Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I am back at DTSS, doing my last Supergrad year of highschool! It's been a bit of slack semester for me , since I finished all the courses I needed to graduate last year. This year I will mostly be working on transition skills and getting comfortable with the idea of moving on to college next year! Whoohoo! I'm very nervous, but very excited at the same time to start the next chapter in my life. I have picked a major, finally. I want to study something called Community Rehabilitation and be an advocate for special needs kids. Basically, I'm thinking of working with families with children with diverseabilities and being like a mentor to them. I've always wanted to be able to give back all that I have recieved to others in need and this sounds like the perfect way for me to do it. I'm thrilled I found a career path. The only thing is that taking the course means more academic subjects next semester of my Supergrad year. I've had it kind it slack the last couple years, but not any more apparently. In January, I will take Biology and History in the same semester! Yikes! Oh well, I'm not afraid to work hard again! It will get me all ready for College Life!
So, my biggest news lately is this past Thursday My mom and I got to go to the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook B.C to have a meeting with their Diversabilities coordinator about me attending the campus next fall. Me moving away from home is a huge step for both of Mom and I We can use all the guidance we can get. It going to take a lot of preparation for my big move, but this was definetly a step in the right direction.
Once we got to Crannbrook,the college was preety easy to find. Mom and I got inside the building and found it was very accesible with ramps and buttons everywhere! They even had a handicap button to open the bathroom! I had never seen that before! I was very impressed!
The Diveseability Coordinator was awesome! She treated me like a college student. She introduced herself to me before mom whitch made me feel grown up
She was very knowledgeable! Mom and I learned a lot. The Community Rehab that
I want to eventually take when I get to University of Calgary, I can actually start taking my first 1 or 2 years at Cranbrook! I got very excited about that. I knew I was going to college first, but I wasn't sure what I would take, so this is perfect. I would spread my course out over 2 years, whitch would be a good work load for me to start off with just because I need to get used to school work again! I wouldn't have an aide that would go to class with me like in highschool, but they do offer tutors that can help me catch up on work! That would be something I would look into for sure. The tutor would also help me with some life skills as well, whitch I could always use. Mom and I learned that there are grants that I can apply for that can help out with paying for things like home care to come in and help me out every so often! We learned lots!
This was one of I'm sure quite a few College of the Rockies visits. It will be a bit of a process until I actually get into College groove. I'm a quite nervous, like I said, but I think once I actually start living by myself and start making my own decisions, it will be great! I'll just figure everything out as I go along. That's my plan. It's not a very proactive one, I know, but I want to stick to it. like my mom says, everything always works out. After checking out College of the Rockies, both my mom and I are starting to feel more confident about my next adventur. Stay tuned! I'm excited to tell you how this whole roller coaster ride goes. in November, I go again to check out wheelchair accesible residence, where I am hoping to be able to stay while I go to school! Exciting times ahead!
College Life awaits!
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
I LOVE CAMP WINFIELD
Hey everybody! I just got back from my 12th and final year as a camper at Camp Winfield! It was so hard for me to leave the wonderful camp that I've been attending since I was six years old and have loved so much! This year was the prefect year to top it all off! I had wonderful councillors, Suzy and Kaitlyn, and best friends Grace and Carrisa were both in my group. Grace and I haven't seen Carrisa in a couple years, so it was lovely for us to catch up with her again. We talked like we never left eachothe. We spent a lot of time together as a threesome this week, and on rest breaks we would have little"girl talks" . It was wonderful. We really came together this year. Grace and I got to have quality time together too, which was great. We love sharing the magic of camp withe eachother. We really bonded well with Kaitlyn and Suzie, who were awesome, as the councillors always are, as well as all the other campers and camp staff. I think all the camp grads really knew it was their last year at Winfield and we all tried to come together as a group and tried to bond as much as we could. There were tons of highlights of this week. It was the first year I made it to both the to of the "big swing" and to the top of the climbing wall. Those were pretty big achievements for my grad year, I felt. Haha! When we had our camp out night, Grace slept in a tent with Carrisa and I. Sleeping in a tent is hard for Grace but she persevered and decided to camp out with us. That was her big accomplishment and Carrisas was singing at the Open House talent show this year . She really wants to make a career out of her singing so she will take any practise she can get.
I also Remember Camp Winfield's famous sock fighting competition where all the councillors wear only one sock, they all go out into the yard and run after each other, trying to get socks off as many people as they can. The last councillor with there sock on wins.. It is halarious. Ahhh... So many memories.... memories of hanging out as a group and laughing our heads off, drinking ice coffees on the dining hall deck that Susie and Kaitlyn made us, and running around the whole camp going crazy off the caffeine and figuring out whatever mischief we could get into. To wrap up the week, as tradition, all the grads got to stay up all night after Banquet on night 7. It was a memorable, magical evening for Carrisa, Grace and myself. We watched movies, ate junk food, and tried to soak in the significant last moment the three of us would have as campers of Winfield. It was bittersweet moment, and believe me, we tried to make it last as long as we could, but we gave up at midnight, whitch, in my defense, was 1:00 Inveremere time, so I did make it up to the wee hours... Ha ha!
Like I said, it was be incredibly hard to say goodbye to Winfield. It is a truly special place, and I guess you can only go there and see for yourself to understand what I mean. I have been blessed to have great experiences in my home life, but some campers it isn't the same story. Camp Winfield is like a second home for many of us where we feel like we can finally breathe again and be ourselves. For once, we don't feel singled out. There are wheelchairs all over the place. it's wheelchair city! Strolling down the sidewalks of camp feels like we're strolling down a red carpet that was just made for us I have some thank yous that I feel I owe to the many people who made my camp experiences perfect! Thankyou to the councillors and other staff at camp for your continuous energy and smiles and for jumping in and knowing exacty how to care for each camper from hour one. Thankyou to all the programmers and staff who go behind the scence to make the magic happen. Thankyou to the other campers who inspire me each year with great attitudes and for being my friends. Thankyou to Grace Mariah Brulotte and Carrisa Lawrie for your shared friendship throughout the years. You two are the only two teenagers I feel I can truly be myself with. Thankyou to Invermere Lions for donating money to the camp each year and for sending me each year! Your donations are worth every penny! Thankyou to Patti Cowles for attending camp with me on my very first year and giving me the confidence boost to return on my own in the upcoming years. Thankyou to my mom who made that crazy 6hr drive every year. It was a big day, but I know you knew how much camp meant to me. I Love you! And, last but no least, Thankyou to Winfield for truly being the best place on earth. I did graduate this year, but who knows, I may not be finished with you yet. You'll just have to wait and see...
I also Remember Camp Winfield's famous sock fighting competition where all the councillors wear only one sock, they all go out into the yard and run after each other, trying to get socks off as many people as they can. The last councillor with there sock on wins.. It is halarious. Ahhh... So many memories.... memories of hanging out as a group and laughing our heads off, drinking ice coffees on the dining hall deck that Susie and Kaitlyn made us, and running around the whole camp going crazy off the caffeine and figuring out whatever mischief we could get into. To wrap up the week, as tradition, all the grads got to stay up all night after Banquet on night 7. It was a memorable, magical evening for Carrisa, Grace and myself. We watched movies, ate junk food, and tried to soak in the significant last moment the three of us would have as campers of Winfield. It was bittersweet moment, and believe me, we tried to make it last as long as we could, but we gave up at midnight, whitch, in my defense, was 1:00 Inveremere time, so I did make it up to the wee hours... Ha ha!
