don’t know what is ahead of me this year, but it sounds Exciting! I’m Thinking Big Things will Happen! Here are some of The Things that I believe will happen in My 26th Year; like the Statistic about Settling Down, I hope to find The Women of My Dreams and then, later Marry Her; I hope to Have a Job that I Love doing. I even thought of ideal hours to work, 10-3; I hope to Live closer to Family because I believe it is way overdue; I hope you let me continue to try to inspire more PTLS Family Members (Oh, Yes. My PTLS Family, You are part of My Future too!); Travel to see My PTLS Family (Especially Overseas) and, finally, I hope to go to exotic places like Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Puerto Rico; USVI; or maybe even Hawaii (pronounced Ha-Wu’-ee). All in all, I believe Good Things will happen this year, I can Feel It! 

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. Your Attitude depends on what happens in Each Year!      

The Christianville Spirit: An Exciting Week

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

August 7, 2013-TCS # 363

 So, This Past Week has been quite an interesting one for Me. I got to spend another Nice Brotherly Time Together with My Brother, Michael. We spent time together doing something that he does all the time but, I have never seen him do. It is called Disk Golfing. It is similar to Regular Golf, only instead of whacking a ball down the fairway and going in the hole, you throw a Frisbee called a “Disk” and it goes into a Basket-like Thing. My Brother has been doing “Disk Golfing” for a while and with many of his friends. So, he figured that we would spend a Sunday Afternoon and Evening showing me how to play Disk Golf. To describe the course, would be a more Nature-based Course. In this case, it is in a nice park in McKinney where you walk along this dirt path and you see a sign that says; The Number of the Hole (there are 18), How Many Feet the throw is, and A Cement Slab to toss the “Disk”. For Me, I did a few “Epic Fails” where it was floppy and crashed early, then I started throwing some really good ones. My Brother told me a couple days before that He scored a -5 (Negative 5) which in Disk Golf is really good. Now, little did I know that the course had a Creek, a Road alongside, and a good amount of Trees(which can be either really helpful or really annoying) Along with that, came a few curiosities like “I wonder, has anyone ever thrown it into The Creek?” Yea, Check that one for both of us. “Has anyone ever thrown it into The Road?” Yep, That One Too! Luckily, It was just a Neighborhood Street. “Has Anyone ever Hit one of the other game players?” Yea.. But, luckily, it was My Brother. Sorry, Michael! To be fair, He hit me once too though. The Game was pretty fun. By the time that we got done, It was Dark. So, We finished off by getting some Ice Cream because it was so hot outside. It gets to be 100 or over Degrees in The Texas Summer, for reference. Luckily, My Mom packed us with Water to drink while playing. My Brother and I had a good time together and I’m sure he had fun teaching me to play Disk Golf. On another note, My Week ended with a not-so-fun 6 Hour Evaluation to help on My Quest to find a Job. It was to test My Endurance of what I could handle and what I couldn’t handle. The most Interesting Part of it was that they strapped a Heart Monitor around My Belly and a Watch that said My Heart Rate. This was because they wanted to watch my Heart Rate when I had to do Physical Activities. It was Interesting though to watch My Heart Rate as it went up and down. I can tell you that My Heart Rate went back to Normal quickly after each activity, sometimes I had had to sit down to rest to get it to come down. It as sort-of a reflection for me because I could tell if I was Relaxed or Anxious. I could tell that even giving a Girl a compliment made My Heart Rate go up. I thought, “Clearly, I am a Guy!” All in all, It was a Productive Week, Full of Excitement.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Play some Disk Golf, it’ll be a Different Experience! 

The Christianville Spirit: My Love for Writing

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

July 31, 2013-TCS # 362

So, Writing. It is something that We humans do Every Day. We write everything, like What the tip is on the bill at a Restaurant; If your a Parent when Your Child is Sick, A Doctor’s Note; Even unconventional things, like a Facebook Post (that can be either really smart or thought provoking to something really stupid) and, It can be written in Different Languages like Swedish or a harder language like Chinese. The Truth is that I Love Writing because My Thoughts, Feelings, and Genius Ideas come out with such flow as I write. I say that because I can say more thought-provoking things in Writing then, I could in talking in words. The things that I don’t like about Writing is My Mind goes faster than My Fingers are typing the words. Plus, The Words, Themselves. Being So Literal, I am generally a very good speller but sometimes, I write the words how I think they should be spelled. But, really it is spelled differently. One that I have trouble with is the word, Miracle. I like to spell it “Meracle.” Anyway, I however owe a lot to My Elementary School Teachers, Mrs. James and Mrs. Bachman (who was One of My Favorite Teachers). Mrs. James played a big role in helping me get my thoughts into words because Again, My Mind would go faster than My Little Hand could Write. So, she came up a with Genius Idea, to ask me about My Weekend and I would dictate to her what I did that Weekend. My Mom likes to say that, what came out of those dictated writings was some really surprising stuff. Each Week, she would ask me “What did you do This Weekend?” and I would tell her everything I did. Now, Mrs. Bachman played a Big Roll too in My Writing. She would encourage me to Read State Books and Dictate My Words, which became really great stories. One Time My Mom and The Librarian noticed that I had a pattern where I would read books about US States and I would do them in order of where I was traveling to. I would make circles across the US Map as I was going from State to State. The Highlight that Mrs. Bachman taught me was something called “Multiplication Rhymes” and “Touch Math.” My Favorites were “6 x 4 walked through The Door, It was Number 24”, “ 8 x 8 landed on the floor, laid there till‘ 1964” and “9 x 3 floated up to Heaven, landed on Cloud 27” and then, “Touch Math” helped me the most at Math and I still use it today. So, I thank these two teachers because they taught me many things and because they accepted me for who I am. As a Result of Them, I really enjoy writing and I have been writing This Newsletter every week for 8 Years (since 2006). All in all, I’m always looking for different topics so, send in your suggestions!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Thank The Teachers that You had (or Have) because They might help you be the person You are Today!  

