Author Archives: Camilla

Beauty and Feelings and Emotions and Nature’s Art Show and Amazing and Fun and Snow and Bright Blue

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March 12 2018:

Team TLC sunset walk. Incredible variety of beauty by way of colors, clouds, ducks, coots, the sun, and dried mud. And this wee little wood fragment heart.

Check out the heart shaped mud clump I found.

At Thomas’ request we had a great time moving through feelings and emotions as we dug up chunks of dried mud. And we brought our clumps home with us! Just cause.

Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #14 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #15 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake heart 3.12.18 #8 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #12 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #1 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #11 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #5 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #6 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #13 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #9 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake heart 3.12.18 #10 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #7 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #2 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #4 Team TLC Sunset Walk Vintage Lake 3.12.18 #3

March 16 2018:

Trees and snow …. Nature’s art show is incredibly amazing and beautiful today.

Snow Vintage Lake 3.16.18 #1 Snow Vintage Lake 3.16.18 #2 Snow Vintage Lake 3.16.18 #3 Snow Vintage Lake 3.16.18 #4 Snow Vintage Lake 3.16.18 #5 Snow Vintage Lake 3.16.18 #6 Snow Vintage Lake 3.16.18 #7 Snow Vintage Lake 3.16.18 #8 Snow Vintage Lake 3.16.18 #9 Snow Vintage Lake 3.16.18 #10

March 16 2018:

This lil cutie that I get to walk … She loved the snow today! Bouncing through it and chomping big mouthfuls. So fun watching her!

Yonce in the Snow 3.16.18

March 16 2018:

Fun in the snow …. Beautiful and fluffy soft!!

Fun in the Snow Vintage 3.16.18 #1 Fun in the Snow Vintage 3.16.18 #2 Fun in the Snow Vintage 3.16.18 #3 Fun in the Snow Vintage 3.16.18 #4 Fun in the Snow Vintage 3.16.18 #5 Fun in the Snow Vintage 3.16.18 #6 Fun in the Snow Vintage 3.16.18 #7

Bright blue background is incredibly beautiful! And look! I found a cotton ball tree. Haha!

Snow at The Vintage 3.16.18 #1 Snow at The Vintage 3.16.18 #2 Snow at The Vintage 3.16.18 #3 Snow at The Vintage 3.16.18 #4 Snow at The Vintage 3.16.18 #5

Thomas and Camilla March 2018 Date Day

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March 15 2018:

Thomas and Camilla March 2018 date day …

Second stop – We came home after lunch, went to the lodge, and played a game of pool. Then, walked back home. Kept it short and simple this time.

First stop – Lunch!!

Vegetarian for me: Egg rolls and Szechuan eggplant cooked and served in a clay pot. Deeply yummy!!!

We split dessert of a giant slice of coconut cake. We kinda devoured the cake! Delicious and not too sweet .. I’m a huge fan of desserts that aren’t overly sweet. Thomas had the sushi bar.

Thomas and Camilla March 2018 Date Day 3.15.18 #1 Thomas and Camilla March 2018 Date Day 3.15.18 #2 Thomas and Camilla March 2018 Date Day 3.15.18 #3 Thomas and Camilla March 2018 Date Day 3.15.18 #4 Thomas and Camilla March 2018 Date Day 3.15.18 #5 Thomas and Camilla March 2018 Date Day 3.15.18 #6 Thomas and Camilla March 2018 Date Day 3.15.18 #7

What Can I Do to Help

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**THROWBACK POST**

December 17 2013:

Almost every afternoon and evening he asks, “What can I do to help?” …. with dinner, with cleaning, whatever …

Today I sold his old bicycle for $15 and gave the money to him. He gave his sister $5 of the money.

This past Saturday she LET him help her climb a big ole pile of snow in the library parking lot. That’s big. It usually has to be me. She. held. his hand. and let him. help her. WAHOOOO!

That boy is just a pure ball of LOVE. I’m so blessed and grateful we are on this journey together!!

Thomas Helping Lillian 12.17.13 #1 Thomas Helping Lillian 12.17.13 #2 Thomas Helping Lillian 12.17.13 #3

Sharing My Journey with Reno Sunrise Kiwanis

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**THROWBACK POST**

December 28 2012:

WOW!!! What an amazing group of people!! Just got the privilege of sharing my journey and path to happYness with the Reno Sunrise Kiwanis. GOOD stuff y’all!

Camilla Presenting at Kiwanis 12.28.12

Thank you Skip Benton for your kind words … I just saw this! Had a GREAT time meeting all y’all!

