My first Mardi Gras Parade 2011

I lived on the Gulf Coast for over ten years before I participated in my first Mardi Gras parade. Although celebrating " carnival" for { at lest} six weeks prior to the start of Lent is part of the culture here, were I come from this practice is as foreign as fried pig ears.

I do NOT like crowded events, so I'd avoided participating in the { mostly family-friendly} Mardi Gras parade until I served on the steering committee for the local American Cancer Society Relay For Life effort.

Here is one of the many floats that walked in the 2011 Navarre Beach Mardi Gras Parade.

  Our float was , of course PURPLE!  My favorite color also happens to be one of the three colors of the Mardi Gras season.{ The other two are green and yellow}

The High School JrROTC marched in the parade, as they do every year.

  Here is another float preparing for the parade. We were there literally ALL DAY and , being February on the Gulf Coast beaches,  in COLD and WINDY weather.

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Central Florida trip 2012

My first trip to the St Petersburg area of Florida from last year. Although I'd been to Tampa, this was my first time traveling down to the west-central Gulf coast via highway.

We stayed in Palm Harbor...I could walk to the Gulf from where we were staying. Many people i the neighborhood owned boats, so there were some human-made canals behind many of the houses in the subdivision.

I saw a white egret in Dunedin.

The Gulf Intercoastal Waterway down near St Petersburg looks similar to the Santa Rosa Sound where I live in Florida.

We ate hibachi one night while we were there...and I thought the ring of onions on fire made for some awesome pyro effects.

On our way home, we stopped on Cedar key, a tiny island fishing village literally in te middle of nowhere off the coast of Florida. It was COLD that day, but I loved visiting Cedar Key.  My goal for he next time we visit this charming little island is to bring back more photos of the architecture there.

The dock on Cedar Key.

                                            A pelican taking flight off the dock on Cedar Key.

Lake Autumn 2010

 In the autumn of 2010 I had some free airline miles, so I went back to the Lake on October.  We do not get much " autumn" here in Northwest Forida, so it was a special treat for me to see autumn leaves & experience " sweater weather".  My godsister and I also went to visiit her sister in Akron,Ohio overnight.

Here is the view from the house of the Lake one October at dusk.  

My godbrother's son & I went " fishing" off of the " boat" :O)

 We attended a high school football game. Did I mention it was a HOME game? Go Wildcats!

My younger godsister at the Light-UP Lantern Festival, 2010 in Akron, Ohio.

 The band plays at halftime at the football game.

              My other godsister and I went to the local " pumpkin patch" one sunny autumn afternoon.



Blackwater River State Park

Every summer, my congregation spends a day on the Blackwater River in northern Santa Rosa County, Florida.

Here are scenes from last summer's trip on canoes and inner tubes. My congregation looks forward to our annual " Canoeucharist" every year and my Best Dude  and I enjoy hiking on these lands.

Apparently , there is a motion in the Florida House to secure drilling rights on these precious state-owned park lands. As a citizen of Santa Rosa County, I oppose this motion.  No amount of oil or natural gas is worth destroying this precious habitat.

Shoreline Park pics. Sorry for the delay.

I very recently discovered how to post photos to Blogger, so I am late in posting photos from my Shoreline Park morning.  However, Blogger is MUCH more user-friendly than is Wordpress.

Here s a dinghy that I saw tied to one of the boat docks.

I LOVE the juxtaposition of nature versus human-made in this photo. The tree{ which is what originally caught my eye} in the foreground against the background of the buildings over on Pensacola Beach.  When I shot this photo, all I saw was the tree, but a friend pointed out to me the artistic tension of the natural versus artificial structures found on the Florida Gulf Coast.

Here are some exposed tree roots.  Such tree roots look quite different up North.

Here is yet another example of nature versus human made near our Gulf Coast. The birds were moving too fast for me to get a good close-up portrait of one.

My favorite " thin place"

According to my rector, a " thin pace" is a place where one feels closest to God.  In my life both in the mountains and n the coast I've been blessed with several such places.

