The Christianville Spirit: Destiny Lead Weirdness

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

May 18, 2016-TCS # 497

Hello, My Lovely Readers! So, This Week is a Bittersweet Time for Me and Not in an “April is not My Favorite Month” kind of Way. You See, This Sunday will be what I refer to as “Lynee Day” (or known official as Lynee Remembrance Day). It is The Day that My Childhood Friend, Lynee Watson passed away and I celebrate her in Many Ways. Usually, I celebrate her by Writing a Newsletter, Posting about Her, and Having My Own what I call “Lynee Day Observances” which include a Moment of Silence at 2:22PM Central/3:33PM Eastern. In Case You were Wondering, To Read More about Lynee Day, Refer to The Following Newsletters by Title and Year...

• The Parting of a Friend (December 2011)
• In Memory of Lynee Watson (May 2012)
• In My Best Friend’s Honor (May 2013)
• Celebration of Life (May 2014)
• Lynee Day Newsletter (May 2015)
• and, Of Course, You can’t forget The Best Part of This Amazing Story of Lynee, ‘The Untold Story” Series.

So, Happy Lynee Day Reading!

Now, Don’t You think that It is going to End Here. Nope! So, I am going to tell you an Amazing Story that couldn’t have happened at The Oddest Time being that It is The Week of Lynee Day. This Newsletter Subject was totally Not Planned at All! So, Yesterday, I was doing My Normal Daily check of Facebook when I came across an Interesting Like. Now, most the “Likes” You come across and by that, I Mean XYZ Person liked XYZ Page or Post is just a Part of Facebook, It can be a bit Mundane at Times. “So-and-So liked This, Oh Interesting!” among different reactions. But, My PTLS Aunt liked a Clothing Store called MM. Lafleur. Now, As You may already know, I mention a lot about The Woman of My Dreams whose name I purely came up with, Bridgett Lafleur. Now, Her Actually Name may or may not be That Name, I am led to believe that It is. Since I came up with a Name and Story for Her back in 2009, I have ran into quite a bit Near-Bridgett Run-Ins and Things that were so Coincidental that It is legit creepy. This was One of Those Times. So, After I checked everything on Facebook and went back to that “Like”, MM. Lafleur. It is Women’s Clothing Store in New York City that pops up in Different Locations every now and then. So, Let’s start with The First Find, The Address of This place had an 11 in it. Since June of Last Year, I have been seeing 11’s literally Everywhere, On The Hour, License Plates, Signs, You get The Idea. 11’s are sort of My Confirmation Number since I am into Numbers anyway. I saw a Picture of a Purple Outfit called “Maria”, that is Very Close to Bridgett’s Middle Name, Marie. A Customer of theirs is named Bridget (with One T, not Lafleur last name though) but, Very Close. It turns out that They will be doing a “Pop-Up” (like I mentioned earlier) in of All Places, Atlanta going from May 19th to May 22nd, ending on Lynee Day! This comes in Two Parts, One is that I came up with that Bridgett lives in Atlanta, and The Second is that It ends on Lynee Day. Another Coincidence (There is No Such Thing!), is that Sarah Lafleur, The Owner, is friends with someone named N. Sinclair, which is the name of the people who live at The Address that I had come up with for where Bridgett’s Mom lives. But, doing My Research to see if anyone actually lived at this “Made-Up Address”, it turned out the Sinclair Family lives there. If that is not enough, Sarah Lafleur is friends with Someone from Wisconsin named Linea and I met a Linea while in Sweden last year, who was from The United States but, now lives in Sweden. Could This be The Same Linea? That would be Very Freaky! And, on top of that, One of The Models looks similar to Lynee! All of This is Extremely Weird! and, I am going to give this a Name (by suggestion by My Friend, Deb.) “Destiny Lead Weirdness”. These, what I call by The News Term, Lead (like a Lead of a Story) happens quite often. After all, It happend Years ago when I thought that My Dream Girl’s named was Carol Holiday. All in all, So I am Amazed by all of these “Destiny Leads”, Who knows where This is going to Lead to.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. You Never Know when a Dream will become Real, Just follow The Leads.

