Top Ten Things About 2015

What a year I had! I got to do so much and had an excellent year. It was a great time by most of the people involved and somehow I kept myself all in one piece. So without further adieu, my top 10 things about 2015:
10) Bucket List Items: Whether it was shaking the president's hand or being next to the president, seeing a wonderfully pitched game, seeing a shootout, riding a mechanical bull, jumping off a rock, doing extreme floating, or doing a half marathon, 2015 was a great year for the "before I die" list- I got several more things marked off as well (including riding the light rail, seeing a Boise State soccer game, eating Ethiopian food, watching The Big Lebowski, using a personal trainer, and more). There was so much accomplished this year
9) My Friends: My friends are the best I've had in years and they keep on getting better. With them I have done many amazing things, some that are bad instances of hilarity (especially when alcohol or caffeine are involved) and other times when it's just plain fun that I have when it is done in a stellar way. My friends are so plentiful that I've had to cut down the time I spend with them and that is good and bad.
8) Trips: I went to Nevada, California, Oregon, and Idaho on one trip (the DD Council trip to Sparks). Hilarity ensued and some of it I'm pretty sure isn't totally printable. Other great trips included Seattle (which I also got to walk on a railroad and go to a few great restaurants as well as the other things I did there which were many), Moscow for the State Games, hiking, extreme floating, extreme rafting, rafting, hot springs, Pine Flats with my friend Jason, Sun Valley with S.O. College, Jump Creek to take pictures, and Ketchum for Family Camp. I have had a great time traveling for sure.
7) My Bromate: OK, so most of our shenanigans aren't totally printable and if we loved each other more I would be more gay and he would probably be bisexual, but all you need to know is that my roommate and I have the best non-couple bromantic relationship ever. It is almost like we were made for each other in the most heterosexual way. 3 1/2 years and still going so strong.
6) Volunteering: I volunteered for Boise Urban Garden School, Special Olympics, Boise Rescue Mission, Southminster Presbyterian Church/Grace Jordan, Idaho Food Bank, Children's Miracle Network, the Democratic Party, This Is Boise, as well as a few other organizations when I had time as well as Service Saturdays and photo ops for leadership and have donated money several places too. It feels great to be more involved in the community and it's been great to be in that place where I can help.
5) Not Getting Hurt (Mostly): Despite some dangerous activity (kickboxing, body combat, dancing, frisbee, volleyball, and said things above) and walking probably close to 2,000 miles and doing a 1/2 marathon, a 5K, and a 10K as well as a few thousand laps and many other exercise classes, power workouts, weights, and a 2-on-1 game, I haven't had my knees or ankles sprained once and I've only had one injury doing any of those things: a strained back. I did bang my head on a billboard but otherwise was injury-free and only had illness for 5 1/2 weeks this year. Pretty awesome!
4) Finding Ways To Cope: So integral to my success is finding ways to cope. Some of them include exercising, taking a short vacation, journaling, visualization, classical music, walking, and so many others. I am lucky to have aptly named Tender Thoughts in my life, a great Counselor, a great support system where many of them are only a phone call away, and being able to get good sleep when I do as well as see movies and craft and read. These are pivotal to keeping me well during breaks.
3) Spiritual Journey: I have gone on a parabola and have come back and gone away so many times but especially the last half of the year I have had a strong sense of spiritual self. I have enjoyed getting to understand my faith better and it's simply quality (great times in two churches) vs. quantity (several church organizations and not being fully fulfilled). It has taken 16 years as a Christian to find balance in that and I finally have.
2) Great Grades: Roll call for this year on grades: A-, B-, B, A, and P. So well for all the stuff I did those semesters and in the summer. I have to confess there were 3 times I didn't want to go to Yoga class but did anyway. There were few times when I struggled with pain in my classes this Fall but went anyway. There was one time when I had such a long day that I drank a Red Bull at 4:30 right before class but stayed in it anyway. There was one time when I went to class after working 4 hours. Sacrifices like that are the reason why I am at a 2.944 (and counting) in college with 4 or 5 terms to go. Just think- 2 to 2 1/2 years and it won't matter.
1. Brushes With Fame: From the time with Obama behind him and shaking his hand to being picked up by my place at work for the piece of my speech about Albertsons' and Special Olympics to a couple other times on TV and once or twice in the newspaper and a few times with Boise State related things in print and in photograph, I have had a great year catching the Bott-a-ratzi. It's been fun. Indicative of that year were the random videos that were done and the fruition of my BUS attempts getting to take later BUSes into action. Yep 2015 has been a great year!

Attitude of Gratitude

When I go through life, I am a thankful person. I share love and thanks with individuals and I am thankful for even things that my Mother and sisters do for me and don't take it for granted. When I think of this type of attitude, I think it's an attitude of gratitude. I am a conscious person and caring and loving and thoughtful. I am respectful and always thinking of others. I am a heartfelt dude with a lot of hope for others. But instead of what I can offer others, I often think of what others can offer me. There is a lot of change in the world and I am hopeful to see that and the caring attitudes of others. The hope that people can be inventive in their own caring attitude and the strength for taking away the struggles of the people involved and then showing love towards them. This is an attitude that I want more of each and every day and there is a lot of hopefulness in this attitude. Gratitude isn't something that should just be limited to Thanksgiving- I am going to write my thank yous to people who have done stuff for me already this holiday season tonight and also say thank you when I get something that is kind. I am hopeful that my generation can continue to strive to have this attitude- the more individuals and participants who have it the better place the world is. Let's continue to have an attitude of gratitude every day and continue to strive to change the world one individual at a time. And I can't wait to let everyone know that it does make a difference. Stay tuned for my next blog in the AutBott series: 2015- the year I learned a lot (and not just in school)

