Driver's Education Course Completion

I have finally finished my driver's Ed! WoooHoo! No more dilly dallying for this girl! I'm going to do some practicing with mom them I am going to go take the driving test and do my best!

New Year, New Start.

With a new year comes a new start a chance to make things right, a chance to get healthy, and be more thankful. My mom and I have started juicing again so maybe we can get our health back under control I'm just so tired of being unhealthy! I've decided to use up all my old makeup before I buy more! Spending money on things that I really don't need is pointless! I choose to be less angry and spiteful for this coming year! I will no longer be walked on and taken advantage of! I will finish my Driver's Ed and take the test in January because I am tired of doing reckless things! Lastly I plan to move out sometime in the coming months. These are not resolutions, hopes, or dreams. These are plans. I have started to put myself out in the world a bit more and I promise it will pay off!:)

"An Unlikely Story of Challenge and Triumph Over Cerebral Palsy:Someone Like Me" Written by John W. Quinn

So first off Merry Christmas to Everyone i hope your day with family and friends was great!!

Now, on to what this post is about:

Photo of John W. Quinn

  People that know me also know that I have a condition known as Cerebral Palsy a birth defect that usually occurs sometime during pregnancy, at birth or a short time afterwards.  Cerebral Palsy effects the Cerebrum of the brain, it also has different degrees of effect on the musculature of the body. this sometimes invoves involuntary movements or in my case spasms of the mucles.  My reaction times in situations like driving are a bit slower than your average person.  The CP also effects my vision somewhat so I wear glasses, my depth preception is pretty bad so I have difficulty judging distances, and one other reason I wear glasses is because the muscles around my eyes which are meant to help me look in different directions are tighter one one side than the other so my eyes kind of wander a little.  The issue with my eyes is only noticable when I don't have my glasses on.  Other than that my eyes are a beautiful  BLUE I am complimented about them all the time!  My body is mainly bottom right side effected.  My right foot is turned in causing me to walk with a limp which is why I grew up wearing braces the majority of the time.  The braces are quite akward looking so I stopped wearing them in the beginning of middle school.  But, now I'm 18 and I've been told that I need to wear them constantly, but I really don't and that one is all on me so you know.  I have always been told that I could do anything that I set my mine to thanks to the friends and family I have in my life.  I've travelled across the country by AmTrak which I did at the age of 15, I'm pretty proud of that.  I've been to Africa, and I plan to do much more travelling in the future.  I've learned my many strengths and my weaknesses too.  Yes, I've fallen many times in my life but I've always just gotten up and dusted myself off, and yes people stare and sometimes I still have to work on not paying any mind to that.  Sometimes people are going to be rude and mean, but many people are undeducated when it comes to my condition.  It is great to look and and  ASK QUESTIONS that is much better than just guawking at me.  I'm becoming a teacher so that I can show children from a young age that it is  GREAT to be DIFFERENT!! I am POSITIVE  for the most part about my condition, but I am HUMAN so I do get down on myself and wonder why I bear this burden/GIFT then, I remember that I was born to be just the WAY I AM!  I've done some looking, trying to find different books written by people with CP.  Of course there is "My Left Foot", Written by the AMAZING Christy Brown.  Christy Brown's story is great but I was really trying to find a book written by a person who has CP that is more like my  own which is really mild considering the many different severites that this condition has.  Tonight I found this book witten by John W. Quinn who was born with CP and also had a longtime childhood dream of joining the Navy (just so you know the military in any branch will not allow a person with a physical disabilty in this case CP join).  With CP comes many issues of balance and in the first chapter of the book Quinn talks about how there was a certian manuever they had to preform before induction with their physical called the "Duck Walk" he couldn't do this properly because of his balance.  It is needless to say that he didn't get in the first time.  He was determined so he went back and kept his CP secret and served in the NAVY for 20 years!! I think it is an amazing story of perseverance, and I am only in the second chapter!  Go read it for a better prespective on people with disabilities. We can and will overcome all barriers one way or another!! Now, I am not really a fan of Fox News but above is a video interview done with John W. Quinn.  I feel that I can truly relate to his story!  I was always taught to get back up and move on...:) I hope you enjoy this!! I found the book in iBooks for 9.99.

Happy Early Birthday Mom and Grandma Juanita!

I know this beatiful courageous, wonderful, terrific, amazing woman her name is Rosa Joyce Pierce Roberts but I have the privilege to call her MOM! She is turning 46 tomorrow and I am so SUPER proud of the woman she has become today you deserve a huge round of applause Mommy I love YOU!

