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We are having the time of our lives.  We begin our day early and have gotten in late, so I hope you enjoy our slideshow of photos showing what we have been doing here at the Tourette’s Syndrome Youth Ambassador Training.  Today is only the beginning, tomorrow we head to Capitol Hill to meet with our Congresswoman, and Senator of Ohio.  Enjoy, it’s late and we are beat.  Stay tuned for more tomorrow

I have always loved this poem.  I heard it for the first time some 25 years ago when I was a teenager.  It has proven to be true in so many ways throughout my life.  Whether is was by my actions, in how I treated others, or how others made a difference in my life. 

People come and go for various reasons in our lives.  For me as a child, it was by way of moving around the United States to different places.  Everyone of the places I lived had an incredible impact on the lessons I learned throughout my life to help me become the person I am today.  Tanner, child had the same experience, in moving around a lot when he was little as we were finding our way and our career path in life.  There are many people who crossed our paths who made an difference in Tanner’s life.  We have told you stories for the better and for the worse.  As I think of our Journey we have had in our life with Tourette’s Syndrome,  I get teary eyed thinking of the wonderful families and people who have crossed our path on our journey, and left HUGE footprints on our hearts to help us learn and grow.  I know some it was because it was there life’s work, and their job to diagnosis and treat,  other’s is was their job, and their passion to make a difference in another person’s life,  and yet others had children and family members who were struggling  just as we were, but gave the love and support we needed to make it through to the next level of our Journey.

Today, I received an email from a friend, who offered to donate the last bit of money we needed to reach our goal this week.  It is with a grateful and humble heart that I see the footprints that have been left on our family’s heart on this next leg of our journey.  It was difficult to ask other’s to help us with this leg.  Our Family is not one to ask for money, but in our current situation, there really was no other way to reach our goal, and help fulfil Tanner’s dream.  I didn’t want to have to tell him one more time; we didn’t have the money.    I also wanted to make sure Tanner understood the value of gratitude, and expressing his appreciation to all the people who have stepped forward to help us.  He has done a wonderful job of doing just that by making a big effort to see where we were at each week and make sure to write a thank you note to each and every person.

We are incredibly lucky to have been given this opportunity, but to also have such wonderful friends and collegues, who have made sacrifices along with us, to help us on our way.  We have been overwhelmed with the generosity, kindness and love you have all shown to us.  Your concern to make sure we reached our goal, and your support to encourage Tanner on his next leg of the race. 

Thank you so much for making such a difference in our lives,

  for leaving this HUGE footprint on our hearts,

 and please know,

we will never, ever be the same again.

Our Special Thanks goes out to-

Karena Lapray- A Pleasant Sunday

Krueger Insurance Agency

Angela Tippets- Scentsy Wickless Candles
Horan Associates
Gina Prickel -Sibcy Cline Realtors
Martha Newberry- Scentsy Wickless Candles
Matt Schuster- First National Merchant Solutions
Brandon Allen
Bob and Virginia Baker
Bruce & Kathy Holtgren
MaryAnne Weber
Kaufmann Family
Garvie Family
Talbert Family
Jensen Family
Stansbury Family
Snowden Family
Coss Family
Dodge Family
Husted Family
Dalziel Family
Breinholt Family

 O’Neal Family

Give Away!!! ends Saturday, March 6th, 2010. 

results will be posted on Sunday March 7th after, Tanner picks our winner.

 Martha Newberry an independent Scentsy Consultant donated several items for us to use and help out with basket orders.  Thanks so much Martha!

 Here is the Scentsy Warmer we have to  kick off our giveaway-

Plymouth Scentsy Warmer

I absolutely LOVE Scentsy products.  I use them all the time in my baskets, and others love them as gifts.  I get compliments all the time about how wonderful they were or how much they loved the warmers.  I love I can just switch a light on instead of have a burning candle.  (I have boys who love to mess around in fire)  Besides the fact that my husband thought he needed to blow the candles out everytime he saw one burning.  Now I can just reassure him it is a 25 watt light bulb, he doesn’t need to turn it off. 

 I also love that I can change the scents when I want and don’t have to wait for it to burn out. I have 2 warmers and 1 plugin.  I have the warmer down in the family room, and it is sure to sweeten up the room full of teenage boys.  I have the plug-in in my laundry room,  LOVE IT!  I have ”Clean Linen” scent in there to freshen up the laundry, so I am not always “whoofted” with the smell of stinky laundry.  I have my main warmer up on the main floor, so it freshens up the upstairs.   It is awesome!  Did I mention that I love my scentsy?  You will love it too.  This giveaway is a $35.00 value.  Yes it is JUST the warmer, but don’t forget to go to Martha’s website and purchase some scents of your choice.  Find the online party for FAO Baskets and you will be elligible for another entry to win the Plymouth Scentsy Warmer.  I know this warmer is a fall design,  however  you can order a new top to make a wonderful transition to any season.  A new top to match is very inexpensive, and Martha would be happy to help you pick that out from her website.

