About Me
Let's Get Acquainted
Hi! My name is Ashley!
The idea for this blog came after reacquainting myself with my mom, Melanie, who died in 1999 at the age of 43. She lived an incredible life full of fun, hardship, fairy tale love, and absolutely beautiful, mundane, day-to-day life, documented in writing and photos.
I was 13 years old when my mom died and I missed out on the incredible opportunity to ask about her experiences in life as I waded through my own. I graduated high school, went to post secondary, started a career, got married and had twins, without her by my side. There are thousands of times I wish I could have asked her about her own experiences (specifically when I was pregnant with twins because she had also had twins). I was lucky enough to have a great relationship with my Grandmother and my Aunt who could share their memories of my mom. That being said, there is no substitute for having a real and meaningful conversation with your mother.
I have been in possession of my mother's diaries, journals and photo albums for many many years, but had never had the opportunity to systematically go through them and absorb the wealth of information I craved for so long! Her attention to detail and meticulous documentation has given me the incredible chance to go back to her life and feel what she felt, and experience life through her own eyes. In her own words.
I can't wait to learn, and understand, and step back in time to get to know who Melanie was, and I invite you along for the ride. As a fan of history, there is nothing more compelling to me than learning about my own story from someone so close to me, yet so far away!
Thank you so much for taking this journey with me!