Living in a Small Town

Hello again!  Well, we're just wrapping up the last few days of summer here, which is very sad.  The weather has gotten colder at night so I guess that means fall is in the air.  Summer is not over yet though.  There is still time to get out there and have fun in the sun.  I go horseback riding again tomorrow, which I'm excited about.  I had such an awesome time last time that I really wanted to go again.  Then, I have some family coming out for a couple weeks  so we hope to  spend some time with them.  Soon after that, school will begin!  Yikes!  The summer is going by fast.  I am looking forward to going back to school though.  I get embarrassed to say about gooin into  grade twelve but its true.  I guess I just like getting back into routine and everything like that.  Grade twelve will be an exciting year.  I'm excited to see what it has in store for me!

Anyway, today I wanted to do a blog about what it's like living in a small town.  The town where I live, Inveremere is very small and isn't very well known.  When I meet people from other provinces or even different towns or cities in B.C, a lot of them don't know where invermere is.  Were so tiny we don't really have a spot on the map. Ha ha.  So, today, I wanted to talk about Invermere a bit and the advantages there are to living in a small town.  I love living here.  I have so many friends here and everybody knows everybody.  It's great.     We have our own little friendly  community.   Today, I'm going to talk about ten tings that have to do with living in a small town like Inveremere, British Columbia.  It's a great little town so I hope I do a good job of capturing what it's like to live here and maybe help you decide if you want to come visit to see what it's like for yourself.

1. You know everybody- When you live in a small town like Invermere, your kind of are all packed in, if you know what I mean.  Everybody  and everything is close by.  Everybody has so many connections.  There will be people who have lived here for thirty years and they will probably know everybody else that has lived here for thirty years. It's nice because every time you go downtown  someone waves or honks there horn at you.    I have friends in Calgary, but when I'm downtown there , I never see them because the city is so big.  Here, we just have a friendly little community.  It  We're all just like a big family helping each other out.

2.  Tourists- We may live in a little town, but in the summer time, it gets crowded with tourist mainly from Calgary.  It may be frustrating at times, but tourists are what keeps this town thriving.  The more tourists that come out, the more businesses we need to serve them.  The more business's there are, the more workers we need. That means more jobs become available to people in town.  The more jobs there are, the less people there are in need of financial aid.  So, Invermere thrives off of tourist.  Tourist gives Invermere a spot on the map.  A lot of people have cabins here and they come here.  Then they recommend it to there friends and they come out  and they like it and they recomend it to more and more people and we get recongnized more.  Also when we have so many tourists in the summer, it's nice when they leave because then we get our town back.  We appreciate it more.   The whole process is good.  If you have ever been here before, and you want to recommend a visit  to one of your friends, do it!  Tell them it will be worth the visit

3. Scenery-  We live in a beautiful town.  We live right on the lake and there is so much nature around us.  We're lucky we get to enjoy that.  In cities, everywhere is filled with high rise building so you don't get to enjoy the scenery as much because everything is in the way.  We live right on the lake so we get to look at that every time we drive out of town.  There's a few good places to go for walks.  We live in a beautiful place.  No wonder why so many people like it here.

4. How Close Everything is-  I love how close everything is.  You can walk everywhere.  With the sidewalk that goes up my street now, I can go straight downtown.  My house is in the middle of everywhere .  I can walk downtown. I can walk to school and back.  With more awareness about wheelchair accessibility, there will be, I will soon be able to go a lot more places.  The town is my oyster.

5. Having a Diversability- Because our town is so small there is not a lot of people that have Diversabilities here.  The number is growing though, and the Rick Hansen Relay really opened up people's eyes that there are people like us out there.  I used to get upset that there weren't many people with diverseabilities in town, but as I grew I met more and more, especially with the A.C.E Organization.  I've gotten some connections through that.  Special O has been amazing for that too. I feel like when you are  one of only a few people with diversabilities, the more people come up to you and want to know about you.  The more people that do that, the more familiar they will be with people with diversabilities.  The more comfortable people get, the more awarness there will be.  The more awareness there is, the more people will be accepted.  The more people that are accepted in a town, the better a place it will be to for everybody to live.

6.  Less Chains-  Invermere doesn't have a lot of chain stores and restaurants.  We have an A and W, a Dairy queen, a Subway, and a Tim Horton's.  The other restaurants people use their own creativity to create diffrent stores.  I  think that makes Invermere stand out.  There is a lot of creativity with people opening up stores everywhere.  Also less chain restaurants make Invermere more of a healthier place to live.  Your not surrounded by Fast food.  So many people have gotten really creative and opened up some cool stores in town.  That's a cool that we have a lot of different little shops and stuff.  It gives our town spunk.

7.  The Quality  Bakery- The Bakery is the best place in town!  My mom, my sister and I used to go there daily!  We've cut back now! Our bakery  kind of looks like an old fashioned bakery, so that's cool.  Everyone loves the bakery.  In the summer it's crowded. it's the place to be You always find friends in the Bakery and your end up being there for way longer than you expected to be because your talking to so many people.  The Bakery is a cozy little place to sit and have a good snack and make friends.  What more could you ask for?