The Christianville Spirit: The Language of Music

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

May 11, 2016-TCS # 496

Hello, My Readers! So, I figured that I would show you just how Smart I am and Show You a bit more about How My Brain works. So, You Know already about Language like English, Spanish, Italian, French, Swedish...You get The Idea. But, Then I challenged You and Taught You about Love Languages (Refer to “The 5 Love Languages” Newsletter) But, There is another Language and One that We can all agree with, well..Sort of. I am sure You are thinking, “What?! ANOTHER Language to Learn?!”. Oh, but You will enjoy This One. I call it, The Language of Music. Yes, Music. It flows through us, It says a lot about us, and, not that It matters too much, but It also shows both Your Generation and How Old (Clearing Throat) Young You are. When I thought of What to Write about This Week, I had My Own Idea of What to write about, but I guess it should be another Newsletter from Another Time. But, However, The First Thing I thought when writing a Newsletter about The Language of Music, I thought of My Mom’s Dad, Popi. Other than His Legendary Postal Stamp Collection; He loved Music, He pretty much lived Music, and In Fact, He did that in College, He studied Music. Truth be told here, Music is actually a Very Fascinating Subject because after all, It says a lot about Us. It makes you want to Dance, Tap your Toes, Cry, Think, Contemplate Life and Love, and Stir All sorts of Memories. You can listen to it on an Elevator, while Driving, while Shopping, while Eating, while Exercising, or while Sitting on The Beach. As For Me, I have Various Music Languages, I like to think that My Top Music Languages would be Country, Pop, and 80s/90s Music (which was basically Rock). This One will surprise, but There are some  of Instrumental/Classical Music I like, For Example, “Chariots of First”, “The Entertainer”, “Blue Danube”, and “Ode to Joy”. So, as You can see I have Different Musical Tastes. The Best Part of Music, at least for Me, are The Certain Ways that A Song sounds, The Way The Song Begins, or How They do The Middle Part of The Song. “Tattoo” by Jordan Sparks; “Like A Prayer” by Madonna; and, “Hole In The World” by The Eagles, Those Songs I like because of The Middle of the Song. In Music Terms, They call The Crescendo. Another Thing I Love about Music is that sometimes, Songs have Great Messages to Them. For Example, “MMMBop” by Hanson (I explained that one, Reference “The Meaning of MMMBop”); One that I think that will Solve a lot of Problems in The World, “Where is The Love?” by The Black Eyed Peas; and, If You need a Mood Booster, There is always “Tubthumping” by Chumabawumba. Yes, That is an actual Band Name. Now, If You are Angry about Something, In The Rare Occasion that it happens, I either use “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi or “We’re not gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister. Now, I do have to say though that Music can be a little Challenging because Sometimes, I can remember The Lyrics or The Song Title but, I can’t remember The Artist. and, Sometimes, One Song sounds like another like “Dear Future Husband” by Meghan Trainer and “Runaround Sue” from The 50’s. That brings me to Another Thing, is that sometimes Certain Songs or Certain Artists Names and Sounds, sound too much alike. That is Where Artists tend to get in Trouble because of that and It makes me wonder, There is not Much Originality anymore in terms of Sounds and Names. I often Wonder how hard it is Today to come up with a Band Name and Sound for that Band. Now, I will end with This, There are Brilliant Songs that could put you in a Mood as if You are on Vacation, like “Toes” by Zac Brown Band; “Kokomo” by The Beach Boys;  or The Famous “It’s 5 o’Clock Somewhere” by Alan Jackson. Happy Virtual Vacationing! All in all, There is Great Music out there and in Various Genres that will help You in whatever Music Language You speak.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Let The Music move Your Soul

The Christianville Spirit: Why We Have Moms Rerun

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

May 4, 2016-TCS # 495

Happy (Early) Mother’s Day, My Readers! I am glad that April is Over! I Hate April! Refer to, “My Feelings about April and God” Newsletter for More... Anyway, I did not know this that apparently The UK and The US have Different Mother’s Day and known by Different Names and Different Times. I found out on A Site about National Holidays around The World. You See, Many Times on Facebook, I have seen People wish PTLS Family Members in The UK a Happy Mother’s Day, Not on Our Mother’s Day. I thought, “How is that possible?!”. So, I apologize for the Confusion. Now, If You are Curious about The Names, UK Mother’s Day known as “Mothering Sunday” is in March while US Mother’s Day called simply “Mother’s Day” is The Second Sunday in May. Reading The Names, I like both names, but You have to admit that The Sound of “Mothering Sunday” sounds a bit cooler. Anyway, So on to This Week’s Newsletter. This Week, I am going to Rerun a Gold Newsletter that I had Written about Mother’s Day. A Bit of a Background here though, First of All, the Basics, This Newsletter was written on May 15th of 2013 (Refer to Newsletter 351). I’m not sue if I mentioned in The Newsletter below about The Origin but, Before This Newsletter entitled “Why We have Moms”, I had written one about “Why We have Children” so, If You Will, The “Why We Have Moms” was sort of an Extension, A Sequel to The “Why We have Children” Newsletter. (Refer to Newsletter 273; November 2011). Anyway, I hope You know You PTLS Member Moms are Brilliant (I Love that Word!) Moms and My Mom is By Far, The Most Brilliant! Enjoy!

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 kind 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 a lot 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: The First Annual PTLS 5K

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

April 27, 2016-TCS # 494

Howdy, My Readers! That is How We say Hello in Texas. Howdy Y’all! So I have an exciting story to Tell You! I did My First 5K! Now, That is Hard for Me to wrap my head around, I actually did a 5K and Not just any 5K, This was a Very Special One! The Idea came up to do a Fundraiser and Several PTLS Family Members got together and Decided to just do it! One of The PTLS Members, Holly, decided to literally run with The Idea like A High-Speed Train. They talked about Different Ideas and, Holly says “Okay” and Runs faster than Speedy Gonzales. Pretty Soon, We had a Location and then Sponsors literally came flowing in to help us Raise Money for Potocki-Lupski Syndrome. None of Us saw that one coming, but Like They say, Everything is bigger in Texas! So, My Mom and I drove to Austin on Friday, something that Neither of us have done in at least 11 or more Years and We spent the Night down There to Be Ready for an Early Morning. So, We had the 5K at This really nice Park, North of Austin. Apparently, It is a Very Popular Park for The Locals. Then, We started Welcoming People to Our 5K, We had 60 People or more show up! Some of them PTLS Family Members, Holly’s Family, Family Members of Out-Of-State PTLS Kids, as well as Runners that were Excited to “Just Run”. The Proud Moment came when We had The Legendary Doctor Potocki, The Doctor that named Potocki-Lupski Syndrome, showed up at the Last Minute because She too wanted to Run. Myself and A Local PTLS Family Member got to bring her in, It was sort of like I was part of The PTLS Union Queen welcoming party and escort, It was quite an Honor! After a Few Introductions, It was Time to Run! So, I figured that if I could walk 10 Kilometers in Stockholm and in London, then I could walk 5 Kilometers (or 3.1 American Miles). I started Running at first (Shocking, for Me!) and then, I slowed down to Walk, Just a little Faster. I watched Several People Run or Walk Fast by and I thought, “Oh Man, I am going to be Dead Last!”. After a while of People Passing, I finally found Two Partners that I could walk with. One of Them, A PTLS Member and Another that had PTLS. We mainly walked, but would pick a Point to run to and then, would slow down and Walk again. The Object of the 5K was to walk The Trail (which had a Bit of a Hill) and then, turn around at The Green Balloons and make your way back to The Finish Line. As Runners past, We started counting them and We lost count at 13. The Trail was Pretty Nice though and Had some parts of Shade and Wooded Areas. Luckily, My Mom gave me a Water Bottle to drink while I walked because It was kind of Hot that day and I thought that I would be Fine. Near The End of The 5K, Two People with Kids holding the Green Balloons that was at The Turn-around whizzed past us walking, I thought for sure that We were Dead Last, but We weren’t. I thought, “You Guys got to get behind The Last Walker, because You are pretty much carrying the Final Torch!” But, Against all Odds, Myself and My Partners that I had all ran for The Finish Line. I was quite proud of Myself for Actually Finishing An as-Official-as-It-Gets 5K. My Mom was there at The End to see it happen, I am sure that It was a Very Proud Mommy Moment for Her, as it was for Me. I kind of wish that She would have walked it too (because She had to be The Medical Attendant at The End and Hand Out Awards, Nurse/Presidential Stuff), but Then, She would have not seen The Moment from Her Eyes. All in all though, It was a Fun 5K and We raised a lot of Money for The PTLS Foundation, and that is A Proud Moment in Itself.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Be Proud and Run/Walk for PTLS!

