We LOVE a trip on The Road!

Who doesn't?

Now that the furry of posts have slowed down, it's time to visit more participants continue to meet new friends!  

Blog Roll from A to Z on The Road We’ve Shared

• A is for Advocacy -  Stephanie Holland                      
  
• B is for Birth - Helen Royal
  
• C is for Changing the World – Mardra Sikora
  
• D is for Determination - Susan Holcombe
  
• E is for Ethan - Terri Saylor Wilson
  
• F is for Fashionable – Stephanie Holland
  
• G is for Grandparents - Dottie Saylor
  
• H is for Heart Surgery – Mardra Sikora
  
• I is for Invitation to Inclusion – Susan Holcombe
  
• J is for Joshua - Stephanie Holland
  
• K is for What I Know Now -  Stephanie Holland
  
• L is for Ludicrous - Gary Bender 
  
• M is for Marcus the Musical -  Mardra Sikora 
  
• N is for Never Having Enough Love  - Maria Hailstone 
  
• O is for "On  Guard!"  -  Maria Hailstone
  
• P is for Patience Plus - Mardra Sikora
  
• Q is for Questions - Susan Adelman
  
• R is for The Road We've Shared and Remembering - Stephanie Holland 
  
• S is for Sesame Street - Anne Grunstead
  
• T is for Truth - Mardra Sikora
  
• U is for Understanding and Unfunded Mandates - Stephanie Holland 
  
• V is for Value - Karen Gregoire 
  
• W is for What Should Be said- Mardra Sikora 
  
• X is for Xanadu (the movie) - Stephanie Holland 
  
• Y is for Younger Sibling - Marianne Marts 
  
• Z is not the End - Gary Bender 
  

Reflections from The Road on the A to Z Blogging Challenge – Stephanie Holland

I'm so excited that we not only completed our first official community project, but that we did it with such flair!  The A to Z Challenge was a chance for every- and any-one to share a piece of their own story and possibly reach a broader audience.  We are a very specialized community.  We tend to have a very specific audience - and that's okay.  Occasionally, we get an opportunity to branch out and "expose ourselves" to people on the outside.  It's a scary thought for some, for others it's a welcome occasion to create awareness.  Either way - my motto remains: "If I can change one person's mind, or help one person see that life with Down syndrome is NOT the tragedy that they think it is, then everything I do in the name of "awareness" is worth it."   You never know how the ripples play out.

In terms of the wider Challenge, I really enjoyed meeting people at the Twitter chats!  The moderators did a great job of posing interesting questions and keeping the chat going.  I also loved visiting new blogs that I wouldn't normally have found.  The thing with concentrating on a very specific topic like ours is that we tend to read the same things.  It's important to keep up with what's relevant to our readers.  What I didn't realize that so many other topics apply - in ways we wouldn't necessarily think of.  I've made  a few discoveries that I'm sure I'll continue to follow and I'm grateful to the Challenge for introducing me to them.  The only thing I would consider changing would be the topics list - directory of blogs.  I would like to see a little bit more information about what type of blog it is.  I'll still visit random blogs, that's part of the fun, but I'd also like to visit people whose interests are similar or who I think might be interested in reading my blog.  

Kudos to the organizers of the Challenge! and my own personal thanks to a fabulous community of people that I'm honored to be a part of for supporting this effort!

Stephanie Holland (that's me)  Walkersvillemom / Walkersvillemom Blog on The Road We've Shared

Mardra Sikora: Grown Ups & Downs / GU&D on The Road We've Shared

Karen Gregoire:  Just Joshin' Ya / JJY Blog on The Road We've Shared

Gary Bender:  The Extraordinary Girl

Marianne Marts:  Joey's Ups with Downs

Susan Adelman: Raise Expectations

I think we got a perfect mix of personal stories and real advocacy issues in 26 posts!  Who's ready for the book?  :D