I hope you are having fun this 4th of July with family and friends! I had a cookout with my mom and my sister, with hot dogs and cheeseburgers, homemade potato salad, and corn on the cob. It was delicious! I am hoping to see some fireworks later tonight, but if not, I will get to see some when I come home from camp next week. Do you like fireworks? I do now, but I didn’t used to. I hated the big bombs! Now I just really like all the colors and the music that is played during the display. I don’t like the bugs!!!!
A vibrant fireworks show lights up the night sky over a city riverfront
I’ve embraced my new role as a gym enthusiast, enthusiastically working out more often and enjoying the company of my new friend, Cameron! This positive change will help me shed some extra pounds, which fills me with joy and allows me to confidently wear clothes I like or I’ve always wanted. I’ve committed to making this fitness journey a part of my lifestyle, and I’m excited to explore swimming and basketball as well. Swimming is like a delightful escape where I feel like a mermaid, while basketball keeps me active and gives me the chance to bond with friends through some friendly competition. It’s amazing how fulfilling this journey can be, proving that fitness can truly be enjoyable and rewarding!
A vibrant swirl of colorful cosmic streams with sparkling stars
Last week was really busy, but a lot of fun! I worked my regular hours, but on Thursday I went to Lake Compounce with the mom and some other friends from the respite group. It was a really nice day. My mom and I spent our time in the water….Lazy River, the wave pool, and then the Merry go round. I don’t like the roller coasters and the other rides. I am very afraid of heights!! The water in the Lazy River was kind of cold, especially when it came down on my head from the big pipe!! There was a lot of water! My mom had to paddle us to the side so we didn’t go under them all. I wasn’t a big fan!!
The wave pool was fun, but a little scary at first. There were some very big waves coming at you! I stayed in the area where the waves weren’t so big, and my mom stood behind me. She said it was good for me to practice my balance and work on my core strength. I was just having fun!
On Friday, I met a new friend/support staff. His name is Cameron. I really like him. We had so much fun together. He is very into being healthy and being active, so he took me to the gym! We did some weight lifting. He taught me the right way to do some exercises with the machines. It was hard, but not too hard! I am looking forward to doing more!
Then we went to Target. Because I struggle with my weight and snacking sometimes when I am home, he introduced me to some healthier snacks I could try. They were “Shameless Gummies”, and they were so good!! We shared the whole bag, except for some that I saved for my mom to try. I asked my mom to order some for me to take to camp next week, along with my veggie sticks. I am going to do my best to eat healthy and exercising, and lose some weight.
After our shopping trip, we got lunch at Chipotle. Cameron helped me make good choices of what to put in my rice bowl. I ate half, and took the rest home for later. I was proud of myself.
YUMMY!!
Next came mini-golfing and riding the Go-Karts! So much fun!! I almost had an accident when it was time to park the g0-kart…lol..I was going too fast! I can’t wait to go again though!
I really had so much fun with Cameron. I am excited to work with him more, and learn more things about making healthy choices and learning more exercises. We have plans to go to the gym more, go swimming, and maybe hiking. But first…..CAMP!!!
Finding support staff that are trustworthy and who have a heart for working with people with different abilities, is not the easiest job! We have been thru a couple, and we feel very blessed to find Cameron! He is a very impressive young man, currently working as a paraprofessional, and going to school to become a special education teacher! Thank you to his mom, Regina, for thinking that Chelsea and Cameron would make a good team. We are so excited to have him as part of Chelsea’s “village”.
Working with DDS and the state to get support hours, never mind finding the right person to fill them, is a challenge in itself. Support hours are based on the person’s LON…or Level of Need. Chelsea’s LON is a one…which is a blessing and a curse. She is extremely capable of becoming a very independent young woman, but she needs help to get there. With a LON of one, she doesn’t qualify for very many hours of support. She currently is getting a total of 24 hours of community/residential/in home support and 5 hours of job support, each week….and we have had to fight for them all. Some of her hours are self-hired, which is where Cameron comes in, the rest are agency supported, currently by MARC. When I was working for the school system and getting out of work at 2:00 every day, weekends off, summers off, etc. it was easy for me to provide Chelsea with what she needed. Now that she is a young adult, and I work as a memory Care program manager at an assisted living community, my availability is limited…so help is needed. We are thankful for the hours of support Chelsea does have, but just wish that the Commissioner and all who had a part in determining how much funding is allowed, would look at the system again, ask parents for their input, and maybe make some changes.
She is my biggest supporter and advocate. She has helped me be strong advocate for myself. She has taught me to stand up for myself. She teaches me not to make excuses. She tells me I can do anything I want to do if I put my mind to it. She encourages me to face my fears and overcome them. She has taught me that having Down syndrome is not a bad thing! I am very blessed!
Today is my 25th birthday! Everyone keeps telling me I am a Quarter of a century Old…and I didn’t know what that meant! Now I do! It’s like one quarter in a $1.00.
I had to work on my birthday, but everyone sang Happy Birthday to me after Bingo. It made me really happy! I love my job.