The Christianville Spirit: My Schedule and Welcome to It

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

July 24, 2013-TCS # 361

So, Do You Remember when I did the “My Readers Choice” Newsletter? Well, In The Comments of The Poll I did, My PTLS “Aunt” Joey, Who I love so Much! made a request newsletter for Me to do. She said that She would love to know what “A Day in the Life of Christian” is like. As in, what is it like to be Me from Getting Up to Going to Sleep. So, that is what I’m going to do. Now, I do have to tell you that This is Incredibly Honest of Me to share this with You so, All I is ask is Not to Judge Me. So, Moving On. Most of the time, Except on Weekends, Holidays, or When we have Specific things to do, I get up at 2:45PM, which is part of my OCD Like mind because it is No sooner and No later than this time. Now, I know that sounds crazy to you 9-to-5ers, but it is My Routine. Now, For My PTLS Family Members, It wasn’t always 2:45 in the afternoon at first. It started when I was in Senior High School and I used to sleep in till exactly Noon. People thought I was crazy getting up that late.  After Graduation, Communication with My Friends started to die down because they were moving on, or moving away and getting out of High School. So, It gradually moved to 12:30, then to 1, 2, and now 2:45.  Now, Before I continue on about My Usual Day, If I got a 9 to 5 Job or any other circumstances, I can adapt My Schedule in that case, But I will tell you that it worked well when I worked late evenings at the Frisco Roughriders Baseball Field (AA baseball team). This Schedule works also because I can talk to PTLS Family Members and Friends All Over The World, including the Late-Nighters in The US (And, There are quite a few out there!). After I get up, Feed The Dogs, and Eat Lunch which is usually a PB & J sandwich and a Yogurt, I then turn on CNN, Watch The News, Check the end of the day Stock Market Stats, Grooming Myself, House Chores, or Go do something with My Brother until around 5 when My Mom gets Home. This is about to change! It is beneficial to both My Mom and I because she doesn’t have to worry about Where I am and it is beneficial to Me because It helps with My Independence, being by Myself. On My Newsletter Day, After I Eat Lunch, I start Writing This Newsletter until My Mom gets home to help me edit it, which I don’t allow her to do anything more than Read It. When My Mom gets home, then we get ready for Dinner (which is either at home or sometimes we go out to Eat). After Dinner, My Mom and I settle in for some Quality Time. Sometimes, I watch TV Shows or Do My Wii Fit Activities. Because of My OCD, I always make sure that the remotes are next to Me because I like to have control of the remote. There is only a few good days that we take walks in the Evening because It is way too Hot and No Scenery (Besides Houses) to look at. Don’t Get Me Wrong, I love being Outside, but Where I live, there is Nothing to look at except for Home. Now, going bowling sometimes, that is Cool! After we watch the 10’ o Clock News, My Mom goes to bed and I hop on My Computer. I like to believe that, after 10 is My Social Time, It is when I go through the Daily Check List of things to do which are Check Facebook, Listen to Glenn Beck (I occasionally “Cam” with My Friends like My PTLS “Brother” Tyler, sometimes), and Watch the people I’m subscribed to on YouTube. After that, Is more of a “Free Time.” On Wednesday, I do all that check list early so, that I have a Weekly Movie Night. During My “Free Time”, I love to get on Google Street View and Cyber-Travel around The World (or The Country) which ever Area that I am in the mood to go to. Either Way, I find lots of information to share with My Mom when I go to say Good Night to Her at 2 am. I’m amazed that she learns these things when she is half asleep. Finally, My Day ends and I am Ready to go to Bed at 2 am (Another Crazy Hour!) And, that is the End of My Day. Now, as I mentioned above about The Weekends, I go to Bed at 1 am just in case, My Mom decides to get me up early to get me out of The House. On The Weekends, My Mom and I go on our “Drives” and “Excursions” around the area that are either Short or Go for Hours. And, Sometimes, We go hang out with Friends. I do make sure to wake up early on Sunday because We usually have Breakfast together that day. Now, to assure to Everyone, I am sure this schedule won’t be forever, as Life changes it’s course like A Job or Going to School. Who knows though, I may flip to extremes of getting up for a “Nature Walk” at 5 am! All in all, Schedules and Itineraries Changes as Life Changes. 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Everyone has a Different Schedule in Their Life, They Change Often. 

So, You Asked, Aunt Joey, so I am coming to Your House so, You can experience this first hand!    

