Tag Archives: thomas a darnell

Celebrate Team TLC – A Family of Authors

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March 8 2018:

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order.” – Henry David Thoreau

What better day to officially celebrate? Here’s to a successful creation and launch of Where Would You Fly and the final book to complete the trio for Team TLC … Definitely not the last!

Where Would You Fly …. Biggest Little Photographer ….. Different iz Good – One Woman’s Journey to Acceptance

It reached the Top 100 on the US Amazon site and Top 50 on the UK site. It has flown to Australia, The Netherlands, Northern Ireland, England, and from sea to shining sea in the United States.

She has received the most beautiful and heart warming reviews on Amazon and two bulk orders. And the local Reno Nevada KOLO 8 news segment has been viewed around the world.

This definitely called for a pile of gluten free white powdered donuts! Here’s to pursuing ones calling. Here’s to doing it different. Here’s to stickin with it. Heres to vowing to listen to ones heart. Here’s to us. And, most importantly, here’s to YOU!!! Oceans of love!!

Celebrate Team TLC a Family of Authors 3.8.18 #1 Celebrate Team TLC a Family of Authors 3.8.18 #2 Celebrate Team TLC a Family of Authors 3.8.18 #3 Celebrate Team TLC a Family of Authors 3.8.18 #4 Celebrate Team TLC a Family of Authors 3.8.18 #5

Thomas and Camilla February 2018 Date Day

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March 2 2018:

Thomas and Camilla February 2018 Date Day (a wee bit late). My phone got so cold that I lost all photos from our date except one!

The one of Thomas with his ice cream from Icecycle Creamery is the only photo that survived. That was our first stop.

Second stop was one of our favorite spots … Audrey Harris Park for Thomas to eat his ice cream with the amazing view. Then we walked the entire loop in the snow. We had it all to ourself, we were frozen, we had a beautiful time enjoying one another’s company, and I took lots of pictures. No matter. I’ve got one!

Then!!! For dinner. More birthday yummies for me plus a toast to the flights of Where Would You Fly.

I knew I was saving this one wine glass for something!! Wine glasses were made for vegan root beer floats!! Coconut Bliss Vanilla Ice Cream smothered with an amazing root beer. Served with a vegan burger topped with sautéed sweet onions, crimini mushrooms, hot & sweet jalapeños, kalamata olives, with a slather of vegan kale, cashew & basil pesto on two slices of Italian bread. I’m full!!

Thomas and Camilla February 2018 Date Day 3.2.18 #1 Thomas and Camilla February 2018 Date Day 3.2.18 #2 Thomas and Camilla February 2018 Date Day 3.2.18 #3 Thomas and Camilla February 2018 Date Day 3.2.18 #4

Princess Puzzles and Holds and More Holds and Reading and Music and Tiny House Beach Community and Dominoes and Homeschool PE

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February 18 2018:

It was Princess puzzles tonight. We love puzzles!! xoxo

Princess Puzzles with Lillian 2.18.18 #1 Princess Puzzles with Lillian 2.18.18 #2

February 21 2018:

It was volunteer day at the library for Lillian Darnell and I today. This was the largest hold list we’ve ever had!! 109 holds! Took us two hours and ten minutes! WOW!

It’s usually half that! Lillian was a trooper. Worked the entire time pulling those holds! As we were driving home, she said that every part of her was tired, except for her arms. xoxo

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Tonight was read-together-on-my-bed-while-listening-to-classical-guitar-music night. We kinda love books … and music. xoxo

Lillian and Camilla Reading Together 2.21.18 #1 Lillian and Camilla Reading Together 2.21.18 #2

It was also get-invited-into-Thomas’ lair night. He showed me this cool community alongside a beach that he had created. He built me a little community of tiny houses on the beachfront. One for each Team member. My question: “When do we move in?”

Thomas Community 2.21.18 #1 Thomas Community 2.21.18 #2

February 22 2018:

Dominoes tonight! Lillian made domino stairs. These were really cool as when you placed a domino at the top, it would slide down! Wheeee!!!! I love standing them so as to give that first one a push and watch em fall!

