Normal Like Me

My speech at the Pennsylvania State Capital for Big 33

2012-01-24T21:35:00.003-05:00

Big 33 is a football game every year. It is the best high school players from PA against Ohio. I am a buddy, I have been for over 10 years, and I love it so much. We partner with a football player for the whole week. This year I get to speak for them. I spoke at the Capitol. This summer I speak again, and Ben Roethlisberger will be at the game. Im excited to meet an NFL player because I love football so much.

Here is the video of my speech. I was a little nervous, but killed it.

[ Big 33's website: http://www.big33.org/ ]

My day cooking in a local restaurant

2012-01-20T00:56:00.001-05:00

I work two days a week at Skills. Skills is a workshop. The people are nice but I really want to cook. That is a dream job for me, like gordan ramsey haha! Today a boss took me to Café 210 in State College, PA. They let me work in their kitchen all morning.

I had to cut up a lot of food like vegetables and peppers. I need to practice slicing more, but they told me I did good with the knife. I use knives at home when I cook too.

I made 5 galloons of chili from scratch, it was cool. I did a great job. I even prepped the first order of food for lunch because I was still there. It was nachos.

I was so excited for this because I really want to cook I like it a lot. My birthday was yesterday and my birthday wish was to get a kitchen job this year. It makes me work hard and I feel like one of the guys. My job coach felt like I was a regular employee because all the guys acted like I worked there.

Some people were not sure if I could do this job. Now that I did so good at this kitchen prep test I hope I can find a job cooking since it is my dream.

My brother-in-law

2012-01-04T09:50:00.000-05:00

I have a brother-in-law named Eric. He is awesome. He is the best at everything and he is the sweetest bro ever. You can go hang out with him, but sorry ladies, he is married!!

We do stuff together almost everyday. He helps me be more independent (like showing me how to change my nephew's diapers >_< ) and he helps me practice to live on my own. He works a lot with me on learning how to get around. I think he spies on me from the bushes when I'm on my missions to find places he sends me to. We also chill and play video games so we don't only do work all the time.

Trappin'

2011-11-11T15:49:00.001-05:00

My dad and his neighbor go out and set traps in the woods to catch animals. They have to get up around 4 am everyday to go and check the traps. It is super cold where my parents live in the mountains so we had to dress very warmly. My dad let me go with him last weekend and we got a coyote!

They don't usually get that kind of stuff, so I was really lucky to be there the day they got it. When we go out, we drive around to go to each area. When we pull over, my dad's neighbor checks it out first to make sure it is safe for us to get out of the car. I was so 'lucky' to be there that I had to carry the coyote to the car then.

We were back at home then before my mom was even awake yet! It was neat to go out once or twice, but I don't think I want to wake up that early every day, so when I visit my parents at their house, I don't think I'll always want to go trappin' with them. Instead I will probably 'sleep in' until 7 am :)

Pictures in a Park

2011-11-11T15:31:00.000-05:00

I like to take pictures. It's fun when I feel bored. It is awesome on a Friday. I also like to take photos on other days. To make pictures is fun and I like to take my time and do good ones. Pictures are a great thing to do when I'm on my own. Sometimes Eric comes with me, but I do all the work and I'm usually alone. Today, he just dropped me off at the start of a trail in the woods and I called him after I was all done.

I started by trying an idea I had to take some photos from a moving swing, then I headed down the path to take some forest pics.

It's really important to focus on what you're doing. You can't just take random pictures with your eyes closed. You have to pay attention and find the right spot.

It is sweet that I can just use my iPhone to do this activity because I always have it with me, so I can take pics whenever I see a good one, or I can just use it to remember good times I have like most people do.

I won't put in all the photos I took because there are way to many, but here are a few more of my favs.

Hanging out with friends

2011-10-19T22:11:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I went to hang out a few of my friends. Sometimes it's really hard to find people to hang out with, especially after I graduated from school. I forgot to get a lot of my friend's phone numbers and I have never seen them since. That was almost 6 months ago now! Time goes really fast and I don't know where the time went already.

The thing I went to was put together by an alumni group that I joined a little while ago. They shoot me an email when they are doing something to hang out. We went to see a movie about a dolphin that lost it' s tail. I had some snacks and sat with some people I know.