8. Schools-  We have a great school system here.  All the school's are so close by.  I don't have to take the bus.  The teachers are really nice.  They really care about the kids learning and adapting everyone. We have a primary school, Eileen Madson Primary school that goes from kindergarten to grade three .  The middle  school  goes from grade four to seven and then the high school, whitch goes from grades eightt t twelve.  The schools are great. All in all, this town is a great place to raise a family.

9. Little Town Get Togethers-  Our town is very small.  We don't have to many town get together but when we do there great!  We all get together for Canada Day and Valley appreciation day and stuff like that.  We have  something called light up night around Christmas where the town gets together and all the stores are open, and the kids get to see Santa.  We have a movie in the park in the Pothole Park that has been fixed up.  The have a big projection screen that we watch the movie on.  Theres games and dances and  lots of fun stuff.  It's great when we have these little get together because it shows that we are a tight knit community and that's good.  We just get out there and unite and show some town spirit and have a great time.
 10.  Panorama-  We have an awesome ski hill.  Everyone goes out there in the winter time.  It's been open for years.  My dad use to work there.  Now that they have the sit ski program there, more people can enjoy it.  I  love to ski up there like everyone else.  Everyone has an awesome time just hanging out on the hill.  In the summer there is a pool to swim in and you can go up the gondola exploring and there is a fun zone for kids.  It's great.  Everybody just likes to hang out on the hill.

I hope by reading about the different things that Invermere can offer you, you'll want to come out here for a vi st.  We hope you do.  Come one, come all.  Invermere is a place that if you come out once, you'll want to come out again and again.  Try it out.  I hope to see you out here some time maybe in the summer for  a fun vacation in the sun!

Kate's Blog of Awesome

Who has read The Book of Awesome, by Neil Pasricha?  It's a great, great book.  I can't even describe how much I like it to you.  I guess, it's just, well,AWESOME!  Ha Ha.  The Book of Awesome is about the rewarding little things that happen every day that make life awesome .  Most of the awesome incidences he writes about  are really silly ones.  There was one about peeling an orange in one shot.  I laughed hard over that one.  I love reading The Book of Awesome.  It makes me feel better when I'm sad or mad about something.  I saw a coffee commercial about this guy Neil, and how he handles stress and dark times.  He said  "I have dark days.  It's not about getting rid of those dark days, I don't think.  I think it's about reminding yourself that there are so many tiny little awesome moments in life.  Don't force yourself out of the dark spots.  Just remind yourself that there's good spots at the end"   I believe in that.  When I have dark days, I can't force myself out of the darkness very easily.  However, I still think about how awesome it will be when I'm done being sad and I always look forward to starting a new day.  I've talked a lot about how there are so many awesome things about life.  Sometimes you have to search a bit harder to find them, but you always find them. 
      Today, I'm going  to make the search for you a little bit easier.  I'm going to write about ten little  things that can happen every day that  I think are awesome .  I'm hoping for this to be a funny blog, but we will just see how well my humour comes out today!  I hope you enjoy this entry, and that after you read it, you  feel AWESOME!

     1.  When you  hold a baby and it smiles at you-  I love babies!  They're are so cute.  They're  little bundles of joy that you want to hold on to all the time.  Whenever I'm around babies, I always want to touch them and sometimes I get to hold them.    Now,  because of lefty, my mom gets a little nervous when I'm holding a baby.  She  always kind of freaks out.  She holds onto the baby too, for safety.  Between, me holding the baby wrong, and lefty flying all over the place, it's just a disaster in the making.  The last couple of times it's worked out great though.  I held the baby and bounced it up and  down.  The baby smiled and we had a grand time.  When you hold a baby and it cries, you just feel like a big meanie.  However, when the baby is smiling, or giggling, or best of all, comfy enough to sleep while your holding onto it, it's a wonderful thing.  You feel like Mother Theressa.  You feel like the best person ever!  You just feel... AWESOME!

2.  When you're all done having a bad cold-  Colds suck!  They don't hurt or anything.  There just like an annoying little pest that won't go away!  I have one right now. It's not as bad as they usually get, but it's still there.  Whenever you breathe in you hear all these snuffle sounds.  Your snot flies all over the place.  Nobody likes you. You have this cold for weeks and weeks and your getting tired of it, and then , finally a beautiful thing happens.  You breathe in through your nose and what comes in?  AIR!  You 've been waiting for that for ever!  I think that is one of the best feelings!  When you're done being sick you really appreciate feeling good.  You can breathe now.   You can go places.  You're you now.  You feel like one hundred bucks.  You feel AWESOME!

3.  Seeing old friends-  I love going downtown , especially  to the local Bakery.  You see everyone at the Bakery.  There is not one day where I'm downtown and I don't run into someone I know.  The best part is when I meet up with a friend I haven't seen in years.  That happened at camp.  We have
this thing called Open House where the camp is open to the public for people to come see what it's like.  Old councillors can come back to visit too.  One of my old counsellors, Marley, came to visit.  I was so excited.  We knew who each other was right away.  We ran into each other and gave each other a big hug.  She had her new baby with her so I got to meet her too.  Don't you love it where you run into a friend you haven't seen for a long time and you just pick up where you left off.  You still know  each other so well.  You can chat forever! It's AWESOME!