The Christianville Spirit: A Lesson about Overstimulation

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

June 17, 2013-TCS # 360

So, Last Week, Over 3 Days (including Newsletter Day), I had quite an Adventure. You See, I got News the Week before of My Dad coming to town for a couple days to Vacation at Great Wolf Lodge with Everyone, meaning Laura (Dad’s Girlfriend) who I should mention that I have not seen in 8 Years, My Half-Brother Taylor who, I last saw, again, 8 Years Ago, and My Dad. So, those who are wondering, I stopped going to visit them in San Antonio 8 Years Ago for My Own Reasons. But, Anyway, My Dad decided that it would cool to Vacation up here in Dallas, considering it was easier for everyone. I wasn’t that excited but, I figured that it would be something to do and to get out of The House for a while. Now, on Great Wolf Lodge (They are a Respectable Hotel, By The Way), I have only been there one time and that was to check it out because it was new. Little did I know, both the First Time I walked through it, when My Mom and I went for one of our drives or This Time, it is Very Big, Very Noisy, and Very Overstimulating. I should mention as a Note that this is a Kids Haven. I remembered it but, also haven’t done the whole experience because it is so Over-stimulating! So, I finally got up the nerve to go there and it wasn’t easy for Me. When we got there, We met them at the Big Inside Waterpark, I’m told that it is the Largest One in The Great Wolf Line. This place was Awesome though! I mean, Yea, It was REALLY Loud (and, it was something I had to deal with later, which took Days to Recover) and Alot of Kids Running Everywhere. We figured that we start with Some of The Famous Slides. First Up was the “Howlin‘ Tornado”, which I had never been on one of those types of Rides. First, You get on this Four-Seated Tube and Start Going; Next, it turns pitch-black and then, you see a big drop; The Big Drop comes and go into this See-Saw like Ride and then, it takes you down the tunnel and Out. The Next Ride is what we all affectionately called “The Toilet Bowl” which was you got into a two-person tube (or one person tube) and went down the slide into a “Toilet Bowl” and then, went around several times. If You were lucky enough, you go down the slide after The “Toilet Bowl” section backwards. After That, we jumped between The Indoor and Outdoor Pools and went on “The Tornado” and “Toilet Bowl” several times. Out of all those rides, I believe the “Toilet Bowl” was My Favorite. Anyway, After we got showered up and Ate Dinner (which was late all 3 Nights), It was time for a game that probably was the most Over-Stimulating called Magiquest (Pronounced “Mag-I-Quest” as I was corrected many times!) Anyway, This Game of Magiquest required you to buy a Wand and Quest, which was $64, just for reference. And, You wave the wand at certain objects on all 8 Floors of The Hotel and they speak to you or make some kind of Noise. They have a good exercise program for The Kids being that You have to go up and down the Stairwell along the Quest. They named all the floors based on what is on it or just a Creative Name. By The Way, If You go on the elevator with the wand on, You lose Points. Luckily with all the kids running around, They have a thing called “Hibernation Hours” which were from 11:00PM to 7:30AM, and anyone under 18 couldn’t wander the halls without an Adult. But, Those “Hibernation Hours” helped because The Parents don’t have to worry about their kids being up all night. On the 2nd Day, We went on a “Local Excursion”, First we saw My Brother’s Mural that He and his team of Artists did which I am Extremely Proud of Him for, at His University. After we had Lunch at The University; We drove to The Gaylord Texan, which is always My Favorite Place to show visitors who come to Dallas because it too is really big, but a Texas-Sized-But-Not-Overwhelming-Big like The Great Wolf. For Reference, The Gaylord Texan is more for Adults while Great Wolf is for Families with Little Kids. It is also the Texas Version of The Gaylord Hotel Chain. Anyway, After That, My Brother and Taylor wanted to go Rock Climbing, so it was that next. Now, I’ll tell you I have never seen My Brother rock-climb before This Vacation, But I’ll tell you My Brother, Michael is a Fast and Very Skilled Rock-climber but, then again, he was been doing it for quite sometime and He does really awesome at it. So, When climbing walls, it is important to take the job of “Spotter” seriously, so the climber gets up and down the wall safely, unfortunately, this time, the person that was spotting Michael, lost her grip and Michael fell 12 Feet. It is very scary for all of us watching and it really distressed me. Luckily, My Brother is Okay but, he is just stiff and sore. The Time that I noticed that I was Over-Stimulated the most and couldn’t process was whenever we were on The 1st Floor named “The Waterpark Level” or as I referred to it, as “The Activity Level”. Just to Name things that were on the “Activity Level” was The Dragon’s Lair for MagiQuest (which was interesting to watch), An Arcade, A Kids Spa, Food/Snack Place, The Magiquest Shop, Laser Frenzy/XD Motion Theater, and Of Course, The Waterpark. My only Favorite part of that Floor was Ice Cream made by a Robot called “RoboFusion” which I had to Have. Talk about A lot of Stimulation! You could walk down the hallway of “The Activity Level” and see at least 10 Kids having Meltdowns, there was that much! So, It was a fun Vacation, but Way Too Overstimulating for Me! I know I will never go back, I’d rather have The Peaceful Gaylord Texan Personally. Though, Not that I want Kids, but If I had kids of My Own, I would not take them there, but that is just me. After I got home and Life started to finally catch up with Me, I just lost it because I was so overstimulated and My Mind was still processing, What On Earth just happened? I needed to hear a soft song and My Choice was The New Zealand National Anthem. Plus, Lack of Routine or Predictability, Seeing Laura & Taylor for the first time in 8 Years, and Out of My Comfort Zone really did not help at all. All in all, trying to trying the Good in Everything, My Mind shut down and I saw it as Fun but, I didn’t like the meltdown and readjustment after. This is something that I reflect back on for the PTLS Conference 2012 when It was getting overstimulating me and one of the older PTLSers, We left the Lunch Table to find a Quiet Place to Calm Our Minds. Yes, A Lesson Learned about the Limits of What I can and can’t handle. Let me just say that It annoys and makes me sad that My Brain gives me these limits on Sensory Issues going in Me. It makes me feel Excluded, like I can’t do things that Everyone Else because of My Processing. 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. As much as the following saying Annoys Me; for the love of goodness, “Know Your Own Limitations”

The Christianville Spirit: My Thoughts on Bullying

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

July 10, 2013-TCS # 359

So, This Week’s Newsletter is going to get a little Personal, about Something that concerns us all. It is known as Bullying. As hard as it is to say, You can’t go through Life without being Bullied and You have gone through without it, then You are very lucky. Now, I say that, “Concerns Us All” because it concerns not only PTLS Family Members but, also even the rest of us. For Those PTLS Family Members, I don’t mean to scare you in any way, I just want you to know what could be ahead (and, hopefully, it won’t be). As for Me, I was bullied in 5th Grade by a few kids in My Class. One Day, I was just sitting there and then, they started throwing Spitballs at Me. Considering that I had Texture Issues, I didn’t like the feel of the Spit Balls (I mean Who doesn’t). Anyway, It continued day after day while annoying me increasingly. After I told My Mom and My Brother about it, Our Childhood Meredith asked My Mom what would the risk be if she beat them up. My Mom told her what the consequence was and Meredith said, “Okay!” Talk about Support! I remember one day My Mom came to School to have lunch with me and they started throwing spitballs at me and eventually, I broke down and cried; My Mom on the other hand, She literally jumped out of the chair and flew over to those kids. Nearing 5th Grade Graduation, My Mom had a Genius Idea. She went to The Principal and they set up where The Kids that were nice to me (including Meredith) awards, to give the other kids a lesson in how to treat others. It would really help when Kids would ask My Mom about Me because I talked funny or acted less-than My Age (which is common in PTLSers anyway) and she would explain to them that I learned differently and Talked Differently but that was I was Unique, I had something called Dup.17p11.2 or A Duplication of Chromosome 17 (This was before Potocki-Lupski Syndrome was named). By The Way, I think I need to mention about the “Half-Age” thing. It generally said that us PTLSers in the way of age-appropriate behaviors, we are Half Our Age. However, there are times when we are more than our age, for me that is when it is about Geography and When I am Writing. I like to think of it more like this.. When I’m around Kids because there are No Adults to talk to or The Kids Stuff seems more fun, than I act less my age because I am imitating them. However, If I am around Adults (by Adults, I mean above 30), then I act more of My Age or sometimes even above it. So, I’m sure you are asking, “Was School Hard for You?(In The Way of Bullying)” It wasn’t that hard, the 5th Grade was the only time that I had bullies. As For My Advice about it, first thing to do would be to ignore it because they want a reaction out of you. If there are No Reactions, They will not Bully (do tell someone like Parents, Teacher, or Person of Authority); If it continues then, You tell them to Stop; if they don’t then You move toward The Principal (or Someone of Higher Authority). Of Course, On the rare occasion that the bully is an adult, then Kill Them with Kindness. A Big Way of Bullying to Me is Hurtful Words, They hurt me the most. It doesn't matter what Hurtful Word that they say, even if they are joking (which usually they are) it hurts me very deeply and it is something that I never forget. All in all, I conquered having a bully and I know that Other PTLSers can too.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Whether you have a Bully or You are a Bully, Stop Them!