Shoreline Park and Fort Pickens National Seashore in Gulf Breeze, Florida { somewhat near where I live now} are two such local " thin places".

However, there is one place that is, to me, extra-"thin".

My godparents' lake , campground and cabins area , situated on over 100o acres of gorgeous Appalachian foothills in eastern Ohio is my most- special place. Although my teen years were generally unhappy{ mostly punctuated by A LOT of bullying and several doctors' visits { in an attempt to figure out "what is wrong with Sarah"}

The place where I feel closest To God is Austin Lake.  It is true that I * never* want to move back to Ohio or Pennsylvania, but the property surrounding this lake holds some of my best memories. Every summer I look forward to travelling here .  I've discovered that vacation need not be full of a planned agenda : I much rather prefer time away to re-charge. When I am here, there is never a planned agenda: and I am contend t just " be"  at the Lake.

My autism makes  travel difficult. When I { eventually} arrive at the Lake, the pain { literally} of the sensory input overdrive will be worth it.  Where else can one wake in the morning, sip tea on a porch overlooking some beautiful Appalachian woodlands and later read Morning Prayer while sitting in a kayak on a clear lake?

I see this EVERY morning when I'm visiting the Lake. Can you understand why this place is so" thin"? :O)

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Coastal hiking is not the same  as hiking these hills.

" Where I come from/ we rode in TRUCKS."~ country singer Luke Bryan

Beach in January

I checked my Facebook & saw that the family & friends up there in Appalachia are pretty much snowed in.
Since I grew up in the Snow Belt I understand their frustration.

This morning  I went to the beach after I attended my gym session. It was a perfect day for walking on the beach with my new Nikon camera. I wore a pair of long " gym pants", a t-shirt and a light jacket. At the end of my walk I had to remove my jacket , it was too warm in the sun!

AWESOME!

Until today I had not been to our local beach in many weeks, so I am especially glad that I took the opportunity to enjoy our local Gulf beach today.

I do admit that I miss my mountains up North---ESPECIALLY during the seemingly endless and miserably humid Florida summers. Yuck.Yuck.Yuck.

Humidity here in  in inescapable  in the summer months  and our " summer" seas lasts from May -October. My annual trip to my godparents' Lake in rural Eastern Ohio is my respite from the oppressing humidity that comprise Florida summers.

I like snow, but since I came of age up north I learned quickly to not like ICE on the roads.

It is dangerous to drive on icy roads and I do not miss the stress that worrying about someone while waiting for them to drive home on icy mountain roads. When we lived in eastern Ohio my Dad's commute from work included a long stretch of driving on icy and { in some places} narrow , rural mountain roads. I am not kidding--- it is scary and especially scary after dark.

This was my view this morning when I went outside for a walk:

My new Nikon is so good, hat the photos I took at the beach required little editing. The individual file sizes are huge, so its essential to at least employ a wee bit of cropping. When I email my photo files taken with the Nikon I found out that I cannot attach more than four files.  My " old" camera is a Canon PowerSht and , although a good " beginner's" camera I am grateful for my new Nikon. Of course I a still discovering it features...I've yet to attempt to take video.

a Shoreline morning

This morning I went walking and photograph--snapping at a local park located { somewhat} near my home.  Best Dude bought me a new Nikon D3100  camera for Christmas, so this morning I got a chance to " practice" taking nature photographs .I grew up loving nature and this , to me, is the perfect way to spend a morning on the Gulf Coast There were very few other humans there today--it is a Florida " winter" after all!

We've always lived in rural areas and when I moved to Florida I had to adjust to having neighbors whose back door I can literally see from my own backyard{ thank goodness for privacy fences}.  Unlike western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, most houses here in Florida are built on what this rural hillbilly considers as  SMALL LOTS.  In most parts of the coastal community where I live, a half-acre lot is a " big" piece of real estate.  Although in the northern half of our county one can find lots with more acreage, here on the coast there just is not enough buildable land for big lots.