Dominoes with Lillian 2.22.18 #1 Dominoes with Lillian 2.22.18 #2 Dominoes with Lillian 2.22.18 #3

February 22 2018:

And Thomas’ community has expanded since last night! Wow! I told him I have to move now cause it’s too crowded! Then he showed me that he left my wee little beachside community in tact and far away from the rest.

See that small square shape on the beach near the top right corner? That’s it. Told him I would stay as long as I could get everything I needed there. Yep! There are two markets and everything else I’d need. Ha! xoxo

Thomas Community 2.22.18 #1 Thomas Community 2.22.18 #2

February 23 2018:

Thomas and I had a workout this morning. We carried these boxes down from the third floor and then walked them over to huge bins behind the building. Took us about 30-40 minutes. AKA: Homeschool PE … HA!!

Boxes Homeschool PE 2.23.18 #1 Boxes Homeschool PE 2.23.18 #2

 

Conversations with Thomas

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February 24 2018:

Conversations with Thomas today … The English Channel, The Atlantic Ocean and countries that border it, North Korea, China, Switzerland, facebook and twitter algorithms and bots, and then we watched “Field of Dreams” and had conversations about that.

He loved the movie so much he researched more about it and found the book the movie was based from, Shoeless Joe. All of this in between teasing Lillian and making her yell. Wahooo!!! I am incredibly blessed for the practice of meditation and mindfulness … Love this wonderful and amazing life. xoxo

Do You Act When Moved to Share Kindness

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**THROWBACK POST**

November 12 2013:

Around the time of Thomas’ birthday he so gently asked if he could have an ice cream cone as a birthday treat while we waited for Lillian to finish her therapies. I reminded him we had ice cream at home and that he could have some. He said, “Okay, that sounds good.”

Lillian’s therapy center is only seconds from the fast food place that has soft serve ice cream. After I parked, I filled my mind with thoughts of abundance and generosity and changed my mind. After all, it was only a $1 cone.

As I turned into the parking lot a homeless person was sitting on the curb. In addition to ordering the ice cream for Thomas, I ordered a chicken burger. At least, I think it was me. I felt an overwhelming urge to order that burger and give it to the person we had just passed.

I had Thomas hand it to him as we pulled next to him. I have NEVER done this before. The man thanked us many times.

As we drove off, I told Thomas that it doesn’t matter the reason that man is sitting there or even if he is really homeless. I felt moved to share kindness and I did. I was going to use that money to attend the Dr. Temple Grandin lecture on Thursday night. This felt more powerful and important.

I explained that we never want to NOT share kindness due to judgment of another or for fear that our kindness will not be well received. Once we perform an act of kindness it’s really no longer our business. I’m sure Thomas will remind me of this beautiful moment just when I need it most. Here’s a picture of him with the ice cream on that day … 11.12.13 … He even shared some with me! xoxo

Thomas with Ice Cream Cone 12.12.13

One Blood Test – One Phone Call – One Moment in Time

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**THROWBACK POST***

December 11 2015:

The Gift of One Article by Camilla 12.11.15 #1 The Gift of One Article by Camilla 12.11.15 #2

What a magical surprise waiting in the mail today! After it took an HOUR to drive to HDMS to get Thomas this afternoon. It usually takes 12 minutes. Then 30 minutes home as we had to bypass the closed portion of the highway.

It was a blessing to have this waiting in the mail …. along with another envelope with some surprise money for Team TLC. Thank you Veronica Wain for mailing hard copies of the journal. This is the third nudge I’ve received today to share this article again which was published this past fall.

Listening to those nudges … Here’s an excerpt and a link to read the full article. May your heart land on just the right passage at just the right moment …

“One blood test, one phone call, one moment in time, drastically changed the direction of my life forever. I know more about genetics, chromosomes, DNA, motor skills, verbal skills, and now emotional and behavioural issues than I ever thought I would need or want to know. ……. I thought I had life pretty much planned at that point and for a while this brief phone call seemed to have caused my life to break apart like a melting iceberg with pieces scattering here and there. Looking back now, all that was brought into my life, all that occurred, all that began, and all that ended were meant to happen for my own growth and enlightenment. An enlightenment I feel spreads far beyond myself and my family as I believe we are all connected.”

My Journey With Intellectual Disability and Relationships – A Short Memoir