The people who are forced to be in your life because you are bound by blood.
Only that isn’t always the case. My family is filled with people that do not share my blood, and I do not share theirs.
There are other family members that do share my blood and I cannot say that one bond is stronger then the other.
Family are the people who know that you absolutely hate mustard. The people who know if you like peas or not. That if they buy you a book, they know you will be happy. They know when you are sad just by the sound of your voice. They can look you in the eye and tell you that you are being absolutely ridiculous and not everything can always go your way. They accept your bossiness 50% of the time and the other 50% they ignore you. They say your favorite words that you love to hear after an argument.
“Ashley, you are right”
They know how relentless you can be and the lengths you will go to prove that you are, in fact, right.
Family stretches beyond blood, marriage, and adoption. It is a word for friends, a word for those people who know all your likes and dislikes. All your flaws. The people who love you no matter what.
Family knows how to make you smile. They know your favorite movies. They know what you order at every restaurant.
They do things like make you meatless chili and meatless soup, and grill you vegetables when you decide to become a vegetarian. They don’t tell you that you are wrong for your new life choice.
And when you decide that you want to eat meat again, they accept it without judgment, and welcome you back to their world. They put meat back in the chili, they grill you cheeseburgers, and hot dogs. They stop asking you to bring salads to every family dinner (okay sometimes they ask you to bring salads because after years of eating basically salads, you are the master at creating new salad ideas.) They become oh-so-thankful that they never have to purchase faux meat again.
They do it all with love and in return you do the same. By knowing all their favorites, and remembering their dislikes and accepting them for all of their flaws and praising them for all of their accomplishments.
Everyone has a family, it can be by blood, marriage, adoption, friends, roommates, neighbors. They are the people who lift you up, but also keep you grounded.
might make people think that my childhood was sheltered. That his wheelchair would have hindered us as a family. I don’t think that at all. He still did all the things any normal dad would do. His wheelchair taught everyone in our family that there is a solution to every problem. He never saw his chair as a way of not being able to do something.
A few summers after my brothers were adopted we made a family trip to California. It was my first family vacation with siblings and even though I was 16, I was still excited to go to Disneyland. Our dad rode all the rides with us. He did not stop when his arms were tired from pushing himself around all day. He did not let anyone say that a ride was impossible for him to get on. He rode the tallest roller coaster with me because he knew how much I loved the adrenaline rush. My mom and her able bodied legs refused to go. My brothers were too little and too scared to go with me.
The next day we wanted to go to the beach. After the bus ride to the beach we realized there was no easy way to get a wheelchair to the water. If he tried to roll though the sand his wheels would get stuck. He thought for a moment, looked around and saw two pieces of plywood sticking out of a near-by dumpster. He told us kids to grab him the plywood and lay one piece on the sand. He rolled on to it and we placed the other piece in front. We did this over and over until he reached the water. He got out of his chair and into the ocean and we all swam together as a family. Yes, he can swim thanks for asking.
That is how I remember my childhood. He has taught me all of my life lessons. He has taught me that there is a solution to every problem. Sometimes you have to stop, look around, and get creative. I never remember his wheelchair being a problem. I don’t think it got in the way of anything I wanted to do. I never resented him or his wheelchair. I hope my siblings feel the same way.
He is the man that built me the biggest Barbie house you could imagine. It was made out of an old entertainment center, that’s how big it was. He painted it purple. He used pieces of wallpaper in different rooms so my Barbie’s had décor. Some rooms even had carpet, cut from carpet scraps. He is the most innovative person I know.
He is the man that made me a lemonade stand out of wood. It wasn’t just a table. It was awesome with a built in sign. He even painted it yellow, like a lemon. I was so spoiled that he even made the lemonade to sell. He even gave me multiple quarters in exchange for cups of lemonade. He was my biggest customer and my biggest supporter.
He is the man who taught me how to fish. The man who has taught me the names of all the tools in his toolbox. He has taught me how to be a strong and independent woman. He is the reason why I love action movies. I’d like to think that I get most of my comedic humor naturally, but I know it has to come from him. There are a million different things that he has done for me, but those are the ones that stick out the most in my mind. The ones that make me proud to be his daughter; where I have to stop and look at my life and know that it was great every step and every roll of the way.
Hi, I am Ashley and I have two incredible parents with very unique stories. We created this blog to help share their story. Well I actually created this blog, but they have been somewhat helpful along the way.
If you want to know about us and how we got to this point read the page Our Story to learn about Norah and Sergio’s lives. Then visit the About Us page to read our individual stores.
This blog is really about them and their lives, but since I did all the work creating it there was no way I would let them leave me out of it.
We are writing a book that will share their story more in depth. I have high ambitions that by winter I will have it written to a point that I can call it decent enough to share with friends. I have every intention of getting it published the traditional way, but I do anticipate it will take months and months of getting to that point. As of now I am satisfied with my progress, but in no way ready to share with others. For now all of our sharing will be done with this blog.
Things about me:
I love to read. I am usually reading at least two or three books at a time. Usually the books are in different genres so it would be impossible to get them confused or intertwine the plots. Since I am writing a memoir, I read those the most. I love reading real stories about real people. Fiction books give me inspiration, and make me a better writer. I enjoy non-fiction books, but I can never sit and read them chapter after chapter. I think that is why I read at least two books at once. Non-fiction books give me insight to the world, but I like it in small doses.
I am a researcher at heart. I can’t stand not knowing something. If I find an interest in a topic I have to read every book written, visit every website, seek out every expert. Deciding to start a blog fed into my desire to research. I have downloaded every free app about blogging. Downloaded every free, and paid for some books on my Kindle about blogging and creating a website. I have visited countless blogs for inspiration. I am like this in almost every aspect of my life. If I watch a movie the moment it is over I have my phone out Googling the movie title. I read everything I can about the movie, how it was developed, how the plot line was created, how the actors were casted, and other random facts. I am the same way with TV shows. I cannot read a book with out immediately visiting the author website, and Goodreads for books reviews. I cannot purchase a product online without searching through product reviews. I find that Amazon product reviews are very amusing and I often find witty writers there. I clearly have an internet problem, but as does the rest of the world.
I can be a bit intense and I am filled with random facts about a wide variety of topics. I have an impeccable memory. Sometimes people mistake me for smart, but honestly I just remember everything. The hardest part about remembering everything is
1. People think I am a know-it-all.
2. People have a tendency to share the same stories, over and over.
3. People constantly misquote movies. “Luke I am your father” is not what Darth Vader says.
I can be a control freak and my poor parents have to deal with me constantly bossing them around. In my defense they asked me to be a part of their journey to share their story. Sometimes I think they wished they didn’t ask me because of my attributes I just mentioned. However, they should not be surprised by any of them because they are the ones who raised me. I would argue that the way I am is their fault. I know they appreciate my intensity and wouldn’t have it any other way. I have done a lot of work on this website and their book, but it honestly never feels like work. It feels the thing I should be doing, like I was meant for this. Obviously this is just the start for us and we have a long, but rewarding road ahead of us. We hope that you will join us in our journey.
P.S.
I love coffee.
I love to drink it black.
I love it with cream and sugar.
I love it with cream only.
I love it with sugar only.
I love it iced.
I love lattes.
I love iced lattes.
I love Americanos. I especially love them iced, with extra ice.
I love all coffee with the exception of coffee at a gas station that dispenses through a machine in which you push a button and a puff of powder followed by hot water pours into your cup and requires you to stop pushing the button at ¾ of the way full…but I mean I’ll drink it if I have to.
Come back and visit our website to hear from Norah and Sergio!
I’d love to hear from you so please leave a comment telling us what you think about our blog!