To enter in the give away-

You must subscribe to follow our blog here ar FAO Basket Co-

Don’t worry about SPAM,  I will not sell or give my list of followers away.  You are secure and safe.  All you need to do is sign up at the end of this post.  This will qualify you for 1 entry for the warmer. 

If you would like additional entries to try for this warmer, you can friend at the following places-

Facebook- click to friend me on facebook-

Twitter- click to tweet me on twitter

Linked-In- click to link networks with me on linked in

Last but not least, make a purchase on Martha’s Scentsy Website the scent bars are only $5.00- and a different lid to exchange the leaf top to is only $10

Find the online party for FAO Baskets and make a purchase under that party- this will qualify you for another entry for the warmer.  It has to be under the FAO baskets party in order for us to know you are entering for the FAO Baskets Giveaway.  Online party will be available- Feb 28-.

If you follow me on any of these links or make a purchase then it will qualify for another entry for the Give Away.

I will be posting a weekly giveaway every week this month.  You will want to be in the loop and see what cool things are coming your way.  How can you go wrong?  Free stuff! PSST- don’t forget to pass it on.

Tanner 1 year old

Happy Birthday! Tanner!

on this day February 21, 1995 we had spent 21 hours in labor waiting for your arrival.  You graced us with your presence eyes wide open and with a loud scream.  You were taking it all in the second you could hear and see.  Here is to an incredible journey with you over the last 15 years.  You are an amazing kid! Full of determination and perserverance.

We are continuing our fundraising drive until March 30th.  If you would like to make a cash donation, we would be happy to accept those through your pay pal account.  You can open them up for free.  Just use the option to “SEND” money to orders@faobaskets.com We would be happy to send you a receipt for your donation. 

We have reached the 1/2 way mark on our goal of $1400.  We are currently at $700.  Thank you to all the businesses and friends who have donated to help us on our journey.  Tanner has been working hard selling our slider candy bars at school also.   He is really looking forward to making a difference in this cause.

Don’t worry,  I have been filling my time in a worthy manner, carrying my snowshovel around the neighborhood to earn money for my TSA Youth Ambassador fund, but shoveling driveways.  Not a bad job for a kid you know, it beats sitting around the house with as many snow days as we have stacked up.

My friend Bruce, my Mom and I took a trip up to Columbus for an inservice we held at a local Middle school there.  It was an interesting experience for me since I was suppose to talk to the teachers, and help them understand things a bit better for how to help a boy there.  I did get to speak some, but when you only have 1/2 hour to talk, and most of the teachers come in late, and leave early it puts a damper on what you can say and how effective you are.  I was surprised to see that only some of the teachers seemed to care  about being there.  They took notes and asked questions.  That is what I would be expected to do as a student for a guest speaker.  There were 3 teachers in particular that came late, and left early, that I could tell already had their minds made up for what they thought about being at the inservice.  This really shocked me as I wasn’t really prepared to watch a teacher act in a way that we students get in trouble for.  It was a good learning experience for me.  My mom and I shared our thoughts on helpful accomodations for the classroom, and how to address tics and what helps.  I have to think even if there were 3 people being rude in there,  there were more that were there that cared, and actually got something out of the inservice.  If not for anything, I got to meet a really cool kid with Tourette’s Syndrome, who had never met another kids with Tourette’s Syndrome,  and I hope that helps for him to see, he is not alone in this big, big world.

Some of my tics are, clearing my throat, cracking my wrists, grinding my shoulder blade, pushing on my eyes, rolling my stomach, nodding my head, clinking my tongue, and blinking my eyes.

I was diagnosed with Tourette’s when Iwas 9.  I was in 4th grade.  It was kind of hard to accept but I got over it in a couple of months.  My family was very good at helping me through those hard months.  We decided that it would be my best friend since I had to take it with me where ever I go.   To help me feel for comfortable with my tics, help us laugh, and also be able to talk about them privately,  we have special names for each one.  There is Screech, R.O.U.S’, Buns of steel, just to name a few.  It helps me laugh, when I get frustrated that I can’t control my body or stop ticing.

See how cute I was when I was diagnosised, 

My family gives me a bad time about my “slickty-Do’s” I would do with my hair when I was little.  I loved to have it plastered to my head.  I guess it was a kid thing. 

I am so glad that my parents had the courage to take me to a Neuro-Psychologist Dr. Steven Guy, in Columbus, Ohio to have me evaluated.   After a lot of years asking questions to my “Quirky” habits. Someone finally had it right, and was able to tell my parents within 10 minutes what was wrong.  It was the beginning of a new life of understanding for me, my family.  Tomorrow I will tell you what it was like when we told my teacher at school. 

It’s been 6 years since I was diagnosised, and this is me as a Freshman at Milford High School.