Me and my mom at work
I had to go for my physical this morning..on my birthday! but then went grocery shopping with my sister. After work, I went to a DDS picnic in the park. They had cupcakes for me there! My family is going to celebrate my birthday of Friday. I think maybe at Red Lobster.
When my grandparents were here, I went shopping with my Nana, my Auntie Dawn, Courtney, and my mom. I went shopping for some new clothes to take to camp in July when I go to PALS . I am very excited about going. I LOVE Boston!
Here’s a snapshot of my first 25 years!!
Born on Father’s Day 2001. I was born 5 weeks early, weighed 5lbs!
21st birthday at Stafford Motor Speedway…I love Twisted Tea!
A NOTE FROM MOM
There has been a lot of talk in social media lately about the value of a child who has Down syndrome. I think it is pretty clear from the collection of photos above, that Chelsea’s life has value. She is not a mistake.She is not a glitch. She is a beautiful, precious gift from God. I have been asked to write a book about the way she engages with the residents of the senior assisted living community where we both work…with her whole heart and a compassion that is genuine…not something I can teach. It was the way she was born. The way God made her. Her life has value…it has touched so many people in ways I can’t even begin to put in writing. She is not a glitch. She is just the way she was meant to be…Down right perfect.
I love a lot of music, especially music from the 80s! I really love the song “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. I love when my favorite local band, Backstage Pass, sings it. I have sung with them on stage before, and I sang it at work one night for Friends and Family night, with my friend Jennifer. I will Never stop Believing in ME!!
Tomorrow I have a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner for DDS to talk about how I feel about remote supports, and to see if I can get some more hours of support to help me get ready to move into my apartment in the spring. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I have so much to offer if I can just get the help I need. My mom and my sister are great, and help me a lot…but to be more independent, I need to learn how to do things without them all the time. I am so excited about moving into my own apartment, but I want to be ready!!
This photo was taken at the ground breaking ceremony for the new apartments! I was asked to speak about what it means to me to have the chance to live in a supported apartment, so I got to wear a hard hat and hold the shovel afterwards!
My biggest fear is heights….so, how, you ask, did I manage to take a plane three times??!?
The first time I was on a plane was to go to Chicago for the National Miss Amazing convention in 2017. I was so scared! When I first got on the plane, I was crying and almost wanted to get off. Thanks to my mom, my sister, and my friend Lauren, it was one of my favorite experiences…..except for the take off and the landing part! I sat in the seat on the aisle because I didn’t want to look out the window…I held onto my mom’s hand really hard!! I was so scared! After we were in the air, I switched sits with my mom and spent the rest of the flight looking out the window!
My second time on a plane was to fly to Florida to catch a ship for a cruise to the Bahamas. I wasn’t looking forward to the take off, as usual. This time was even more scary!!! As we were about to take off, suddenly the plane came to a stop, like getting into a crash in a car. No one knew what was going on!! All the passengers had to get off the plane, and spend two hours in the airport lounge area. Thankfully I was with my mom, my cousin Michelle, and friends. We almost missed the ship by the time we finally were back in the plane and flying to Florida!!
The third time I have been on a plane, was Fall of 2025, to fly to North Caroline with MARC to attend the National ARC conference. This time my mom and my sister were with me, and friends from MARC and staff people. This time there weren’t any issues, but I still didn’t like the take offs and landings!
I am not sure how long it will be before I fly again!
Me and my sister, Courtney, flying to North Carolina
Full Disclosure: AI is helping me write this post!
Since I decided to go dark on social media during Covid—probably to avoid sharing my sourdough bread failures—I’m here to give you a whirlwind tour of my adventures! Sure, they might resemble a chaotic treasure map more than a timeline, but hey, you’ll get the gist of my shenanigans!
I wasn’t really making sour dough bread..lol..but I did do some baking. More on that later!
I proudly graduated from East Hartford High School in June of 2020. Despite the challenges posed by Covid, I embraced the unique experience of a virtual graduation and successfully completed a drive-thru ceremony to receive my diploma
This picture cracks me up! I was sitting on my couch watching graduation, but AI put me in a crowd! LOL!!
After I finished high school, I headed over to Eastern Connecticut State University for this cool transition program with Horizons. The first year,I had to do it from home. The second year, I went to the campus in Willimantic. I had an awesome time there! I juggled a few jobs, like cleaning at a firehouse, stocking books at the library, and reading stories to kids at a preschool. The preschool gig was definitely my favorite. Plus, I was in class every day, taking an Early Childhood Education class and a dance class. I graduated from that program in 2023.
After I graduated from Eastern, finding a job was pretty hard, so I decided to check out this job training program called Project Search. It was run by MARC, the local ARC chapter in Manchester, CT. The program took place at Goodwin College in East Hartford, and I hopped on the ADA bus to get there every day. I focused on boosting my computer skills, typing, and putting together my resume. There weren’t a ton of jobs available, but I did do some work at the library and cafeteria now and then. I graduated from that program in 2024.
Me and my case manager/friend, RinaMe and My mom…she was SOOO Proud!
OK! So that was the update of my education and work training experiences. I will be back later to add some Catchups of the fun….and some not so fun….things I have been doing. See you soon!
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