4.  When you think you have finished your delicious drink, but you still have one sip left-  Sometimes I drink something and I just think it's so good.  It has amazing flavour.  It quenched my thirst.  I keep drinking and drinking and then... it's finished.  I  get so depressed because it's all done and I wanted more.  It especially sucks when it's hot out.  Then you're just pleading for more.  Oh well.  I  pick up my cup to put it away, but then, as if it were a miracle, I spot more of the drink.  Then I just sit back, relax and savour what's left of this yummy drink.  Keep it cool!  AWESOME!

5. Spur of the moment ideas-  I love it when my mom comes home from work and all of a sudden she says, "Hey, let's go for a drive."  I was bored out my mind, and she comes home with a brilliant idea.    All of a sudden I'm rushing around trying to get ready.  An uneventful evening turns into a party.  AWESOME!

6.  Finishing a book-  As I said, I love to read.  I did a whole blog on books one day.  I made a goal to read as many books as I could this summer.  I think I've made it to four.  I saw a quote on the internet.  It said "I love that happy sad feeling when you finish a book."   I love that feeling too!  I feel like I've conquered something.  I feel like it's a big accomplishment, yet I also feel sad that it ended.  I loved the story.  I could relate to  it.  It felt real.  I made friends with the characters.  I loved the book, and then it ended.  It kind of feels sad to put it away.  However, now you accomplished finishing a great book, and you can recommend it to everyone you know.  Books can't go on forever, they have to end somewhere, and when they end just right, they make you feel AWESOME!

7. Being with family- I love being with my family, especially when we're all together.  Family is the only group of people who understand  you completely.  You can joke and laugh and cry and get mad at them, and it won't matter because your still family.  I've had some of my most memorable times with my family and they've all been amazing.  My family has always been there for me.  When we get together we have so much fun.  The times we have together are just AWESOME!

8. Compliments-  I think we all need a compliment once in a while.  We can be so hard on ourselves.  I  know I can.  When some one compliments me, or said that they loved being with me, it makes me feel better about myself.  It makes me feel like I really mean something to that person.  When you give a compliment to someone else too, it makes you feel good too, because you made them feel better.  Whether you are giving them or getting them, compliments are AWESOME!

9.  When you've lost something for a long time, and you've finally found it-  I hate when I lose things.  I go nuts.  I start throwing things all over the place.  Then I get mad.  My mom's motto is "It always shows up."  So, after I get mad, I think about that and I just forget  about what I've lost for a bit.  Then, weeks or months later, I find it.  A big sigh of relief comes over me.  I don't have to look anymore and I can do what I want to do with it now!  AWESOME!

10. You're starving and you find the perfect snack- This always happens to me.  I come home from school and I'm always very hungry.  I head right for the kitchen, but I search and search and can't find anything that will quite satisfy my taste buds.  Then, I see some something and I come up with the perfect snack idea.  I make it quickly and stuff it in my mouth.  Yum,just what I needed!  AWESOME!

With  little perks  like these, sometimes life can be pretty awesome.  Never forget the little awesome moments in life like these.  They may be little moments but they still count.  I hope you got some smiles or giggles out of this blog and maybe you can think of some great little moments in your day too.  I really recommend reading The Book of Awesome!  it will give you a good laugh and make you feel great!  So, I hope you enjoyed reading this and that you have an AWESOME day.  Bye for now!

Advice for Teens

Hello again!   Yesterday I  wrote a blog giving some advice to teenagers with  diversabiilities so today I wanted to write one giving advice to teens in general.  I may be a bit different than the average teenager, but I think I go through a lot of the same stuff that you guys go through with school, and parents, and fitting in.  The main reason I wanted to write this today is   to feel connect with people my age, and hopefully inspire them a bit.  I don't open up much to other teens, so hopefully this might help me do that.  I've met a lot of wonderful teens my age who are really nice tome and help me out so I want to help them out today.   I know being a teenager can be tough.  Your just trying to figure out who your going to be in life and it can be  really difficult.  I'm struggling with that too, figuring out who I'm supposed to be.  I guess teenager hood is just supposed to be fun and exciting and full of ups and down that help get you  to where you want to go in life.  So, I hope some teens read this, and I hope I can connect with some through it.  Here we go!  Hope you like it!

1.  You are Beautiful-   It's common to hear a lot about teenagers that are self concious about themselves. Teens put themselves down a lot.  There's a lot of pressure on us with expectations of what we shoukd be like, so I guess that has a lot to do with it.   I think the main, though  is that young teens see all these gorgeous celebrities in magazines and they think to themselves "Why can't I look like that." They think everybody should look like that!  Celebrititiess have to go through a lot of work to look like that though.  I think the beauty that some celebrities have is fake beauty.  They have so many surgeries on  their bodies to make them look a certain way, and sooner or later, they have nothing left of the real them.  Also, all there beauty is on the outside and theres nothing left on the inside.  They become so obsessed with how great they look.  They become vain, and that's not very beautiful in my opinion.  If you are a good person, with a good heart, than you are beautiful.  If you show that kind of beauty off, than you'll be more popular than ever!