The Christianville Spirit: The Building of People's Moods Rerun

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

April 20, 2016-TCS # 493

Hello, My Readers! Today, known to People in The US as 420 or 4-20, was actually My Childhood Friend, Lynee’s Birthday. Yes, I thought that was Funny too because 420 is Code for something that I learned but, did not understand, High School Kids and Others, Use to refer to something that is Illegal. But, in all seriousness, She would have been My Age today. So, Happy Birthday, Angel Lynee! A bit of a Note about Last Week’s Newsletter, I forgot to mention about Switzerland’s Vacation Time as One of The Reasons to Live There and Visit There. They have Several Weeks of Vacation Time if You work there. And, Finally I also forgot to mention on My List of Places that I wanted to visit, New York State (The Adirondacks), Vermont/New Hampshire/Maine (To see Autumn Foliage), and finally Japan (Curious about How Crowded it is!). Anyway, On to This Week’s Newsletter! So, in My 10 Years of Writing (I still can’t believe that!), I get curious about Where I was at a Certain Time, Then I find a Newsletter that I had written and I think either “Oh! I remember that!” or “Oh Yeah! That is a Good or Gold One! I should rerun it again”. Sometimes though, The Trouble is that I read it and then, I forget about it and then, Sometimes Question what I should write about. So, This Newsletter is one of those Rerun Newsletters that I thought was Gold! So, This Newsletter was written on April 15th of 2009 (Refer to Newsletter Number 144). At This Time in My Life, We were getting ready for The First PTLS Conference in Houston. Also, I should mention that I was into The Stock Market and Watching the End of The Stock Market Day on The News. Anyway, I feel that This Newsletter needs Re-Sharing! Enjoy!

OK, I know everyone is sick of hearing about The Stock Market and The Economy. But, here is what I’ve noticed about the problem with the investors besides Wall Street Greed. It is also their mood; when their mood is down the stocks goes down and when their mood is up the stocks goes up. You see, people’s moods depend on how they see things. Let’s think of people’s mood as a 120-Floor Building we‘ll call “The Building of People‘s Moods, The 120th floor is the happiest you can be or “Being on top on the world” and then, the ground floor is when your very sad or “Hitting Rock Bottom”. in this building, colored floors that reflect the mood the floor reflects to. These colors and floors are as follows:

Floors 0-40 (Purple Floors)

Floors 40-60 (Red Floors)

Floors 60-80(Orange Floors)

Floors 81-90(Yellow Floors)

Floors 91-120(Green Floors)

Here is what the colors means:

Green Floors: Really Happy People

Yellow Floors: Happy People

Orange Floors: Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad

Red Floors: Sad People

Purple Floors: Sad and Angry People

Now, these are the positive side of the building, the really angry, sad, depressed, and evil people go on the Negative Floors or “N-Floors” these floors only go to 20 “N-Floors”. being on the “N-Floors” too long can result in not believing in God, not believing in Happiness, and a lowering Self-Esteem. All it takes is a quick hop on the Elevator and go up to the Happy Floors, just go up!

All in all, As You can see, It is Very Important to know What Floor that You are on. If You are on a Low Floor; Cheer Up, Life does get Better. If You are on High Floor; You are Good to Go and You must be Very Blessed as well.

Thanks for reading The Christianville Spirit. If you are feeling lower than the Orange Floors, Elevate Your Life!

The Christianville Spirit: Walter Mitty and Travel

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

April 13, 2016-TCS # 492

Hej Hej, My Readers! “Hej, Hej” (Pronounced Hey-Hey) is How You say Hello in Swedish. I always like to try different greetings every now and then. Anyway, so My Mom and I were watching TV last night, not sure what to watch. On Tuesday Nights, usually there is not much on except for New Girl and My New Favorite Show, Fixer Upper on HGTV. Then, I found I had a Choice between Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations (going to Puerto Rico and Houston) or A Movie that I have not seen in a while but, is a Hilarious one called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I’m not sure that I have written about it and, I thought that I have, but It is a Really Great Movie! It is a Movie that You really have to pay attention to, because The Art Department of This Movie, cleverly puts Words and Different Meanings in The Background, it really is Amazing. Basically, Without Spoiling It, It is about a Guy who works at Life Magazine, but The Only Problem is that although He and His Co-Workers follow the Motto of Their Company, He has not gotten to Experience True Life, other than Helping put the Pictures in The Magazine. So, To Say The Least, He gets Challenged to Experience True Life. You Know, The Sad Thing that a lot of People, at least here in The United States, don’t get to Experience Life and More on The Lines of Seeing The World. Usually, We are stuck behind a Desk, Working all day and For a Not-So-Great Wage and then, Going Home and Then, Pay all the Bills and not have enough Money in The End to “Experience Life”. Of Course, Sometimes, it is for Other Reasons too, like Fear of The Unknown, which is a Problem for Me when I need My Routine but, I digress. Most of Us will however admit that like Walter Mitty, We hate Standing Still but, Not Enough to do something about it. After a While of Standing Still, We tend to Daydream about Things, People, or Places. In My Case, it is both People and Places. Now, Okay, as much as I want to Travel The World, I also like to Stay Home, It is comfortable and predictable. But, I can Dream, can’t I? There are Many Places that I would love to go in The World that I, like Walter Mitty, dream about and research about. Most of What I presently Dream about is Europe. Europe is a Part of The World, as mentioned in Last Week’s Newsletter is a Fascinating Part of The World to Me. It seems like Every Time I read about Someone who has Moved to either Sweden and Switzerland, and Have better Lives in terms of Adventure, Pay, and Not-A-Lot of Stuff (like We Americans love), It makes me want to move to Those Places and Spend maybe 2 Years living there, then Travel Europe and Have a Home Base to go to after. I mean, You know what They say, “Do It while You are Young” and “Spend Money on Experiences rather than Things, Then You make up for It later.” Then, You could experience what Life is like in other Parts of The World. Now, as You can Tell, Even though it was a Year ago in September that I went to Sweden, I often dream about Stockholm, Sweden, There are Many other Places that I dream about too, I would Love to See. Including The Following..