Like I said, it was be incredibly hard to say goodbye to Winfield. It is a truly special place, and I guess you can only go there and see for yourself to understand what I mean. I have been blessed to have great experiences in my home life, but some campers it isn't the same story. Camp Winfield is like a second home for many of us where we feel like we can finally breathe again and be ourselves. For once, we don't feel singled out. There are wheelchairs all over the place. it's wheelchair city! Strolling down the sidewalks of camp feels like we're strolling down a red carpet that was just made for us I have some thank yous that I feel I owe to the many people who made my camp experiences perfect! Thankyou to the councillors and other staff at camp for your continuous energy and smiles and for jumping in and knowing exacty how to care for each camper from hour one. Thankyou to all the programmers and staff who go behind the scence to make the magic happen. Thankyou to the other campers who inspire me each year with great attitudes and for being my friends. Thankyou to Grace Mariah Brulotte and Carrisa Lawrie for your shared friendship throughout the years. You two are the only two teenagers I feel I can truly be myself with. Thankyou to Invermere Lions for donating money to the camp each year and for sending me each year! Your donations are worth every penny! Thankyou to Patti Cowles for attending camp with me on my very first year and giving me the confidence boost to return on my own in the upcoming years. Thankyou to my mom who made that crazy 6hr drive every year. It was a big day, but I know you knew how much camp meant to me. I Love you! And, last but no least, Thankyou to Winfield for truly being the best place on earth. I did graduate this year, but who knows, I may not be finished with you yet. You'll just have to wait and see...
Saturday, July 20, 2013
I GOT A JOB!
Hey everybody. Wow, I am sure blogging a lot less than I expected to this summer. I'm sorry, but I feel I have quite a valid excuse and that is, drum roll,please.....I GOT A JOB! Yes, after many years of waiting, and wondering how I will be able to become part of the work force, I, Kate Gibbs, landed a paying job as an advertiser for the summer. I was asked to work for a local organization called The Windermere Valley Early Childhood Development Team (WVECD Team) I advertise all summer programs that are going on this year for kids. I work from home mostly, writing up the ads, and sending them the person who is in charge, and she posts them of facebok under the WVECD Team page. I then, go out to the events to take pictures of the kids, interview them about what their favorite part of each program is, and post the pictures on facebook to promote the programs.
I'd never thought of myself as being an advertiser, especially as my first job,but I'm really enjoying it. It involves my two favorite things, writing, and working with children. It was a little confusing at first, figuring out exactly how I needed to make the ads, but, I think I'm getting the hang of it now. Most ads are quite short. When people read an ad, they just want to know the facts about what's going on, and not read a tenthly summary about it. Well, we all know that "short and sweet" is NOT my strong point, but I am learning. ha ha. It's not too bad. I just look up the website for the program, write down basic facts, and contact information. Keeping the ads short is a good learning skill for me to learn, and I have to practise it, because, besides writing these ads for Facebook, I have also been allowed to put my ads in a little local flyer called the Valley Peak that everyone in Invermere reads. My friend Patti and I made a portfolio of all the newspaper articles I've written at the Valley Echo for Work Experience and compiled them into a folder to show off as proof of the work I did. The man who runs that paper says that paper has quite limited space, so I have to make my ads even shorter and sweeter than I did the first time I wrote them. Yikes! ha ha. I can handle it! Writing the ads for WVECD is only going to be a summer job, but Valley peak has allowed me to write for them inb the fall too. I might put bits and pieces of my blog in there. Cool!
Like I said, this job keeps me quite busy this summer. I write one, maybe two ads a day. I love it! Being employed is something I do not like to take for granted. Having physical challenges,it is hard to get jobs, because the building has to be set up perfectly, and the work has to be not to physically demanding. In this town, finding a job that meets that criteria is hard. I went for an interview at the Library once to see if I could get a job, and it didn't work out because of my physical limitations. When that happens to you, you kind of lose hope. You think, "I can't even put books on high shelf myself, who is going to want me to work for them. Those frightening Thoughts of "You can't" come into your head, and you get down on yourself, but you have to make those thoughts leave your head just as quickly as they came in, because the truth is YOU CAN! The right job for you will come along. You just have to be super duper patient, and determined too. Never let your diverseability be the excuse for why you can't do something. If someone thinks you are unemployable, your job for the time being is ,to prove them wrong, and put yourself out there. Don't give up! You can do it!
So, I just wanted to thank my friend Patti for helping me get the job in the first. She's been an amazing help in getting me organized, and doing some of my work with me on the days I spend with her. Thank you to my family for supporting me, and Lisa Lehr, my boss who hired me in the first place. I apologise in advance for maybe not writing so many blogs this summer. I'll try though!
As of this summer , I am officially part of the working world! :)
I'd never thought of myself as being an advertiser, especially as my first job,but I'm really enjoying it. It involves my two favorite things, writing, and working with children. It was a little confusing at first, figuring out exactly how I needed to make the ads, but, I think I'm getting the hang of it now. Most ads are quite short. When people read an ad, they just want to know the facts about what's going on, and not read a tenthly summary about it. Well, we all know that "short and sweet" is NOT my strong point, but I am learning. ha ha. It's not too bad. I just look up the website for the program, write down basic facts, and contact information. Keeping the ads short is a good learning skill for me to learn, and I have to practise it, because, besides writing these ads for Facebook, I have also been allowed to put my ads in a little local flyer called the Valley Peak that everyone in Invermere reads. My friend Patti and I made a portfolio of all the newspaper articles I've written at the Valley Echo for Work Experience and compiled them into a folder to show off as proof of the work I did. The man who runs that paper says that paper has quite limited space, so I have to make my ads even shorter and sweeter than I did the first time I wrote them. Yikes! ha ha. I can handle it! Writing the ads for WVECD is only going to be a summer job, but Valley peak has allowed me to write for them inb the fall too. I might put bits and pieces of my blog in there. Cool!
Like I said, this job keeps me quite busy this summer. I write one, maybe two ads a day. I love it! Being employed is something I do not like to take for granted. Having physical challenges,it is hard to get jobs, because the building has to be set up perfectly, and the work has to be not to physically demanding. In this town, finding a job that meets that criteria is hard. I went for an interview at the Library once to see if I could get a job, and it didn't work out because of my physical limitations. When that happens to you, you kind of lose hope. You think, "I can't even put books on high shelf myself, who is going to want me to work for them. Those frightening Thoughts of "You can't" come into your head, and you get down on yourself, but you have to make those thoughts leave your head just as quickly as they came in, because the truth is YOU CAN! The right job for you will come along. You just have to be super duper patient, and determined too. Never let your diverseability be the excuse for why you can't do something. If someone thinks you are unemployable, your job for the time being is ,to prove them wrong, and put yourself out there. Don't give up! You can do it!
So, I just wanted to thank my friend Patti for helping me get the job in the first. She's been an amazing help in getting me organized, and doing some of my work with me on the days I spend with her. Thank you to my family for supporting me, and Lisa Lehr, my boss who hired me in the first place. I apologise in advance for maybe not writing so many blogs this summer. I'll try though!
As of this summer , I am officially part of the working world! :)
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Kate's Mission Statement
KATE'S MISSION STATEMENT
1. I promise to always be thankful for what I have
2. I promise to always put my amazing family first and that my love for
them will continue to grow enormously throughout the years to come
3. I promise to seek out new adventures and find ways to get into a little bit of
mischief along the way.
4. I promise to be thankful for and loving towards all my friends around me
5. I promise to let my Cerebral Palsy push me forward, not pull me back
6. I promise to continue to show everybody exactly what I'm made of and
to keep teaching others about people with diverseabilities and help them
replace the words "they can't" with "they can"
7. I promise try everything at least once
8. I promise to NEVER GIVE UP!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Graduated!- I'm a Big Kid Now!
Hello everybody! Remember me? Ha Ha. Wow, I haven't blogged in long time! I've been really busy with finish school and, wait for it.... GRADUATING! Yes! This week I graduated from Grade twelve! Wow! Were did the time go! When your little, graduating from high school is something you never think is going to happen, and then BAM, there it is! I have sure treasured my childhood, growing up with an amazing family and being surrounded by the the wonderful people of Invermere, British Columbia. I have a lot of people who care about me that I owe gratitude to, and this was week was a perfect time for me to reflect on that and give thanks.
