Yesterday was the 19th...you know what that means! :)

It's Wednesday, January 20th, which only means one thing: yesterday was the 19th! Yes, my one year and 10 month Aspieversary! Two months and it will be TWO YEARS since my diagnosis. Boy, does time fly!

What have I been doing in the autism community lately? I've submitted a story to NAMI and answered a few questions for NPR. A few months ago, I did an interview via Skype, telling a little bit about my experiences. I still continue to be active in my Facebook groups and My Autism Team. It's so regarding to connect to other autistics and parents alike.

What do I hope to achieve this year? I'd like to maybe do some more videos and submit more pieces of writing to The Mighty. I'd like to take things a step up and be a more active advocate. I want this to be a meaningful year.

As I think about all I've learned about myself and autism itself in the past almost two years, I reflect with a sense of enrichment. I've come a long way. I've met many, many wonderful people in the autism community. I hope this year brings many good things to come! :)

Once again, it's Christmas Eve Eve! :)

One year after posting a blog about it being Christmas Eve Eve, it has returned once again! Boy does times fly....this time I'd like to talk about my family's holiday traditions. Christmas time is always an exciting one!

First of all, on Christmas Eve, we go to mass: my parents, grandma, brother and myself. Then we have dinner at my house. My mom cooks a mean roast, with plenty of yummy sides. After that, we have dessert, and then talk and watch Christmas movies.

On Christmas morning, we open presents and then eat a good breakfast. My grandma makes us a coffee cake every year which is always an integral part of breakfast. Then we relax and watch movies until it's time to go to my grandma's house. We feast in a turkey dinner, and then it's round two of presents. We enjoy my grandma's cookies and share memories and stories. Typically, I stay at my grandma's house for the night, however it looks like I'm going to have to work my usual overnight this year.

Well, that's our Christmas in a nutshell! What are some of your traditions?

Christmas time is here!

Well, here we are, only 4 days away from Christmas! I can't wait. I've seen a lot of articles and stories about how to prepare for the holidays with autism. While they are all very insightful and informative, I'd like to talk about how things are from one autistic's point of view.

Even though I'm an Aspie, and we are stereotypically known to be "rigid" and not to like surprises, I'm the total opposite. I LOVE them! The break from routine. The time to relax and spend with family. The anticipation for Christmas morning. These are things I live for!

Many sources will tell you to try to keep things within routine and not to drift too far from the norm, so as to prevent stress and/or meltdowns. Not for me. I'm a very spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment kind of person. While I do like to stick to routines in SOME aspects, such as ordering the same foods at certain restaurants, and doing things the same way each time, if I were to have to do the same thing EVERY DAY, that would bore me! Part of the reason I look forward to the holidays is the break from all the monotony.

Another aspect of the holidays that many autistics will tell you that can be overwhelming is gathering with the family. Now, perhaps I've never experienced this because I come from a rather small family, and am not surrounded by hordes of people on Christmas Day, however I look forward to spending time with them. It's usually just my parents, my aunt and uncle, my cousin who lives in the area, my brother, and myself at my grandma's house. We all fit at the dining room table, and enjoy talking and sharing funny stories. I don't personally see anything overwhelming about that.

Now's the time for a disclaimer: my purpose for writing this was not at all to minimize anyone's experiences who do have a rough time with the holidays, but rather to show the point of view of just one autistic person out of many. It is possible to not have some of the stereotypical difficulties, yet still be autistic! It just goes to show you, that when you've met one autistic person, you've indeed met ONE autistic person! I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)

Happy December....or spring?

Today is December 1st. It's a balmy 45 degrees in Buffalo, NY, and is going to be in the 50s by the afternoon! I'm thankful for this alone :)

My cousin, her husband, and my newest baby cousin are in town from Florida! I finally got to meet the baby on Sunday. She's one of the happiest babies I've ever seen! It's nice to have them here during the holiday season.

In other news, my new LG G Watch came in from eBay. I just set it up, and I'm loving the different watchfaces. I like that it has a color screen, and that it syncs with the apps on my phone. I also installed a new ROM on my phone today, which is running very smoothly!

I'm getting into the Christmas spirit, and still in spring mode at the same time. This weather can keep it up! :)

What I've been up to...and a new phone

Well, I know it's been a while, so time for an update! Let's see...work has been going well for both jobs (and I'm off this week!), and life in general is same old same old. Except for one thing...my beloved, electronic baby has passed on and gone to a better place :'-(

As you probably know, this baby I'm talking about is my LG G4. It was perfectly fine, until on Friday, when I pulled it out of my pocket, and discovered it stuck on the splash screen. I tried booting into recovery (TWRP) to wipe and flash a newly downloaded ROM, however it froze. I kept trying to restart it. Each time, it froze earlier in the process, until it got to the point where it wouldn't boot anymore.