2. Get High off Life, not High off Drugs-  Drugs are scary.  I've heard about them and the things they can do to you an I am shocked.  When they talk about what it can do to you health, it bugs me that people do them.   However, of all the things they can do to you, the part that bugs me the most about them are that sometimes even though they can be really bad for you, they can make you feel better about your life.  Unless, they are medically prescribed for depression or something, and they actually work, there should be no reason why you need drugs to feel better.  Drugs make you happy, but it's a fake happy that wears off quick.  There are so many things the world has to offer you, and you shouldn't have to see them only through the eyes of drugs.  Whatever you are struggling with, look at all the options to help you see the problem through.  I promise, it will be better for you in the long run.

3.   Life is Good-  I really don't like it when teenagers say "I hate my life." or "Life sucks".  I know a lot of teens have it rough sometimes.  Being a teenager isn't easy!  It doesn't always suck though.  Sometimes, it can be where life begins.  Most teenagers that think there life sucks is because their grounded or they have too much homework, or their date just dumped them.  Sometimes you just have to realize that those are just small setbacks and youll get through them`soon.  Look at starving children in Africa.  They don't have anything and they don't complain.  There are people living with illnesses that are still able to smile.  I have Cerebral palsy and I haven't let it ruin my life.  I've let it enrich it.  So, that's what you have to do with those setbacks.  you need to let them enrich your life. You have to let each setback be an opportunity or a new open window that leads to sunny skies.

4.  Never Grow Up-  Why are teenagers in such a hurry to  grow up?  I mean, I get it.  You get to be independent and you have the whole world at your fingertips.  Being little is awesome though.  You have this wonderful sense of innocence and life is full of fun and giggles.  When your a teenager you still get to enjoy the world without to much of a care. It`s not the same though, and it definetly isn`t the  same when your a full grown adult.  You get  so caught up in work and kids and keeping house and all that.  You forget how great it is to be little and just play.  The things that little kids think are fun, we just kind of turn our heads at, and we just stress about our own problems.  You will have plenty of time to be grown up.  Savour your childhood though.  It will be gone before you know it.

5.  Life is a Highway-  I love that song too!  Life is a highway.  There will be twists and turns and lots of bumps along the way.  Sometimes things don`t go the way you plan though.  Sometimes you go the wrong direction and you get into a car crash.  Ha Ha.  I don't know if that was a very good metaphor.  What I meant was, sometimes you can go in a certain direction and it can be the wrong one that changes your life.  Sometimes it can be the right road though, with a wonderful surprise at the end.  Whatever road you choose, be prepared for the wonderful, scary, fun, adventurous ride, and have fun on your journey to find it!

6. Work hard in school-  I've always really liked school.  I know it sounds weird. I guess it just gives me something to do everyday.  I really want to do something with myself after I leave high school.  I want to work hard so can go on to university in the future.  I know school is kind of a pain sometimes, but it's worth it.  You shouldn't just work hard at school.  You should put 100% effort into everything you do, if it means that much to you.  Working hard builds character.  It builds a positive attitude.  The greater work ethic you have and the less you complain about a job, the more people will want to be around you.  So, work towards your goals and see them through.  It'll pay off in the end!

7.  PARTY!-  It's true you have to work hard sometimes, but you also have to play hard too. Having a good time dancing or partying or just hanging out with friends is a great way to just relax and enjoy life.  I envy teenagers who go to parties and stuff like that!  I have to go to more of those.  Their just hanging out and  lovin' life, which is what we all should be doing.  Some people work too hard and they don`t think they have time for fun.  You should always make time for fun though.  So, what are you teenagers waiting for.  Get out there and PARTY!

8.  Respect adults-  I don`t want to sound like an adult or a goody two shoes.  I just want you guys to like me.  I guess I`ve just been around  lot of adults so I have a stronger bond with them .  I know school work stinks sometimes with homework and deadlines and teachers demanding things.  I said I liked it, but sometimes, ugh, enough is enough right?  Teachers can be pretty demanding on school rules  and homework.  They only do it because they want to help you though.  Same with parents.  Seniors on the street can ramble on with their stories about the olden days, but that's only because the miss it when they were young like you.  You have to realize that.  You just have to remember, adults were kids like us too once.  They admire you for being young.  If your polite and kind to adults, and you throw in a few good jokes now and then, it will make for a much easier time with adults for you and prepare you more for your life when you become an adult!

9. Do what you want to do-  This is a hard one for me.  I so many people telling me what to do that sometimes I don`t even know who I am.  That`s my fault.  I should  state my opinion more often.  Be stubborn.  Only go for what you want in life.  It doesn`t matter what anybody else thinks, because it`s your life.  If you want to be crazy, be crazy.  If you want to be quiet, be quiet.  If you want to go hangliding off Mt. Everest, go hangliding of Mt. Everest.  Don`t let people tell you that you can`t do something.  It will only make you weaker.  You can do anything you set your mind too.  Get out there and do what you want to do!  JUST DO IT!