Wednesday the 26th of June and Thursday the 27 of June were busy days that I will never forget! First of, on Wednesday, all the graduates got to march down main street and show off. We all got dressed up down to the nines. Everyone looked like celebrities , and, as for me, I am quite sure I have never felt as dolled up as I did that day. My dress was a teal coloured short brides maids dress. Paige and Patti did my hair and makeup. They have both been a huge part of my school years so it was very special we all got to be together! Thanks guys! You made me look like a princess that day. After I was done, I went to the local Strands restaurant to get some pictures taken. When all the grads arrived at Strands , we all took a group picture and then started our walk. I had two grad partners, a boy and a girl. We had a great time walking together. When we started out, it was pouring! All the girls were worried their very preety hair getting ruined. We were worried that it wouldn't let, but soon after, it seemed like the clouds had parted just for us, and we started our walk! I was so happy that day! There was music playing in the background, and as I was wheeling down the street with my partners, I was dancing and smiling the whole way. Everyone was clapping and cheering for all of us! It was just a day that once again proved how supportive our town is! Everyone loves to watch the grads every year. The sidewalks are always lined up! It's amazing! When we got about a block away from our destination, I wanted to get out of my wheelchair and walk. That was really important to me! It showed people that I will never give up on walking, no matter what! My partners did great! There were looked awesome, and they did an amazing job of helping me walk. It was an emotional day! I broke down a couple of times. It was a big day for a lot of kids. It was the end of a big milestone! After lots of congratulations and hugs from family and friends, we went into the local curing rink for dinner. I got to lead everyone in! That was cool! The curling rink did not look like a curling rink at all. It was all done up with balloons ribbons, and light! It was beautiful! The dinner was delicious and we got to hear some fantastic, and also some very funny speeches from students, parents, teachers, and the superintendent. We had a mother son dance and a father daughter dance! I got to dance with my dad! He was so happy those couple of days! I loved seeing that!
I even got to dance with a boy! That was a surprise! It was an awesome night and I couldn't believe their was more yet to come!
The next day we had a year end recognition assembly for the whole school where students are awarded for things they've accomplished ! I won two awards. I won one for my writing class, and then I won the citizen of the year award. I was informed I'd be getting an award beforehand, and I was pretty sure it was for writing. I had no idea I was also getting the citizenship one too though. That was a total surprise! I felt so honoured that people thought of me for the award, and again, so grateful for the amount of amazing support I have! The lady who awarded me with it was the a teacher that has done a lot for me over the years. Shes helped me so much and has just been awesome, so it was really special. She printed out a whole speech! I felt very loved that day
Then, there was the big grade twelve graduation ceremony, where we v finally got to get dressed in cap and gown! That felt surreal. I'm sure it did for many of us! It was the "This is it" moment. It took a while to get everybody organized, but soon we were all ready to take the stage. The way we marched in the gymnasium was very formal! We walked on one by one in a specific order The MCs called each of us up and gave a little speech about what our future plans were, as we each walked up and shook the principals hand and got our diplomas. Some got awarded with honours! I was one of them! That was another exciting surprise that made everything seem that much more worth it. As I sat and listened to what the students future plans were, it became surreal to me that kids would be leaving town and embarking on new adventures. Kids that I have grown up with are going away. I was very impressed with what some of them plan to do. We have quite the talented group of graduates. Once everyone was seated , scholarship after scholarship was being handed out. Our community was extreamly generous. I got three, one from the Valley Echo, one from another local paper, the Pioneer, and another from the Columbia Basin Trust Society. I won big! ha ha. Lots of us did. It was amazing! After a marvellous valedictorian speech, it was finally the time to throw grad caps in the air and yell out in celebration! I always wanted to do that! That final cap toss says we made it! We survived! I am now a proud of graduate of 2013!
Last but not least, my parents had been working extremely hard on a garden party that I was going to have after the ceremony! My dad is a gardener, and so he had planned to get the garden ready for a party. He and my mom had planned everything, cooked everything, and bought everything to create the best garden I could have asked for! Tons of family, and friends, and teachers came by to say congratulations. I was so busy talking to everybody, I didn't have time to eat. I got tons of presents, beautiful cards, and MONEY! I have so many people that have been so good to me. I am truly thankful to each and everyone of them! I couldn't of asked for a better graduation. It was perfect.
Thank you so much to my grandparents,my cousin Stephanie who came out from Calgary, and my Uncle Jeff who came out from Tennessee to spend graduation with me. I love you and it meant the world to me to have you there. Thank you to my school system for being so accommodating towards students with diverseabilities. I am well aware that fifty years my education situation would have been very different. Even today, some students with diverseabiilities don't get treated very well, but I am certainly not one of them and for that I thank my school system from the bottom of my heart. Thank you to everybody who helped send me on all my amazing adventures! I will never forget those. Thank you to the town of Invermere for encouraging me every step of the way! Each time I go downtown, I get hugs from everybody. I have loved the relationships I have developed of the years. I love Invermere. Thank you to all my aides and helpers at school for continuing to push me to do my very best! I have made amazing relationships over the years with them! You guys are awesome! Last but certainly not least, thank you to my incredible family who have given me everything. You continue to support me every day, and I know you will always be there for me! I Iove you!
I do plan on attending David Thompson Seconday school an extra year before moving on, before moving on to university. I look forward to coming back! For all the graduates who are leaving Inveremere, I am proud to say that I have attended class with such wonderful student! I hope for the very best for you all! Remeber to always follow your dreams, be thankful to those who have helped you get to where you are, and NEVER GIVE UP! Congratulations grad class of 2013! Let your adventure begin!
Wednesday the 26th of June and Thursday the 27 of June were busy days that I will never forget! First of, on Wednesday, all the graduates got to march down main street and show off. We all got dressed up down to the nines. Everyone looked like celebrities , and, as for me, I am quite sure I have never felt as dolled up as I did that day. My dress was a teal coloured short brides maids dress. Paige and Patti did my hair and makeup. They have both been a huge part of my school years so it was very special we all got to be together! Thanks guys! You made me look like a princess that day. After I was done, I went to the local Strands restaurant to get some pictures taken. When all the grads arrived at Strands , we all took a group picture and then started our walk. I had two grad partners, a boy and a girl. We had a great time walking together. When we started out, it was pouring! All the girls were worried their very preety hair getting ruined. We were worried that it wouldn't let, but soon after, it seemed like the clouds had parted just for us, and we started our walk! I was so happy that day! There was music playing in the background, and as I was wheeling down the street with my partners, I was dancing and smiling the whole way. Everyone was clapping and cheering for all of us! It was just a day that once again proved how supportive our town is! Everyone loves to watch the grads every year. The sidewalks are always lined up! It's amazing! When we got about a block away from our destination, I wanted to get out of my wheelchair and walk. That was really important to me! It showed people that I will never give up on walking, no matter what! My partners did great! There were looked awesome, and they did an amazing job of helping me walk. It was an emotional day! I broke down a couple of times. It was a big day for a lot of kids. It was the end of a big milestone! After lots of congratulations and hugs from family and friends, we went into the local curing rink for dinner. I got to lead everyone in! That was cool! The curling rink did not look like a curling rink at all. It was all done up with balloons ribbons, and light! It was beautiful! The dinner was delicious and we got to hear some fantastic, and also some very funny speeches from students, parents, teachers, and the superintendent. We had a mother son dance and a father daughter dance! I got to dance with my dad! He was so happy those couple of days! I loved seeing that!
