It is our second year anniversary!

Can you believe it!  The years have gone by so fast.

This is our recap of our first year of blogging, and below is a recap of this year.  We want to thank you for being apart of our journey and for reading everything that we write!

 Posts by Ashley

Why I Used to Cry Everyday

What’s your Dream

Teen Parents

The Day I Became a Big Sister

Watch Your Toes

Growing Up With a Dad in a Wheelchair

Write it All Out

Trying to Get Published:Magic of Memoir

First Day of College

Posts by Sergio

Loss of My Legs

Desire of a Father

The Day I Met my Daughter

The Day I Found out I couldn’t walk

Why I’m Always Smiling

Sergio’s Story

Sharing My Wheelchair Story

Decluttering Down Memory Lane

The Smell of Fresh Cut Grass

Good Looking Mexican in a Wheelchair

Back to School: My Extra Cup of Coffee

Rolling Through Cancun

Posts by Norah

Traveling to Cancun Mexico

Mother at 14

I Am Her Mother

Unspoken Love

365 Days of Love

Marriage DIY

His Story is My Story

The Mental Illness Ride

I Was Chosen to Adopt Her

Norah’s Story

Lighten Your Bag

Mother’s Day Scare

We can’t wait to see what the next year brings!  Especially since our story will be featured in a book! 

Keep Rolling On with The Wheels of Grace!

Back to school time was always my favorite time of the year.  It meant that the air would start to get crisper, the leaves would start to turn a beautiful shade, and most importantly school was in session.

I loved school.

I enjoyed reading, and learning.  

9 years ago I started my freshman year of college.  It was a huge accomplishment not only for me but for my family as well.  My mom never went to college.  College wasn’t an option for her after she barely graduated at on time while attending day and night school her senior year.  Once she had her high school diploma she knew she needed to get a job right away.  After her senior year of high school, I had just finished pre-school and would be ready to start kindergarten the next year.  My dad received his GED and began to take college courses but stopped once he became paralyzed.

I was going to be the first person in our family to attend college.  

To my parents this was a huge deal.  My mom said over and over “You’re going to college!  No really you’re going to college!!!”

She said it over and over as if it was a huge surprise and a huge success. To me it was simply the next phase of my life.  I didn’t think I would do anything else with my life besides go to college.  I never not for one single second imagine I would do anything else with my life at age eighteen other than attend college.  I don’t think my parents saw anything other than that for my future either, but once the reality set in.  Once it was really happening.  They were truly in awe.

My mom shared about her school struggles and her baggage she carried around while attending school and  my dad shared about how he was a troublemaker kid who constantly got sent to the principal’s office.  I didn’t face any of those troubles when I was growing up but I know it had to cross their minds that maybe some day I would.

When I started kindergarten I’m sure my dad wondered if I would end up like him.  He may have worried that someday I might befriend the wrong kids and start trouble like he did.  My dad may have be concerned that one day I might not care about school at all and quit going like he did.

My mom may have worried that one day I might think I was in love and get pregnant at an early age.  She may have been concerned that I might struggle at school like she did.  My mom may have wondered if I would have trouble learning, and getting good grades.

But never did they express these concerns with me if they ever had them.  I know to some extent they had to worry, all parents do.  However I was never pressured to get good grades, I simply strived to.  I was never forced to participate in any after school programs, I did the ones I wanted and skipped the ones I didn’t like.  My parents let me be exactly who I was growing up.

They got lucky that who I was as a kid, and who I am as an adult is a book-loving, sometimes too quiet, sometimes talk too much, loves to learn, nerd.

The day I went to college was a special day for the three of us.  We all made it to college that day.  Even if it was me who was attending.  My mom and dad were right there with me.

We drove up to college together, and we unpacked all of my clothes, shoes, books, make-up, notebooks, mini refrigerator, and a bunch of snacks because they were afraid I might go hungry if they weren’t there to feed me.  That day was a new chapter for all of us.  It would be my first time away from home and it would be their first time without me.   We were all excited but slightly nervous.  We tried not to cry when we said good-bye and they left me all alone in the big world as an adult.  I know my mom cried all the way home but she was strong in front of me.  My parents did their job in raising me and to me to the point in my life where I could go to college and succeed. Even though it was 9 years ago we still look at that day as one of our biggest accomplishments.