77 Reasons

This blog is about my all-time favorite number. It is not 69 (no matter what my roommate believes), it is no longer 27 (my fave as a little kid because of preview days with Daffy Duck movie), and it is not 99 (approximately how many problems I have some days.) No it is a number that is God's number and it has been my favorite number since I was 18. 77! As some people may have noticed I am slightly obsessed with that number. Each time I recount in my mind "goofball sports", a routine I created when I was younger and still go through in my mind everyday, I am "Big Number 77". My blog number for this one: 77. My sister's birth year: 1977. My due date: 7-7-83. My email address: bigjesusdude77 (more of a hint for height in that one, as I am also 77 inches). My favorite number is 77 for all these reasons and more. It doesn't stop with the e-mail address: my Twitter handle is crazyI777- which I chose the extra 7 in there because 7 and 3 are both God's numbers, so 7 3 times should be triple lucky. My all-time favorite number is 77 also because I see a religious side to it too- 7 is God's number, so 77 is double as lucky. 77 is also the number of times Jesus said to forgive- though he meant 70 X 7 which is infinity. Symbolism is high also because I got my first free throws and my first foul in a long and industrious basketball career in 7th grade. I had my best at-bats wearing number 7 and some of my best basketball years wearing number 7. The amount of semesters in college, high school, and middle school is 69 not counting summer, which, oddly enough is 82 counting summer which take out high school summers it would be 77. All the things I've chosen to commit to there is a lot of symbolism as 77. My starting college weight was 177 and it's near that right now. 77 is my favorite number for this and many more reasons. And you may wonder what I've done to continue my end of the religious trend, which in my estimation is plenty. Even at home.

Depression: A Big-Time Challenge

I want to take a minute to tell you all about a challenge that is far bigger than my autism challenge: depression. I get depressed in October, in December, in March, in June and occasionally other months. There are reasons why for all of them: some familial, some school-related, some related to change in scheduling, some related to busyness and stress taking a toll. Realizing this I guess the important thing to do is to recognize it and embrace it when it comes. My Mom said that life ebbs and flows. October is most definitely an ebb month. I get depressed without fail every October sometimes for a week, sometimes for a day, sometimes for half the month to the point when I consider ending it and thinking I can't be happy again (e.g. October 2013). What keeps me going is the fact that I have great support and I have excellent friends, family, and colleagues- if I didn't have them, I'd probably be dead right now because I used to be suicidal and I still have that tendency. For people to say to people "don't be sad" or to say "I'm sorry" depending on what they mean doesn't help. People with depression deal with ebb and flow of emotions and it comes and goes- sometimes stays for months and other times releases in a day. Due to my depression being more rampant in the months that it is I need to eat well, be kind to myself, get in a good sleep routine, etc. to stay on top of my A-Game. And I need to remember that it's OK to be depressed. It's OK to be manic. When I realize that it's fine to be this way every once in a while and that everyone gets the blues on occasion- with some being down for a long time and others recognizing that it only lasts a day or two and while some isn't bad enough to be clinical: 1 in 20 suffer from depression that is bad enough to be clinical. So in other words I'm like 5% of the world and some of the brightest minds. Which puts me in plentiful company as well as in the company of many big-time authors, athletes, and actors- depression isn't bad, it should be talked about more. And to summarize the biggest lesson: you never know who you can help or how you can save a life.

Blog Number 75

Here is blog number 75. Counting down my 15 biggest achievements from 5 different categories. I know I've done this before, but since it's a 75th blog, I figure I might as well give it a whirl:
Academics:
1. Getting an A- in Environmental Studies
2. Getting an A in Math
3. Getting an A- in Research Methods
4. Getting a B+ in my two Senior Seminar classes
5. Getting a B+ in Gender Studies
6. Getting an A in Non-Profit Management, a 3-week Summer Class
7. Getting an A in Listening, a 5-week summer class
8. Getting straight A+s the semester after getting hit by the car the first time
9. Getting on the honor roll the 1st quarter of my Senior year in High School
10. Getting an A+ in Applied Leadership
11. Being 4 classes away from graduation after this semester
12. Getting close to a B average in college despite all my extracurricular activities
13. Getting honors grade in my Major despite all my extracurricular activities as of right now
14. Graduating high school with a 3.22 despite living in the group home at that time
15. Getting an A in Conflict Management when that was an aptly useful class
Social:
1. Making friends at a whim at Boise State
2. Being involved in several activities of several types for as long as I have
3. Having a set of friends I can hang out with every month at Boise State
4. Having a great Special Olympics community in all of its forms
5. Having a great roommate that I can trust
6. Going everywhere and knowing someone
7. Being the unofficial mascot at Southminster and at Boise State
8. Donating 50 pints of blood
9. International travel to Jamaica and Brazil
10. Volunteering at the Rescue Mission and Boise Samaritan Village
11. The community at work where I've been for eight years
12. My friends I meet at the coffee shops and how many of them know me by name
13. My time at the gym and the friendships I've made there
14. Being in a few different relationships
15. Coming out as bisexual (meaning that I am attracted to both men and women, nothing more)
Physical:
1. Going down from 215 a year and a half ago to around 200 and a half-marathon in a couple weeks
2. My basketball career lasting as long as it had
3. My softball career lasting as long as it had
4. All the variations of the hikes I've been on (and still see new stuff close to every time)
5. Trying new things all the time
6. Taking up dancing as a 230-pound 26 year old
7. Taking up yoga and pilates as a 230-pound 26 year old
8. Always being game for new classes even when I have zero idea what I'm doing
9. Taking up tricycling at age 30
10. Taking up running at age 25
11. Walking over 10,000 miles and swimming over 10,000 laps the last several years (and counting)
12. Being in a super-elite REC club of epic proportions
13. Being in 3 gyms right now and getting max benefit
14. Trying to eat clean and most days succeeding lately
15. Averaging around 95 this year in bowling despite only going once a month
Emotional:
1. Almost making bipolar to where it isn't noticeable even by pros
2. Making autism barely noticeable
3. Keeping anxiety below a 6 all year (except part of the Spring semester)
4. Finding a great counselor
5. Finding an excellent support group
6. Listening to impulses
7. Creating boundaries with friends
8. Constant work on voice modulation
9. Continued work on social cues
10. Not getting as angry when things go wrong
11. Not creating as much disappointment when things go wrong
12. My can-do attitude
13. Creating good ways of dealing with professors in time of need
14. Creating better speaking up skills to help with anxiety
15. Being optimistic and happy with who I am- every day is a great day because we're alive
Spiritual:
1. Trying different churches out
2. Being at Southminster and sticking it out in the tough times and in the good
3. Being a member of a church and having other duties there
4. Being a deacon of a church
5. Being an usher of multiple churches
6. Supporting the church at Pride
7. Supporting the church at Vacation Bible School
8. Being a youth leader in a church
9. Doing prayer groups and Bible Studies and checking them out to see a different view
10. Stepping down from Engage Truth when the time was right
11. Stepping down from CRU and Synergy when my views changed on how I was treated
12. Stepping down from Intervarsity and Young Life on my own terms
13. Creating a great sense of belonging at Intervarsity and Engage Truth despite differences for a long time
14. Helping out with other volunteer things, being in a New Beginnings class, and being in a committee while in college
15. Going to Camp Sawtooth over 10 times in 6 years and then going back in 2015 in a completely different capacity than ever before
So these are some of my accomplishments that I've made- most in the past little bit but also some in the last bit before that. I will be including other categories on the hot Bott 100 but that is 25 blogs from now. Until that time, I will be writing more reflective blogs and a few of my poems I've been working on the past several months and some musings on things that I've learned recently. Good luck to all of you and keep remembering- I am the AutBott