I even got to dance with a boy! That was a surprise! It was an awesome night and I couldn't believe their was more yet to come!
The next day we had a year end recognition assembly for the whole school where students are awarded for things they've accomplished ! I won two awards. I won one for my writing class, and then I won the citizen of the year award. I was informed I'd be getting an award beforehand, and I was pretty sure it was for writing. I had no idea I was also getting the citizenship one too though. That was a total surprise! I felt so honoured that people thought of me for the award, and again, so grateful for the amount of amazing support I have! The lady who awarded me with it was the a teacher that has done a lot for me over the years. Shes helped me so much and has just been awesome, so it was really special. She printed out a whole speech! I felt very loved that day
Then, there was the big grade twelve graduation ceremony, where we v finally got to get dressed in cap and gown! That felt surreal. I'm sure it did for many of us! It was the "This is it" moment. It took a while to get everybody organized, but soon we were all ready to take the stage. The way we marched in the gymnasium was very formal! We walked on one by one in a specific order The MCs called each of us up and gave a little speech about what our future plans were, as we each walked up and shook the principals hand and got our diplomas. Some got awarded with honours! I was one of them! That was another exciting surprise that made everything seem that much more worth it. As I sat and listened to what the students future plans were, it became surreal to me that kids would be leaving town and embarking on new adventures. Kids that I have grown up with are going away. I was very impressed with what some of them plan to do. We have quite the talented group of graduates. Once everyone was seated , scholarship after scholarship was being handed out. Our community was extreamly generous. I got three, one from the Valley Echo, one from another local paper, the Pioneer, and another from the Columbia Basin Trust Society. I won big! ha ha. Lots of us did. It was amazing! After a marvellous valedictorian speech, it was finally the time to throw grad caps in the air and yell out in celebration! I always wanted to do that! That final cap toss says we made it! We survived! I am now a proud of graduate of 2013!
Last but not least, my parents had been working extremely hard on a garden party that I was going to have after the ceremony! My dad is a gardener, and so he had planned to get the garden ready for a party. He and my mom had planned everything, cooked everything, and bought everything to create the best garden I could have asked for! Tons of family, and friends, and teachers came by to say congratulations. I was so busy talking to everybody, I didn't have time to eat. I got tons of presents, beautiful cards, and MONEY! I have so many people that have been so good to me. I am truly thankful to each and everyone of them! I couldn't of asked for a better graduation. It was perfect.
Thank you so much to my grandparents,my cousin Stephanie who came out from Calgary, and my Uncle Jeff who came out from Tennessee to spend graduation with me. I love you and it meant the world to me to have you there. Thank you to my school system for being so accommodating towards students with diverseabilities. I am well aware that fifty years my education situation would have been very different. Even today, some students with diverseabiilities don't get treated very well, but I am certainly not one of them and for that I thank my school system from the bottom of my heart. Thank you to everybody who helped send me on all my amazing adventures! I will never forget those. Thank you to the town of Invermere for encouraging me every step of the way! Each time I go downtown, I get hugs from everybody. I have loved the relationships I have developed of the years. I love Invermere. Thank you to all my aides and helpers at school for continuing to push me to do my very best! I have made amazing relationships over the years with them! You guys are awesome! Last but certainly not least, thank you to my incredible family who have given me everything. You continue to support me every day, and I know you will always be there for me! I Iove you!
I do plan on attending David Thompson Seconday school an extra year before moving on, before moving on to university. I look forward to coming back! For all the graduates who are leaving Inveremere, I am proud to say that I have attended class with such wonderful student! I hope for the very best for you all! Remeber to always follow your dreams, be thankful to those who have helped you get to where you are, and NEVER GIVE UP! Congratulations grad class of 2013! Let your adventure begin!
Saturday, January 26, 2013
A Cool Culinary Experience
Hello everybody! I told you I'd be back. Today, I wanted to tell you about my latest Cook Training experience. Last week, my class and I got to go to Banff for a night and shadow the chefs in the main kitchen of the Banff Springs hotel. I jumped at the chance to go. I thought it would be an awesome experience that I just couldn't pass up My Mom accompanied me, and went as my helper. She was excited to go to. Also, a couple of my friends from school, Sierra King and Aaliyah Bone came . It was a great experience that I could share with some friends from school.
Before they went to Banff Springs, my Cook Training class got to go to the SAIT University in Calgary to learn about the Culinary program there. We didn''t go to that part of the trip. My Mom had to drive, and she didn't to go that far in the van, so we just drove straight to Ban ff Springs on Monday morning, which was fine with us. It was a beautiful drive up to the prestige castle in the Rockies.
When we got to Banff Springs Hotel, Aaliyah and her mom were pretty amazed at the place Aaliyah wanted to go exploring right away. We walked around a bit and waited for the rest of our class to get there. When, hey did, we met up with a college at the hotel,Margaret. She showed us around. The Banff Springs Hotel is a very old hotel, built in the late 1800's As we walked around, we got told some haunted stories. Some of them were pretty creepy, like stories of husbands pushing brides out windows and stuff like that. ugh! Aaliyah kept wanting to find the evidence.
Anyway, on another note, we finished our tour, and the rest of that night, we had off. We went out for dinner at earls and shopped around a bit. We finished the night off in the pool, and then, after a busy day, we went to sleep in big, comfy beds, and slept like princesses.
The next day we got to work. We put on our Chef jackets from school, and went into this beautiful, massive kitchen. It's was goergous in there. The equipment is twice the size of what we have in our kitchen. at school. I brought my walker to help me walk in the kitchen, because it would have been to craped with my wheelchair. It was a cool experience to see what it would be like to work there if you had a diverseabiluty. Aaliyah and I stayed and worked in thebakary departent for a while, pitting cookies on trays. We even got to try a pastry. After a while, Margaret met up with us again and showed us around some more. We got a secret tour. Margaret even found special name tags and gave them to us. We got to see the cafeteria where all the staff get there lunch. After our second little tour, we took a picture of all of us in our uniforms, said goodbye to the Bannff Springs, and drove back through through the Rockies. It was a short trip, but a great trip. I couldn't believe we got to do that with school. I felt so lucky. Anothe aazing adventure copleted I wonder what then next one will be?....
Before they went to Banff Springs, my Cook Training class got to go to the SAIT University in Calgary to learn about the Culinary program there. We didn''t go to that part of the trip. My Mom had to drive, and she didn't to go that far in the van, so we just drove straight to Ban ff Springs on Monday morning, which was fine with us. It was a beautiful drive up to the prestige castle in the Rockies.
When we got to Banff Springs Hotel, Aaliyah and her mom were pretty amazed at the place Aaliyah wanted to go exploring right away. We walked around a bit and waited for the rest of our class to get there. When, hey did, we met up with a college at the hotel,Margaret. She showed us around. The Banff Springs Hotel is a very old hotel, built in the late 1800's As we walked around, we got told some haunted stories. Some of them were pretty creepy, like stories of husbands pushing brides out windows and stuff like that. ugh! Aaliyah kept wanting to find the evidence.
Anyway, on another note, we finished our tour, and the rest of that night, we had off. We went out for dinner at earls and shopped around a bit. We finished the night off in the pool, and then, after a busy day, we went to sleep in big, comfy beds, and slept like princesses.