10.  Never give up on your dreams- I end a lot of top ten blogs off like this, but I really believe it`s true.  This statement is really important to me.  Don`t give up!  If you do you will always be wondering what would`ve been.  Then, before you know it, you`ll hear someone else did what you gave up on and they will say ``I had the time of my life` and you feel bad because you would`ve too.  Never give up!  You never know what awaits you in your adventure!

I hope I reached out to some teens out there.  I just did this blog for the connection mostly.  I hope you do take my advice though  I`d be honoured and happy for you if you did.  Also, if you did, that would mean you and I would have become new friends  I wanted to reach out to you and that is what I`m hoping comes out of this blog.  I hope this helped some of you.  I wish you luck on your many adventures and hope all your dreams come true in the end!

Advice to Teens with Diversabilities

    TodayI decided to write a blog and   give some advice to people living with Diversabilities.  I know sometimes it can be hard watching people do simple things so easily when you have to work so hard to get them accomplished.  I know it's hard to feel diffrent sometmes.  When I was younger  I struggled with being different and coping with my Divesability.  I have  a  positive outlook on it now though.  I've gotten so many opportunities that came out of my diversability that have been amazing.  I also don't know who I would be without my diversability.  I might not be as determined to do certain things if I was able bodied.  I might not have such as good connection with other kids with diversabilities.  Who knows?  I might have even been that little kid staring at someone in a wheelchair simply because I just didn't know that there were such a thing as people with special needs  out there.  So, when you have struggles  it kind of changes your outlook on life and on other people too, for the better that is.  So, for this blog, I want to help you kids and teens with Diversabilities that are struggling to fit in and struggling to cope with their every day challenges.  Here are some tips to think about when life just isn't going your way because of what you have to go through.  Hope these tips help.  I know a lot of them have helped me!

1.  You were born this way for a reason and you are beautiful-  Have you ever felt like your differences in the way you look  make you stand out for the worst?  Have you ever thought "Why was I born like this.  It isn't fair."  I know I've felt that way sometimes.  Like I said though, I've realized that having Cerebral Palsy has become a part of me.  It's part of how I feel and think about things.  It's part of my attitude.  It's part of my outlook on life.  It's part of a lot of me, and believe it or not, it's part of you too.  People with diversabilities inspire people because of their determination to see  things that  they struggle with through.  You were born to stand out and inspire people and to make people realize how diverse a world we have come to be and  that it's a good thing.  There is a reason why you are the way you are.   You might just have to take a longer journey to find out what that reason might be.  Beautiful people aren't people who take surgeries to make them good.  Beautiful people have slight imperfections about them that they  aren't afraid to show off.

2.  What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger- Who's heard that song by Kelly Clarkson?  It's a great song and it has a great message.    Everyone has setbacks in life.  Some are small and some are big.  Having  a Diversability is one of the  bigger ones but it doesn't kill you, like say, cancer can.  You go through some tough stuff when you have a diveseability but the tough stuff only makes you a better and stronger  person.  When you get put down because of your differences, or you struggle with something because of your challenges that a able bodied person might not have, it's tough, but it makes you tough. It creates a strong sheild inside of you that will put up guard the nex time you have  a setback,  I've been through some hard times and they're frustrating but they makes me get farther in life.  Also people who get everything they want, sometimes aren't as appealing to be around.  They complain a lot and will stop right away if a task gets too tough. There selfish too.  People who are less fortunate are kinder becaise they are lucky for what they do have and empathize with others more.  Weak people are people who complain a lot and are unable to learn from what they can't do .  Strong people are people who persevere  to see there goals through and eventually succeed at them.  Be a strong person!

3. What  is Normal?- When I was growing up, I always wished I could be normal.  I  wished I could be like
everybody else.  However, as I  grew, I started to question "What is normal?"  Not two things on earth are exactly alike.   There is no such thing as a normal day.  The weather change.  You do different 
things.  You have different feelings each day.  Even if their were such thing as normal, it would be pretty boring doing the same things and looking at the same things all the time.  All the differences in nature and what we do each day make this world a pretty interesting and beautiful place to live in.  It's the same with people.  Nobody is exactly alike.  Except for twins, but that's beside the point!  For the most part, everyone is diffrent, and that's a good thing.  If everybody was the same, we wouldn't get to meet so many new and interesting people.  Having someone come into the world who has a diverseability makes the world an even more diverse and beautiful place to live.