A Vision

I vision a day when people are brought together with hope, dreams, love, and fulfillment no matter their orientation, gender, ethnicity, faith, education, challenges, abilities, and social status. I dream of a time when people can look at each other because of who they are, not what they are. I dream of a day when there can be a woman president, a secular president, and most definitely a LGBT or Hispanic president- someone that further breaks the norms that Obama broke for the last two terms. I dream of a place where people can continue to be on an even field despite theological differences and can talk civilly about their churches' attitudes and about what they want to achieve with their faith without being totally judgmental (that goes for me too). I dream of an age where people don't get stereotyped by what they are in to and listen to but rather what they decide to do with their lives whether good or bad strangers can see their mistakes and triumphs in what they are doing to continually change and grow. I dream of a place where people can no longer speak for those without a voice because everyone will have one. I am hoping to picture myself sitting next to a like-minded activist 40 years from now and have people compare this activism to the civil rights movement because we will continue to see positive social change for LGBT people and people who are queer, questioning, intersex, inquiring, allies, and asexual. I dream of a world where people who fit outside of the gender norm whether androgynous-gender, bi-gender, transgender, agender, or otherwise don't have to come out as a big spectacle and LGBT people don't either. I dream of a world where people can come out in team sports and not be ostracized for their orientation. But I know that this world is a long way off and it makes me sad. I know that this probably will not be accomplished in my lifetime even if I live to be 101 years old. So I'm hoping that the future generations can continue to strive towards happiness, love, life, and the hope and dreams for all. Because I feel like when I'm in heaven at the end of the day and this happens even if it's 777 years from now or way sooner I can so "well done world."

Summer of Success

As the summer is over and school starts tomorrow, I have been thinking a lot about what this summer has meant and what I've done. I have a lot to be proud of: financial providence (increased Social Security, Investment, Success with Free Reign, Personal Care Increase, Travel Payments, etc.), Trip Excitement (Extreme Rafting, National/State DD Council, Seattle, Ketchum, Moscow, Pine Flats, and a few other day trips), Entertainment (several movies, several plays, outdoor recreation like Roaring Springs and Floating and several hikes), Leadership (Developmental Disability Council, Special Olympics, Self-Advocacy Leadership Network, Volunteering at Rescue Mission and Foodbank, Move-In, etc.) Gym Time (Memberships to the Y, Axiom, and the REC as well as free reign to the gym of outside) I have also donated 50 pints of blood (6 gallon pin) and about 8,600 laps (not a typo) lifetime in the REC. I have also done well with reading (so many books), game playing (don't play me in Kings in the Corner, Connect 4, or Yahtzee) and classes (Yoga and Non-Profit Management). I have done numerous sports and was on a swim team. So what could've been better? Not much at all. I mean sure I wish I could've seen my friends more but that's what the summer brings. Yeah, I wish I could've worked more but I still got my 8-year pin at Albertsons'. Yeah I wish I couldn't of been bored as much but I got stuff taken care of to fill most of my free time. I think what's most important is that I learned a lot: financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, socially, work-wise, and academically this is the best summer I've ever had. I attend a few other conferences and gleaned so much from everything. I mean the ways I could've done better financially the month before my Social Security went up cramped my style for about a week and a half but I had a lot of stuff to do anyways. Looking forward to what this term brings is exciting and I am proud to say overall all things considered it was a summer of success!

Summer Fun

This blog is going to be a lot more interesting than normal it is going to be a few paragraphs musing on summer fun and how I did extremely well getting things taken care of in the busyness.