In Europe:

• Norway; Oslo and The Fjords
• Paris; The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Rue Cler
• Roma (Rome in Italian); The Trevi Fountain, St. Peter’s Square, Spanish Steps, The Mouth of Truth, and Lots of Italian Food
• The Alps Mountains of Switzerland and Switzerland in General
• The Netherlands; Amsterdam & Holland
• Austria
• Gibraltar 
• Other Schengen Countries

In Asia:

• Bangkok, Thailand
• Phuket Island, Thailand (Pronounced Poo-Kaet)
• Phi Phi Island, Thailand (Pronounced Pee-Pee)
• Bhutan

 In North America:

• Nuuk, Greenland
• Banff National Park, Alberta
• Glacier National Park, Montana
• Salt Flats of Utah
• and, Many Other Places in The United States!

In Caribbean & Oceania:

• Palm Tree Lined Beaches (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic)
• Puerto Rico
• Costa Rica* (in Central America*)
• In Oceania: Bora Bora, French Polynesia and Australia!

As You can see, There are a lot of Places that I want to see or to do. I want to go on these Trips for Various Reasons and with Various People. Some of Them are for Culture; Some of Them are for Fun; Some for Curiosity; and, Many of Them, Myself and My Future Wife will go on Many Adventures. Seems like a Good Excuse too, to see PTLS Family Members in those areas like Europe and Australia. Of Course, I will bring My Mom to some of these Places too and She can enjoy them as well. Now, It surely would be Interesting if Myself, My Mom, and My Brother went to Explore Europe. Europe with My Brother, Michael would be interesting! It would be a scene out of The Movie, EuroTrip. Okay, I know, Different Movie here but, that is What I think it would be like. Anyway, One Other Thought I had about The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Movie, It makes me wonder Why and No Offense to anyone with These Names, but Why are The Most Boring, No-Life-but-Wanting-Life People in The Movies, are named either Walter or Carl. The Rich People in The Movies, seem to be Named that too. All in all, on The Travel of Life, Since I can’t work Three Jobs to afford This, I might have to open a GoFundMe Account to Fund My Traveling and Adventure.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Don’t just Dream about Going Somewhere; If You can, Do It!