4.  Take it easy on people-  This was a hard lesson for me to learn.  Sometimes a lot of people treat someone who is in a wheelchair differently than they they would normally treat someone who isn't. They stare at them or baby them or things like that.  That used to really bug me, but then I started to think about it in a new light.  First of all, staring from little kids used to really upset me.  It made me feel awkward.    Then I thought about it.  How exactly would I feel if  I was three feet tall and there was someone next to me who was in this big machine with wheels that could crush my feet.  I would think that would be pretty scary if I was little and didn't know better.   The other thing is that kids are just getting used to the able bodied world.  They have tons of questions about everything.  So, they are learning about the "normal" world and then they see you and it throws them off a bit.  I love little kids.  When I see them at the mall and they looked scared of me I smile at them and talk softy.  Sometimes I let them honk my horn.  By the time were done, were best buds.  So if your gentle and nice to them, you may just makes them change their minds and you make a new friend.  The other thing that tends to bug us is adults talking to us like were little kids.  Here are some reasons why they might be doing that.  First of all , they grew up in the era where  there weren't many people with diversabilities and if there were they weren't treated like everybody else because there wasn't the education about how smart these people could be.  Take Helen Keller for example.  Her family didn't know what to do with her.  Nobody knew what whas wrong with her.    Once they got her an aid  and she got taught some language and discipline though, she started showing people what she was capable of and started to teach people about people with diversabilities.   People still weren't very educated after that.  It wasn't until twenty years ago that people really started to think differently about us.  Most of the adults that talk to us a little bit more gently than necessary are mostly in there fifty or sixties.  They grew up in that era where kids with diversabilitys were not highly thought of, and some people love to hang on to the good old days.  We are a changing world though.  I'm sure if you start having a sophisticated conversation with the adult that is belittling you, they will realize how smart you are and the two if you will end up being great friends!

5.  Don't let your challenges be your excuses- I hate it when kids with diversabilities don't try stuff and they say it's because of there challenges.  Sometimes there right.  Some stuff can be pretty tough for them.  I'm talking about the kids that say that about everything.  They say :"I will never be able to do this. I have Cerebral Palsy( or another condition).   All the people in my life have pushed me to do everything and anything that I could possibly do.  Look where it has gotten me.  Don't let your Diversability be your crutch.  It is unbelievable the things people with Diversabilities can do .  Look at what I can do, or what my friend Grace can do.  We don't let anything stop us and neither should you!  JUST DO IT!

6.  Life is Good!-Life is good!  There are always so many wonderful things to look forward to.  You should never let your diversability keep you from enjoying those things .  I know I've been unhappy  tons of times about little things  and it is not worth it! There are so many amazing adventures I get to go on and wonderful people I get to meet. It can be easy to get down in the dumps, but sometimes the easiest option isn't the best option and won't satisfy us in the end!  I certainly need  to work on that!  Anyway, yes, life is good.  Great people, amazing adventures and beautiful nature makes  this world an awesome place to live.  No matter how diverse you are, or how toughthe  things are that you go through, there is always someone that has it that much more tough.  You should always be thankful for what you have.  There is always another person out their that is going to be less fortunate than you!  Life is a roller coaster.  It goes up and down.  When is up, you have to enjoy it.  Enjoy life!  You deserve to be happy!

7.  You're going to have some tough day but that's okay-  Like I've wrote about before, there is quite a few challenges that comes with lots of diversabillities.  It can be hard  struggling with something that everybody else has much more of an easier time with!  Your going to struggle with having to work around the challenges you face and find new ways to do things.  Your going to have to deal with being different from your peers.  There will be things that, no matter how hard you try, you just won't be able to do.  You will have to accept your challenges sooner or later or you won't be happy.  Just remember, everyone have rough days.  Your allowed to be mad, be sad or be frustrated.  The only thing that matters is how you fight it and that you are able to get over it and be ready to start a new day!

8. Try everything at least once-  This is something I think about all the time.  I always like to try everything and anything that I  possibly can.  My aide in elementary school made up a motto for me that says "Can I try that?"  I think it suits me really well.  I don't like it when people  have it so fixed in there mind that I can't do something.  I love proving them wrong!  My rule is that I can't say I can't do it until I've tried it.  Don't underestimte yourself and what you are capable of!  Anything is possible!

9.  It's okay to accept help-  Accepting help from other people is really hard for me to do.  I still don't want to do it sometimes.  I suck at advocating!  I guess it's  partly because I'm kind of quiet.  The other reason though, is because it's embarrassing to ask for help with the simple stuff.  I also don't want to be a burden on the people I love and care about.  I've learned something though.  People like helping others.  It makes them feel good about themselves.   Also, when they help you they get to know you a bit more and find out what an awesome person you  are!  So, let people help you.  I'm sure it will help you both.

10.  Never give up-  I've talked about this before.  No matter how hard something is, you must never, never give up!  I know that I hate giving up.  I hate that feeling of wondering what would have been if I kept going.  It might have been so great and it might have led me to a new adventure that would've been awesome.  When you give up, it doesn't just effect you.  It effects everyone around you.  If one person gives up, it brings down the enthusiasm of doing something for the whole group.  Also, if you give up, and you do it in front of someone that has a much tougher than you, they might want togive up too. Who knows how risky that might be?  Don't give up, for you never know what might be just around the corner.  Your new adventure might be just about to begin.

So, there are some tips for  some kids and teens  with diversabilities  and maybe for the parents who are having trouble coping with their teen being different!  Just remember, people always love to see yousmile.  Hopefully, with doing a few things like the things I mentioned, your smile will stay there.  Take a hold of life by the reins and get ready for the bumpy, exciting, frustrating, maddening, wonderful ride!  Good luck!

