Christmas, 2016

This year for Christmas I didn't really want anything but when my family went to Nanna and Papa's house l was surprised that I got some gifts. The present l opened on Christmas Eve is a virtual reality goggles. My dad of course had to try it before I did and that annoyed me; I swear my dad sometimes acts like a kid! When he finally put it on my head, it was pretty cool! In fact, I watched a video through it, my right arm sort of flinched a little bit. However, when I took it off l felt kind of dizzy. The next day I woke up about nine o'clock and then we all devoured my Papa's gourmet breakfast pancakes, eggs, and bacon. After everybody was done eating, Caleryn and I started unwrapping the rest of the presents. The first present l opened was close but my dad kept on saying that l wouldn't be disappointed. The next present was a thousand piece puzzle of the world and all of the different country flags. Later on, mom, Nanna and I started to put it together. The thing that was hard about it is the box didn't come with a bigger image of the puzzle. All we got done during the time I was there is just the boarder. Aunt Carol gave both Caleryn and me twenty dollars. The funny thing is that Caleryn kept on stealing my money and would put it in her purse! Sometimes she can be a little thief. My best gift l got was a surface with an tobii eyegazing device. The cool thing about having a surface now is that l can play the rest of our clan members: Skorch, Captain SOB, Snottrod and Beverly so that we can have clan wars more often rather than once a week. Another thing is that I could start blogging on it too but my dad hasn't set that up yet. I haven't tried the eyegazing part yet but of course my dad has though. This whole Christmas has been great. I didn't get a lot of presents but there were more expensive gifts though. 

Donating my stuff

Last Monday night there was an event in our church, where my confirmation class and another class had to donate some of our clothes, jackets, games, accessories that we don't use anymore to a foster home for abused foster kids (teens). My mom cleaned out my closet and gathered a whole trash bag of my old clothes. My dad went through my video games and we filled a whole box of all my old games, playstation 3 and other gaming stuff. When my dad and I got there, he thought he had to carry both the box and the trash bag but he attached it to my chair so that I could carry it in. When we got in there, both classes started separating all the clothes into piles of boys and girls. I couldn't really separate clothes so I wrote a note of encouragement to one of the teens to send with the donations. Some of the teens in my class and Mike (one of the teacher's) said it was really cool that I donated the playstation and all the games. They thought it was very generous, which made me feel good. All and all after I donated, I felt really blessed how much I have and that I could do a little to help someone else who is having a hard time.

The Metal and Muscle Tournament 2016

This year another team called Arizona came to play against the Fireballs, Infernos and the San Antonio Straps. Arizona was awesome! They even beat San Antonio with ease. Which was the first game in the tournament. The next game was the Fireballs verses the Infernos. My team (the Infernos) beat the Fireballs but I didn't score a goal. Then my team played against Arizona Heat Elite and they destroyed us! We didn't get a single goal! The coach of their team said that the reason they got so good is because they played harder teams than they were. Which it totally made sense to me. After that we had a good two hour break until the next game. My dad gave me a beef jerky to hold me over till dinner time. The next game l played was San Antonio. My team lost but I was the only Houston player to score on San Antonio! Which is pretty cool! We lost because we were tired of playing. The next day the San Antonio team forfeited because one of their registered team members couldn't play and they had to use a sub (which was registered). My team played against Arizona again to see which team would be the champion. But like the first time, my team got dominated! I was still happy we at least scored one goal. It was like David vs. Goliah!

Here is a message from our team Manager...Diane Murrell

I am so impressed with our two teams, you fought long and hard and well against tremendous odds on both Saturday and Sunday. I saw growth in each person's character, your attitude, your persistence and your refusal to give in - such mental toughness. I saw growth in your team work and love how you stuck together both on and off the court. I see a strong sense of unity in two solid teams. You fought some USPSA giants in this tournament Arizona Heat Elite and you made every coach and parent proud to say we belong to the Fireballs and the Inferno. The score was lower than this time last year against STRAPs, you scored a goal against Arizona, (who I think were second in one fo the biggest conference cups). You played without a key player (Allie you were missed), you played despite the distraction of always needing to charge your chair. You got up early, you got yourselves here in the rain on time, and you showed up on court and learned what a conference team looks like by playing against one of the very best in the US. And that's our goal to become a conference team. Let's look forward to the new year, we have learned so much this weekend and are excited to roll out new ideas to help us all move forward and be a better me, a better you and a better us, 2017. Congratulations on a well fought weekend.  See y'all at the Christmas party next week and our time to celebrate Coach Lauren and Jonathan.

I'm swimming without floaties

Just recently l started swimming with my physical therapist Alan, to practice walking in the water with flat feet (without hopping) and to work on my swimming. A little while after practicing different therapy ideas, Alan bought a mask for me to try out and it was awesome. It is kinda like a snorkel but its just one piece that goes around the whole head! I can easily breathe under the surface of the water without worrying about swallowing water! But, I still have to hold my breath and work on my breathing when I go under. I eventually got so used to it that Alan was convinced l could swim without the floaty that goes around my back, which l was okay with swimming without because I think that floaty really made me a little too buoyant. Now don't worry l still wore both of my arm floaties. Later on l was confident that I could swim with no floaties at all and still be buoyant enough to stay afloat, which l was! And even if I would've sank, which I usually do, I would be okay because I was wearing the mask and Alan was right next to me. I was a little scared when I attempted it but now I think that I was pretty safe all along. I've gotten so much better calming my breathing down and now I can swim without all the floaties too. I have a video on the blog you'll have to watch as well.