This summer I not only felt accomplished especially lately (6 gallon pin for blood donation, swim bag for swimming 8,000+ laps lifetime at the REC, extreme rafting, financial independence and fun in Reno, etc.), I also felt like I was able to continue to strengthen old friendship and new ones and keep looking forward and moving forward overall. I have volunteered some and I have also continued to strengthen bonds with organizations and continue to change lives for the Developmental Disability Council, Self-Advocacy Leadership Network, Boise Rescue Mission, Special Olympics, and volunteering at the Idaho Foodbank. I also have continually seen growth in how I deal with different arenas of love, joy, excitement, and seeing through my lack of privilege on issues as well as an exuberant amount of reading.

As the last few days I have before school starts, I am doing a presentation, having a few appointments, doing interviews and getting club stuff started, training appointments, a breakfast and dinner, a couple of plays, and move-in. I am going to be tired at the end of the summer but intend to go to Get REC'D and Recover anyway because I enjoy it thoroughly. Then school starts on Monday the 24th- so my Summer is basically over. I have enjoyed the trips to Ketchum, Sparks, the side trips to Tahoe and Reno, the various little towns in Oregon and Nevada and Idaho's rest stops, Seattle, Snohomish, Moscow, Pine Flats, the rafting trips, the hikes, the various coffee and dinner stops, and the fortunate time I've had seeing several movies. I also took a couple of classes this summer too and besides volunteering for Southminster for Vacation Bible School and another thing or two there I also competed on a swim team. I also worked some at home and at Albertsons' and hung out with old roommates from the group home- all the while longing for a smaller gap between school.

I guess sometimes I wonder if things are going my way, learning happens, listening happens and life happens. I split my head open this summer and got a mild concussion. I also have been in Physical Therapy and Psychotherapy (Counseling) for quite a long time- years in fact. While this has been a piece for my own life to be strengthened and I don't know what it would be like without it, I also wonder if these skills are necessarily needed life-long. My life is forever changed though from my experiences this summer and I hope that I have seen changes in how I live my life and approach things. I have also made a commitment to get stronger physically and emotionally and get more committed spiritually. I have given this summer my all.

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

When I was younger I got upset if my routine was changed and I got sometimes rattled easily. But now things are going super-well and I'm feeling stronger all the time. Things aren't always what they seem in life, in rationale, in school, and even on social media. I wanted to use this as a precursor for the DD Council Conference. By now some of you all who see Facebook regularly see all the fun we are having and all the excitement and while I rode the bull, line danced, went to Reno, ate plenty of good meals, went to the arcade, had a beer, swam 26 laps in a span of not many hours and spent time in the hot tub as well as a power workout and visited a few places on the way down, it hasn't been all fun and games. There has been several session on Developmental Disabilities, plenty of conversation with many people from other councils as well as our own, and lots of information on Developmental Disability rules. There has been a lot of conversations and history that was brought on by what the people have in their history and the excitement of what is needed for the Developmental Disability Council and the predicaments that we are in. I had to dress up every day until today too because while there was some fun had and a trip to Tahoe tonight, I am in fact representing the Idaho DD Council. I look at it as a complete honor and a completely high amount of respect and reverence for being chosen for both the Council and for the conference and being paid for to attend the conference. I also have continued to strengthen my ties with the staff on my council and have learned a lot on self-advocacy in other states and have learned some about strengthening the DD arena and continue to make sure that everyone is welcome. Some of my thoughts were challenged on living situations and some of the policy, while it didn't make much sense was necessary. I enjoyed having conversations with some people from elsewhere and have genuinely enjoyed having conversations with members of my own council on various entities. You see, this trip had plenty of play time but was also a time for learning and direction and genuine appreciation for what the council does. So while I've had fun, it's just like when I was younger and at school- things aren't always what they seem to the eye and you have to attach a point of change and reference to it sometimes- while this was a time to have fun, it was as much a business trip as anything else. Thank you to the DD Council and I hope for a lot longer to serve amazing people in my state and eventually beyond.

The Friends Who Have Changed My Life (10 Male/ 10 Female)

These are the friends outside of church at Southminster/group home that have changed my life forever (they are exempt because it would be all just them otherwise and that's not fair):
Women:
1) Alexis Traxinger
2) Jessie Candeub
3) Alex Kraibel
4) Mattie Danner
5) Mellissa Corn
6) Courtney Johnson
7) Taylor Lance
8) Jenny Foote
9) Cortni Welch
10) Kenzi Holland
Men:
1) Zack Mudd
2) Scott Jones
3) Jeff Wilson
4) Jason Von Huene
5) Roberto Eguia
6) Colton Evans
7) Paul Hemker
8) Dave Dekker
9) Tomas Wheaton
10) Cam Newton (The Frisbee One)
Honorable Mention For Women (5):
1) Ilinda Peeslee
2) Wendy Kulm
3) Darby Eberling
4) Marrissa Watkins
5) Taylor Klein
Honorable Mention For Men (5):
1) Phillip Bravo
2) Reuben Murray
3) Jim Hewitt
4) Jesse Curtis
5) Tyler Shockey
I have so many friends but these are the best ever. Friends that I can see being life-long and caring for me no matter the consequences. They are amazing people in my life and true champions.