The next day we got to work. We put on our Chef jackets from school, and went into this beautiful, massive kitchen. It's was goergous in there. The equipment is twice the size of what we have in our kitchen. at school. I brought my walker to help me walk in the kitchen, because it would have been to craped with my wheelchair. It was a cool experience to see what it would be like to work there if you had a diverseabiluty. Aaliyah and I stayed and worked in thebakary departent for a while, pitting cookies on trays. We even got to try a pastry. After a while, Margaret met up with us again and showed us around some more. We got a secret tour. Margaret even found special name tags and gave them to us. We got to see the cafeteria where all the staff get there lunch. After our second little tour, we took a picture of all of us in our uniforms, said goodbye to the Bannff Springs, and drove back through through the Rockies. It was a short trip, but a great trip. I couldn't believe we got to do that with school. I felt so lucky. Anothe aazing adventure copleted I wonder what then next one will be?....
Friday, January 25, 2013
CEREBRAL PALSY
Hello again! How is everybody. Tooday I wanted to write another Cerebral Palsy Awarness blog. I thought I would do an acrostic poem for the diverseability and for each letter I'll put what I think it takes to have any diverseability. I have been fortunate to meet some amazing people with different diversabilities that I think have these qualities. I think this would be another good way to advertise for diversabilities through the letters of Cerebral Palsy. I want to get the word out there to people of what we're really about, and to let others who have diversabilities know that they were born that way for a reason and they have a lot to offer the word. People with Cerebral Palsy, like people with different diversabilities have a lot of specific characteristics about that stand out. Today, I want to bring out some of those qualities and meaning to inspire others to feel better about their diverseabilities andto help them be all they can be! Ok, here we go! Here is what Cerebra Palsy stands for.
COURAGE- I am always amazed at the stories I hear about people with diverseabilities and the courageous things they do. Stephen Hawking has severe Cerebral Palsy. He can't walk or talk, and yet he is a famous scientist. There was a guy in the paper a while ago who had no arms r legs and he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. These are people who wanted to do something amazing, and didn't lry not let their challenges stop them. You don't have to let your challenges stop you either. Don't let them be your excuses. You can do it! People who may have it worse than you do, do amazing things, so why can't you?
EMPATHY- Growing up, I always wanted to make as many connections as I could with other diversebilities. Living in a small town, there wasn't a lot of other people in wheelchairs. That kind of bothered me sometimes. We're still a very small community, but we have attracted more and more people throughout the years, and some of them are in wheelchairs, which is really nice for me. I love making different relationships with people with divesabilities. When I do, it makes me less alone. There is someone else out there who is like me. In the past few years, I've have had the priveledge of making more and more connections. Doing that has really opened my eyes to how lucky I am that I have the mobility I have, and to how much others really struggle. That's really opened my mind and my heart, and made me aware of the world is like out there. I'm really fortunate to have the opportunity to have so many amazing people. They have all inspired me in their own little ways. Also, I think that when people that have challenges they know what it's like not to have a perfect lifestyle, and they can relate to many people. I think people with diverseabilities have to have a little empathy. It will hep them get further and further to where they want to be. Kindness can get us a long way in life. Kindness is the key.
RESPECT- Throughout the past couple decades, people with diversabilities have made great strides. Not to long, they weren't even considered part of society. They were just burdens or nuisances. Now, with the help of inspiring people like Rick Hansen, who opened up people's eyes to what we are capable of, things are getting better. People with diverseabilities still struggle with acceptance, but it is getting better. We have to remember that having us around is still new for some people especially people who lived most of their lives in the times were we weren't thought of as successful human beings Older people might have trouble breaking out of that niche, and even some younger people who might not have grown up knowing a lot about us, may have some learing to do too. When people belittle you, don't just sit there and roll your eyes. SPEAK UP! If they are asking your parents questions about you, speak up and answer them yourself, politely. You have to take everybody's opinions into consideration, even though they may be wrong, or you may not agree with them. You have to respect everyones opinion. If you give respect, you'll get respect. So, take it easy, and be respectful when you share your opinions with others. It will be a win win situation, I promise.
EMPOWER- A lot of people I know who have diversabilities are very good at advocating for their needs and advocating for accessibility and equality. I, personality, stink at advocating for accessibility in my town. I am very inspired by all the people I know that are good at it. They are getting further and further in enrichin their own lives by doing it, and helping others get further as well. One thing that everybody always tells me is that I am in charge of me. Soon I will have to make the decisions that will impact my future. We can't stand by and say "poor me, I have a diverseability, and I can't do anything to make things better for me." You have to say "I have a diverseability, but I am going to do whatever I can to help me succeed in this world. Stand up for yourself,and help others along the way. Do it for me. Inspire me to do it too.
BRAVERY- People with diversabilities are brave. Some go through so much, and they still can have a big smile on their faces., Ther eare different kinds of bravery. You can be brave about beating cancer, going on a daring escapade, or just facing each day with a smile on your face, no matter what obstacles you may have to overcome. Like I said, you can't let you challenges hold you down. You have to step up to the plate, try new things, and be willing to accept the consequences. Life is known for handing people pretty tricky sets of cards. You may not be in control of what cards you're handed, but you are in control of how you are going to play them. Whatever deck you have, you have to take a look at them, figure out a plan, and then say "All right Life. I'm ready for you. Bring it on.". In my opinion, that is what bravery is all about.
RIGHTS- RIGHTS! You have rights! Everyone has rights. We have the right of speech, the right of freedom, rights to lots of stuff. People with diversabilities have the right to work a job that they feel they are capable of. They have the right to have special help with certain tasks, so their day will go smoother. You have the right to believe that you can be anything you want to be, and no one can take that right away from you. No one should belittle anyone, or tell the that they can't do something, and if they do, you have the right to prove the wrong. I need to work on that myself, I'll admit. I get shut down, sometimes, when peopled say they don't think I can do something, but you shouldn't. Stand up for yourself! Never stand for the words "you can't." If people tell you that, then you're job is to show the that you can. Weather you have a diversability, or not, you shouldn'tt stand for anything less than you deserve. If you do, you won't get anywhere. If you don't, than you might soar to places you never even imagined.
ADVOCATE- I stink at this, but I admire the people who are good at it. Advocating is very important. It helps get you places, and it helps other people too. I know that when I go out on my own, I will have to do all my advocating myself. I'm very nervous for that, but with practise maybe I will get better at it. Advocacy makes things happen. Hats of to everybody who can advocate. You are the people that makes the world go 'round.
LOYALTY- Loyalty is one of the most important characteristic in a friend to me. People with diveresabilities sometimes have a hard time making friends, and like everybody, sometimes, they drift away. I know it's normal, but I still get sad sometimes when I have been friends with someone for so long, and then all of a sudden we drift apart. I have many kids that are very nice to me at school, but I don't really have any close buddies. When I meet a new friend, and begin to get close, I start to think we will be friends forever. It doesn't always work out, but when it does, I get really happy. Grace and I have been friends for six years, and were still really close. I love that! I try to be as loyal as I can be to my friends, because I know how much a loyal friend means to me. I think everyone with a diverseability should try and be as loyal as they can to the people that help them out and make time for them. They have been there for you, so you should try and be there for them. It just makes sense!
PATIENCE- Patience is a great virtue. Patience can get you through many things in life. A lot of people with diversabilities have to be a little extra patience when they learn new things. I know it can be hard when your trying to master a skill that is easy to everyone else, like buttering a piece of bread, but if you have patience, and keep trying, you will achieve your goal. It feels try and learn something, and I keep at it and keep at it, and then, before I've master the skill. Patience is very important for learning new skills. It's also a great skill to learn if you like being around people. Everybody has different personalities, different schedules, and different qualities that make them unique. Some of their qualities, you may not like, but you have to be patient with them. You have to look past the qualities you don't like, and find the ones you do like. Everybody needs patience. Life is very hard without it.
APPRECIATE- Throughout my life, I have been given a lot. I know that's true for a lot of people who have diverseabilities. We have aides at school, and maybe help at home, and friends around town that are nice to us. I know some people can get in your face sometimes, and "baby" you, but they're just trying to be friendly. It's better for them to be friendly, than to ignore us. We all have a lot to be thankful for; family, friends, independence. No matter how tough we have, that there is always someone out there who has it tougher. We should appreciate what we have. If we don't, we won't be able to move we'll be stuck in a deep hole that we won't be able to get out of. So start appreciating. It gets you places.
