During the summer of 2019, I completed a class at Southern New Hampshire University.  The final project was a short story about any topic and in any genre.  I would be lying if I said the first draft of the story was not created the day it was due.  Unfortunately, the first draft is long gone but the final draft earned me an A! 

I am uncertain of the thought process that led me to the idea for the short story I created.  Like when I created “You Made Me A Superhero,” my brain began swirling ideas late at night.  I spent the next couple hours bawling my eyes out as the saddest words poured out on my computer.  

My best friend, Samantha Acuña has a chronic illness called Lupus.  It is an autoimmune disease in which her body is constantly attacking her healthy cells.  I do not want to claim to be an expert, so that will be as far as I go into the disease explanation. 

• Please Follow the Lubbock Lupus Group – LLG Facebook page, managed by Samantha, to learn more!  This is also a great page for support if you have not yet found a Lupus support community. Lubbock Lupus Group – LLG | Facebook

In February of 2015, Samantha experienced a Lupus flare up that led to her hospitalization and being induced into a coma that lasted nine days.  Almost exactly a year prior to her hospitalization, she experienced the loss of her, three-year-old, daughter in a tragic accident. 

The short story I created, currently titled GTS, followed Samantha as she found herself in “Heaven.”  She soon realizes she has the chance to see her daughter again.  Once reunited, her daughter explains to her that she has not passed away and is still on Earth in a coma.  She spends time with her daughter but eventually must make the choice to return to Earth where multiple family and friends await to see if she will awaken or stay in “Heaven” with her daughter. 

After writing this story, I sent it to Samantha.  I asked what her thoughts were on me turning the story into a novel.  She supported the idea and has been a part of the journey ever since.  I promised her one day she would be with me if we travel to share the book with the world. 

I have documented parts of the story in a special edition Disney Wisdom journal.  The quote on the front of the journal states, “Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.”  The quote was said to come from Grandmother Willow in Pocahontas.  I felt it was an appropriate quote as this adventure in writing this novel has not been easy. 

There are days when I have hours’ worth of content flowing from my hands.  Sometimes I will go months with no sign of inspiration anywhere.  There have been days I have questioned if I will ever hold this novel in my hand.  I fear daily that my best friend will be taken from this world before I complete the novel. 

Then I speak with my friend and know she is my reason to push forward.  Then I receive a birthday cake from my mom shaped like a book with my current title on it and I know I have people cheering me on.  Then I see my son with joy in his eyes and see my reason for following my dreams.

Writing this novel is the epitome of “Adventure Awaits.”  I have so much to look forward to and I cannot wait to share it with all future readers!

I swear magic spilled out of my fingertips.  One night in July of 2018, about an hour after my son fell asleep, my brain began swirling ideas.  Reveling in the fact that I created a human and was crushing the single parent game, a book idea came to my mind.

The Adventure Awaits theme covered our walls.  Maps, pictures from different adventures, and the below picture inspired the idea.  What would one consider to be the biggest adventure?  Being a superhero answered that question. 

I realized I felt like a superhero.  Being a CPS caseworker and a big sister provided limited insight into being a parent.  At the end of the day, those children belonged to someone else, and I did very little “heavy lifting.”  However, after having my son, something in me changed.  I bet there is some sort of science behind the change, but something about being a mom caused an internal shift.  I became inducted into a parent’s club where I suddenly held the secrets to parenting.  I became a superhero. 

I pulled out my only clipboard, bought on clearance when our local Office Depot closed, grabbed a handful of blank white paper and the closest writing utensil, which happened to be a blue sharpie, and began to write.  I currently have three paper drafts tucked away, in my pink filing cabinet my mom gifted me for my birthday shortly after I wrote the draft.  I told her I needed a safe place for my drafts, and she knew what to do!  A neat, typed draft is also stored on my iPad, computer, and in an email folder.  I made sure to have multiple drafts in case of emergency. 

The outcome is a children’s book called “You Made Me a Superhero.”  It is about how becoming a mom gave me superpowers.  I hope to publish it with a character who looks like my son.  I have sent it to numerous friends, coworkers, and friends of friends who considered completing the illustrations.  It is still hanging out in all its numerous hiding spots until I figure out a plan for illustrations, but it is ready to be shared with the world once that is done! 

Parenting is not easy.  Like most superheroes, we do not have all the answers.  We often wonder if we are doing the right thing or if our choices will screw our kids up.  However, be mindful of all the things you have done for your child since they entered the world.   You will be surprised by all the superpowers you did not notice you had all along!

Adventure Awaits Series

Going to a class where they teach you step by step how to paint a beautiful painting held a spot on my bucket list.  In July of 2017, I checked this off my list alongside my brother (he painted a fox sculpture) in a local Main Street shop during a hometown visit to Campbellsville, Kentucky.  I chose a painting with a hot air balloon floating in the sky with the words “Adventure Awaits” sparkling in gold in the background. 

I resided in a different state, recently started a new job, and felt like every opportunity out there awaited me.  I felt the painting called to me as our mom always described everything as an adventure.  A tornado was following our car?  Adventure.  We got lost on our way to an event?  Adventure.  Moving to a new home?  Adventure.  My mom inspired adventure in us, and I felt a painting that held so much of that mindset would be perfect in my new apartment. 

A few weeks after I hung the painting above my bed at home in Austin, Texas, I found out I would soon be a mother.  The words, “Adventure Awaits,” became the theme to my life.  I wanted my son to know he would never be restricted by anything, and I would be there for him no matter where his adventures took him. 

I am by no means a fantastic artist, but I pulled from the hours of hanging with my grandmother and have created an “Adventure Awaits” painting every year since.  My grandmother created many amazing paintings throughout her life and seeing them means everything to me, especially now that she is no longer with us.  I am hopeful the paintings I create will hold a special place in my son’s heart. 

Sharing these paintings with my readers feels important.  I want my readers to know they are not limited by what others tell them.  If they have dreams, I hope they can follow them!  Being a parent has not been what I expected, but it has been an adventure.  Being a human is an adventure.  We all face struggles, hardships, and those that will tell us our adventures are silly or unachievable.  All I can say is that Adventure Awaits and I hope to share blogs, content, and books that will help in some way along your adventure!

I will be posting a series of blog posts with the above paintings.  They’re currently on the wall in my son’s room and he constantly back flips into them and kicks them crooked. They are a reminder of the amazing five years I have experienced since the first painting made its way into our home in 2017. The series will be what that year consisted of regarding my writing content and being a mother.  Be on the lookout!