The Leader Life (Top Ten Leadership Student Moments)

I have done a lot of student leadership moments. I have been international as a student leader (Jamaica) out of the state (Baltimore, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington) and as a community leader have gone to several places in and out of town and will soon be going to Nevada. The list of things I've done is endless (just about). But here in no particular order of impressiveness are my top ten student leadership moments in college:
10. Starting a club
9. Autism Campus Inclusion in Baltimore
8. Winter Games For Two Years, Youth Summit for Two Years, and Special Olympics internship
7. Being nominated Spirit of Boise State and being the 1st one to win
6. Being a site leader for four? years
5. Partnership Jamaica (the first group)
4. Leadershape (also the first group)
3. Being in several Boise State YouTube promotional videos
2. Being in the Boise Obama video, shaking Obama's hand, and being right behind Obama when he was in town.
1. Being one of the most faithful Service Learning students when I do a class with that and often continuing afterwards
and just for fun the top 10 community leadership highlights in college:
10. Testifying at the capitol for those who couldn't
9. Being a founding member of Self-Advocacy Leadership Network
8. Apologizing to members of the LGBT community
7. Sharing my story with parents of those with autism
6. Advocating for the BUS system in Boise
5. Torch Run for Winter Games in 2009
4. Sharing my story at the CPI conference a few times
3. Helping out at Vacation Bible School often- so many kids having smiling faces
2. Creating a safe place for people to talk about mental health by showing love and care to them
1. Being selected to the Developmental Disability Council, the State Self-Advocacy Leadership Network board, and the Consortium of Idahoans with Disabilities.
Like I said in no particular order of impressiveness I have done plenty of great things and will continue to. I admit it I have a long ways to go on making the world an even better place but by being a leader and showing from the heart, I have continually changed lives. Stay tuned for my next blog: the best friends I have right now that have changed my life.

A Most Willing Volunteer

When I started volunteering in high school with the Environmental Awareness Club and with the Meridian Parks Department I had no idea it was going to be long-term. I also did not know to what extent I would be filling and in what capacity. I have volunteered at about 15 non-profits in Boise and a few others other places (Jamaica, Washington, Oregon, and Maryland as well as other places) and have enjoyed every single one. I have also thoroughly enjoyed the wide range of things I've done. Whether it's warehousing or helping the elderly, volunteering is something I felt like I was born to do. I also have done many other leadership-related volunteering with the Self-Advocacy Leadership Network, Boise State, and the Special Olympics (among others). I have enjoyed most of my volunteering and most definitely am not there just so I don't get fined. I have a passion for the volunteering flame that cannot be extinguished, a metaphor that surely can change lives and inspire others to do the same. I feel like my life wouldn't be as complete without volunteering and I feel like I can continue to piece together my hope, my dreams, my self-actualization, and my prominent feelings with volunteering. No matter what happens in my life I know that not only I can make myself better but continue to make others around me better and continue to inspire them. Due to my passion and my self-awareness and advocacy, volunteering continues to lose complacency and continue to show extreme appreciation for everything that I do. Volunteering is my passion and maybe a future career in the non-profits. If I make it a side hobby, I can continue my passion and my stud persona of someone who is always willing to lead. It's win-win. A passion that started 16 years ago has blown away and continues to make things better for everyone. And while I am no longer going to site lead due to my 4 officer positions and everything else (you see I'm not kidding about doing too much and some aren't kidding about being too passionate), volunteering is something I will do semi-often because I feel like it's a great duty. I am willing to get off my rear and continue to volunteer. And I love leadership- go team!

Beliefs

This is going to be a very controversial blog. I have been called a straightlaced person for quite a while and some people to this day think that since I don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs, don't watch many R-Rated movies, and am Christian that I am a Republican. Those people don't know me. I am an unconventional Christian and one of the most open-minded Christians you will ever meet. Here are 3 of my more unconventional beliefs:

1) I am a feminist (believer in equal rights for women) and am 100% full gay rights: I believe that you can't tell a women what they can do when it comes to anything, including abortion. While I believe that a woman should never choose abortion when it isn't necessary, it is sometimes necessary. When a woman has been raped, incested, or when the baby is going to die immediately, it is traumatic to carry it to term. And I am fully supportive of woman rights in everything else too. Gay rights is another issue that I love. People are born gay, it is not a choice, it is not a lifestyle, and if someone says that they are gay, bisexual, or lesbian, they are- there is no way that someone who says they are would be lying because there is so much backlash that these people see. And the whole God hates gays myth is damaging- I know several gay couples and some other gay Christians and they are just as much, if not more faithful to God and each other than some heterosexual married couples.

2) I don't believe in hell in the afterlife: I believe hell is a personal thing that people experience on Earth and that I have seen it several times- getting bullied everyday and having an oppressive teacher? that's hell. Feeling unsafe somewhere due to preconceived notions? That's hell. But as far as the hell afterlife thing, I believe that there is heaven and there are some people who are just destined to stay in the ground. And as a disclaimer to my belief on heaven, I don't believe that Jesus Christ is a one-sized fits all ticket to heaven: I believe everyone has a fighting chance except for rapists, murderers, and people who are pedophile sex offenders. Everyone else has a fighting chance in my estimation.

3) There were probably bi/gay/asexual people in the Bible but we don't know and some of them are celebrated: Because sexuality wasn't openly discussed in Biblical days, we don't know who was straight and who wasn't. But there were some inferences to King David being bisexual, Jesus never being married (that we know of), and a few lesbian stories here and there. These are mostly read between the lines of liberal Bible studies. Call me a blasphemeous person if you want for me making this claim, but homosexuality in the Bible? There was no word for it, it was all lust and prostitution in those several inferences on homosexuality.

I know I'm going to lose friends for these claims. At this point, I could care less, this is what I believe through my thousands of hours of studying the Bible and Christianity. Stay tuned for my next blog: College Education Saved My Life. Coming after my 3-week class.