The Christianville Spirit: Thank You to All My Readers

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

July 3, 2013-TCS # 358

So, The Other Day, I came to a Realization about something. I know that what I’m about to tell you is True, but Sometimes I forget about something important. You See, I have been writing this Newsletter, The Christianville Spirit for a Long Time, 7.5 Years to be Exact. For those that have followed and known me, I have written Newsletter since October of 2006. It started out as an Email to Friends & Family, that had just readers that were close to Me, and I should mention that this was not public. So, once I decided to take a shot at the “Public Realm.” I had to do a few Trial Runs on what site to publish on. I finally settled on Blogger (www.thechristianvillespirit.blogspot.com), the place where I post them now. After 7 Years of Writing, I have added quite a Loyal following of readers. My Mom tells me that I have at least a Thousand Readers but, there is something about the number of readers that I forget..or Really didn’t think was a Big Deal. On My Newsletter, You can comment on My Newsletter and I have gotten many comments on what I term, “The Gold Ones”, which means that it is a Heart-Tugging, Touching, and Inspirational Newsletter. The Thing that I didn’t think was a Big Deal was that I actually should have responded back, Thanking Them for Commenting and Reading This Newsletter, because I Really appreciate them. I noticed this realization when I was reading though all the comments that I had gotten since I started posting on Blogger. For The Record, I have written this newsletter Every Wednesday Religiously (with some exceptions for a few of them) since October of 2007. 1 year later, October 2007, by the way, is when I started posting on Blogger. I have had many comments that stand out like the First Comment that I have in My Record of Comments was from My Grandpa “Popi”, which I didn’t realize at the time, but it was the first and last time that he would comment on My Newsletter Site in His Life. I personally, would count it as the last important thing that he said to me, Regardless of whether it was or not, because he past away 6 months later. One Person left a really nice Comment to My 300th Newsletter and The Launch of My “I Believe In Love” Campaign. So, with that all said, I want to do something I hadn’t done. The moment that You commented, I didn’t respond like I should have. So this goes for anyone who has commented on My Newsletter in The Past and The Future. I want to Thank all of You, from the bottom of My Heart! I Appreciate You taking the time to Read My Newsletter, whether it interests you or not, and Yes, Even taking time to comment on My Newsletter Site. Please Know also that Every Comment does not go unread or ignored, I read them all and I appreciate you for it! For Those who don’t choose to Comment and Just Read My Newsletter, I appreciate that too. And Yes, for those of you that are annoyed by or dislike this newsletter, I Love You Guys too! I thank you all for taking the time out of your busy (or boring) life to come and read my newsletter, and share it with your friends, family, and work place. All in all, I love all My Readers and I thank all of them!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. From The Bottom of My Heart, Thank You! I truly mean that!

Here is My Newsletter Address, www.thechristianvillespirit.blogspot.com Share It!

The Christianville Spirit: Include, Not Exclude

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

June 26, 2013-TCS # 357

So, This Past Sunday, My Mom and I went to a really cool party, It was for one of our former neighbor’s Birthday. You See, when we first moved in to the house we live in Now, 16 Years Ago, we had this neighbor that would always say hello to us and Every Monday, at least, she would bring us a Box of Bagels for all of us to eat. We would hear the doorbell ring and it would be her, giving My Mom the box of bagels along with her sweet saying, “To Feed The Children”(She still takes Bagels to work with her and tell them the same thing) or Just to come over and say Hello and see how we were doing. Anyway, It was her 70th Birthday at her daughter, Michelle’s House. We thought that Michelle still lived down the street from our house, but she had moved to a new house that she built in The Country. She did have a nice house though and a big yard. When we came over, I saw that they were throwing a big party, complete with a Pool, Basketball Court (if you wanted to play), and A Huge Adult Size Water Slide. So, We had a small reunion with Our Neighbor and Michelle, and then, I was off to the Water Slide with all the kids. I had forgotten until the night after the party, that the last time I hung out with them, one of children that had been invited as well called me “The R-Word”, but that didn’t cross my mind at The Party. Because The Kids welcomed me, much to my surprise. I had to make sure to take it slow going on Runs down the water slide because I start getting overwhelmed, My Heart beats really fast, and My Vision starts getting blurry. By The Way, The Slide was an Inflatable one and the hardest part (and, most tiring) is climbing up to the top of the slide, to Slide Down. But, I did have a lot of fun playing with kids, one of them, later on liked the way I jumped and then, slid down and I would go all the way to the end if I was on My Belly. Whenever I was done with the slide and ready for the pool, I would hang out with whoever was in the pool. Now, Don’t Get Me Wrong, I am a Social Butterfly, but sometimes because I don’t know a lot of people and I’m not sure how the kids will accept me or not, it feels a little lonely. One Wish I had was that My PTLS “Brother” and Friend, Tyler (who is in town) was there to hang out with, talk to, and he could join us playing on the Water Slide. Even though, I was having fun, I still felt like I didn’t Belong. Many of the kids were asking me if I still go to School and I said that, “I graduated” and then, they follow with, “Do You go to College?”. You Know, when it comes to talking with Kids, The Topics of Driving and College come up and they have this impression that You have to go to College or else you are considered Stupid. I don’t mind this question when it comes to Parents or Adults because they are truly interested or they understand. I am aware that I cannot live in My Own Little PTLS Crew or “Bubble.” But, If I could, I would feel accepted and have plenty of topics in common to discuss that we like. Don’t Get Me Wrong, I love Meeting People and Socializing, but there are times when I wish I had PTLS Friends around My Age to Hang Out with more often. And, We don’t have to do things that are “Age Appropriate” which we often act either less than Our Age and Sometimes, Because we are Smart, over our age. All in all, It was a fun party with a few moments of loneliness.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Include People, Don’t Exclude People. 