This morning reminds me of two things that my often over-stimulated autistic body & mind craves: solitude and quiet. It is nice to remove myself from the constant jabbering of everyday life---for some reason my brain cannot process too many human voices at once without feeling overwhelmed by all the sensory data. Before I was diagnosed with autism it was thought that my aversion to crowds was due to only extreme introversion.  When doctors finally diagnosed me correctly I fully understood that I do not suffer from " extreme introversion --as a matter of fact my brain processes ALL data differently than brains of most people.

Sometimes when I'm shooting nature photos & am " caught in the moment" of a beautiful image I lose some awareness of my immediate surroundings. This annoys me when this occurs.

Today I came across a particularly lovely set of tree roots. After I snapped a couple photos, I realized that my lens cap was missing. :o/ We searched everywhere but could not find the missing lens cap. Thankfully ,there is a camera-supply store in Pensacola. I plan to be more careful with the lens cap in the future and as insurance Best Dude and I will engineer a safety strap  for this small part of my camera.

It was a lovely mornng.

at the beach , but from the hills..life's " tapestry"

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose." ~ From the television show The Wonder Years

"The past is not a package that one can just lay away." Emily Dickinson.

I'm planning to try my hardest to get back up North for Gram Cable's funeral.  The date hasn't been set yet, but I looked up her obituary online & it said that the service will be at the Presbyterian church where she was a member.{ and the very congregation that baptized me}

I'm a proud Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian & know for certain that this is where & how I am supposed to worship for the rest of my life on Earth.  Since I'd received most of my formal Christian education from the Presbyterians when growing up in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, I still hold much affection for the congregation who accepted me as a child of God years before I asked for baptism. They are a part of me & I a part of them.

There were many reasons why I felt called to leave the Presbyterian Church{USA} at the time I did--but NONE of those reasons  had to do with any of the fine people in Ohio who helped me grow in my "Walk with God". They are part of the " fabric" that is the "tapestry" of my life's story. 

It is not fair to hold grudges ...and although I acknowledge that I left the coastal Presbyterian church under less-than-ideal circumstances , I am grateful for the Presbyterian Church atop the hill that was vital to my development as a Christian.  My parents were & are unchurched , so the adults at Hill Top took time to make sure that I knew I belonged there.  Sunday School to Vacation Bible School to choir---I was there. Most of the families who went to this church wit me knew of my parents & some of my Dad's best friends in Ohio were guys with whom he'd played basketball three evenings per week. As a teen { and a very shy, awkward teen} I developed my first crush on a classmate who I thought was the cutest, funniest, most adorable boy ever! { of course I never told said boy of my crush---as I totally lacked confidence}

I'm blessed to be a part of the Episcopal Church, but at the same time I know I must honor my Presbyterian sisters & brothers-in Christ who still care enough about me to send me a newsletter via snail mail every month. My issues that led me away from that denomination  do not apply when I think about the good people at the small church atop a hill in rural Ohio.

Amen.

A life well-lived..for 95 years

 " A Child needs a grandparent, anybody's grandparent, to grow a little more securely into an unfamiliar world." ~ Charles & Ann Morse.

Requisitat en pacem, Jeanne Sharpe " Grandma" Cable. After a long life of 95 years, she went to her Eternal Reward yesterday morning. "Grandma" Cable was not blood kin, she was my godfather's mother. But, I believe that family is not restricted to those with whom you share DNA. My godparents & their kin re family to me.

"Grandma"  hasn't been healthy at all these past few years. Since I've moved south I'd only spent time with her when 'd visit my godfamily at the lake during summers. I knew , at the en of each visit, that I might not  see her again, so I always  made a point to tell her" I love you".