I see the look on their faces as they get to tell people from their past, maybe people who didn’t think they could make it.  People who said that they would fail from all of their past troubles.  What teenage mother could raise a normal daughter?  How would Sergio ever get his life together?

When my parents get to tell those people that they not only succeeded, but their daughter did too and she graduated college, their faces light up.  I know they’re proud of me and they’re proud of themselves.

Now when those people ask if I use my degree, well that’s an entirely different story.

But….

Chase your dream, even if at some point you change paths.  Just keep rolling on, you’ll get there.

On June 1st I hit submit to a writing contest that could end with me either getting something I wrote published or the devastating result in not getting it published.

I worked hard on my writing and I even asked several people to read it before I clicked submit.  The writing contest would result in my work getting published in a book along with several best selling authors and wonderful writers who have been published before, or like me it could be their first time getting published.  The book would be an anthology, a collection of pieces titled The Magic of Memoir.  A memoir is a book that tells a story of someone’s life.  It is not autobiographical in the sense that it tells every detail of a life from birth to death.  A memoir takes a slice of life to tell a story.  A popular memoir is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert who will also be featured in Magic of Memoir.  Other examples of memoirs are Wild by Cheryl Strayed, Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman (the real life story that inspired the Netflix series) and I could really go on and on and on, (P.S. if you want me to go on and on e-mail me, I love nothing more than talking about books and recommending books for others to read.)

The book my parents and I are writing is a memoir.  It is a slice of our life, a book about overcoming adversities and how love endures all.  My parents love endured gunshot wounds, teenage pregnancy, teenage delinquency, and so much more.  

I often checked the contest website to see when the results would be available, every time the website said August 1st.  I knew that waiting two months would be torturous but it was out of my control.  I put my best writing out there and all I could do was wait.

July 1st I checked the website and there was an update that almost 200 people had submitted their writing for the contest.  My writing would need to shine, and I began to feel nervous.  Did I have what it took? Could I really beat out other writers?  Since the book was an anthology  I knew I didn’t need to be the only person with great writing, but I needed to be one of many.  I was overwhelmed knowing so many people were trying to win this contest.  

On Tuesday July 26th I turned 27 years old and the entire day I told myself that this was my year.  I would use my entire year of being 27 to work as hard as I could to make it as a writer.  I set goals that day to really get a handle on my book so that by the time I turned 28 I was further in this journey than I am now.  But not just further, also somehow noticed.  I wanted to make trackable, tangible progress.  I wanted to get something I wrote published somewhere, whether that be in a book or on an online publication.  I needed an accomplishment.  

At this point I’ve been working on writing a memoir for two years, two of those years I wrote in secret without telling very many people at all, and after those two years we started this blog to let people know we are writing a book as well as sharing parts of our past story and and our present lives through the blog.

It has always been a goal to spread our lives to encourage others that whatever life brings you, embrace it and let it inspire you to be a better person.  Have a parent in a wheelchair has always taught me that anything is truly accomplishable, it has taught me that becoming a published author has always been in my reach, I just needed to work hard and stretch out my arm and grab it.  

On Thursday July 28th, two days after my 27th birthday and after my promise to myself to work harder to get to my goals I received my congratulations email. The top of the e-mail read “Congratulations, Ashley.”  That was all I needed to read to know that I had accomplished something amazing!

I did it, I am going to be published!!!

This is a huge step in my ultimate goal of getting our book traditionally published because now I can say I’ve already been published.  I can use this as motivation to tell myself that I can really reach my goal.  

The book I’ll be in The Magic of Memoir is now available for pre-order and will be published in November.  It is a book tailored for those who want to write a memoir, and that may not be you, but I know it will be inspiring even to those who aren’t writing a memoir.  It will be filled with personal, inspiring stories, and even if you’re not wanting to write a memoir it might encourage you to do so.  I think we are all writers, anyone reading this is a writer, and you have your own story to share.  Maybe reading this book will be the first step to you realizing that.  

I encourage you to read The Magic of Memoir, not because my writing will be in it, but because I think you’ll love what you discover when you read it!

Don’t forget to chase your dreams, and accomplish you’re goals!

Keep Rolling On!