The Christianville Spirit: 2 AM Talks with Mom

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

April 6, 2016-TCS # 491

Happy April, My Readers! This Month is not always a Great Month for Our Family, but We do have an Event this month to look forward to and That, in it’s self, is Exciting! So, on to This Week’s Newsletter! So, I have yet another Untold Story for You! Not another Untold Story! You might say! Well, I promise you that it is a Good One! So, As You may already know that based on My Routine, I stay up pretty late. Pretty Late meaning, 2 AM and My Mom goes to Bed anytime from 9 to Midnight depending what is happening at The Moment. Well, Every Night, as Crazy as it sounds, I like to say to Good Night to her twice. Once to Tuck Her in (Everyone needs to be Tucked in) and The Second Time, to let her know that I am going to Bed as well as What I learned that Night. You See, Everyone has some kind of Nightlife in Them, My Brother had one, and So do I. Only My Nightlife, is Being Social and Researching. Now, Okay, I do plenty of Researching  during The Day, but when I get My Computer, Research I Go! Some Nights, it depends What I do. Some Nights are Boring, I only check Facebook, It’s “Push Back” Articles (Interesting Article Links on Facebook) , and Normal YouTube videos then Listen to some Music while Talking to My Friends. Other Nights, It is Filled with Information Articles in The Categories of Travel, Romance, and World News/Politics/History. But, The Thing is, that I feel the need to Tell My Mom about them when I say Good Night to Her even though She is half-asleep and I just have to save it for The Morning and Remember to Repeat Them. The Thing is though, Some Nights, I have what I call “Information Overload” which is quite a Common Problem with People in My Generation. So Much Information in The World! In The News; On Facebook; Articles I have Read; Whatever happened that Day talking with a Friend and What that Friend said; and, Of Course, The Information that is in My Head already. It is a wonder why People in My Generation are so Stressed! Because of All The Information coming at Them at One Time. So, I feel the Need to spill out The Information that I learned (both Good and Bad) to My Mom, so I can get to Sleep. Now, if I don’t, then, I go to Sleep and by the Time that My Mom gets Home from work, I feel that Yesterday’s Information that I learned went down The Toilet because I turn on The News and Hear what is going on, then I check Facebook and All of That has Information in It. So, I am sure that You are Wondering, What Kind of what I’ll call, “2 AM talks with Mom” do You have? Well, They vary. Either They are Short and I don’t do much and Make Myself Bored so that There is Less Information (Short Talks last maybe 2 or 3 Minutes). “Oh, I just listened to Music a little bit, and I talked to My PTLS Brother, Tyler; My Friend, Deb; or Monica in Sweden”. Other Nights, I go on telling her about Every Article that I read; Something Interesting I learned; Something was Trending in The News on Facebook; and, Of Course, Places that I cyber-travelled to. (Long Talks last anywhere from 15 Minutes to 30 Minutes). I try not to Keep her awake too Long with Our Talks. So, An Example of Our Talks goes like this. The Other Day, I told her that, After I checked Facebook, “Push Backs” (told her about that too), Normal Youtube Videos (and, which They were). I cyber-traveled to Bratislava, Slovakia to See how close Bratislava is from Vienna, Austria (It is Really Close). Bratislava is The Capitol of Slovakia (which used to be, Czechoslovakia) is nearly on The Border with Austria, and The Capitol of Austria, Vienna, is not far down The Road. After That, I hopped on The Danube River and had to Learn what it was in Each Language because I was using Google Maps Sweden (It shows Place Names in Their Native Language as well as English, Unlike US Google Maps that is English Only), I followed The Danube River, upward hoping to get up closer to The Other Side of Europe (like The Netherlands or France), while trying to remember The “Blue Danube” song which I got confused with “Ode to Joy” (The Anthem of The European Union), got to The End of The Danube River and Later, Looking up The Danube River on Wikipedia. After That, I drove fastly across The Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Into The UK. Then, Virtually Flew to Toronto and Driving across The Blue Water Bridge near Port Huron, Michigan (Re-Introducing Myself in The US, I wrote about that once in a Newsletter) and scanned across Detroit (My Mom’s Hometown), hopped on US Highway 23 and, crossed into Ohio and Ending where Popi (My Mom’s Dad) was Buried and Bringing Him some Virtual Adventure. Popi was always an Adventurist and I figured that He would want some of My Adventure. So, Here is Another Example and Hang On! So, Last Night I told My Mom that I checked Facebook and All associated (Sometimes, I skip that part if there is Something that is Exciting Me). I looked up The European Schengen Museum in a Town called Schengen, Luxembourg on TripAdvisor and Adding it on My List of Trips of Things to See and Do. (I did not know about that until I saw a YouTube Video about What Schengen is). I looked it up on Google to see An Official Website about it. Schengen, by the way, is The Most Fascinating Thing called The Schengen Agreement which means Freedom of Movement in Europe without Having to Stop for Customs. 

 I Looked up McDonalds in Sweden and Italia (Italy) to see Differences they have on Their Menu there versus in The United States. It is actually really cool to see the differences. For Example, They have The Traditional Apple Pie or You can get a Raspberry Pie at McDonalds in Sweden. American Fast Food around The World is sometimes a Mix of Traditional American as well as Localized Meals. After That, I went to Finland, because I read an Article about how Finnish Schools are The Best in The World and Why. I ended up at The Finland/Russia Border to see The Road Signs there. After Seeing The Road Signs there, I scanned across to Helsinki and Ferried to Stockholm and saw a Few Signs there, Fly from Stockholm to London, and London to Detroit. After That, I drove with skipping down to Toledo to Visit Popi again and This Time, Bringing Him a Piece of Schengen, Seeing a bit of Finland & Stockholm, and then, Back Home. All of These Trips and Articles, My Mom gets to hear about at 2 AM! Don’t You wish that You lived at My House?! All in all, You never what You are going to Learn at 2 AM. It is just a Matter of Whether She can remember it when She gets up in The Morning, Because I will be Quizzing Her after She gets Home from Work.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Learning can happen at Any Hour of The Day or Night.

The Christianville Spirit: PTLS Awareness Month Closing

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

March (Marzo) 30, 2016-TCS # 490

Hello, My Readers! I am Happy to say that We are back to Our Normal Schedule of Writing, My Writing Times have been a bit off This Month and It is about Time that I write on Normal Schedule. Or, Maybe that is just My Routine talking! Anyway, on to This Week’s Newsletter. So, This has been quite an Awesome PTLS Awareness Month! Now, I am Sad to say that PTLS Month has come to It’s Yearly Close, but Remember that PTLS Awareness goes All Year Long! So Keep on wearing your Green Every Day, Every Week, All Year Long! This Month though, was been quite a Successful Month! We sold our Shirts and This Year, Sweatshirts too! We even got a PTLS Billboard! But, Most of Our Success came from You, My Readers and PTLS Family Members who took pictures of their Families wearing Green. Two PTLS Members even had little PTLS Parties to Celebrate PTLS Day! I am Extremely Proud to know that My PTLS Family will come through like that! I am touched, in fact to see that They are called to Action to Wear Green and Spread Awareness in Anyway that They can. That is One of Many Reasons that I love when PTLS Awareness Month comes around. You See, Now that I think about it, before 2007 when PTLS was named, Before There was a Month to Celebrate, It was kind of Lonely. Although Potocki-Lupski Syndrome was not that big of a Deal as It is now. But, then again, I did not really think much of it. I knew that I had Special Needs, I had something called a “Duplication of Chromosome 17” (which I tried to explain to Kids at School about This and Ended up saying “Just Ask My Mom”) but, I did not know what that was or Let Alone, how to explain it, But, I was Proud of It! I thought that all the things that went on in My Head, I thought it just was something that was Unique to Me and only Me. It is Awesome to know that There are Kids and Young Adults out there that are Exactly like Me in Many Ways, as well as The Fact that They think like Me, Act like Me, and Sometimes, Behave like I do. Although, I should add a Disclaimer here that *Not All PTLS Children are alike in Appearances, Behaviors, and Whatnot. Once I started meeting New Families (before 2009, They were known as either, “Families with Kids with PTLS” or “PTLS Families”) , It was a bit weird to Meet Them because At That Time, I didn’t understand fully that They had what I had or really, What to talk about. Today, You would think that The Minute that Me and Another PTLSer would meet, We would start talking and going on and on as if We had known each other forever. But, because Us PTLSers are a bit Shy and A Bit Anxious about Meeting Each Other, We need a Little Help to get started. At The Same Time, It is Awesome to know that They are Exactly like You, so If You and Another Person are exactly alike and then, What is there to Talk about? That is What I loved Most about PTLS Awareness Month, is that We may be in Different Parts of The Country or The World. but, The Knowledge that There are People like Me and Not only that, but, People who look up to Me, is Very Comforting. I have Written many times How Important It is to Me to be accepted for Who I am, To Understand Me, and To See that I am Unique in a Good Way, not Different. To do that, There has to be Awareness and This Month was all about Awareness. Maybe, Just Maybe, People will understand us PTLSers for Who we are, Stop trying to change us, and See that We are Here for a Reason. We do not see that There is a Problem with Us and You should too. Sometimes, I think that When I write that I have Special Needs or PTLS, I think “How is that even Possible?!” I feel like Me, Normal Me! So, From The Bottom of My Heart, Thank You for taking time to Celebrate Potocki-Lupski Syndrome Awareness Month and Celebrating Our Unique Selves. I look forward to Next Year as It is The 10th Year since PTLS was named, So Let’s make it Big! All in all, Raising Awareness helps with Understanding. 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Happy PTLS Awareness Month! Be Seen, Wear Green for the Happy Gene!