After a trip to T-Mobile, where the rep deemed that the phone was, in fact, toast, I was set up for a replacement. Thank goodness for phone insurance!!! :D I'm now sitting here waiting for my new baby to arrive, as the mail should be coming within the hour!

Anything else that's new...yesterday was Autistics Speaking Day, so that's kind of exciting. It's awesome to know that there is a day dedicated for my fellow spectrumites and myself to represent and speak our minds! That's all I cab think of at this point. Stay tuned for more updates!

Just thinking...

I've been noticing in some of my autism groups on Facebook, specifically the ones for parents of autistic children, that a lot of parents have been posting pics of their kids saying how proud they are of how far they've come. That gets me thinking, what can I do to "come a long way" myself?

Let's take a recap of the things I HAVE accomplished over the years:

- I graduated high school. That wasn't such a daunting task for me. Sure, I had some subjects that were more challenging than others, but with hard work and dedication, it went pretty smoothly.

- I got my permit at 17 and my license at 18, and passed both my written and road tests the first time. I wasn't in a hurry to drive at first, but with some encouragement from my parents, I did it!

- I got my first job at 17. It was at McDonald's, and I worked there for 4 years. I've been working ever since, being in human services from 2004-present. I've gotten to know lots of amazing people and know I'm making a difference!

- I graduated with my Bachelor's in Social Work at 23. The path to get her there wasn't a straight, direct one, but rather I had to take a detour. I had thought I wanted to be a biology teacher, but after three years, realized it was not my niche. I also struggled with my OCD a lot during my first couple years of college. I changed my major, and it was like night and day! My OCD also calmed down some toward my last couple years.

- I then got my first full-time job in my field, specifically in mental health, a month after graduating. I also held my relief position at that time, and at the same time picked up a relief position at a THIRD agency. I was a busy bee!

- I need to remind myself that I accomplished all this BEFORE ever having been diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, anxiety or Asperger's. I had all of these things going on all my life, and while I suspected the first three were there, I didn't learn about autism until years after I graduated. I need to give myself credit for getting as far as I did without having found answers until after the fact.

Now....the question is...what can I do to KEEP making accomplishments and make my parents proud every day? I have a few ideas:

- I'm working on better managing my money. It's something that has needed work since I was about 18, because I'm an impulse spender and struggle with putting plans into place. I can formulate them, but when it comes down to actually implementing them, something short-circuits. I'm working REALLY hard on changing my habits and sticking to a budget. This time I'm really kicking myself and making it my main focus. It may mean letting other things go to the wayside, however it's what I need to do. I can only focus on one thing at a time; it's how I operate. Getting this car is a big motivator for me, and I'm feeling confident that I can FINALLY make this work.

- I need to better keep on top of things. I f I need to make important calls, I need not to let my anxiety get the best of me, but just make those calls. If anything goes on with any of my bills, for example, I need to take the initiative to make any calls I need to ASAP. This way, I can straighten things out before they become a potential problem.

- I just need to find a better balance in life. I need to be more active, and not take on too much so as not to overwhelm myself. When I pile too much on my plate, my anxiety climbs and then I want to run away from my tasks rather than take the bull by the horns. Once again, I need to stick to my "one thing at a time" mentality.

I think that if I work on these things, I'll find that I'll be able to breathe a little easier. I really want to make progress and improve myself. Let's see how this goes!

Happy year and a half Aspieversary to me! :)

It just dawned on me this morning that today is my year and a half Aspieversary! Boy, has time sure flown. It's also been a while since I've updated!

I continue to advocate on social networks, and give my perspective so as to raise acceptance. I've been featured twice in The Mighty over the past month. I continue to enjoy my journey as I learn more and more about myself.

There's also more exciting news: I'm test driving a Ford Fusion today! After looking at a few different cars, I've decided that the Fusion is for me. I can't wait to give it a spin and hopefully make it mine ;) It's blue, too!

It is indeed a great day. It's also Saturday, which is always a good thing! I know this is going to be an awesome weekend. Spending it with my fam is what I'll do. I guess I'll finish this off with some insightful comments...

It seems like people better understand me, and that I'm also learning how to ask for help when I need it. I'm trying to step up what I can do and take charge of my life. I want to prove to myself that I can tackle things that have been hurdles for the last several years.

I feel like I'm making an impact. People have come to me for advice since I've been advocating, and I've even helped a few find their own answers! It feels good to know that I'm achieving my purpose in life, which is to help others.

No matter how hard I try to put a positive spin on things, there are just some people who refuse to change their perspective. The best thing to do in this case is say my piece, and move on. I can't please everyone.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Stay tuned for news about the car :)