My Summer Adventures

 I'm back!  I had an awesome time at Camp Winfield as I always do.  For me and my family, the whole trip is an adventure, from the very beginning to the very end.  It's a long drive from Invermere to Winfield. We carpooled with Grace, her mom and their friend Monique.  Monique was very nice.  She was preety funny too and it was a lot of fun to be around her.  So, everyone met at Tim Hortons.  Grace and her crew got up at 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning so they very very tired.  We stopped to meet at our local Tim Hortons, whitch is just out of town so that was perfect.  After Tim Hortons, we stoppped at Revelstoke at a place called Nomad for lunch. We go there every year.  It's a great spot to have a meal and chat outside.  We had so much fun hanging out and getting to know
Monique and before we knew it we were at Camp.
 We are always so excited to get to camp.  Everybody's in wheelchairs there or has some sort of Diversability so we just feel llike one big family when we get there.  All the kids just love camp.  They wait for it every year.  We have fun every year and this year was certainly no exception.  The theme this week was The Hunger Games.  I've never seen that movie and I don't know if I really want to because it's quite violent and creepy, but camp made it fun and certaintly not violent .  Basically it is about diffrent teams that compete in challenges, so throughout the week, we did challenges with the whole camp.  We watched the Councilors do something called Sock Tag.  All the cousillors had to run around and rip everyone's socks off. The last person standing with both their sock on wins.  it was always a guy that won.  It was preety funny to watch.  Those cousillors really restled eachother.  The campers got a lot of laughs out of that one.  Then they had a challenge that campers could go in.  It was where we had to eat  a whole pack of  dry Hot Chocklate mix.  I volunteered for that one because I thought that anything that had to do with Chocklate I'd be in for.  My group thought I was crazy, but I had fun.  ha ha.  I had a great group this year.   My cousollors names were Bre and Jules.  They were awesome.  We became great freinds.  Grace was in my group. We're still alive so we didn't drive eachother too crazy that we killed eachother. Just Kidding.  There was also a girl named Hannah who had a Mental Diversability.  She was really sweet. I hung out with her a ot.  We read stories together.
 We get awards every week on the last day of camp that say something about what stood out in the councillors eyes about each camper.   Mine was  the Sweet and Sasy award.  I loved it.  I love to tease people so I'm glad that people see me as a bit of a jokester.  I had an awesome week.  It's always sad to say goodbye to camp.  You meet so many special people and you make such strong connections with them that it's hard to say goodbye, but you hope to see them next year and you make friends with them on facebook and stuff so it's not that bad!  You also get sent back to reality a bit.  At camp everypne is equal.  Everyone has challenges so you don't feel like your the only one. That can be tough, but diffrent people are special and makes the world go 'round.  We need to get back home and show how rong  we are.    I  was the very last one to leave so I got to spend lots more time at camp whitch was great . When mom came to get me she had somethong planned out so that helped out.  Before I knew it I was saying  goodbye to all the cousillors and  rolling up the road to go home.   Farewell Winfield!  See you next year!
We stayed overnight in Kelowna.  That was a lot of fun.   My sister's friend Kirsten was with us.  We went to the boardwalk and walked along the water.  We got to go through a water park.  I'm not really supposed to get my chair wet, but I did it anyway.  It was worth it!  It was hot!  We went to Earls for dinner.  We got to sit outside on the deck and overlook the beautiful view. You had to climb a lot of stairs to get there.  Mom said we had to make it to the top.  I got my excercise but it was worth it.  It was beautiful up there.  The rest of the vacation we did a bit of shopping  and then we went for the long drive home, and it was LONG!  We didnt get home untill 10:00 at night.  I definetly have withdrawls about leaving canp and miss it very much, but I was excited to be back in my own bed.  My summer adventure didn't stop there though.  The next day was a day with Patti.  As I was waiting for her to arrive, she phoned saying that she was in Spur Valley talking to a friend of hers who owned a horse coral called Luxor Corals.  He wanted me to come check it out.  Patti phoned me and asked me if I wanted to go.  I said sure!  I was a bit nervous because the last time I rode a horse I was 
worried I was going to fall off.  I was willing to try again.  Horseback riding is very good
 for people who have Cerebral Palsy, because their hastrings are very tight.  Not only does sitting on a horse strech them because of the way you sit on it, but it also helps them because when you sit on a horse , the horse gets very hot and that can relax your muscles, whitch is what peolpe like me need
.  My mom has tried to get me to go horseback riding regularly but it never quite worked out,
 so to get this oppourtunity for me was great.  Also, I wrote on my fantasy adventures 
blog that I wanted to  feel comfortable on a horse.  When we got to the stables we met our friend Ismay and Sierra.  Sierra was really nice.  I got to hang out with the horse a bit and  groom them and feed them.  The horses were so gentle.  Later, when Doug came back , I was ready to saddle up.  It was hard to get me on the horse.  Patti was on one  side and Doug on the other to hoist my leg over.  Once I was one there I was very happy.  I held Patti's hand the whole time and Dough and Sierra were very good with me.  They went nice and slow.  It was great!  I could have a conversation with everybody while I was riding so that meant I was really comfortable.  We went two times around the Coral.  I wanted to go more though.  I got to walk the horse back to the stables though.  It was a great day.  Doug and Courtney were really kind and made me really excited about riding.  Ismay was a huge help in making sure the horse was ready for me and everything.  I said to Patti that I was scared but Doug and Sierra made  me feel comfortable right away.  I definitely want to come back.  We hope to come back once more this summer to saddle up and ride the reins again.