The Christianville Spirit: My Reader's Choice

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

June 19, 2013-TCS #356

So, My Readers, I decide to do something different for This Week’s Newsletter. You See, On Facebook, I decided that instead giving My Readers topics that don’t always interest them or that they don’t want to hear about, I decided to give you, My Readers, the power to choose what I write. My Choices I came up with were My View on Something, PTLS Related, An Adventure/Trip, A Life Event and An Accomplishment. The Winner, to My Surprise, was An Accomplishment. So, That is what I am writing this week, Thanks to the input of My Readers. Enjoy!

So, To spotlight, one accomplishment would be hard to pick, so I will do a couple of them. In My Head Anyway, This Accomplishment is a big one (although there are bigger). You See, when I was in High School in 10th Grade, The Schedule gave me a sort-of “Job Study Period.”  It turned out that there wasn’t enough to keep me busy. So, one day the Vice Principal assigned me to a very important job, what was known as “Parking Lot Duty.” So, The Vice Principal took me around The Teacher Parking Lot and said, “These Green (Keystone Looking) Tags represent The Teachers and Those 3 white painted lines for Visitors” and he told me that any person who had one of those “Keystone Looking” Tags that parked in the wrong place that I had my clipboard that I had to write the License Plate number. After a couple trial runs, I got the hang of it and I was used to doing “Parking Lot Duty” at the time. Considering that I am Routine Oriented and Am Big On Rules, I was excited about getting to do it everyday. Eventually, though, it caught up with me and My Own Teachers would tell me not to write them up because they took the wrong car to School and forgot their Tag. They helped by describing where the car was and what color. But, to me, I was on The Rules, that and by the time I got out there, I would forget what they told me and without realizing it, I wrote them up anyway. At the end of The School Year, I got 100% Compliance that Year. After many Teachers were wondering, who I was and who was writing them up. I got an award near the end of the School Year for “Parking Lot Duty” that I didn’t even know that I had won. There was an Award Ceremony that I didn’t go to because I thought that I wouldn’t get an award that I got one anyway. So, I personally count that more as a Professional Accomplishment. The next Accomplishment is something that My Mom is proud of. You See, do you remember My Mom and I went to Houston to meet this wonderful Photographer who is now our buddy? This was a while ago, so it is okay if you don’t remember. Anyway, Before we all had our “Model Pictures” taken if you will, We went to a Presentation at the Baylor College of Medicine to show all his photos that he has taken of People with various Special Needs since the beginning. Anyway, after they showed all the pictures, Dr. Potocki & Dr. Lupski, and Other Doctors as well as My Mom joined a little panel in front of Over 200 Medical Students for a program called “Compassion and The Art of Medicine.” Dr. Potocki told me the night before that I could join if I wanted to. When the panel started, I was a little nervous sitting in the audience and then, Dr. Potocki said, “We also have Julie’s Son, Christian here if he would like to come up” and I sat there for a second and I thought, Okay, I might as well. After I sat down with everyone, They had a microphone for everyone to pass around and Of Course, with every question, they passed it to me. Eventually, I got the hang of it and used to them passing the Mic to each person. Now, as My Mom likes to say, it didn’t go without me having People in Tears with the things I said. I even polled the audience to see who looked at people from The Inside (Meaning Inner Beauty), instead of The Outside (Meaning Outer Beauty, like someone’s appearance) and only a few hands came up and I said, “God Bless You Guys! Because We need to see the Inner Beauty of People, Not Outer Beauty.” I told people that sometimes It is hard to see the Inner Beauty because you are too fixated on the outside and Yes, even I have done that a time or two. One of the Most Inspirational Things I said was (as I quote Myself from My Records), “Most People only look at the outside of others. That is all they see and are judged on. You can brush your hair, and put on Makeup, but Someone is still going to tell you, “Man, You Look Ugly!” Then, Of Course, there was the very daring thing I said that My Mom LOVES to Reference, I told Over 200 Medical Students and Doctors that, “Having Special Needs is not like living in Hell or anything.” After the panel was over, I just stood there looking at everyone answering questions and the next thing I had a line of Medical Students and Doctors Thanking Me for being so honest and Asking different questions. So, I’m really proud of this accomplishment because I had to talk in front of so many people. A Minor Accomplishment that I did was that I rode in a “Traffic Helicopter” during TV & Radio 5 O’ Clock Traffic Report and Told to keep my eyes peeled from Traffic Trouble. They were impressed that I knew where I was in all parts of the city. they told me that I was welcome back anytime, that was a Fun Accomplishment! All in All, I am very proud of these many accomplishments in My Life.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Be Proud of Your Big and Small Accomplishments.

