Jacob S's Blog

I t has been such a wonderful month full of big smiles and sweet moments. Celebrating my birthday this month made everything extra special I got to help out with our centre shopping at New World, which is super fun and makes me feel so helpful.  Hanging out with my friends at Connect 20 was absolute bliss. I love spending time with people who make my heart feel warm and happy. In our arts sessions, I had so much fun being creative with cozy and cute projects. I painted a lovely canvas with cats that turned out so adorable, and I also used pretty watercolors to paint a bright tiger. Another day we went exploring outside to find sticks in nature and made a super cool stick man together. Making art always fills my days with so much color and soft fluffy joy. In Girls group was all about sweet relaxation and lots of nice pampering, which felt so good.  During music and dance, we listened to awesome country music and had a huge sing along. I even sang my favorite song by Miley Cyru...

  Although I unfortunately spent a majority of this month feeling quite unwell, I still managed to join in on some incredibly exciting events that totally lifted my spirits. I was absolutely thrilled to return to I-Dance and catch up with Donna. It felt so incredibly great to be back on the floor, and I even got the chance to lead everyone in my signature ‘Golden’ dance again, which was a huge thrill. To add to the pampering this month, I also loved our regular massage session. We did something a little bit different this time by getting a facial, which was pure bliss, deeply relaxing, and exactly what I needed to feel refreshed. On top of everything else, Arohanui has been completely caught up in the global excitement of the FIFA World Cup ! I have been passionately supporting the Korea Republic team, cheering them on with a resounding "GO TEAM!" at every opportunity. It has been so cool to follow the tournament, watch the games, and hear all the latest updates as the matche...

  What an incredibly exciting month it has been! Even though I was only at the centre for a few days, we managed to pack in some major highlights and unforgettable moments. First and foremost, it was my birthday! I felt thoroughly spoiled and loved celebrating with some special treats. I got a fancy hot chocolate from Quirks Cafe, and a delicious birthday cake that I really enjoyed sharing with all my friends. To top off the celebrations, we also held my yearly IPP meeting. It was great to sit down and discuss my goals, and it made me so excited to see what the next year will bring for me here at Arohanui! We were also treated to a visit from a very special guest: Devon Briggs, New Zealand’s own world-champion Paralympic paracyclist! It was so inspiring to hear him talk about his training and his journey to the top. He even brought in one of his racing bikes and a few of his medals for us to check out. It is amazing to see how much he has achieved, winning an incredible haul of Par...

  Today I enjoyed making the van squeaky clean, I cleaned the van inside and out! - TR

  Awesome job! I did lots of gardening at the Welcome Bay Community Centre, starting with weeds around the playground, then we moved hundreds of cabbage tree leaves from the eating area, and then, after lunch we tided the vege gardens and raked the beds ready for some new plants.  KB

Had an absolute blast in I-Dance today. The energy was great and the moves big. -N.O.  

 It was my choice today in music.Yes you guessed it the Back Street Boys👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎶🎶. I sang and played the guitar::: awesome ! DG

  I had a great time running missions with my friends and doing some shopping for some bits and pieces for the center. It was a still bit rainy after lunch so rather than gardening we went out to play a game of pool. I learnt some awesome techniques that I am excited to practice again one day KB

  I had an amazing morning—enjoying a soothing eye massage, a warm cloth gently placed over me, and a relaxing shoulder massage. It was incredibly calming. Gv

  In art we made this collaboration oil painting we worked together and had turns of painting sky, sea, the trunk and the leaves. It turned out pretty awesome.  AN 

Had an amazing time in Dance today. I love dancing with my friends and Donna. -N.O.  

Today due to the rainy weather, instead of van washing I had fun building magnetic blocks and I had fun putting all together. - TR  

  Today in music we had a hut with lights which we sat in and listened to BrunoMars songs. So much fun. DG

I'm back! And back at my favourite thing! -N.O.  

  I had loads of fun today hitting and bouncing and carrying different balls and balloons with these pool noodle hands. It was loads of fun KB

  Dancing with Donna is awesome. It is awesome that she teaches us so many cool new moves and gets us to move our body in different ways  KB

 A great day at Waihi checking out all the classic cars as they assembled before the Beach Hop at Whangamatā. So cool. There were so many cars and they had bands playing music. There were girls dressed in rock n roll clothes walking around. DG

  Today we did lots or gardening at the Welcome Bay Community Center. We hadn't been for a while so there was lots to do. We did the side gardens around the playground before lunch and the vegetable gardens after lunch. It was a busy day KB

  Today in dance I enjoyed leading a warm up and I enjoyed hearing my favorite songs. I was awesome doing the ballet at the end of the day to cool down KB

I had a great time dancing with my friends! Look at me go! -NJ