The Christianville Spirit: The Untold Story (Part 3)-Meeting The Parents

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

March (Marzo) 22, 2016- TCS # 489

Happy Spring, My Readers! and, A Happy Birthday to My Sweet, Brilliant (Used in The UK; I Love that Word!), and Wonderful Mother! Happy Birthday to My Good Friend’s Holly Jones and Natalie Hinkin (Shoutout!). I am Sorry for Having quite a Few Absences these Past Couple Weeks but, At least This Time, I was not Off because of Illness, I was Off because My PTLS Brother, Tyler was in Town and I figured that I would spend some Nice Quality Time with Him since I have not seen him in Person in a while. Anyway, On to This Week’s Newsletter. So, Now that I think about it, I have done Very Well with My 2016 Goals, that is except for The Romance One and Working on The Independence One. But, One Goal that I made went Beyond What I expected! Now, For My Veteran Readers, You know all about Lynee because I have mentioned her quite a bit. To Catch Those New People up to Speed, Read The Following Newsletters and It will help you Understand The Story. Enjoy!

• The Untold Story of Lynee (January 2015)
• The Completion of An Untold Story (January 2016)
• The Completion is Just The Beginning (January 2016)

Okay, So Now that You are caught up, You should understand, up to This Point. So, Over The Time that We were in Oregon, It was The Year anniversary of Becoming Friends with Jona. Seems like not much of a Big Deal, but It really is. Anyway, A Day after that, I got another Friend Request from An Extension of This Story, Lynee’s Mom! Yes, You heard Me, Lynee’s Mom! I was Shocked, to say the least! I told My Mom about it and She was pretty shocked too! You See, Understandably, After a Tragic Death of a Family Member especially when It is Your Daughter or Sister, It is going to take a Long Time to Accept or Even deal with Something like that, so, I mean anything that I say in a Very Respectful Manner. When We met Jona, back in January, Her Mom was not Ready at The Time and That is Okay, I am sure that It takes Time. I mean, It took Jona a Year and then, She decided to Rip off the Bandaid and Just do it. Now, Her Mom was another story, She was Very Excited to Meet Me, as I was of Her and So, I gave Myself a week or so to recover from Oregon and then, I was Ready to Go. She warned me in Advance that There may or may not be Tears, but That is Okay if There is. Like I said, Ripping Off The Bandaid, It hurts a lot sometimes! Anyway, so I figured that We would meet on a Day that Lynee would like, March 12th I thought, The Attention to Numbers Side of Me knew that It equalled to 3 and 3 Equals Lynee, Genius! I wanted to do it on March 11th but that was a Friday so Saturday worked. So, When We greeted each other, We hugged quite tightly, “Hi, Miss Watson! It is an Honor to meet you” and then, We sat down and started Talking and Hanging Out. We talked to Each Other as if We have known each other for Years, Now that I think about it. I told them about My Point of View of Lynee and How I saw Her. Then, They (Mr. and Mrs. Watson) told me about How Lynee past away and Their Point of View of It All. That is most likely The Hardest Part for them, but It also helped them, It provided Closure and Love, to know that Lynee was cared a lot about, From My Standpoint. I’m not sure if I told you this but, I have told them quite a Few Times. Let’s Call it a Skipped Story of Stockholm. Believe Me, This Stockholm Story and Lynee somehow come together. While We were at The Event in Stockholm, I was sitting in A Room with some of The PTLS Members that showed up and This Girl, who was Very Pretty, Blonde, and Blue Eyes, came up to Me and Said “Hi, I’m Lenaya (actually spelled Linnea), I have heard a lot about you”, In My Literal Mind, It sounded like “Len-Ay-Yuh”, It is a Common Name in Sweden apparently. She told me that She was from The US but, Living in Sweden now. But, When I told Jona as well as Lynee’s Mom about that and They were both Floored! That of All Names! It was a Sign from Lynee herself, We agreed. The Best Part though was all the Funny Stories of what Lynee was like both as a Kid and Into Her Teen Years. One Story that Her Dad told me that touched me was about A Letter that I had sent to Them after Learning about Lynee’s Passing.