“One of the interesting things about Facebook is I ended up “meeting” people I would have never met in any other medium. I have been reading about Camilla Downs for a long time. I’m thrilled I finally get a chance to meet and hear her speak. I’m so impressed with people – especially woman – who end up coping with a really bad situation and then turn it into a positive ….” -Skip Benton

You Are Different

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**THROWBACK POST**

December 27 2014:

“You’re different than the others.” – Thomas said to me last night.

He said my responses weren’t what people would normally say. Lillian was sticking her tongue out at me and my response was, “What a beautiful, sweet tongue.” and then she tried poking me and I said, “Look at those beautiful, crooked, special little fingers. Aren’t they just amazing?”

She’s got crooked pinky fingers and her ring fingernail is bumpy due to her chromosome deletion. I had been doing that throughout day. Guess it caught his attention. HA!

Dear Lillian – You Have Indeed Changed My Life

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**THROWBACK POST**

December 16 2015:

Dear Lillian Darnell,

You have indeed changed my life … Before you even arrived you made it clear that you were going to live life on your terms, being who you were meant to be. I had plans. You taught me that plans aren’t why we’re here. You were the catalyst to breakthrough after breakthrough in my own journey home.

A journey of remembering who I am, my own worthiness, and my purpose for being here. And, ultimately for learning to live my life from love and not fear, making choices based on love and not fear. This has, indeed, changed my life for the better! I am eternally grateful that you are the “L” in our Team TLC; full of love and always YOU!! I look forward with great joy to all of our “future” present moments!

Love,
Mom

Gratitude for the Marvelous Marvs!! I read a Hay House newsletter the other day that ended with a suggestion to write down the names of the most positive people in your life and the people who have changed your life for the better.

It was further suggested to take the time right now to write one of them a letter or dedicate a post to them on Facebook. Tell them how you feel. Don’t just say it, write it down. It has much more meaning when you take the time to put it in physical form and write it down. I decided I’d like to do this for about a week or so.

Perhaps you would like to do something similar! …. xoxoxo ….

Lillian Damonte Ranch Posted with Gratitude Letter 12.16.15

Wonderful Visit with Friends

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March 14 2018:

What a blessing all of you are … Truly. When we visit …. nothing else matters … Gugga Magga … Love you so much Barbara Richmond Chastain….

It filled me up chatting with all of you … Melinda Bourke Blackwell, Fran Melino, and Carole Bucher too!!! And, what did y’all say to Thomas? He’s been cleaning his “room” since we got home.

It feels like home when hanging out with all of you. Family definitely does not have to be by way of blood. xoxo

Melinda's Place with Barb and Bill 3.14.18 #1 Melinda's Place with Barb and Bill 3.14.18 #2 Melinda's Place with Barb and Bill 3.14.18 #3 Melinda's Place with Barb and Bill 3.14.18 #4

TLC Stands for Tender Loving Care

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**THROWBACK POST**

December 15 2015:

Thomas told me this morning that TLC stands for Tender Loving Care. He wanted to know if that’s why I chose TLC as our family team name. I explained that I didn’t do it on purpose and that I was just playing around with our initials.

He continued with T is for Tender and T is for Thomas and questioned that he is “tender”. Then L is for Loving and L is for Lillian and commented that this does NOT accurately describe Lillian (he is struggling with her meltdowns). Then C is for Care and C is for Camilla and commented that this accurately described me. He said, “You’re actually all 3 of them.” He certainly knows how to innocently “hand it back to me” in remembering to be kind to myself and to not judge myself. Which leads me to this ….

Gratitude for the Marvelous Marvs!! I read a Hay House newsletter yesterday that ended with a suggestion to write down the names of the most positive people in your life and the people who have changed your life for the better.

It was further suggested to take the time right now to write one of them a letter or dedicate a post to them on Facebook. Tell them how you feel. Don’t just say it, write it down. It has much more meaning when you take the time to put it in physical form and write it down.

I decided I’d like to do this for about a week or so. Perhaps you would like to do something similar! …. xoxoxo ….

Here’s #1:

Dear Thomas,

You have indeed changed my life …. from the moment you made your entrance! You came into my life equipped with a mirror that reflects qualities of my own nature; the pleasant and unpleasant and the kind and unkind. This has, indeed, changed my life for the better!

Our journey together so far has been an awesome adventure and I am eternally grateful that you are the “T” in our Team TLC; full of tenderness and always YOU!! I look forward with great joy to all of our “future” present moments!

Love,
Mom

Thomas at Vintage Lake with a facebook post on 12.15.15

My Mind is an Airport

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**THROWBACK POST**

March 5 2013:

“My mind is an airport. My hair is the runway where my thoughts take off and go to other people. It’s also where other people’s thoughts enter my mind.” – Thomas Darnell … Indeed Mr. T. Let’s be sure to pause before we send our thoughts off on their journey. Love that old wise soul in that little dude’s body!!