A Wish for Ashley

 I did it.  Ok, no I didn’t do it- didn’t find Ashley- but I did do the other big It.  I made and submitted my ‘video plea’ to Troy. The Locator.  Now don’t go clicking around this website for this particular video diary- I’ll save you some time: it’s not here.  There is no good reason you could possibly give me to see my ridiculous self filming a plea to a complete stranger and sounding like a mad person in a process.  No, no, you’ll have to be pacified by written pleas.  Let’s not get greedy now.  

What led me to this position?  First, your emails.  Many of you sent kind, insightful emails that helped me to form more comprehensive Pro and Con lists.  Your commitment to our search was at once warming, inspiring… and a reality check.  You guys have logged hundreds of hours and me, well… I’d rather not know… searching for Ashley and pursuing leads, and while we have successfully ruled out thousands of girls… we still have not found the One.  Second, my mom.  We had a long discussion last weekend about this Locator business and she made me think a lot about a number of important things.

I’m not someone who asks for help easily.  When someone closes a soda bottle too tightly- “Podge Proofing’ it, in my family’s speak- I would rather wrestle the 2 liter bottle on the kitchen floor than call out ‘hey can someone help me?!”  However with the number of hours that have gone into this, the thousands of visitors to the website and the hundreds more we’ll reach over outreach events the next few months… a little more direction is welcome.  Add to that some new, reliable information that is both helpful but also extremely frustrating (more on this at a later date), I figure if The Locator specializes in locating, he can locate an unlocateable girl.  Right?  

Who even knows if Troy will pick our case.  I tried my very hardest on the video but well, nothing is certain and well I’m a pessimist.  Perhaps Troy will check out this website and read this blog and if so, Troy, PLEASE HELP ME!  Please help us.  Perhaps you are inspired by a challenge and I can tell you that based on what I learned today, this is an incredible challenge.  But if you are able to overcome it and find the One Ashley I’m looking for, I will never ever ever question your locating abilities or reality show again.  Ever. That’s a promise.  And the whole reason I’m here, writing such things like a crazy person, is because I don’t break promises.  

With love (and a shout out to my favorite Locator… pretty please help us with a cherry on top?),

Audra