A Journey Of 10,000 Miles Begins With My Foot

Over the past decade, I have done a lot of exercising. I have done yoga and pilates over the past 5 years and until recently, I was a several sport star. I did football, frisbee, basketball, swimming, running, weight-training, and many classes at both the REC and the Y. I have also done some biking and trike-riding. But my most prevalent form of exercise is (and probably always will be) walking. You see, I have walked over 10,000 miles in the past decade (I have no idea since I started walking as a primary form of transport years ago I have lost count, but I estimate I walk at least 1,000 miles a year). I have also done frequent amounts of hiking and will do more this summer. Walking is not only transport and exercise, it is also where I get the majority of my praying done and my therapeutic thinking done. And it is an all-purpose type of exercise that I can do without much effort or on a day without heavy exercise as an option. Get a massage, do acupuncture, or donate blood? I can still walk. Do several exercise things throughout the day and be as sore as a person in a bind? I can still walk. Look for transport when tired? I can still walk. Not only is it all-purpose, I also can account for mileage in what I need to do, get where I need to, and appreciate other things that I do that other people can't. Granted my legs aren't as good as they used to be, and my ankles and knees have chronic issues, but I can walk for miles and feel great. I genuinely feel like my legs work and I have appreciation for them by doing what is needed for my realizations of strength and realizations of limitations. I BUS, I walk, I trike, and I am a passenger. But the one I love the most and feel happiest with (and have lost numerous amounts of weight with) is walking. My I walk on evermore.

Ian Bott Is A Hero Also Ian Bott Is A Bad Dude (Random Facts Edition)

Here are the 10 random facts that people don't know about me (well some do):
1) I have had my hair 18 different combinations including up to five colors at the same time. These include shaved (which I've done almost that many times) and natural. Talk about hair-raising.
2) I love to give hugs and high-fives. That almost everybody knows. What they don't know is either can make my day that much sweeter and can change a bad day into an amazing day.
3) I topped out at around 250 lbs. several years ago. And I've lost 45 lbs. of it and at one point dropped another 15 lbs. off of that. Thank you exercise and eating better and taking out gluten for that.
4) I am a hero. I am also a bad dude.
5) I like the name Ian Bott for two reasons: 1) both names increase the chance for puns 2) it is perilously close to James Bond (my middle name is James.) I have gotten called 007 by one of my ex-coworkers in the past.
6) I am probably the most feminine and straightest bisexual man you'll ever meet.
7) My activism career started because of someone in my youth group and has taken all sorts of turns. That is something that has started with church and gotten heat because of church. But I still contend that my God is a God of love and is a fan of this.
8) I blame church for my coffee and my Dutch Bros. addiction. More accurately, a church member for Dutch Bros. and church camp for coffee. I will contend this to my grave.
9) 8th grade was when I made my first field goal in basketball. It is also the time that I scored a wrong-way basket and almost got what would've been my only technical if I didn't quiet down. The year before that I got my first foul and I finished my school ball career with as many fouls as field goals and my Special Olympics career had almost equal to fouls and field goals. There was one tournament where I had 8 fouls and scored 12 field goals and in my final game I had 2 fouls and 1 field goal. Talk about a bad dude.
10) I quote rap battles and watch them all the time. And I have a bad YouTube fixation. But I am still not much of a TV watcher, I'd rather read or watch YouTube.
Bonus couple: 1) I voted for Obama twice and 2) my own Mom said that I've always been unconventional and she once said I'm an alien.
Hope this series was entertaining. Stay tuned for the next one, a blog on walking.

Ian Bott Is A Hero Also Ian Bott Is One Bad Dude (My Hobbies)

Here are some of my incredibly interesting hobbies I have:
1) Ian Bott likes to collect coffee cups and stacking them. Ian Bott likes to save his cups for a couple of weeks and then take a pic of them before they are all gone. It is one of the most interesting hobbies I've ever had.
2) Ian Bott is an art fiend. His room is almost all the way covered in art and only a few of those things were bought. Ian Bott is thinking about declaring his room the most Ianteresting room in Boise.
3) Ian Bott is an exercise aficionado. Ian Bott will walk somewhere close over get a free ride, swim a bunch of laps over sit on the couch, do yoga to stretch, and even uses his clubhouse gym when he doesn't have time to work out otherwise (or exercise videos). Ian Bott owns two gym memberships besides that despite limited income.
4) Has Ian Bott ever done something heroic? Of course.
5) One of Ian Bott's more interesting hobbies (and one of the most controversial) is that Ian Bott is an activist. Pick a cause and Ian Bott has his opinion on it (if it is a progressive cause, it is most likely going to be positive). Ian Bott has done plenty on gay rights, transit, disability advocacy, and is a proud supporter of raising the minimum wage in Idaho.
6) Ian Bott has a love for sitting in a hot tub. That is the best kind of relaxation along with reading and visualization and yoga and pilates for Ian Bott.
7) Ian Bott has a very interesting hobby- photography. Ian Bott loves to take pictures of friends, scenery, and objects and showing them to the world via Facebook. one of Ian Bott's picture fixations is trees.
8) Ian Bott has a weird hobby and that is scrapbooking. Ian Bott doesn't do it very often but when he does it takes an hour or so and Ian Bott takes an hour or so doing everything that encompasses it. Sometimes Ian Bott isn't so quiet about it and that can get him in trouble.
9) Does Ian Bott collect anything else besides coffee cups? Compact Discs, books, bracelets, pins, boxes, clothes, tea, coffee, art, journals- oh wait- this list makes me even more feminine/hippie-ish.
10) Ian Bott does a weird art thing called hippie coloring. He takes a light pastel and colors the heck out of a page. Ian Bott also does art projects and talks on the phone and texts a lot and writes poetry. No word on whether or not Ian Bott is slightly female.
That's the list for now. Ian Bott is a hero. Also he is a bad dude.