The Christianville Spirit: Brotherly Time Together

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

June 12, 2013-TCS # 355

Sometimes when I write My Newsletter, if I don’t have an idea in what to write because My Head is flooded with Ideas, It blocks the topics from flowing. I ask My Mom for some ideas. But, most of the time, I come up ideas on My Own. I get carried away with all the ideas that I often forget to write a Newsletter about a Fun Time or a Good-Hearted Event until weeks after it happened. For that brings me to a Good-Hearted Time that My Brother and I had..that I forgot to write about! You See, I’m not sure if I told you this but, For Christmas, My Brother got me these “Brother Coupons” or more like “Quality Time Coupons” it was sort of a mimic of what We did for My Mom on Mother’s Day one year, but Anyway, These “Brother Coupons” were keys to spend time with My Brother, after all, between School, Work, and Time with Friends & Family, he can be very busy. So, He gave me 3, A Movie Night (at Home or The Movies), An Adventure (with Lunch included), and “Party Time” where we can go to dinner with My Choice of Our Friends. and, I had used the Movie Night one; So, I had to figure out where I wanted to drive to and I thought we would go this “Deck Park” in Downtown Dallas. My Brother had thought it might be cool if we went out to Mineral Wells to go hang out with our friends and I could watch him Rock Climb (He is a really good Rock Climber now) but, due to the park being closed because of the weather, we decided to stay in town and go to “The Deck Park.” So, for those who don’t know what I mean by a “Deck Park”, there was an architect who saw a divider that goes over the highway, if you will, between Uptown Dallas and The Arts District and Downtown Dallas. The divider, which had been there forever was Woodall Rodgers Freeway (which is a connecter freeway from I-35E to US 75). So, The Architect envisioned a connection between Uptown and Downtown through a Park that as crazy as it sounds, was built over the freeway. In The United States, it is first of it’s kind to be built and it is wild to say that there is a park sitting above a busy freeway. but, anyway. Back to My Brother and I. So, I really wanted to see the park (it is called Klyde Warren Park, by the way) because of it’s uniqueness and because it looked really cool. When My Brother and I got there, We walked around the park, it was really awesome. They had a Playground, Spray Grounds at the Entrances of it, Plenty of Grass Space, Food Trucks, and even a Dog Park with little sprayers coming out. I’m sure during the summer, they have concerts in the park. When we were there, they were setting up for one, although it looked like a contest because there were judges up front. After we checked out the park, I had remembered that there was a BIG sign nearby that I wanted to see and take our pictures. You See, The City of Dallas has created this interactive tourism campaign where they have a Big D and Big G, and it is up to You to be the Letter I. So, you can do different poses as the I and post them to The Internet, namely to the “Big Things are Happening in Dallas” Facebook Page. So, We walked over to that, which was at the Winspear Opera House, I knew that because they showed the Arts District Visitor Center on The News. Next to that, was A very shallow pool of water, I wanted to walk in. So, My Brother and I took off our shoes and walked in the water. It was really cool and funny, My Brother and I acted as if we were walking on Water because the water was that shallow. I saw that the girls near us were doing Ballet-like spins around in the water. I walked around, did a little spin, walked along the cracks, and walked on Water. So, after we played in the water a little bit, we decided to sit and watch everybody and enjoy the surroundings. Of Course, Our Brotherly Time didn’t go without a couple Geography Lessons, Being Goofy, and Having Good Talks. After we walked back to The Park, we watched a little bit of the band playing and then, I had noticed that the clouds were looking dark so, we decided to go back to the car, not a minute later after we got in the car; it started pouring down rain, getting windy, and thundering. I did want to show My Brother where we had the PTLS-Dallas “Texas Round Up” but, because of the rain we decided to get a little closer to home. We stopped at Whole Foods for Dinner, because they have something called “King Ranch Casserole” that I like to have and I had it and it was good! Now I did, in a way, get to see My Brother rock climb a little bit because we stopped at REI to get him Rock Climbing Shoes and Rope. I got to see him do it when he was trying the different shoes on. After that, We decided to head home. All in all, Our Adventure was a lot of fun and it’s always fun to act like a Tourist in your own city, as weird as that way be.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Spend a Little Quality Time with Your Siblings.

The Christianville Spirit: Putt's Hometown Adventure

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

June 5, 2013-TCS # 354

So, You may remember sometime ago of Me mentioning someone named “Putt.” For those who don’t, I wrote about him in the Newsletter, “An Exciting & Unnerving Week”, He is My PTLS “Uncle” Brent’s Dad who likes to be referred to as “Putt.” Anyway, for a while now, “Putt” has been wanting us to come down to Mexia (Pronounced Ma-HAY-Yuh) to give us a tour of the area and visit a couple places that are Near and Dear to His Heart. Yes, He even gave me a Magazine about the area, so I could have an idea and interest in the area. Anyway, This Past Friday, That is what we did, We took a little Day Trip down to Mexia (or Limestone County, Texas) to see all the places. So, what we did was we drove down to a town called Fairfield, which is on I-45 between Dallas and Houston; and, we parked our car at a nearby restaurant, Putt picked us up and we were on our way on “Putt’s Hometown Adventure.” So, we started driving out into the country, not yet toward Mexia but, around it. The First Stop was a town that you would have to know that it is there, let alone, the significance of it. You See, The town’s name was..Wait for it... Tehuacana (pronounced Tuh-Wa-Can-Nuh). The significance of this town was for three reasons, 1. It was historically home to Trinity University, which now is in San Antonio; 2. It was going to be The Capitol of Texas, however Stephan F. Austin was more popular and Austin became The Capitol of Texas; and Finally, 3. It is home to people that want to start a camp for People with Special Needs in the “Tri-County Area” (meaning Limestone, Freestone, and Leon Counties) called “Christian Creek Retreat.” What is fascinating about this town is that the former-dorms of Trinity University (“Texas Hall and “Louisiana Hall”, Respectively) are still standing. In Fact, They hold weddings and sleep-overs in the former-Women’s Dorm. But, You have to provide your own blankets and you have pay per Night, per Person, and per Bed. Never Mind the cost when you get to spend the night in a Historic Building in a Historic Town. That and Tehuacana could have been The Capitol of Texas and been a big city. Anyway, About The Camp, There are these nice people who want to build a camp for Special Needs People and Their Camp is in Deep in The Country and I mean that! They already have a Therapy Room and two Cabins in the process of being built. Their Land is huge though, a lot to mow, but They do have a Special Garden with many vegetables growing and that is Fascinating to Me, also because I’m used to seeing Fruits and Vegetables already picked and at the Grocery Store; But, not while they are growing. It was awesome to see! My Mom and the Owners got into a really good conversation about PTLS. They were excited to hear about it, because they have a Grand Daughter who may have it and now will get Tested for it. They want My Mom to come and Talk to the Parents and Doctors all Around the Area about PTLS. This is Really Cool! So, after that, we drove into Mexia (Ma-HAY-Yuh, again) for a nice refresher while we continue driving. I should mention that Our “Refresher” was a Sweet Tea at Bush’s Chicken for 34 Cents. Before we had the refresher, We drove past a place that is really Near and Dear to Putt’s Heart because it is a No-Kill & Non-Profit Animal Shelter named “LARAS House.” (meaning Limestone Animal Rescue and Adoption Shelter). He says it is a great organization to help and get involved with. After That, We drove through the Winding Backroads of Texas down to a small town called Leona (Again, A town we miss going to Houston) where we had a nice dinner at a place called Leona General Store, which had a very simple menu; You had a choice of Steak, Pork Chops, or Catfish. along with it came a Salad, Twice-Baked Potatoes and Really Good Dinner Rolls. No Flexibility in The Menu, but that is okay because it was really good! All in all, It was an awesome day spent with our good buddy, “Uncle Putt.” 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Venture Out into The Country, You never know what You are going to Find.