LOVE- Love is stronger than anything. It can get you through your darkest days. I've met a lot of wonderful people who have a lot of a lot of love in their hearts. In my opinion, you need two things to get you through life, lots of love, and lots of determination. You need determination to see your challenges through. You need a love of life, love of people, and love of seeing your challenges through to the very end. If you have love in your life, you will always succeed. ha ha. I know it sounds sappy, but it's true. When people have love in their lives, they are much happier. All you need is love. It can get you any place you want to go.
YOU- In the end, it's all about YOU! I can spend all the time in the world writing these blogs, and trying to inspire you to be better, but what I say doesn't matter. What matters is what you think. If you want to see your challenges through with determination and with a smile on your face, I commend you for that, but if you don't, that's your choice. I've told you that even though I believe in certain things like being happy and advocating for yourself, but that doesn't mean I'm a perfectionist at them. In fact, sometimes, I suck at them. Just because someone who is giving you advice that don't necessarly use themselves, doesn't mean you shshouldn't take it. You ldecide. It's all up to YOU!
I thought this was kind of a cool idea,, to do an acrostic blog. I hope you liked it. I like thinking that I kind of helped raise awareness of Cerebral Palsy and other diversabilities. I emphasised the good things that a diverseability can bring. I hope you learnt something, and that you enjoyed reading my post. I think I will talk to you tomorrow. Up next, more Cook training adventures in Banff Spinngs. Talk to you soon. Bye for now.
COURAGE- I am always amazed at the stories I hear about people with diverseabilities and the courageous things they do. Stephen Hawking has severe Cerebral Palsy. He can't walk or talk, and yet he is a famous scientist. There was a guy in the paper a while ago who had no arms r legs and he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. These are people who wanted to do something amazing, and didn't lry not let their challenges stop them. You don't have to let your challenges stop you either. Don't let them be your excuses. You can do it! People who may have it worse than you do, do amazing things, so why can't you?
EMPATHY- Growing up, I always wanted to make as many connections as I could with other diversebilities. Living in a small town, there wasn't a lot of other people in wheelchairs. That kind of bothered me sometimes. We're still a very small community, but we have attracted more and more people throughout the years, and some of them are in wheelchairs, which is really nice for me. I love making different relationships with people with divesabilities. When I do, it makes me less alone. There is someone else out there who is like me. In the past few years, I've have had the priveledge of making more and more connections. Doing that has really opened my eyes to how lucky I am that I have the mobility I have, and to how much others really struggle. That's really opened my mind and my heart, and made me aware of the world is like out there. I'm really fortunate to have the opportunity to have so many amazing people. They have all inspired me in their own little ways. Also, I think that when people that have challenges they know what it's like not to have a perfect lifestyle, and they can relate to many people. I think people with diverseabilities have to have a little empathy. It will hep them get further and further to where they want to be. Kindness can get us a long way in life. Kindness is the key.
RESPECT- Throughout the past couple decades, people with diversabilities have made great strides. Not to long, they weren't even considered part of society. They were just burdens or nuisances. Now, with the help of inspiring people like Rick Hansen, who opened up people's eyes to what we are capable of, things are getting better. People with diverseabilities still struggle with acceptance, but it is getting better. We have to remember that having us around is still new for some people especially people who lived most of their lives in the times were we weren't thought of as successful human beings Older people might have trouble breaking out of that niche, and even some younger people who might not have grown up knowing a lot about us, may have some learing to do too. When people belittle you, don't just sit there and roll your eyes. SPEAK UP! If they are asking your parents questions about you, speak up and answer them yourself, politely. You have to take everybody's opinions into consideration, even though they may be wrong, or you may not agree with them. You have to respect everyones opinion. If you give respect, you'll get respect. So, take it easy, and be respectful when you share your opinions with others. It will be a win win situation, I promise.
EMPOWER- A lot of people I know who have diversabilities are very good at advocating for their needs and advocating for accessibility and equality. I, personality, stink at advocating for accessibility in my town. I am very inspired by all the people I know that are good at it. They are getting further and further in enrichin their own lives by doing it, and helping others get further as well. One thing that everybody always tells me is that I am in charge of me. Soon I will have to make the decisions that will impact my future. We can't stand by and say "poor me, I have a diverseability, and I can't do anything to make things better for me." You have to say "I have a diverseability, but I am going to do whatever I can to help me succeed in this world. Stand up for yourself,and help others along the way. Do it for me. Inspire me to do it too.
BRAVERY- People with diversabilities are brave. Some go through so much, and they still can have a big smile on their faces., Ther eare different kinds of bravery. You can be brave about beating cancer, going on a daring escapade, or just facing each day with a smile on your face, no matter what obstacles you may have to overcome. Like I said, you can't let you challenges hold you down. You have to step up to the plate, try new things, and be willing to accept the consequences. Life is known for handing people pretty tricky sets of cards. You may not be in control of what cards you're handed, but you are in control of how you are going to play them. Whatever deck you have, you have to take a look at them, figure out a plan, and then say "All right Life. I'm ready for you. Bring it on.". In my opinion, that is what bravery is all about.
RIGHTS- RIGHTS! You have rights! Everyone has rights. We have the right of speech, the right of freedom, rights to lots of stuff. People with diversabilities have the right to work a job that they feel they are capable of. They have the right to have special help with certain tasks, so their day will go smoother. You have the right to believe that you can be anything you want to be, and no one can take that right away from you. No one should belittle anyone, or tell the that they can't do something, and if they do, you have the right to prove the wrong. I need to work on that myself, I'll admit. I get shut down, sometimes, when peopled say they don't think I can do something, but you shouldn't. Stand up for yourself! Never stand for the words "you can't." If people tell you that, then you're job is to show the that you can. Weather you have a diversability, or not, you shouldn'tt stand for anything less than you deserve. If you do, you won't get anywhere. If you don't, than you might soar to places you never even imagined.
ADVOCATE- I stink at this, but I admire the people who are good at it. Advocating is very important. It helps get you places, and it helps other people too. I know that when I go out on my own, I will have to do all my advocating myself. I'm very nervous for that, but with practise maybe I will get better at it. Advocacy makes things happen. Hats of to everybody who can advocate. You are the people that makes the world go 'round.
LOYALTY- Loyalty is one of the most important characteristic in a friend to me. People with diveresabilities sometimes have a hard time making friends, and like everybody, sometimes, they drift away. I know it's normal, but I still get sad sometimes when I have been friends with someone for so long, and then all of a sudden we drift apart. I have many kids that are very nice to me at school, but I don't really have any close buddies. When I meet a new friend, and begin to get close, I start to think we will be friends forever. It doesn't always work out, but when it does, I get really happy. Grace and I have been friends for six years, and were still really close. I love that! I try to be as loyal as I can be to my friends, because I know how much a loyal friend means to me. I think everyone with a diverseability should try and be as loyal as they can to the people that help them out and make time for them. They have been there for you, so you should try and be there for them. It just makes sense!
PATIENCE- Patience is a great virtue. Patience can get you through many things in life. A lot of people with diversabilities have to be a little extra patience when they learn new things. I know it can be hard when your trying to master a skill that is easy to everyone else, like buttering a piece of bread, but if you have patience, and keep trying, you will achieve your goal. It feels try and learn something, and I keep at it and keep at it, and then, before I've master the skill. Patience is very important for learning new skills. It's also a great skill to learn if you like being around people. Everybody has different personalities, different schedules, and different qualities that make them unique. Some of their qualities, you may not like, but you have to be patient with them. You have to look past the qualities you don't like, and find the ones you do like. Everybody needs patience. Life is very hard without it.
