The Saga of Mr. Mistoffelees Look-alike

This little fellow will be joining my family as of the 31st of this month.
He currently resides in Brooklyn New York,
which is a 5 or 6 hour drive from my house.
Why are we adopting a kitten from so far away?
Answer: because either of fate or coincidence.
A telephone conversation with my uncle
about adopting cats.
During the telephone conversation,
my uncle gets an email
from his co-worker,
which explains that this kitten
was found outside his co-worker's apartment
and has lived in the apartment for two weeks.
He is very sweet and adorable, but
they can't keep him because they already have
three cats.

Possible names for him:
Eliot Brooklyn
Tucker (Tux) Eliot
Tux for short because he is a tuxedo cat.
I'm so excited and name suggestions would be much appreciated!

Another Sweet Story

I just read this story in the Washington Post and in someways it reminds me of this book (cute, touching, and they are both about a delicious red strawberry).

Do you have any touching family stories that have been passed down through the generations?

Awesome Blogs

The sidebar on the right has a list of awesome blogs with writings on everything from Cerebral Palsy to recipes from my favorite vacation spot: Ocracoke Island in North Carolina. I suggest you check them out if you want some great reads and inspiration (Just remember to click on the bold title, not the smaller post title because if you don't do that you won't be able to view the entire blog).
Enjoy! ------------>
(The arrow is to remind you that the blog list is on the right, or maybe it is just fun to make arrows on the keyboard)!

Passports and Postage Stamps

I haven't written on this blog for almost a month and that makes me sad. Hopefully, with summer coming, I will be able to write posts more frequently! My mind is filled with thoughts of summer vacation, so the next couple of post may be less related or not at all related to Cerebral Palsy. Anyways, about summer, I am preparing for a trip to the Dominican Republic this summer....














so I recently had to renew my passport. Oh, how I love the bureaucracy! Waiting in a line, feeling like my feet are about to fall off, with not a chair in sight, on a perfectly beautiful Friday afternoon was less than ideal.
Posted on the wall was an article stating "This Post Office Rated Best in County." Oh, the irony! The "clerk," affectionately called the passport making lady said she closed at 4 PM and it was quarter of 4, with six people in front of me (and my family). As I was standing there I thought, "Hey, let's go look at some cool stamps!" Sadly the cool stamps were behind the tall counter and are impossible to see for someone that's both vertically and visually challenged. So, I resulted to looking at the "uber cool" flag and liberty bell stamps.
As you can believe this wasn't that exciting because I can go home, open a drawer, and look at all the liberty and flag stamps that I want. Sigh, if only the machine had had these beautiful stamps. Finally, we (my family and I) were called up to the "clerk's" "desk" (i.e. card table), my picture had to be retaken because the background was too dark, and my picture looks like I'm a deranged clown.

Share your thoughts!

What are your summer plans?
Do you know of any great camps for kids with special needs?
Have you been to the Dominican Republic?
What's your best/worst experience with the bureaucracy?

Advantages to CP

In my opinion, having Cerebral Palsy has many advantages. Here are some advantages that I have or will experience(d):

1. I can get paid for participating in medical studies.
2. Even though I don't, I have permission to use the elevator at school.
3. I am the only one in my graduating class with Cerebral Palsy.
4. I can get one of those blue parking passes.
5. I am not old, but I have already had Botox.
6. I have an excuse to take Pilates Classes.
7. Some of the most influential people in my life have to do with my Cerebral Palsy (my therapist, my Pilates teacher, and my adapted P.E. teacher).
8. When I write poetry, I automatically have something to write about.
9. Playing the cello is not only fun, it's also theraputic!
10. I understand all the jokes made by Josh Blue.

I want to know...

Do you have a list of ten great things about having Cerebral Palsy?

Many Thanks

Many thanks to Angela and Sandy for their willingness to be guest contributers! I found Angela's personal description of being a "Hollander" very touching and Sandy's post that connected having Cerebral Palsy to the recent election extremely thought provoking.

If anyone would like to follow in their footsteps and become a guest contributer please feel free to email me at comptonann@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!

An Interesting Perspective

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Random Was Its Name-O

Yup, that's exactly what this post is: random! Though I think random is the most entertaining!

Well, today I had to turn in an English essay ("writing assignment") that metaphorically compared myself to something. At first I chose chicken pox, but then i thought ewww and changed to something a lot sweeter the glorious Golden Retriever. I wanted to somehow include something about having Cerebral Palsy so here is how I did it:

"My seemingly biggest physical weakness has surprisingly come as my biggest physical strength. See, as a young pup I developed a limp that kept me from such activities as rough housing around with a ball at the dog park. This limitation that at first brought much sadness has in fact blossomed into much joy. This is because my owner signed me up as a service dog. I really appreciate the opportunity to participate in this experience because of my ability to be empathetic towards both humans and other dogs. I now care for humans at places that are as dear to me as my favorite fire hydrant.
At my first favorite place, where humans look worn and aged, I clutch the newspapers of the residents in my jaws and bring them to their bedsides, in return for a pat on the head and a chuckle. When I visit the place where humans are attached to lots of tubes and machines, I curl up next to them and quietly listen to their problems. They, of course, pretend I am listening because all they know is that I am a dog, but what they do not know is that I listen and sympathize with everything they’re saying."

In other news, topics, things...

Later this week I am planning to write a bio for this blog, but I think I'll start by given my 25 things list via Facebook


Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and Something New

1. Something Borrowed: Some books and clothes!

2. Something Blue: My straight leg, skinny Lucky Brand Jeans (They were on sale!=D)

3. Something New: The new plate rack that I bought on Etsty to hold random junk! Yay! I love it!

Now I'm done with the theme, so it's time to write about stuff about myself that is sadly without a real theme!=)......

4. I was supposed to be a Valentine's Day baby.

5. Feta cheese and collard greens are delicious.

6. I don't trust people easily.

7. This year I'm trying to be more optimistic.

8. Even though I'm very liberal, I think abortion is wrong.

9. Someday I would love to be fluent in Spanish.

10. I think a life filled with friends and happiness is much more important than success, or did I just described the definition of success?

11. I would love to go to an all girl's college. Don't ask me why....I don't even know!

12. I've known most of my friends for years and i love them all!

13. My religion is very important to me, but I won't try to force my beliefs on other people.

14. I'm afraid of the dark and crazy serial killers.

15.I'm a romantic who hopes she doesn't grow up to be a crazy cat lady because that would suck!

16. I think hippies are the coolest people ever!

17. I'm terribly afraid of snakes and the dark!

18. I could have gotten my permit in May and I still haven't.

19. I would consider myself a writer, but i have no idea how to use a comma even if my life depended on it.

20. I think Jackie Du Pre is the most inspirational person ever!

21. I think all Fanny Packs should be burned!

22. I would love a red kitchen aide mixer or a waffle maker (homemade paninis yummy!)...at age 16...ahahaha

23. I would love to have a temporary Henna tattoo on my hand.

24. I laugh at almost anything and love when I get deliriously happy!

25. I have very expensive tastes!