The Christianville Spirit: Christianville Explained

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

May 29, 2013-TCS # 353

So, I think that The Newsletter I’m going to write is well overdue for those who are either just getting to know me, have known me for a while, and Yes, even My Veteran Readers that have known and followed my newsletter since the beginning, Welcome onto Christianville Spirit Highway! So, I’m sure that you are wondering about Where the Term, “Christianville” came from. You See, when I was younger, like around 4th Grade, I would pace back and forth in the yard when I thought no one was looking or I was bored. I had even Ironed a trail that I paced on. While I was pacing, I would hum the sounds of the road or imagine a different version of Dallas, where the bridge over the Trinity River was more like the Golden Gate Bridge, South Dallas was where the Zoo was (which it actually is) and a city below it, which was a dirty city. I named the Dallas-like City, Christianville; South Dallas or locally known as “Oak Cliff” was considered South Christianville and The dirty city was Elizabethvania (which is presently a much cleaner city known as “Izzyville”). I believe the theory that Elizabethvania was that it was to make the City of Christianville look more attractive and nicer. Now, I should mention that it was no reflection on the actual person that the city was named after. Anyway, After some imagining of the city, I left it alone for a while until I hit a High School Age. That was when I decided to write a list of Information about this “Made-Up City of Christianville” and This is what I came up with..

The City of Christianville is The County Seat of Christian County, TN

The City Of Christianville is along The Tennessee River. Which Mississippi is on The Other Side.

The Highlight of The Christianville Skyline is The Tower of Christian Smith and The Christian-Izzy Bridge. The Christian-Izzy Bridge is Part of The Christianville Skyline, Just as Much as The Tower of Christian Smith is.

Nearby Brooke, TN is Home to Christian Smith. The Areas Around The City Are Considered "The Christianville Metro Area"

The New England Cities And Nor'easter Village. Which is North of Christianville is Christianville's Feel of a Non-City Feeling.

The Newspaper of The Christianville Metro Area Has an Unique Name to it. It is Called "The Christianville Spirit"

Christianville's Basketball Team is called The Christianville Timberwolves.

West Michael Street, In Downtown Christianville is The City's Teen Hang Out Street.W. Michael St. has Plenty of Shops and Chairs for Local Teenagers to Hang Out and Talk.

Christianville's Famous Best Friends Festival is a 5 Day Festival to Honor Christian's Best Friends.Each Day of The 5 Days Is a Day For Each Best Friend. It Is Held on November 16-20 on Friends St.from Brooke to S.Izzy St.

Christian's Best Friends Festival Day List:

Nov.16-Karleen Day{Presentation Of Friends Of Year And 'Parade Of Karleen Frishman'}

Nov.17-Brooke Day{Christian Smith And Brooke Herrick Fair. In Brooke, TN}

Nov.18-Meredith Day{Meredith's Fun Day}

Nov.19-Whitney Day{Wacky Whitney's Play In Downtown Day}

Nov.20-Steven Day{Tigger Parade}

The People Of The Christianville Metro Area Say that The Intersection Of Christianville And Tennessee St. Is The Heart Of Christian Smith

On April 19, 2006. The City Of Christianville Started The Sister Cites Program. The Sister Cities Of Christianville, TN are:

-Karleen City, Karleen-

Michaelville, Michael-

Stevenville, Steven

So, After I came up with that list, The City of Christianville became more real to Me. If You have noticed, My “Made-Up” City of Christianville is in The State of Tennessee. The Reason behind that is because I love the East Coast of The US (along with many other places) because The Smith Family lives in Atlanta and I have always wanted to be there. Plus, Tennessee seemed like a good fit and it sounded more like it flowed when you said, “Christianville, Tennessee.” Also, in the notes, you can see where this newsletter, “The Christianville Spirit” got it’s name. Funny Thing, is that, “The Christianville Spirit” in Christianville it’s self, is actually the City’s Newspaper. So, Anyway, as the city’s reality started to set in, I decided to draw maps of city and Believe Me, I have edited them many times but, they are in detail of the Downtown Area, Metro Area, A Light Rail System known as CARTA (Christianville Area Rapid Transit Authority); as well as The City of Brooke (named after Childhood Friend, Brooke Herrick) which is more like Plano. or More like, Exactly like Plano. By The Way, I should mention to that the names of Cities, Streets, Places, and The Days of Christian’s Best Friends’ Festival are all named after something or someone that is important to me. The Names; Izzy, Meredith, Whitney, Brooke, as well as “Herrick” occur alot in the city because those are the people who I grew up with in “The Jeff Era” (Mr. Jeff is the nice guy that My Mom dating and was there for us when we were kids) and I refer to them as my “Childhood Friends” or “Long-Time Friends.” When I was in High School, My Mom said that I should “Write a Blog” since I enjoyed writing all through School and it started as an Email to Friends & Family about my thoughts of the day or The Events in Christianville. Then, as it grew, I moved it to a Blog Site and now it has thousands of readers around the world. Now, I direct my writing toward Living with PTLS and My View on The World. All in all, I’m always taking requests for topics and I hope you enjoyed learning about My City of Christianville

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. I really appreciate all My Readers, You are all Very Important to Me. 