She taught me a lot. I've learned to see beauty in my everyday, ordinary surroundings.  { She had been an artist in her younger years} She also taught me to have an appreciation for all living creatures,including snakes & spiders. { However---I still am not a fan of most insects, save for ladybugs & butterflies}

But one of the most vital lessons I learned from Grandma Cable is that one need not agree with someone 's socio/political views in order to have love for them.

We'll miss ya, " Grandma". Say HI to Glenn for all of us!

Locked-in & No Meds

Last night I staffed { along with two other brave adults} a lock-in at the parish hall of my Episcopal church. The teens  arrived around 9 PM & we kept them busy until they all fell asleep while watching a movie on a DVD.

Anyhow, a good time was had by all. But I am super-tired...ZZZ.

I take three different medications to manage my autism & the anxiety it causes me.  My medicines together give me the effect of sleeping soundly & falling asleep quickly. Well, it is pointless for an adult at a youth group lock-in to be sleepy or asleep , so I did not take my meds last night, save for one of the anti anxiety pills just to calm my nerves.

Meds work to help me mange my autism but I still do not advocate medicating children with autism.  First of all, pharmacology is NOT an exact science--and I would not{ based on my own experiences} even call it an art. Pharmaceuticals are, in my experience, a big crap shoot with too many variables.  I've been on & off many different combinations of prescription drugs since my early teen years.  Changing medications as much as I did can really confused with taking different meds. Each medication has its own list of side effects& even now I must be careful & ever mindful of not mixing certain OTC or prescriptions with what I normally take daily.

Side effects of the medications also affect my appetite. One of the meds I take decreases my appetite while the other one allegedly INCREASES one's appetite. Um, not for me it does not!

Its a mixed blessing to take medication. For m, the benefits outweigh the trouble but it isn't a " cure-all". Nor do I wish to be " cured" if such a " cure " for autism existed.  Medications just are a tool for me o live my life to the fullest.

Carpe Diem, my friends!

The scales don't lie....I am too thin.

This week I've switched from drinking Muscle Milk as a nutritional supplement to drinking the Ensure  weight-gain formula.  After more than 12 months of trying to gain weight & build muscle I've { albeit slow-ly}  done the former but still struggle with the latter.

Anyhow, the Ensure formula that I now use to supplement my diet post-workout has 100 more calories than the Muscle Milk. I've also discovered that this Ensure formula taste MUCH better than even the Muscle Milk & is also MUCH easier on my sensitive stomach than the latter.

Best Dude & I cannot figure out why I cannot seem to add pounds. I work out hard & I've even cut running  one mile three days per week from my routine. My new cardio exercise is now WALKING on a treadmill set to an INCLINE---so I can increase my heart rate wile working on strengthening my legs.

I WILL gain weight ...I will gain weight.

Ensuring health

I've been a bit sick these past two days & I hate illness.

Anyhow, when I did my weekly weigh-in this morning, I realized that I lost two pounds of my already slender fame. We're concerned , so Best Dude &  went to the local Wal-Mart {YUCKY} and bought some Ensure to supplement my meals.

Until now, my post-workout drink of choice has been Muscle Milk.   Someone told me that drinking Ensure post-workout is better: this product as 100 more carefully-formulated calories than does Muscle Milk.  I am not sure yet if I'll like the taste of this new supplement, but I am committed to drinking all of it. If it is not condusive to my taste buds I will find another supplement.

Part of autism for many people includes various gastrointestinal problems. I am not an exception to this fate: my intestinal tract is sensitive , as is my stomach. When I  over-eat in one sitting, I feel ill. Certain foods also adversely affect my lower intestines. Some people with autism follow special diets, but I choose to eat a sensible, healthy diet.

My metabolism makes gaining wight difficult & I hate when people judge me { they think I am anorexic!} based on my Body Mass Index.

Quotable quote

I saw a graphic on Facebook today that really " rings true" to me. It says:

" One of the biggest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that's trying to make you like everyone else"~ Anonymous.

To a person with autism this statement is particularly pertinent. People with autism's brains work differently, therefore we ARE different. People with autism were born with autism & it is part of who we are.

