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?....
Saturday, January 26, 2013
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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