After the movie we went out to Cracker Barrel for dinner. That is a cool place to eat because they have really good food. They also have a gift shop where you can kill time while you are waiting for your table. I ate the fried catfish platter. It was good. They had weird pictures on the wall from like the 40's or something. My friends and I talked about stuff that was on our mind. It was fun.

When we were done eating, me and some dudes I know went to watch a hockey game. My one friend is a fire police and so we went to his fire station to watch the game. The game was on the west coast so it didn't end until like 1:00 am because there was a shoot out too.

I wish I could do fun stuff like this all the time, but its really hard when you don't have anybody to call all the time. I wish I would have done a better job of getting my friend's info when I had the chance!! I am excited to see what we can do next time.

2011 Buddy Walk

2011-10-03T10:46:00.000-04:00

[Editor's note: Saturday was the 4th Annual Buddy Walk for our area, put on by the Centre County Down Syndrome Society. More information at: www.centrecountydownsyndrome.org]

The buddy walk was sweet. I saw this little kid with "the downs" he was so cute.

There were other little kids too like me. They inspire me and make me feel like everything will be alright. The walk did inspire everybody. It inspire me to be a roll model. Do you have that experience?

dragon firecracker chicken

2011-09-14T10:36:00.000-04:00

Before i looked on the cookbook and think what i want to be creative and it pop out to me and think it to be good, it was the fire chicken. I said "mmmmm" so i went to the store and got the food and when i get home i start to make it. i had to mix alot of ingredients to make a spicy sauce and then grill the chicken on Erics grill. Than we ate it it was spicyand sweet. it was good. still i love it beause i know my family is proud of me. That was my highlight of that night. the grilling, it was good.

The spikes baseball game

2011-09-14T10:26:00.002-04:00

one night I went to a baseball game for the state college spikes baseball team. My friend Andy took me.

I had a good dinner. they won 2 to 1. than I got a ball and later a guy i know who is a player give me a bat he broke with a home run.

I dressed up in a sumo costume and danced in the field with some other dude and an irish girl danced. the crowd loved the dancing.

after the game we went to the soccer field to see some of andys buddy's and kick around a little, it was a great time it was awesome. Is that what happens when you go to a baseball game? That's just another dAy for me because I am awesome.

Elk Creek band picture

2011-09-14T10:09:00.002-04:00

Life of a 21 year old

2011-09-14T10:02:00.001-04:00

I am in Penn State. We have an apartment for PSU Lifelink students just like me. It just a program for students to be able to go on for life just like my friend Kevin. The younger students look up to us for advice of life. When they get married and get kids they will look up again. I am not married yet and i don't have any kids yet, but i want to do that in the future. We are there for the younger guys to help support them on the way there. After lifelink they be old like my parents, so thats life! Just smell the coffee and just do it. They came to penn State for a reason its to grow up!!

NDSC 2011 Convention pictures- San Antonio

2011-08-09T19:59:00.000-04:00

[ Download all those pictures on a zip-archive ]

The change up movie is stupid

2011-08-09T18:15:00.000-04:00

Are you stupid using that word? Do you know what word you put in your movie scone [ed: scene] ? Use the R word is lame and nobody will go to see it. What movie you doing next? If it has the R word I hope you have 0 views. Thats how we all feel. I wanted to see the movie but Im not going to watch it now that's how I feel. I feel very strongly a about it. [When you use the R word] it makes me feel defensive and pathetic, thanks for nothing.

Comments on conference Day 2

2011-08-09T10:53:00.000-04:00

Had a talent show it was fun than we had lunch it was good than my bro in law got me it was fun There were lots of talents like dance hip hop Keats mj I was the best than I got a paper for participating. For my best moves we went out to eat

Thoughts about the first dAy of the convention

2011-08-08T00:44:00.001-04:00

Everything is fun. I went to an info session about reduce/ reuse/ recycle. I also had a exercise session where I did some itqu5o (Ed: "Tae Kwon Do" ) and I was a fighter it was sweet. The third session was about finding a good job so now I think i want to work somewhere like Home Depot. It was awesome. I also talked infront of a group which I never do at a open mic session. I don't ever before talk in front of a group because sometimes somebody is being a jerk.