After I sent this Letter to The Watson Family telling them How I felt about Lynee, as well as How I knew her, He told that He was Angry at God at the Time about Lynee being Gone, and The Night that The Letter arrived, He had a Dream with Just Him and Lynee, with Lynee telling him that She was Okay, She may not like Where She was, but She was Okay. She gave him a Gift in The Dream which was a White Stone. When He woke up The Next Day, He was not Angry anymore. To This Day, My Letter sits in an Important Place for Mr. Watson. They did apologize for not replying to My Letter and That is Okay but, I am glad that It got there and They cherish It. I am very Glad that I could be a Part of Their Healing in Their Sadness. I really appreciated hearing their Stories, All The Laughter and The Tears that came with it. I’m Sure that It had to be a bit difficult for Them. They did give me a Gift also. They gave Me Pictures of Lynee from A Modeling Shoot. Lynee apparently wanted to become a Model and She probably would have been a Really Good One. After We got done talking, We check The Time and We had been there talking to them for..Wait for It....3 Hours! All in all, It was a Great (Brilliant!) Meeting and I am sure that We will all be Great (Brilliant) Friends. Thank You for The Love and Opportunity!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. You never know who You are going to Touch when You reach out to Others.

The Christianville Spirit: The History of PTLS Awareness Day Rerun

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

March (Marzo) 9, 2016-TCS # 488

Happy Day-after-PTLS-Day, My Readers! Yesterday was PTLS Awareness Day and It was Awesome! Lots of People sent in Pictures of Themselves as PTLS Family Members, Friends of Theirs, Their Family, Teachers, Therapists, Co-Workers, Oh.... The List goes on! It touched My Heart to see So Many People supporting Potocki-Lupski Syndrome and not only that but, Learning about it and Understanding PTLS as well. My Heart jumped with Heaps of Joy! Now, Don’t worry if You missed out, because PTLS Awareness and Being Seen,Wearing Green is not JUST a Day, It is an entire month! Heck, You can spread awareness and be seen in Green All Year! So, On with This Week’s Newsletter! So, In 10 Years of Writing The Christianville Spirit, I have come up with Great Ways to Explain Things or Tell a Story. Sometimes though, After 10 Years, It is Hard to find a Newsletter that explains something the Best. This Week, I am going to rerun a Newsletter that Explains The Story of PTLS Awareness Day & Month and How it came to Be, for those that are Curious and Wondering what The Excitement of Yesterday was all about. This Newsletter was written back on March 5th of 2014, refer to Newsletter Number 392. Enjoy and Happy PTLS Day!

So, As You all know (or Should Know), March or “Marzo” as I like to call it, Is known as Potocki-Lupski Syndrome Awareness Month and March 8th is PTLS Awareness Day. So, What is PTLS? To give you a brief history of it, PTLS was named after Dr. Potocki and Dr. Lupski in Houston, TX. I was diagnosed with it when I was 3 Years Old and at that time, It was a called “A Duplication of Chromosome 17p11.2.” on March 8, 2007, Dr. Potocki and Dr. Lupski had it named after them. I only found out last year that exact date of it. You See, I can tell you that exact story of how I found out but, I didn’t know the exact date that it was Named. So, in honor of PTLS Month and PTLS Day, coming This Saturday, I’m going to tell you about How I found out the date, The Story of That Day, and Rewrite The Newsletter I had written that day which First Mentioned It. So, without further a due, This is The Story of PTLS Awareness Day. Happy PTLS Day to All! 

So, One Evening, I was curious and was wanting to know about when PTLS, The Name, was first mentioned, after digging through Years of My Printed Newsletter Records, I call them “My Records” for short. Thank You, Grandma Honey for Printing Them :) I read through them all the way back until March 8 of 2007. The First Time I mentioned it (and, I will show you, how I did) I had No Idea how to even spell “Potocki and Lupski”, it is a hard name to spell with such a Literal Mind that I have. As for the Day itself, I remember it quite clearly (although In My Head, At the time, I sort of over looked it). I was going to Senior High School (they have a different structure of Schooling her in Plano) It was My Final Year of High School. Because of a Screw up of My Class Schedule (They put “Job Site” near the end of The Day), So My Mom had to pick me up early because I didn’t have any classes, only the “Job Site”. Anyway, I remember us pulling out onto The Street and as We started driving up The Street, My Mom said, “Guess What?” I answered, “What?”, She followed, “Your Special Needs was Named!” she followed by telling me that Dr. Potocki & Dr. Lupski in Houston at Texas Children’s Hospital named My Special Needs, “Potocki-Lupski Syndrome” or PTLS. I thought, “Finally! I can easily explain about what I had to People!” because before it was just “A Duplication of Chromosome 17” which first of all, I had No Idea what it meant so, It was hard to explain to People and Second of All, Most People, except Medical Doctors, knew what a “Chromosome Duplication” was. So, To say that I am Thankful to Dr. Potocki and Dr. Lupski for naming it, is an Understatement. Thank You very much for all Your Hard Work, Dr. Potocki & Dr. Lupski! Now-a-days when I tell People about it, I tell them that it is Autism-like Behaviors and Very Unique. It also helps to just say it like My PTLS Sister, Danielle says it, “Just Look It Up.” Anyway, so Now I’m going to show exactly what I wrote on March 8, 2007 and I’m going to tell you it is very different from The Way I write now. To Give a You a Little Background, I was in the Middle of one of My First “Christianville Spirit Series” highlighting People that were Important to Me. In This Edition of The Series, happened to be about My Mom.