Growing up, I always wanted to be like all the other children in my school. I did well academically, but socially could not " connect" with my classmates.  Since my social skills lacked, I was an outcast from my early school days. Boys ignored me but girls were cruel. Even now, I struggle with maintaining & initiating friendships with women Men, to me, are " better" friendship material. { of course since my social skills are lacking, " dating" as a teen was a debacle. As a matter of fact, in middle & high school my crush was on one of y closest guy friends....and naturally I never told him that I wanted to be more than friends.

It is hard to be that proverbial square peg in a round hole. Yet as I've matured I've realized that humanity's diversity is a Blessing.  However, I wish that the majority of people would accept that different is not less.

My main focus: Living with Autism

 My last blog focus mainly on my spiritual life.

But, at this point in my life I want to make this blog more of a general-purpose blog, with more of a focus on my life as a person with Autism. There are still many myths & misinformation regarding this condition & it is my hope & prayer that my blog will provide somewhat of a n educational experience for my readers.

My faith is a HUGE part of my life, so naturally there will be some faith-based posts every now & then.

In addition to discussing the joys & struggles of living with autism, I will occasionally write about my life BEFORE I was diagnosed { at the ripe old age of...30!}with autism.

Unlike many families whose child { and I am still my parents' " child" even though I'm well into my third decade} who receive a  diagnosis of autism, we felt RELIEF. For years, no doctors could figure out " what is wrong with Sarah" Doctors diagnosed me with several mental health condition & prescribed various drugs & psychotherapy to try to make my life better. These efforts were met with very limited success & oftentimes { as with the experiments with psychoactive prescription drugs} downright failure. It was a relief for my family and { especially} myself o know that the set of symptoms I've lived with throughout my lifetime has a legitimate neurological cause.

Please note: I am not asking for pity. My life hasn't taken the " normal" turn that most American parents want for  their daughter, but my autism is a blessing that just happens to come with some unusual challenges. I'm strong & am getting stronger every year.

Shalom, y'all.

Shopping , with someone with Autism

Best Dude & I are on a quest to find a tablet computer for him. Last year for Christmas  he bought me a NOOK Color tablet , and I love it. He, on the other hand , is searching for a tablet that is a lot less " e-reader" & more "professional".

Anyhow , today we went on our second search for a tablet for Best Dude. he pretty much knows which brand & style of tablet hat he wants , but the only place we've been able to find the particular tablet is ...WalMart

Yup.

Anyhow, today's journey took us to not one,but TWO different WalMarts.

One of the ways that autism manifests itself is those of us with the condition is issues with sensory "input". Many of us live with  either under-stimulated  sensory input or { more common & part of what I deal with daily} over-stimulation.

Bright lights literally hurt my eyes. Often, these stores are not acoustically-designed, so the noise comes to my ears simultaneously { I am extremely sensitive to auditory stimulation} Also, crows tend to make me fee like cortisone is flooding out my arteries & veins.

Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.

Shopping all day overwhelms me.  But, I've noticed that I cope with the over-stimulation of First World mega-stores better now than I've *ever*done in the past.  Shopping is not my forte, but in our society we cannot hunt, grow or manually create the goods we need.

I still cannot enter a Sams' Club or Costco without wanting to give into a " meltdown", but WalMart, Lowe's & other such " big box" establishments are now do-able.  Even if  I no longer experience actual " meltdowns", there are certain behaviors  that are indicative of my sensory stress. For example, I  twirl my hair.


I am, unlike many women, not a recreational shopper. My shopping methodology , if I had my dithers, would be
1. Make a specific list of what I need to buy.
2. Go to just the stores that might or do carry items sought.
3. Go directly to the department/aisle
4.Get what I need ,pay for it  get the heck out of the store.

Most people, unless they live with someone of autism, cannot comprehend the reality of sensory issues.  I know some people with autism who SEEK sensory stimulation & I am sure they also deal with issues similar to mine. But I can speak firsthand as someone who is sensory-AVOIDANT & our sensory-saturated society is challenging. However, the blessing I enjoy as a result of my autism far outweigh the struggles I deal with daily.