APPRECIATE- Throughout my life, I have been given a lot. I know that's true for a lot of people who have diverseabilities. We have aides at school, and maybe help at home, and friends around town that are nice to us. I know some people can get in your face sometimes, and "baby" you, but they're just trying to be friendly. It's better for them to be friendly, than to ignore us. We all have a lot to be thankful for; family, friends, independence. No matter how tough we have, that there is always someone out there who has it tougher. We should appreciate what we have. If we don't, we won't be able to move we'll be stuck in a deep hole that we won't be able to get out of. So start appreciating. It gets you places.
LOVE- Love is stronger than anything. It can get you through your darkest days. I've met a lot of wonderful people who have a lot of a lot of love in their hearts. In my opinion, you need two things to get you through life, lots of love, and lots of determination. You need determination to see your challenges through. You need a love of life, love of people, and love of seeing your challenges through to the very end. If you have love in your life, you will always succeed. ha ha. I know it sounds sappy, but it's true. When people have love in their lives, they are much happier. All you need is love. It can get you any place you want to go.
YOU- In the end, it's all about YOU! I can spend all the time in the world writing these blogs, and trying to inspire you to be better, but what I say doesn't matter. What matters is what you think. If you want to see your challenges through with determination and with a smile on your face, I commend you for that, but if you don't, that's your choice. I've told you that even though I believe in certain things like being happy and advocating for yourself, but that doesn't mean I'm a perfectionist at them. In fact, sometimes, I suck at them. Just because someone who is giving you advice that don't necessarly use themselves, doesn't mean you shshouldn't take it. You ldecide. It's all up to YOU!
I thought this was kind of a cool idea,, to do an acrostic blog. I hope you liked it. I like thinking that I kind of helped raise awareness of Cerebral Palsy and other diversabilities. I emphasised the good things that a diverseability can bring. I hope you learnt something, and that you enjoyed reading my post. I think I will talk to you tomorrow. Up next, more Cook training adventures in Banff Spinngs. Talk to you soon. Bye for now.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Happy Newyear!
Happy New year everybody! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a great holiday. I have been off school since December 20 and I don't have to go back until the 7th. It's been a nice long relaxing break for me. I had a great Christmas. My Uncle brought my grandparents on Boxing day. My uncle left a couple days ago but my grandparents are still here. It's always nice to spend quality time with them.
I've gotten some wonderful presents this year. My mom got me a George Foreman Grill. It's a mini grill that you can use inside to cook things like hamburgers. I used one in Cook Training for an independent cooking project and it worked really well. I'm excited to use it again and get some more practise. I have to start thinking of how I'm going to do things when I move out and practise things like cooking. Its great I have tools that can help me do that.
It's a little hard for me to go Christmas shopping in the winter, because my wheelchair doesn't work so well in the snow. Sometimes I get a little frustrated that I can't just go out and buy presents for my familylike everybody else can. Lately I've been making my Christmas presents which is always fun. This year I wrote a story about my family. I wrote about each member and what they mean to me. I bound it together with string so it looked like a book. My family does so much for me so it was nice for me to tell them just how much I love them.
Anyway, a new year has begun! It's 2013 already! Wow! Time sure flies by. 2012 was a fantastic year for me. I've done lots of cool things like participating in the Rick Hansen Relay. I'm very lucky. It seems like every year, there is always another adventure in store for me. This year will be very exciting. I turn eighteen in a couple of days, graduate from high school in June, and begin a whole new chapter will start in my life. I'm very nervous, but very excited for the unknown. I'm still planning to take an extra year of school to plan for the future. That makes me feel a bit better.There are a lot of exciting things that lie just around the corner. I'm excited to begin my new adventures. Today, I'm going to write down eight New years resolutions for 2013. I know I did this last year, but I think it's good to keep looking back and reflecting on the past year and how I've grown, and think about what ways I would like to grow in the next year. So, here are eight of my New years resolutions that will help me get further and further to my destination.
1. Independence- I think this year, a big focus will be on learning to do more things independently, and to get ready for my future. I feel like I've made some good strides recently with doing Work Experience with school and going down town by myself in the summer. I think this year, I'm going to take some more big steps. I am going to start an independent cooking project in Cook Training this semester at school where I will make some meals by myself to see what kind of things I'll be able to cook. I love to cook and sometimes I feel like I'm almost at the point where I would be able to make certain things without sanyones supervision. These independent studies will be big learning curves for me . I will get to see what things will be easy for me to make, and what things I'll need special tools for. It will be a fun experiment. Another big thing that my occupational therapist is talking to me about is spending a night in a apartment that accessible, by myself. This is huge! It's awesome. I'll get to figure out exactly what I will need assistance with and what I can do by myself. I won't have anyone helping me. I'll get to figure out everything on my own. It'll be an eye opener I think, but I'm excited to try it out. I'm getting there. Slowly but surely, I'm getting there,
2. School- I am still really interested in going to either University of Victoria or University of Calgary. I love Victoria. It's beautiful there and there's no snow, so it will be easier for me to wheel around, but I have family in Calgary and it would be nice to be close to them. I have some decisions to make, but in the mean time, I talked to one of my teachers at school and she told me what courses I needed to get into both U of Vic and U of C. Some of those courses aren't offered at my school, so I will have to take them by correspondence, through the Internet. I think it will feel different than doing a course in a classroom, but I'm excited to try it ou. I'm doing courses that I really enjoy, which is nice. I look forward to starting them. I'm getting closer and closer to my university goal, and that feels great!
3. Helping others- I have always been one for helping others. Throughout my life, people have given me a lot. Sometimes I feel guilty when I think about how much I receive, and how much I need to give back. I want to do something big for someone one day, but everyone's has to start somewhere, and it's always good to start small and get bigger and bigger. I feel like I have been given the chance to help people when I worked at the Valley Echo. Writing my diverseability column and knowing that I helped them get their story out there feels really good. I love being able to help the kids at the little school I work at now. Myself, along with the people in my Community Living Group are talking about a grant that teens can apply for to help out their community. I'm thinking of using applying for money to organize an event in which I would speak about Diverseability Awarness. It's just an idea. We just talked about it today. If we do go through with it, I will let everyone in Invermere know. Anyway I can help anybody I think is great, and I'm willing to do anything asked of me to get involved.
4. Skiing- Yeah! The Special O Ski season starts soon. I am excited. I think this year will be a great ski year for me. I want to keep working on skiing with two outriders, using both hands. I think it would be awesome if I got to ski independently one day. Our Special O Ski Program gets bigger and bigger every year, witch is wonderful! More and more people are getting to feel the freedom of sit skiing. Also, in Fernie, Grace's sit ski program will be starting up. I'm really proud of her and excited that all her hard worked payed off. Grace invited me to come to Fernie to be with her on the opening day with her. I'm excited for that as well. It's going to be an awesome winter. I'm getting ready to get out there and shread that powder hard!
5. Rowing- I told you about my new sport that I started this summer, rowing. I really enjoyed it and am eager to try it again this summer. It's a very relaxing sports, and I learned a lot. It's a little confusing, so I might have to re learn a few things. ha ha. My mom thinks if I keep at it, I could go to the Paralympics and compete. I don't know about that, but I'll keep trying. You have keep trying things if you want a good outcome. You never know what might be in store.
6. Writing- This year has also been a big writing year for me, with writing in my blog, and working for the paper, and being in a writing class. I think, whatever career I choose to do after university, writing will always be a part of my life. I'm always going to have to keep practising. My writing class and my work at the paper have helped me become a stronger writer. Another big thing that helps is reading. I've heard if you're a good reader, it will help you become a good writer, so I really need to work on reading more as well. Writing is very important to me. I found my voice through writing. I can get my opinions out easier. I definitely want to keep writing. I love doing it, and hope to continue the hobby for years to come.