Grandma you are gone from this earth but you are never forgotten, your spirit still surrounds our family. It is the the unconditional love that you had shown to all your children and your fellow man that my own mother has inherited, I thank you for that! And WE ALL LOVE YOU

For the Families in Conn. (a prayer to St. Jude the Patron Saint ofLost Causes)

O most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus -- People honor and invoke you universally, as the patron of hopeless cases, of things almost despaired of. Pray for them, for They are so helpless and alone. Please help to bring the families visible and speedy assistance. Come to their assistance in this great need that they may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all their necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly the shooting in Connecticut and that I may praise God with you always. I promise, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you by publishing this request. Amen.

¡Música de mi Vida Bonita!

It's funny but every time I've got a ton of stuff on my mind I tend to listen to a lot of Spanish music on Pandora Radio. Oh you know the usual Enrique, Pitbull, Aventura, Selena, Chino y Nacho, Daddy Yankee, I've really got an interest in The Kumbia Kings now too:).some of my family can probably understand where this post could really go. I just really want to say that I regret none of the choices I've made in my life good or bad. Yes, I have had a few instances when the choices I've made haven't really been great, actually they could've been awful without the guidance of the loving people in my life. With that said again I stress the fact the I regret none of it. With every mistake there can come a lesson learned and memories made. Luckily I've had the chance to learn from the mistakes of others and just soak in their experiences. I am NOT perfect and I've still got the majority of my own mistakes to make. We are all just beautiful works in progress. My life is just that MINE! Wow it's crazy but I think I have really come to a moment of clarity! I've just been so busy with school and work and just life in general! I now know that I am who I am people can think what they are going to think about me, all I can work on is myself. If you want to be involved JOIN ME! If you don't then I say it is your loss:)

Last Day of My First Semester as a College Student

Wow I can't believe how fast this day has come! I've learned many things about myself including:
1. I Procrastinate (I should really work on that!)
2. I like college so much better than high school.
3. I LOVE History.
4. I like not having to wake up quite so early.
Over all college so far has been a pretty good experience for me.  I've only got one more test this morning then, I'm DONE!

The Theory Behind the Giraffe

I am nuts about Giraffes!! We all know about the CrAzY cat lady. Well, there is something new the NuTtY Giraffe lady well that's me!! It all started when I was very young, I was teased a lot in elementary school because of my CP. Kids will be kids they really didn't know any different. I used to let all the negative stuff really get me down. One day my Auntie sent me this purple/reddish leather purse with giraffes all over it. A big thing she always taught me was to in her words "Hold your head up high like a giraffe." You know as life goes on and things get hectic those kinds of small things get pushed into the back of your mind. I went to Africa two summers ago, wow I can't believe it's already been that long! We went on a safari while we were there and we saw a few GIRAFFES! I was amazed at how beautiful, graceful, and gentle they looked and oh so TALL!! Of course we have one in the city zoo or they used to I'm not sure if they still do?? Nothing really compares to seeing them in their natural habitat. That trip has kind of helped to rekindle the love I have for the Giraffe. They just possess this amazing grace, strength, and peculiar beauty about them. Whenever I get to feeling a bit down I just picture one and it just brightens my day!!

The True Reason for the Season...

When you go about planning your family holiday keep in mind what is really most important this season.  Holidays aren't about the gifts, decorations, or anything that is really of this world.  It is about FAMILY because that is what is most important.   For some people it represents the day that Christ was born.  I'm not super religious your relationship with a power greater than yourself is your business.  I ask that you take a step back and really see what the holidays have really turned into.  Why don't we take the holidays back to the basics, their true meaning and purpose.  Holidays are a time for love, happiness and bringing people and families together.  They aren't about material things.  Remember we come into this world with nothing and we will leave this world with nothing.  All that we leave behind is a legacy.  What will yours be?  

Roberts Thanksgiving 2012

My family and I just recently had one of the BEST Thanksgivings EVER! The only thing that would've made it any better is if my mom could've made it!!  I made a pretty awesome Coconut Cream Poke Cake if I do say so myself! My nephews Jordan and Adrian got down on most of that! Here are some pictures!

"Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree"

We haven't had a real Christmas tree in years! I was really starting to miss the Christmas tree smell that used to fill our house! So, I talked and talked about it for weeks! We all finally decided to get one this year! The next question was where would we get one? We called around to a few places with no such luck! We found out that Allsups sold them so we were going to go pick one up then, we got to thinking how long had those Christmas trees really been sitting there??? So we went to Walmart and yes they sell them, but "how long had those been sitting there?" We actually go to church with a family that owns a Christmas tree farm right outside of town. The price is 34$ for a tree no matter the size! Get a tree as big as you want! We thought it was great! You know just how fresh they are because you cut them down yourself on site! They are just as natural as can be! It really is an awesome place! They have Christmas cookies, tree ornaments, candy canes, and warm cider ready for you (the kids really loved that)! So, here's to our real Christmas tree!!