Newsletter for March 8, 2007: Entitled “Julie Smith-Centeno Edition”.  “CHRISTIANVILLE METRO HIGHLIGHT: Meet Julie Smith-Centeno{or Julie Centeno; whichever you call her}. Julie Smith-Centeno around my house and The City of Christianville is known as My Mom. My Mom is the sweetest and funniest person you’ll probably ever know. In fact, I’ve heard many stories that people are jealous that they don’t have a mom like my mom. My Mom is a Massage Therapist{and, they say she’s good one too} and she also teaches a Anatomy and Physiology Class; {ask her about that one} and yet she’s home enough to take care of 2 Teenage Kids, My brother Michael and myself. oh, and did i mention, she’s SINGLE MOM. yea. if Y’all were in her position i don’t know anyone would make it. but, there’s a chance but, i doubt it. but, as i was saying she’s pretty cool mom. i mean, every now and then i’ll ask her to take me on a drive somewhere because i love travel and stuff and she’ll do it. and, she enjoys it too. one time she even took me to Texarkana and back just so i could see the roads and stand on the Texas-Arkansas line. To the medical world of Houston, TX my mom might as well be known as one of The Capitols of My Special Needs. which actually has a name. It’s called Patocky-Lubsky Syndrome. What makes My Mom so funny{in case you were wondering} is that she comes up with funny sayings and jokes like everyday. so, that’s what my mom is like. the awesome mom she is.” So, as You can see There is a Lot of History behind PTLS Awareness Day! Now, that I think about it, as I was re-typing that newsletter, I’ve noticed that My Writing has changed a lot since that Time as well as The Letters that I typed were smaller than Today. All in all, This Year’s PTLS Awareness Day Motto is “Be Seen...Wear Green”, thanks to PTLS Family Member, Samantha Lamb.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Happy PTLS Awareness Day! Remember, Be Seen...Wear Green.

The Christianville Spirit: A Event on a Plane

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

March (Marzo) 2, 2016- TCS # 487

Happy PTLS Month, My Readers! Yes, It is that Time of Year, PTLS Awareness Month. This is The 9th Year since The Naming of the Syndrome I have, Potocki-Lupski Syndrome or Duplication 17p11.2. Amazing! So, On the This Week’s Newsletter. So, Recently, We had to take a Unscheduled and Last Minute Trip because We had to go to My Aunt’s Memorial in Oregon. Yes, that is what I said, Oregon! It was Stunningly Beautiful with All The Mountains and Nature. But, Something happened along The Way there. We had to Fly there. Now, Everyone has their own issues with Flying. I normally do not, with The Exception of Children, Crying Babies, and Seat Kicking. So, In order to save a bit of Money, instead of Paying those darn Baggage Fees, We decided to pack as Light as we could and Carry Our Bags with us. It worked perfectly flying from Dallas to Salt Lake City (which has Stunning Mountains!) and I had it down; You put the Bag in The Overhead bin and Jam it in to as Small of a Size for Everyone Else to put their Bag in. However, The Flight from Salt Lake City to Medford, Oregon was not as Pleasant. Now, Keeping in Mind that This Plane is much smaller with maybe 30 to 50 Seats, 2 on Each End. My Mom and I were sitting a Row apart, No Problem! I could maybe handle it, right? Well, The Flight Attendant made an Announcement that only those who had Big Bags were to put their Bags up in The Overhead. “Schnikies!” I thought, What am I going to do now?! “Make Do”, I thought. I had done it before putting it under My Seat. So, When I walked up to My Row, I wanted to put My Bag above, but It would not Fit. My Mom asked the guy, who was going to be My Seat Neighbor to move for a Second, The “Neighbor” did not move very far. And, There for My Mom had to say something that let The Guy know that I had needed a bit of extra help. She said, “He needs a little extra help” and I thought nothing of it at the Time until I shoved My Bag on His Seat and then, sideways on The Floor. I then had to get it over to My End and put it under My Seat. It brought quite a bit of Anxiety on My Part to have to do this and The Guy did not even ask for Help, He just stood there watching me struggle to Get My Bag under My Seat. Once I sat down and My Mom luckily offered to Change Seats with Him to sit next to Me. He, of course, was like “That would be Great, that way I don’t have to Help”, He did not say that, but I am pretty sure that, that was What He was Thinking. After I sat down and thought about What My Mom said (Not her fault at all, She was Speaking up for Me). It made me realize that I indeed need a little Extra Help sometimes. Now, Don’t Me Wrong, I love having PTLS and Special Needs. I would not trade it for The World, but At The Same Time, If I am struggling with Something like that, to me, that is like a Limitation. Something that I either need Extra Help in or Can not do. I know that it is not, but It feels that way. Thinking about it afterwards and Even as I write this, It put a Large Dent in Me. One would not think that Something as Minuscule on a Big Trip would Effect Me that much. It was A Large Dent in My Independence. My Feelings were Very Hurt because of that, I mean The Guy stood Very Close to us, watching all of This Go On, Not Helping. I talked to My Mom on the Plane afterwards about it all and How It Made Me feel. Now, I normally don’t like to admit that Yes, I am Human and I do have Strengths and Weaknesses like Everyone Else, I would rather be treated like Everyone Else on The Plane instead of Someone who was “Special”. When I say that, I mean, that People often treat Special Needs People like Children. My Mom and I decided during that Plane Ride to Medford, that I should get on The Plane earlier to get Myself settled before Everyone Else got on The Plane. We did that on The Flights back home, for Fear that, that same Episode would happen again, and Although It helped me, It also kind of Dented me. I am sure that People were looking at Me like “He does not look like He has Special Needs, Why is He going on The Plane First?!” and to know that, Really Bothers Me. You See, When It comes to those with Special Needs, Some People treat those that have Special Needs as Unequals, They talk to them like They are Not Smart. I was putting My Bags up on a Flight from Portland to Salt Lake City, and I almost pressed the button for The Raft and They said “Oh, That’s Okay”, as if saying, “Oh, He has Special Needs, He does not know any better”.

It made me wonder, Do I have to get on The Plane early Every Time? No Matter where I am going? Or Maybe I should learn to Appreciate The Benefits of getting on a Plane Early, after all My Favorite Seat is The Window Seat.  I just don't want People looking at Me funny.  I mean, I have flown a lot in My Life; Many Places Across The United States; and to London and Stockholm and I have never had trouble like I did on That Flight. Now, Blame it on The Small Plane, The Guy, or The Airline but, that is What happened to Me. Not that I fly often, but It makes me not want to Fly for a While. All in all, I thought that I would tell you, My PTLS Family about This, so that You would Understand and Know, PTLS is a Wonderful Things, but It is not always Perfect.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Treat Everyone Fairly!