Power Soccer Tournament

We are having our annual power soccer tournament at Metal and Muscle this weekend at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. This year is going to be really cool because we will be playing a new team from Arizona along with the San Antonio Straps team. It will be fun to be able to play a new team, although we've heard they are really good! Also, this will be the first time that my dad will be coaching this event along with Coach Lauren and Coach Gabriel. It's going to be a really long weekend!

Cameron Blake, Herman the Cripple, Broyles - (my new confirmation name)

Herman the Cripple is the saint that I chose for confirmation. The reason I picked him is that he was born with cerebral palsy, cleft palate and spina bifida. He also couldn't walk or talk very well. But Herman was very intelligent. He knew Arabic, Latin, and Greek but nobody could understand him because of his trouble speaking. I connected to Saint Herman because I also have cerebral palsy and spina bifida. He had to deal with his struggles and he stayed faithful with God. Sometimes it is hard for me to not doubt myself and to stay faithful and to live through certain things. And I think that many other people in the world struggle with that nowadays too. 

Herman was born in 1013 in Altshausen, Germany to a farm family. His parents cared for him until he grew to the age of seven. But, back then if you were disabled, the parents didn't really know how to take care of them and it was a daily challenge. I think that I am pretty blessed to live in this time period to have the parents and blessings that I do have. His parents placed him in an abbey in Reichenau, Germany to be cared for by the Benedictine monks. This is where he eventually became a benedictine monk himself at the age of twenty. Although he was bedridden and had a speech impediment that made him nearly impossible to understand, he had enormous intellect. He was a scholar, mathmatician, astronomer, composer, writer and a historian. He built astronomy equipment, and musical instruments, most likely the same way my dad builds things for me so I can use them in a different way. Saint Herman was the most famous religious poet in his day within the Catholic Church. He is the author of "Salve Regina" (which is the Hail, Holy Queen and recited at the end of the rosary) and "Alma Redemptoris Meter". I think these were the most important reasons why he was canonized a saint. But, later in his life he became blind and had to give up his writing. I'm sure this was very difficult for him since writing was his only way of communicating. This would most likely be a struggle for me as well since I have a blog to help convey what's going on in my head.

After reading about Herman the Cripple, I felt very connected to him because he was able to do so much in his short disabled life that it seems overwhelming to me and gives me hope. He did not limit himself due to his cripple body. Maybe I can find something in my own life in a meaningful way to give back. Right now I still struggle to think about what I could do to help others. I'm hoping God will speak to me and guide me in the right direction.

Although Herman's body was a wreck, his spirit was full of Love for God. Sometimes, the more challenges God gives us, the closer it brings us to Him. I'm very lucky in that way. My parents always say, I will go straight to heaven because I'm so close to Him... not so much for my little sister. Blessed Herman was called a "wonder of his age". He died at the age of 41 in the Reichenau, Germany abbey. He was known as a "Saint for the Unborn Child" and "Saint for the Disabled". He was beatified in 1863 and feast day is on September 25th.

In closing, I came across this poem that someone wrote about him that kinda spoke to me as well...

I am least among the low, I am weak and I am slow; I can neither walk nor stand, Nor hold a spoon in my own hand.

Like a body bound in chain, I am on a rack of pain; But He is God that made me so, that his mercy I should show.

Brothers do not weep for me! Christ, the Lord, has set me free. All my sorrows he will bless; Pain is not unhappiness. 

From my window I look down, To the streets of yonder town. Where the people come and go, Reap the harvest that they sow.

Like a field of wheat and tares, some are lost in worldly cares; There are hearts as black as coal, There are cripples of the soul. 

Brothers do not weep for me! In his mercy, I am free. I can neither sow nor spin, Yet, i am fed and clothed in him.

I have been the donkeys tail, Slower than a slug or snail; You my brothers have been kind, Never let me lag behind.

I have been most rich in friends, You have been my feet and hands; All the good that I can do, I have done because of you.

Oh my brothers, can't you see? You have been as Christ for me. And in my need, I know too, Have become a Christ for you!

I have lived for forty one years, In this wilderness of tears; But these trials can't compare, with the glory we will share.

I have had a voice to sing, To rejoice in everything; Now loves sweet eternal song, Breaks the darkness with the dawn.

Brothers do not weep for me! Christ, the Lord, has set me free. Oh my friends, remember this; Pain is not unhappiness.

Halloween 2016

This year for Halloween l was Charles Xavier from X-Men. I think that it was a perfect costume for me and  amazingly, some of the people who were giving out candy realized who I was. Now for Caleryn, she was a princess kitty cat. We saw Snow White passing out apples so Caleryn had to have one. I had to carry her in my chair for a little bit because she got tired of walking house to house. We started heading back home before she blew up. Once we got home, we spread out all of our candy and what does she want to eat the most...the apple!! Anyway we got lots of candy this year and I think that I was definitely goofy looking in my costume.