So, I've had a busy, fun week.  This summer has been full of more adventures.  It's going  by fast so i have to keep the advemtures coming.  I'm looking forward to any new things I get to try out and places I get to go!  Let the new adventure begin.





































wanted to feel comfortable riding a horse so I can check that one off now.  So, Patti picked me up and we drove to  the stables.  Our friend Ismay works there, helping out with the horses, so 
she really wanted us to come out.  It must be fun to work there and just run
 around on a ranch all day.  She has a lot of fun. I met the other girl that works
 there,Sierra.  She is really nice and just loves the horses.  You can tell.  I spent the first
 few minutes feeding and grooming the horses and got really comfortabele with them.
  They are very calm and gentle.  I waited until the owner, Doug came and then I was able to actually ride a horse around in a coral.  It was hard to get me on.  I  stepped on a step ladder.  Patti was
 on one side and Doug helped get my other leg around the other side.  With everyone's supprt, once I got on, I felt like I gcould do it no problem.  The horse was really slow and gentle and 
Doug and Sierra walked really slow and talked to me.  I could talk back so that meant I 
was really comfortable.  They were really nice aand made it fun.  I said to Patti that I was 
scared at first but seeing their  great attitudes toward getting me up there  and how calm 
they were and how gentle the horse was, the fear all went away.  I thought I would've only
 do one lap, but I got to do two, and they made the first ride free  so that was a super nice.  I got to walk the horse back to the stables.  Ismay was a big help.  She love the horses just as 
much as Sierra and Doug did and helped figure out how to make it easier for me.  I got 
to lead the horses back to the stables.  We got a few pictures to show my Mom and 
Dad.  It was an awesome day!  Horseback riding is just one more thing I can check off my
 bucket list!  Thankyou Sierra, Doug, Ismay and Patti for making my day so great!  
















































I hope to come back some time before the summer is over and be ready to sadle up again!


So that is what I have been up too tthese past few weeks.  I've had lots of adventure.  Sumer is gong by so fast so I want to make the summer adventures last and last.  Things like going to camp and Horsebackriding are just two more things I an able to do and I'm sure there will be many more.  I just have to work hard to accomplish them, one adventure at a time!






















































                                                                                                                                                                                             















































































































































and happy and energetic and great to be around.  We  read stories together.  There were two other girls, Jasmine and Taylor  They were great to hang out with as well.  At the end of the week, we all 
get awards that say stuff about us that the cousollers thought stood out about us during the week.  I 
got the Sweet and Sassy award, whitch was great!  I love teasing people and being a jokester so I love that they thought that about me!  Haha.  Yes, we has an awesome week.  It was a week with no 
worries.  Everyones equal at camp and that is so important for a lot of these kids.  Camp just is a 
second home for  a lot of kids and turns the impossibe to possible.  Camp Winfield Rocks!

It's very sad to say good bye to camp each year.  Luckally, I was the last one to to be picked up so that made my last day extend even more so that was good!  It's hard to leave everybody. You've
created such a great bond with them.  I guess I just guve them a big hug and hope to see them next
year.  I'm friends on facebook with a lot of my camp so that makes it feel a bit easier.  My mom made it feel e ven better.  After camp, mom, my sister nat, and her friend Kirsten stayed in Kelowna for a
night.  There is a big boardwalk there, so we walked around there.  It was beautiful!  They have a big
water park.  It's really cool.  It has a giant Pooh Bear squirting out water and all sorts of stuff.  I'm not supposed to get my chair too wet, but I went in for just a little bit.  It was worth it!  It was hot out!
We went for dinner at Earls.  We got to sit onthe top balcony.  It had a beautiful view overloooking
the water.  There were a lot of stair to climb up to get the top.  I got a loty of exercise but it was sure
worth it.  The rest of the trip we did a bit of shopping and then we went for the lng drive back home  
We finally got to town at 10:00.  I always have withdrawls about leaving camp and miss it very much  , but it is always nice to be back home in my own bed.  Farewell Winfield.  See you next year for another year of adventures.

My summer  adventures  stop at Camp though.  The day after I got back, yesterday Patti and I went Horseback riding.  I was at home waiting  for Patti to come over and I got a call  from her saying that she  was late because she dropped in to see one of her friends that owned a horse coral.  She was talkking to him about me and her told her to bring me buy.  Our friend Ismay helps out there to, and she really wanted me to come over too.  So, Patti phoned me and asked "Hey Kate, do you want to go Horseback Riding.  I was excited but nervous.  I'd been on a horse before, but  I didn't feel comfortable.  I was determined to try again though so I said sure!  You have to wear full pants when your on a horse so I raced down and got some jeans on and was ready tp go.  Horseback riding is reallu good for pe