Blog Update + 2024 Life Updates

Hey! So I've been gone for a long time...well not gone just not blogging. I went from blogging once a week to not at all which sucks but life got busy and that's what I'm here to talk about! I do want to start blogging again, maybe once a month, do a monthly recap. A lot of fun things have happened which I can't cover everything but I'll cover the bigger things here!

Going forward I want to blog at least once a month, I can't promise that but blogging was a great way for me to track my life progress and share updates on my interests, work and random things that make me happy! I do that stuff in my Instagram stories, which I will continue to do but I like having this as an archive for anyone to go through. So goal is at the end of every month! This month I've just been very sick...

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What's new? Well I won a Youth Buzz Awards 2024! I was short listed and nonmined for the same award last year, this year I actually won it. I'm so honoured that I got the Outstanding Achievements Award! Honestly this time last year I wouldn't think I'd have deserved it, I put a lot of work into myself over the course of last year. I've really been pushing myself to be the best version of myself, and I guess others have noticed too! I'm very grateful for the Local Offer, DISC and of course SENDCode.

Funny story, my name was misspelled on the my certificate and the programme, I was listed as 'Caprice Dibble' instead of Dipple, they resent my certificate which was nice! Luckily my mum told them about the mistake so they changed the name for the big screen and the announcement of my winning, it was funny though and I just knew with that bad luck I was going to win with the wrong name!

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I started playing Para Ice Hockey! It's the most fun I've had in so long, it's a lot more freeing than my wheelchair, it's more fun to move around in. I love every second on the ice and always get excited for training session, I train every other Thursday. I am a big fan of Ice Hockley and was always sad I never got the chance to play when I could walk, this has gave me that opportunity to play and I'm so happy I did! I've also felt so disconnected with my physical disability, but being around so many other wheelchair users and people with physical disabilities was a nice change!

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Appearance update: I have blue and purple hair now, and a new tattoo! The hair was highly inspired by Sulley from Monsters, Inc, done by my amazing hairdresser Pete, love him!

Next is my tattoo, two rhinos matching my teddy bear! I've had him since I was 11 months old and he's been my best friend, travelled everywhere with me! This is and will likely always be my most meaningful tattoo. It has more meaning than just my teddy, it's my growth, my happiest days and saddest. Every problem I ever have I know I can come home and hold him and everything will feel better. I may be 22 but he's been with me all my life and I couldn't imagine not having him with me! So having a part of him on me everywhere I go is the best feeling ever! I love how the tattoo came out, same place I got my last one, different artist but still turned out just as amazing as my first!

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I needed a new wheelchair and the one I wanted was a bit out of my price range, so despite the fact I hate asking for help, I did. I started a GoFundMe to hopefully get just some help with getting the chair. Within 5 days I raised £3,066, the chair was £2,700, I was able to get the chair the same week I started the GoFundMe! I am forever grateful to everyone who supported, shared and donated! I love my new chair and it's all thanks to them! I am especially thankful to my work who donated £1,000, which each of the staff donating anywhere between £25-£100 each. I love my work for many reasons, they are just an amazing place to be with the best family of people, but this was everything to me! I never wanted to ask them for help, I didn't even have to, they did it independently and I am so thankful for having them!

With the extra money we raised we also got this portable hoist! So I got to enjoy a nice movie night on the sofa for the first time in years! The hoist is so very helpful for Hockey and traveling.

Lethal Future

I've got two big things happening in the coming months! Firstly I got accepted into beginner BSL (British Sign Language) lessons! I start in January so I'll be sure to update you guys when this happens!

I am also going to try out for Para Ice Hockey, I start on the 7th of December. I'm excited, I'm a big Ice Hockey fan so this will be great fun and it should help my fitness and disability by working out! I will share updates on this too in my next blog and on my socials!

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A new thing I tried this month was upgrading my laptop and it went really well! I did it by myself and now I have 32GB of RAM and 2TB of space! I was very nervous to do it but my boyfriend guided me through it on a call and I manged to do it quite quickly with my only limits being my physical strength and lack of nails to pull things out, good thing I had tools

The process photos!

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I have started streaming on Twitch! Not on a schedule just yet but I've been playing A LOT of Lethal Company with my friends and having the best time with them! On my Twitch you'll find past broadcasts of the game and other games too.

Lethal Company is a co-op horror about scavenging at abandoned moons to sell scrap to the Company. It's fun, scary and unpredictable and if you know me then you know those are my favourite kind of games!

Here's a funny moment from Lethal Company that I caught on stream.

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My latest Monsters Inc. merch haul! I got two Boo Funko POPS, one signed by Mary Gibbs, Boos's voice actress. The other is the VHS cover Boo Funko, it has the VHS cover image of Monsters Inc in the back, it's my 'biggest' Funko, in the sense of the biggest box. Then, there are some sticky notes for work, which also have an error as there is a blue monster named Tony on the sticky tabs but there's only one Monster in Monsters Inc. called Tony and he is orange with a mustache but he does look like this monster so of course it's just a silly character error by the artists. Lastly, my most wanted item (apart from my MU hat) is the Scream Can drink! It screams when you open it, how cool is that!

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Writing a letter to yourself in the future at FutureMe, you can send letters between 6 months to 10 years from now! You will get an email when your future letter is available to read. A fun part is you can also send letters to be public so anyone can read them, I've found some letters that are from 17 years ago, how crazy is that! I'm working on one myself for 10 years from now, but what do I want to remind my 32-year-old self to remember and what would I ask myself in 10 years, so many things come to mind! I'm sure I'll think of something soon. You should also give it a try, and surprise yourself in 10 years. Personally, I'd forget I'd sent it in like a week, maybe a day, so in 10 years I'll be surprised

Becoming The Boss

A post on a Tuesday? Weird, missed a few Thursdays, I haven't been doing too well. I'm back on my wheels now and working EXTRA hard to keep going! I have so much fun stuff to share with you guys.

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This beautiful photo of a bridal mannequin at The White Collection and this sports chair mannequin at a Gymshark in London. Both made me ball my eyes out, they are so amazing to see both activities people don't think of for wheelchair users or disabled people but seeing the representation means everything to me!

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I got to represent the Local Offer and DISC at the Manchester Tech Festival with Ezra. We had a great time and got a few good contacts! It was worth it. This was my first time presenting in front of so many people but I had Ezra with me so it was way less scary. Sadly didn't, get nor can I find, any photos of us other than this one:

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Halloween has come and gone, I share the best Halloween I've ever had on my socials where we all wore our boss's face and filmed a creepy video. While also scaring him with them the very next day.

Some behind-the-scenes photos! My co-worker and I cutting and wearing the masks.

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Had a little college reunion with two of my best friends from college. We went for drinks and then saw the Five Nights at Freddy's movie. It was such a fun time to see them again and catch up! The movie was okay, I mean it was a 15+ 'horror' film themed around a video game from 2014.

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My parents went away for a few days first time in a long time, my brother and his girlfriend took care of me. We had a great time honestly. The first day my parents rang every other hour but after my brother's girlfriend took care of me for the whole day, the next day it was radio silence from my parents! She and I have always gotten along and this brought us so much closer, I love her to bits, and I'm grateful for her helping me get ready in the mornings and with my personal needs with no issues (other than my hoist breaking but she handled that in an amazing way too). It was nice to know I'll be safe with people even when my parents aren't around. She did a 12/10 job! My brother on the other hand could have helped a bit more...but he still did amazing too, he doesn't look after me too often but when he has too, I can count on him.