Ian Bott Is A Hero Also Ian Bott Is One Bad Dude (Leadership Edition)

This is Part 4 of a 6-part series on some fun facts. The last two are going to be coming up before spring break and they are going to be hobbies and random things that no one would expect unless they knew me. These are going to be perhaps the most fun of all of the series.
1. Ian Bott's first experience of leadership came when he dressed up as Guinnevere in King Arthur in 6th grade because no one else did. Ian Bott was in a dress in the play and it was awkward.
2. Ian Bott loves to do things that no one else likes to think is possible. A couple years ago Ian Bott started tackling the BUS system and gay rights in Idaho. Ian Bott is still trying to figure out how to work the system and it's a long process but Ian Bott is still at it.
3. Has Ian Bott ever been told to no longer due leadership due to sexual orientation? Sadly yes.
4. Ian Bott has worn many hats for Special Olympics. One of the most interesting hats he has worn was intern. Ian Bott did much volunteer work, a blog, lots of over-sharing on Facebook, and some interesting conferences as a part of this internship. It was fascinating.
5. Ian Bott started being a part of Self-Advocacy Leadership Network at the urging of someone and has tried to do most everything that person has wanted him to try. And she is my hero.
6. Ian Bott has been someone who can be counted on for quieter leadership too. Ian Bott has been an usher in church under several usher coordinators and Ian Bott has been someone who has spent a listening ear or two at times in need.
7. Ian Bott has been a team captain on several occasions. One of the most interesting times (not to be repeated) was when Ian Bott walked 93 laps around the track and danced and tossed a football around and listened to several speakers. The event? Relay For Life.
8. Ian Bott thinks that no water is too cold. Why? On a sub-freezing day in 2014, he jumped into sub-frozen water at the Penguin Plunge. It will never be repeated.
9. Ian Bott has been a President, a Vice-President, a Sergeant-of-Arms, a Sports Director, and a Boise Representative at different spots in clubs. Next thing up: Historian! It's on Ian Bott's bucket list to do all of these things. Also, Ian Bott has been a Prayer Team member, on committees (too many of them), spoken at conferences, coordinated Tunnel of Oppression, organized a march, and the list goes on.
10. Ian Bott stood behind President Obama with a green ticket in Boise Idaho and was on TV for a streaming session the whole time. While being on TV isn't special since Ian Bott has been on TV 10+ times and been in the newspaper of some kind 5-6+ times, being in there for some reason besides Special Olympics and gay rights is particularly unique.
So now you know more about this bad dude. Ian Bott is a genuine hero. Also Ian Bott is one bad dude.

Ian Bott Is A Hero, Also Ian Bott Is One Bad Dude (Part 3): Some Of The Best Friend-Meeting Stories

1. One time I was at Leadership Quest and got up and did the Superman dance and got $20. I also met someone that day who I consider one of my biggest inspirations to this day and we were great friends (and we did hang out for a while) for years.
2. I met a bunch of people the fall of 2013 and they were all friends. In the span of that semester and the semesters to follow, they have all become some of my favorite people in the world even though some of the things they do are kind of crazy when we hang out, we are good for each other.
3. I met my roommate in baseball 16 years ago. I was cheering for him right away and we had a solid conversation that night. In the years to follow he has become my best male friend and a probable best-man if I get married.
4. Have I met someone at a coffee shop and then followed them to a different coffee shop with as much as I drink coffee? of course.
5. My best friend besides Scott that's male I met at a New Year's Eve party. For the next several years we have always hung out on New Year's Eve.
6. The best colleagues I have had I have met at professional things, most of them that I were at events where I was at. I didn't know that some of the best things I could've done would've come out of those professional friendships but here I am continuing to change lives- one colleague friendship at a time.
7. One of the coolest exercise instructor friend stories: we met at a graduation party for one of our friends. And we have become BFFLs ever since and she is one of my biggest heroes.
8. What's the weirdest best friend story I have? I met one of my best friends to this day at a basketball game that I was playing against him. Well, not exactly but we saw each other for the first time in 10+ years that day. We first met in a now-defunct school when we were in Kindergarten.
9. Have I made friends at work that I appreciate the time I spend with them? Of course I have.
10. And class- lots of those stories. Over the years even when I have been outside of class with friends for a while, I always seem to reconnect. They are some of the best friends I've ever had to this point I have met in class and I am always cherished to have them.
And all of them say that I'm a hero. and an awesome dude.

Ian Bott Is A Hero, Also Ian Bott Is One Bad Dude (Part 2)

Here are some of the athletic conquests that I am (somewhat) proud of over the years or stories of some contrast:
1) When Ian Bott was a first-year in high school, he was on the B team for basketball. he hadn't scored all season up to this point. pulling Meridian a dagger to the heart, he made a 35-footer with 5 seconds left. One-handed. And that was when I knew I was a sharp-shooter. It was also the first time that a coach pre-arranged it on the 5A level of high school in Idaho to my knowledge.
2) Ian Bott got his highest score bowling with his roommate as his bowling coach years before he was his roommate. A bit over 200. And his low score was a 23. So much contrast and his average is somewhere around 100.
3) When Ian Bott played Unified Softball for four years he was your basic utility man: third-base, first-base, left-field, second-base, catcher, pinch-runner, and finger/heart breaker.
4) When Ian Bott was on the swim team he ended up swimming so well that he was known as the quick gold man. An 8-time gold medalist and 1 silver medal and still despite dominating, he will get back into it.
5) Ian Bott one time danced for 7+ hours and played 3 games of basketball on a Saturday and he had a test the next Monday. Got a B on the test but considering it was his birthday he should've gotten an A.
6) Ian Bott one time did several sunrise hikes, a basketball game, a couple of volleyball games, an 1/8th marathon, and some climbing over a week at camp. and for some of the time he's in Boise, that's a slow week.
7) One time Ian Bott walked over 15 miles in a day including two races. Not really any real reason for the other walks other than transport but he did it all in stride and his legs came out OK.
8) One time Ian Bott rafted for several miles on an inflatable kayak. and everyone else flipped over except for his boat.
9) When Ian Bott was 5 he saw for two hours in the Atlantic Ocean. His family thought he was dead. He made it out alive but this was only his first brush with death as 21 years later he got hit by a car going to a baseball game and a year before that almost drowned again.
10) Ian Bott scored a game-winner several times in pick-up ball but never in organized basketball. his closest thing to a game-sealer came on a screen for his last victory as an organized player and his three that set up a game-winner and after that three he hugged a woman because he wanted to for the only foul of the game.
Iantertaining sports events in the life of Ian. Next time there is Ianergetic Leadership followed by friends of the Bott. He is a hero. He is also one bad dude.