7. Try new things- Something else that I always up for is trying new things.. I love to challenge myself to do things that I never thought I could do. It gets even better when I do things in front of people that don't think I can do them. Then I can be like "Ha ha. Suckers." I enjoy showing people what I'm made of. I've tried lots of things in my life, but I need to try a lot more. The next few years ahead will present a lot of barriers and new things to try. I never stop learning. New adventures always await
8. Be Happy- Every New years, I always say that one of my resolutions is to get happier. I want to smile more, and laugh more, and make more cheeky little comments. I love to make other people happy, and I think the best way to do that is to be happy yourself. I have to learn to relax, smile, and have a good time. Life has so much to offer, so we should be happy for what we have as often as we can, and, like my mom says, "Nobody likes to be grumpy, so they may as well be happy. Life is good. Don't sweat the little stuff. Don't worry, be happy!"
So, there are my eight New years resolutions. I hope I fufill some of them. I am really looking forward to this year and the wild ride ahead of me. I wish you all the best for 2013. Let's make it our best year yet!
I've gotten some wonderful presents this year. My mom got me a George Foreman Grill. It's a mini grill that you can use inside to cook things like hamburgers. I used one in Cook Training for an independent cooking project and it worked really well. I'm excited to use it again and get some more practise. I have to start thinking of how I'm going to do things when I move out and practise things like cooking. Its great I have tools that can help me do that.
It's a little hard for me to go Christmas shopping in the winter, because my wheelchair doesn't work so well in the snow. Sometimes I get a little frustrated that I can't just go out and buy presents for my familylike everybody else can. Lately I've been making my Christmas presents which is always fun. This year I wrote a story about my family. I wrote about each member and what they mean to me. I bound it together with string so it looked like a book. My family does so much for me so it was nice for me to tell them just how much I love them.
Anyway, a new year has begun! It's 2013 already! Wow! Time sure flies by. 2012 was a fantastic year for me. I've done lots of cool things like participating in the Rick Hansen Relay. I'm very lucky. It seems like every year, there is always another adventure in store for me. This year will be very exciting. I turn eighteen in a couple of days, graduate from high school in June, and begin a whole new chapter will start in my life. I'm very nervous, but very excited for the unknown. I'm still planning to take an extra year of school to plan for the future. That makes me feel a bit better.There are a lot of exciting things that lie just around the corner. I'm excited to begin my new adventures. Today, I'm going to write down eight New years resolutions for 2013. I know I did this last year, but I think it's good to keep looking back and reflecting on the past year and how I've grown, and think about what ways I would like to grow in the next year. So, here are eight of my New years resolutions that will help me get further and further to my destination.
1. Independence- I think this year, a big focus will be on learning to do more things independently, and to get ready for my future. I feel like I've made some good strides recently with doing Work Experience with school and going down town by myself in the summer. I think this year, I'm going to take some more big steps. I am going to start an independent cooking project in Cook Training this semester at school where I will make some meals by myself to see what kind of things I'll be able to cook. I love to cook and sometimes I feel like I'm almost at the point where I would be able to make certain things without sanyones supervision. These independent studies will be big learning curves for me . I will get to see what things will be easy for me to make, and what things I'll need special tools for. It will be a fun experiment. Another big thing that my occupational therapist is talking to me about is spending a night in a apartment that accessible, by myself. This is huge! It's awesome. I'll get to figure out exactly what I will need assistance with and what I can do by myself. I won't have anyone helping me. I'll get to figure out everything on my own. It'll be an eye opener I think, but I'm excited to try it out. I'm getting there. Slowly but surely, I'm getting there,
2. School- I am still really interested in going to either University of Victoria or University of Calgary. I love Victoria. It's beautiful there and there's no snow, so it will be easier for me to wheel around, but I have family in Calgary and it would be nice to be close to them. I have some decisions to make, but in the mean time, I talked to one of my teachers at school and she told me what courses I needed to get into both U of Vic and U of C. Some of those courses aren't offered at my school, so I will have to take them by correspondence, through the Internet. I think it will feel different than doing a course in a classroom, but I'm excited to try it ou. I'm doing courses that I really enjoy, which is nice. I look forward to starting them. I'm getting closer and closer to my university goal, and that feels great!
3. Helping others- I have always been one for helping others. Throughout my life, people have given me a lot. Sometimes I feel guilty when I think about how much I receive, and how much I need to give back. I want to do something big for someone one day, but everyone's has to start somewhere, and it's always good to start small and get bigger and bigger. I feel like I have been given the chance to help people when I worked at the Valley Echo. Writing my diverseability column and knowing that I helped them get their story out there feels really good. I love being able to help the kids at the little school I work at now. Myself, along with the people in my Community Living Group are talking about a grant that teens can apply for to help out their community. I'm thinking of using applying for money to organize an event in which I would speak about Diverseability Awarness. It's just an idea. We just talked about it today. If we do go through with it, I will let everyone in Invermere know. Anyway I can help anybody I think is great, and I'm willing to do anything asked of me to get involved.
4. Skiing- Yeah! The Special O Ski season starts soon. I am excited. I think this year will be a great ski year for me. I want to keep working on skiing with two outriders, using both hands. I think it would be awesome if I got to ski independently one day. Our Special O Ski Program gets bigger and bigger every year, witch is wonderful! More and more people are getting to feel the freedom of sit skiing. Also, in Fernie, Grace's sit ski program will be starting up. I'm really proud of her and excited that all her hard worked payed off. Grace invited me to come to Fernie to be with her on the opening day with her. I'm excited for that as well. It's going to be an awesome winter. I'm getting ready to get out there and shread that powder hard!
5. Rowing- I told you about my new sport that I started this summer, rowing. I really enjoyed it and am eager to try it again this summer. It's a very relaxing sports, and I learned a lot. It's a little confusing, so I might have to re learn a few things. ha ha. My mom thinks if I keep at it, I could go to the Paralympics and compete. I don't know about that, but I'll keep trying. You have keep trying things if you want a good outcome. You never know what might be in store.
6. Writing- This year has also been a big writing year for me, with writing in my blog, and working for the paper, and being in a writing class. I think, whatever career I choose to do after university, writing will always be a part of my life. I'm always going to have to keep practising. My writing class and my work at the paper have helped me become a stronger writer. Another big thing that helps is reading. I've heard if you're a good reader, it will help you become a good writer, so I really need to work on reading more as well. Writing is very important to me. I found my voice through writing. I can get my opinions out easier. I definitely want to keep writing. I love doing it, and hope to continue the hobby for years to come.
7. Try new things- Something else that I always up for is trying new things.. I love to challenge myself to do things that I never thought I could do. It gets even better when I do things in front of people that don't think I can do them. Then I can be like "Ha ha. Suckers." I enjoy showing people what I'm made of. I've tried lots of things in my life, but I need to try a lot more. The next few years ahead will present a lot of barriers and new things to try. I never stop learning. New adventures always await
8. Be Happy- Every New years, I always say that one of my resolutions is to get happier. I want to smile more, and laugh more, and make more cheeky little comments. I love to make other people happy, and I think the best way to do that is to be happy yourself. I have to learn to relax, smile, and have a good time. Life has so much to offer, so we should be happy for what we have as often as we can, and, like my mom says, "Nobody likes to be grumpy, so they may as well be happy. Life is good. Don't sweat the little stuff. Don't worry, be happy!"
So, there are my eight New years resolutions. I hope I fufill some of them. I am really looking forward to this year and the wild ride ahead of me. I wish you all the best for 2013. Let's make it our best year yet!
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