I am, as Temple Grandin's Mom said " DIFFERENT, NOT LESS."

Amen.

2013: The Year of Self-Confidence

One of the problems I face with  my physical limitations is that I get bored easily. My slight autism, back issues & terrible eye-to-brain neural connections  make for multi-disabilities.  I LOOK " normal" {whatever that is... and who really knows}

I've accepted myself as God made me &  with a lot of encouragement from people I love, including Best Dude} am recognizing my strengths. In college I studied English & journalism, so I'm more than qualified to run a media/publicity campaign for my favorite nonprofit charity.

For the past four or five years { I lost count} I've been active in the local chapter on a national autism advocacy, support & education. Last year we sponsored our first 5K. Admittedly, I was not as active in the planning for the event as I'd hoped, but this year  is different. They need someone to chair the publicity/media campaign & I volunteered for this task.

I love telling stories & showing such stories via visual media. When I was a teenager in the 1990's I wanted Christiane Amanpour's job at CNN...I wanted to travel the world & tell stories that no one else dared o expose. As a child I alternated between wanting to write the Great American Novel & joining the FBI. { Police-procedural dramas are still my favorite TV drama genre}

Last night I received the agenda for tonight's meeting via email. The spreadsheet form looked a bit daunting to me...until I remembered that I am the " new & improved, stronger Sarah Beth". last yea my focus was to begin & maintain a physical fitness routine...so in 2013 my goal is to develop more self-confidence. Due in part to my later-in-life diagnosed autism & various other medical issues, my self-confidences low. Although I've been extremely blessed for these past five years { and especially these past two years} , it is hard to erase over 30 years of self-doubt. 

My hope is that I take opportunities this year to become involved in projects that can showcase my talents.  It is hard to be approaching middle-age, re-evaluating my life & realizing that comparatively, my timeline is blase. But, as Best Dude repeatedly tells me, my life's story is not " typical"

Most people I know & love are somewhat atypical.

I hereby declare 2013 as the Year Of Self- Confidence.

Amen.

I've Moved!

I finally gave up on Word press...after over 400 posts I've returned to Blogspot. Hopefully, I'll stay her until the demise of my blogging career.Wordpress had served me well, but I felt increasigly unhappy with all the " updates" they've rolled out in these past few weeks. I have a  mild form of autism, so I do NOT adjust to changes well at all.  So, here I am.

What you need to know about me:

I'm in my 30's

I'm Christian  proud to be a " progressive Christian". I'm an Episcopalian & attend a wonderful Small Parish near my home.

Although I'm apolitical, my political philosophy tends to lean towards libertarianism. Basically, I think the government should invade the lives of we reasonable & capable adult humans.

I have strong opinions on  various & sundry array of subjects.

Dogs, in my opinion are the best companion animals. We have a rescued English Springer Spaniel amed Seamus & he is our" child".

My significant other is the Best Dude ever & in my blog I will refer to him by that moniker.

One of my many obsessions is with weight-training. I am in the gym or swimming pool at least five days every week.   My routines focus mostly on getting stronger, but in the past12 months I've FINALLY noticed some feminine muscular definition.

Anyhow,my name is Sarah  I am currently living on Florida's Northwest Gulf Coast. I'd authored a  blog on Wordpress called _Canterbury Chronicles_ for nearly three years. Since changes forced me to move my wordsmithing , I am  totally " overhaul" my online presence.  Right now I am not sure if this log will even take on a focus or remain a " general purpose" weblog. My blog's title comes from the fact that I live in a beach community, but grew up in the Appalachian foothills of western Pennsylvania & eastern Ohio { yeah--I'll blog about the Steubenville situation soon}Now my ife is in Florida, but a lot of my frames of reference come from my middle-class hillbilly upbringing.

Cheers.