Ian Bott Is A Hero, Also Ian Bott Is One Bad Dude

60 Things You Should Know About Ian Bott Broken Into 6 Categories:
Category 1: Academics
1. Ian Bott has a 2.8+ GPA in college despite getting a F, two D+s, and 1 D. That is augmented by getting pretty much As and Bs in every other subject other than science and some social sciences.
2. Ian Bott got a 3.22 GPA in high school that should have been higher except for two facts: 1) I was very much into people at the time (if you catch my drift) and 2) I lived in a group home.
3. The first time Ian Bott got an A in an advanced class in high school, he celebrated by going to a basketball game. The next time, he celebrated by going to a senior party. not much has changed apparently because the last time he got an A (for the first time in 2 years last fall), he celebrated by taking himself out to eat, doing hot yoga, and going to a fire party.
4. Has Ian Bott ever flunked a class with a good teacher? Absolutely not.
5. When Ian was in Algebra as a first-year student in high school, he was so confused that he transferred into Pre-Algebra. The next time he was a first year and struggled mightily with English 90, he ended up triumphing and considering himself a genius in France even though he was a group-home individual in Boise.
6. Ian denied Junior Honor Society in Middle School because of athletics. 6 years later, he won Special Education Student of the year and several other more minor awards and the next year he won Best Conqueror of Challenge. He got a 3.3 GPA in Middle School overall.
7. Ian's typical cake class in Elementary School: Spelling. His cake class in Middle School: History. His cake class in High School: English. His cake class in College: Leadership. Not counting study skills and P.E. of course, these were the subjects he did best at other than when wormen that he was crushing on.
8. Ian Bott studied Research Methods for hours every week the Fall semester. His typical Wednesday routine was to a) get off the BUS b) go to Dutch Bros. c) study/go to class d) go to the gas station e) computerize after class. Then he would typically study when he got home. First time doing Research Methods: F second time: A-. The second time he did the same amount of work but had a better group/professor.
9. Ian Bott got an 108% in Career and Life Planning the semester after he got hit by a car. Someone called him the Career and Life Planning Rock-Star.
10. Ian Bott took Math 025 three times. The third time he said that he was so excited to understand polynomials because he never understand them before and was excited to. He understood them enough to pass. Two years later he got his 1 and only A in a credited Math class, Math 124, saying that he was excited to understand geometry even though it hurt his brain and he thought Math was all a lie.
Some entertaining facts for round 1. These will be broken into 6 blogs and end with number 65 of the blogs. Look forward to the next 10 things you should know about Ian Bott in a more fun blog: athletics that Bott is hot for next week.

Luck Of Autism: Or 5 Reasons Why I'm Lucky To Have It

I feel pretty lucky lately. I feel like there are so many things that have gone my way and have gone well. Pretty much everything that I've done this year has been via a strong sense of leadership or a singular sense of improving self. But why should I feel lucky to have autism? Here are 5 TOP reasons why I shouldn't change it ever.
5: I am able to have an innumerable amount of energy: When I get stronger from my energy quotient, it is often when it's longer into the day. But even in the morning, I feel quite energized as long as I have my coffee and medications. Energy is something that I feel has helped me out in so many ways, from sports to leadership. It makes me stronger in everything, including conquering fears.
4: I am able to do plenty of leadership things I wouldn't probably otherwise be able to: I am on the Developmental Disabilities Council, am involved with the Self-Advocacy Leadership Network, have done Special Olympics in some capacity since age 11, have started a club on campus, have been involved in Advocacy Day and CID, and the list can probably continue on and on if I let it. Most of the things I've done in the community and even some in the Boise State community has been a result of my autism. My autism has strengthened my scope of leadership and it has made me see plenty of progress in peoples attitudes as a result.
3: I have a lot of interesting friends that for many of them I wouldn't meet otherwise: Most of my good friends I've accumulated other than school or church are Special Olympians, colleagues, or people involved in leadership-related advocacy things. They are people I consider some of the most fascinating and friendly people that I could ever ask for. I am proud to call them and my roommate friends and I not surely would've met a lot of them otherwise.
2: Being on medications enable me to get a lot of exercise and meet interesting people on the BUS: I am able to be around my surroundings and be able to get a lot of thought changing and be able to finalize thinking on my walks and I get a lot of prayer done then. I also know a majority of the BUS drivers well and meet plenty of people who talk to me when I get off the BUS often. People don't always know a person's story but my empathy and compassion makes me see people for what they are and how the approach me, whether on the BUS or elsewhere can seriously make me stop and ponder. And the exercise perk of not driving a car is pretty wonderful too.
1: Self-direction: My support workers all understand me. I am able to be pretty close to independent with some things to work on finalizing and my broker is wonderful- one of the best people I've ever met. My friends are interconnected in this and I feel great like I can do the things I need to do well and have some excellent people in my life. It is the best thing to happen to me.
These are some of the at least 20 reasons why if someone offered me a magic pill to eradicate my autism, I would say "I refuse" my autism is journey is summed up in one sentence uttered at the beginning of my activism career: "I wouldn't trade my disability for anything."