The Christianville Spirit: In My Best Friend's Honor

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

May 22, 2013-TCS # 352

So Today, to me, is a Special Day because of Someone Special. You See, 5 Years Ago My Best Friend Lynee, passed away (I had posted on Facebook that it was 4 Years Ago, but, it was actually 5). Lynee was someone that I was really great friends with when I was in 4th Grade. It was when I was much less social as I am now (Hard to Believe there was ever that time, I Know) and My Words were less clear then. I always like to point out too that she was My First Crush and I didn’t know that to do with that. However, She was one of those friends that understood me, even If I didn’t talk clearly. So, In Honor of the day that she passed away, I gave today a Special Name instead of the depressing name, “Lynee Watson’s Homecoming” So, I refer to it now as “Lynee Day”, which is my day to celebrate her life, even though I only was with her in 2 Classes, in Fourth Grade and The other in Tenth Grade. I even am changing a Street Name in Downtown Christianville in honor of her and put her on the map. Last Year’s “Lynee Day” was not an easy one for Me because it was the First “Lynee Day” after I found out that she passed away (which was 2 Years after She actually passed away). This Year is more about Celebration of Her Life. Anyway, Sometimes when I think of her; I think of those “Master Card” Commercials, Only My Version and In My Words, “A Friend is Easy to Find, A Good Friend is Harder to Find, and An Awesome Friend who You Loved...This is Priceless.” We will always have Friends that we either meet in Elementary School who continue to Travel with Us in our Life, Friends who will become more Special, or Just Friends that come into your life and Stay for a Season. Lynee on the other hand, She’ll be around Forever even though She is in Heaven but, also, She is My Guardian Angel as well. What Kind of Friends do you have in Your Life? All in all, Make the Best of Your Friends. Keep The Great Friends in Your Life and Give them a Special Place in Your Heart.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish, Respect, and Never Let Go of the Friends you love because you never know what Tomorrow will bring.

The Christianville Spirit: Why Do We Have Moms

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

May 15, 2013-TCS #351

So, As You all know, Sunday was Mother’s Day here in The United States, I say that because Mother’s Day is on a different day in other parts of The World. But, Anyway, Mother’s Day is a very important holiday to Me because of one thing that I am ever grateful for, My Mom, as well as Moms in general. Moms are Awesome! But, Why do we have Moms? Now, I’m sure you are reading this, thinking, “Why do We Have Moms?! What kinda of Crazy Question is that?” and others would wonder and ponder about it. So, I’m going to answer that question, “Why Do We Have Moms?”. Well, Truth is, there are alot of reason why, but here are MY Reasons Why.

1. They birthed us; through hard labor, sometimes, Hours of it. In My Mom’s Case, A C-section that she felt the whole time (the anesthesia didn’t work!)  
2. They are our Secondary Quilt, Beanie Baby, or Blankie when we are Babies (Because We like to Snuggle)
3. They are “Best Friends” when we don’t have any Real Friends and They always will be, whether you like it or not.
4. In The 90’s (And, Probably still now) They are Our Seat Belts when someone slams on their brakes. Even though We already have our Seat Belt on.
5. They are our Protecter, Guard, and Guard-Rail Fence against Evil, Mean, or Hurtful Forces.
6. (If You Let Her Do This One, You are Lucky) They are Your Matchmaker. As in, walking up to the Prettiest Girl around and saying, “Hey, Check Out My Son, He’s a REALLY Good Catch!” and You always say, “Moooom!”. But, You never know if that girl might be the Girl of Your Dreams!
7. If You have a Bully or Hateful/Hurtful Person in Your Life, “Momma Bear” will come out and it will NOT be Pretty!
8. In My Case, If You have Special Needs, Your Mom will go to all lengths to get you what you need, help you in anyway possible, and be there for you when you need her. Even going through many teary-eyed and bull-headed IEP Meetings!
9. They know what is best for You, Way before You Do.

10.          and, Finally and Most Importantly, They are Your Mother and Whether You Like it or Not, They will be the only person besides Your Soulmate that will be by your side Forever!

So, Those are My Reason as to “Why We Have Moms” and I wanted to add another reason of that, In My Case, they are your Road Buddy or Your Chauffeur when you want to go somewhere. By The Way, That is a Condition that Can not be taken advantaged of. All in All, My Mom and I have always had this system where I ask her, “Mom, Why do you do this?” and she answers, “It is in The Book of Moms!”.

Thanks fore Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish Your Mom, She is Your Best Friend!

The Christianville Spirit: Ceremony of Letting Go

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Fills Your Heart & Lifts You Up

May 8, 2013-TCS # 350

 So, When I was in school, usually at the beginning of the School Year, I would have to fill out an Introduction Sheet of things about yourself including your class schedules. But, there was this one question that would always stump me and that is “What don’t I know about you that you would like Me (The Teacher) to Know?” It would always stump me because I never knew what to say, after all I’m pretty much an open book to Everyone that I know. So, This Week, I’m going to, in a way, answer that question. You See, Whenever Someone wronged me or In Most Cases, When I Broke up with Someone (or Someone Broke-up with Me) I would do a ritual, in my case, A “Ceremony” if you will. It was and still is My Way of moving on. So, for example, after I broke up with Ali (Ex-Girlfriend the 1st) and Madison (Ex-Girlfriend 2nd), I would grab anything that reminded me of that person and throw it in the trash. By The Way, that can mean Photos, Gifts they gave me, and Anything that reminded me of them. I thought it was no big deal with My Ex-Girlfriends until I did one partly for someone that we’ll call, “Mom X-2.” To Me, it was a big deal this time because I loved this person greatly and at the time, I was not ready to do the ceremony because I am a man of Second (and, Third) Chances and I had a little hope that this person would change but, they didn’t. Of Course, There will always be a segment of My Heart that still loves “Mom X-2” but, she hurt me very deeply and this is what I had to do. Now, I did not do the full ceremony because there were things that she gave me that is very special and still means a lot. But, Sometimes, unfortunately in life, you have to lose things and people; whether they move away; Pass Away, like Grandma Honey’s Dog, Sugar; or They somehow, just forget about you because They have moved on and/or they just got busy with their lives, like some of My Childhood Friends, But, I am a firm believer though, that Everything happens for a Reason, whether you like it (and, You might) or Not. As They say also, that when you let someone or something go, someone or something new will come along. In My Case, In the course of a couple months, I’ve had new PTLS Aunts, meeting new PLTS Family Members, Like Madison from East Texas and Uncle Brent’s Dad, “Putt”; You can’t top it off without occasional and entertaining Skype calls with PTLS Uncle Brent, and finally while I wait for My lovely Soulmate/Women of My Dreams, I have nice and safe “Dates” with Married Women like Monica and twice weekly “Dates” with PTLS Member, Raisbel (who I call, Raisy). And, as for Grandma Honey, She is currently in the process of hoping for the arrival of a new dog(or 2 or 3)! Good Luck with That! All in all, People of all shapes and forms will come into your life and they’ll either stay for a while or forever.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Come into My Happy Life and Hang Out for a Bit or Forever.