Description on my trip to Texas day 1

2011-08-08T00:29:00.001-04:00

To get here we first were in State College and pack. Then we went to Pitt and go on the plane. Then we got here to Texas. We have never been here. It's a big city. They have good food and I saw Reba ( not really ;p )

This was the volunteer that helped my group the last two days

2011-08-07T14:59:00.000-04:00

Dude, this duck is awesome

2011-08-06T21:18:00.001-04:00

Conference sessions

2011-08-06T13:54:00.001-04:00

Eric had a good flight too

2011-08-06T13:44:00.001-04:00

The second plane

2011-08-06T13:43:00.000-04:00

Dallas airport

2011-08-06T13:40:00.000-04:00

My first plane trip

2011-08-06T13:37:00.001-04:00

NDSC- Packing for Texas

2011-08-02T22:26:00.001-04:00

I am packing for San Antonio in Texas. It will be fun. On my phone I can look up the plane and the weather and the town so I am excited. I am overwhelmed of being excited and nervous. This my first time flying, so scared, but it will be fun with Eric and me. Yea-Haw!

[editor's note: Joe and Eric are packing their bags now for their trip to the National Down Syndrome Congress convention this week in San Antonio, Texas! Joe has been excitedly Googling cool stuff about San Antonio for the last few weeks, and they will be posting stuff throughout the convention! As a side note, I hope that Texas is prepared for these two, especially after all of the "Yea-Haw-ing" that's been going on here for the last few weeks.....- Sharon]

I took my first steps..... for lunch.

2011-08-02T22:15:00.000-04:00

I went on a walk at downtown for lunch then I walk back and ate. It was good. It was Panera.

It was my first time walking downtown for lunch and walk back all by myself. I had to find my own way home.

My sister Sharon and brother-in-law eric knew I can do it, but Eric spy on my and took pictures, some are below. Next time he wont spy so much.

I found my way home quick, because I knew the buildings. I was very proud when I got home.

Changing diapers

2011-07-24T19:08:00.000-04:00

I man up and change my nephews diaper, I am the best looken uncle ever

2011-07-11T19:17:00.002-04:00

Packing list for NDSC San Antonio conference.....

July forth

2011-07-10T10:59:00.001-04:00

Self picture on weekend trip

2011-07-10T10:57:00.001-04:00

Me grilling

2011-07-01T17:33:00.001-04:00

If I have a disability so does the pancakes.

2011-06-28T18:27:00.000-04:00

life is hard when you are joey .hard to have a disability. to be or not to be that's the question. we are having pancakes's. it's hard to make pancakes. just like its hard to have a disability. you don't know how you are diffrent but you want to be normal. its hard just like when i said to make pancake 's it's hard.

Editor's note: Joe was inspired by us having breakfast for dinner! This was the first post that Joe typed himself, and we just helped with spelling, etc. afterwords.

The pictures of Joey's

2011-06-28T17:28:00.000-04:00

Every couple of days I do a relaxing called picture taking on my bike. Eric likes me to so I can be creative. I took these pictures outside on a bike path.

New accomplishment

2011-06-26T14:42:00.001-04:00

Sharon took this one spying on me she was so worried

I rode my bike to the gas station and got milk. Sharon and Eric was proud of me. I was happy to go there because I wanted milk and was thirsty. I went alone. It was the first time I ever rode my bike to the store alone. I found it on my own, and got the milk and gave the guy the dollars got the change then got the milk home. Sharon was nervous. When I came back I had one cup of milk.

Graduation & stuff

2011-06-26T14:34:00.000-04:00

When I graduated I didn't know what it would be like. It seems like I have been in school for years. This is the biggest change I had to do but i had to change my life.

After graduation I had stuffwhich I had never done before like go to Chicago (Editor's note: Joe attended the 2011 NADS conference in Chicago) and other places.

I have two nephews and I am a good uncle to them. They love my humor, and even though we fight sometimes that's how brother's are (uncle's like a brother). They love my cooking, and we love to play football (that's my passion and WWE) and watch wrestling. I have a sister named Sharon and a brother in law Eric.

I just got a paying job. I have a lot of improvements in my life.