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As most of you know, my daughter has Downs and whenever i feel discouraged or feel like I want to cry (which is about every other day) I read this poem that was given to me by another parent and it puts my life back on track. I really don't know why I am putting this on here but, something inside of me is urging me too. It's almost as if someone out there needs to hear it so that it may put thier mind at ease..."Welcome to Holland" By Emily Perl KingsleyI 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.A girls layout powered by HOT FreeLayouts.com / MyHotComments I am a fun loving person with a great sense of humor which i might add can be distorted at times :).

11 Layers of Me

Layer One: On the Outside
Name: : Angela
Birthday: : May 25, 1976
Current Location: : In my living room
Eye Color: : brown
Hair Color: : brown
Righty or Lefty: : Lefty babey
Zodiac Sign: : Twin
Layer Two: On the Outside
Your Heritage: : Afro American
Your Fears: : now, why should I tell you that....ok, ok promise not to laugh? Worms
Your Weakness: : chocolate and a person in need
Goal: : Right now, obtaining my Masters
Layer Three: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Your thoughts first waking up: : "Ohh sh**, what time is it!?"
Your bedtime: : when my eyes close
Your most missed memory: : My mom yelling at me
Layer Four: Your Pick
Pepsi or Coke: : Pepsi
McDonalds or Burger King: : McyD's of course
Single or Group dates: : Either
Adidas or Nike: : Hehehe adidas
Lipton Tea or Nestea: : Lipton
Chocolate or Vanilla: : ohhh chocalate!!
Cappuccino or Coffee: : do I have to choose?
Layer Five: Do You?
Smoke: : Nope
Have a crush: : Say what, my man might see this! Don't be askin no questions like that....shoot!
Think you've Been in Love : I know Ive been in love
Want to get married: : Yes
Believe in yourself: : Yes
Think you're a health nut : whatever....super size that please and don't be stingy with dem fries either!
Layer Six: In the Past Month
Drank alcohol: : huh?
Gone to the mall: : yeah
Eaten Sushi: : Heck no...don't eat but a few things raw :)
Gone skating: : Nope
Dyed your hair: : Nope
Layer Seven: Have Your Ever?
Played a stripping game: : Hasn't everyone?
Gotten beaten up: : damn near
Changed who you were to fit in: : don't think so...
Layer Eight: Getting Old
Age your hoping to be married: : Umm, has a time machine been invented yet?
Layer Nine: Perfect Mate
Best Eye Color: : Hazel green
Best Hair Color: : Dirty blonde
Short or Long Hair: : short
Layer Ten: What were you doing...
1 MINUTE AGO: : answering this survey
1 HOUR AGO: : yelling at my kids
1 DAY AGO: : Stressin
1 YEAR AGO: : Can't rightly say....
Layer Eleven: Finish the Sentence
I LOVE: : chocolate
I FEEL: : pretty
I HATE: : bills
I HIDE: : The Kama Sutra from my kids
I MISS: : My mommy
I NEED: : A vacation
Take this survey - 11 Layers of Me
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