The Wild Ride

Hey guys,

I know everything has been really goofy and upbeat but I had to get this off my chest after reading that Metal Hammer interview. The scrapbook is probably one of the worst and best experiences of my life. I got to read stories from fans from all over the world. For a short amount of time, I was the pillar that people leaned upon so they could get their mourning out. I was able to create something beautiful, meaningful, and helpful but there are things that happened during that time that I really don't know how to explain. I know I'm going to sound crazy and I know this might not make any sense to anyone but I figured that getting it off my chest may make it a little less intense when I think about it.

There are two specific instences that, to this day, make me almost uncomfortable but comforted at the same time (like I was being guided to continue on the mission of completing the book and then thanked for finishing it).

The first one took place a few weeks into the book. I was so tired of feeling sad but so depressed and tired. I had been reading story after story, unable to really mourn for myself when I went out shopping with a two of my good friends. We had gone off to FYE because it was closing down and we wanted to make the best of it. I grabbed a new copy of City of Evil and went to check out when I saw a tin of Jones Soda Sour Apple Fizzy Candy. I was like "Fuck it, candy fixes everything" and bought it. We all finished up and got into the car. We were driving back and I was chillin' in the back seat when I finally decided to open the tin. On the bottom of the lid there was a little quote.

"Life is too short for dance lessons" - Jimmy

My heart stopped. Jimmy.

The next was on Valentines day. I was so down and so upset. Shit was weak and I had so many awesome (sarcasm) thoughts going through my head. Jimmy's death, ex's, sick friends, family problems. It was like everything just sucked. I was worried about Avenged (as gay as that sounds) and I was just straight up angry. I had spent the night in my friend's dorm (locked away from my own because I didn't want to deal with it). No one knew I was there, no one knew I lived Avenged Sevenfold, and my friend didn't like them (and he was 4 hours away). Finally, I decided to get dressed and head out with my bestie Gabbii to get our minds off of how stupid the day was. I opened the door to the dorm and looked down, staring at me was a picture of Jimmy. Not just ANY picture of Jimmy though... my favorite picture. I grabbed it and cried. I didn't know what to do and I didn't know how to react. I had cleaned up all of the scrapbook crap a week before. There was no way any of the pictures could have landed there and I hadn't even PRINTED it.

I don't know if he was there with me, helping me help everyone else. I don't know if he was trying to thank me for trying to comfort his brothers, his fans, and his family. I'd like to think so. I'd like to think that he was saying his final goodbye with that picture. I just don't know. I couldn't stop thinking about it today so I figured I would tell you guys.

- Victoria

P.S. Here's the picture...

Hey guys,

I'm sure a lot of you are wondering exactly what's going to be happening with this whole documentary thing. This all started when Rachel and I realized we were going to be DRIVING our dumb asses all the way across the country and into another one. What a bad idea, right? Anyway, we figured we would get bored, get crazy, and have some extreme moments while out and about in the great wide yonder so what better way to entertain ourselves then with a video camera. As we started to grasp the concept (and the camera) more, we started to realize exactly how fucking RAD it would be if we documented the entire trip from start to finish. Show and all (we might only be able to get the show in a picture diary depending on their reaction to my tiny HD camcorder). It's a little something for the die hard fans to can't go and for the fans who are just plan curious. So here we are today! This thing is getting bigger, we're getting more excited, and Montreal is getting closer.

There you have it! 

We're also starting to extend this as far as to include any other fans who want to meet up with us once we get to Montreal. We'll be there for three nights (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). Hopefully. Anyway, the best way to reach us is to comment, @ us on twitter, or email us at The.Really.Wild.Ride@gmail.com. Get involved with us! This is going to go down in history (right next to that goddamn scrapbook).

-Victoria

P.S. Here is the advertisement I decided to conjure up for a few of the fansites we were trying to get in contact with:

Hey, if anyone is going to the show and you guys want to meet up and chill out the first day or fight with us to get to the front on the second then go ahead and send us an email or @ us on twitter or message us on here. I think that the more fans on the video, the more fun it'll be.

Check ya later,

Victoria

Hey guys,

Totally just Victoria for this post. We've been posting up the asshole EVERYWHERE trying to get people to follow us. We want this documentary to be worth more then the best memories of our life. So we got a twitter (cause we're gonna be bored while driving).


http://twitter.com/the_wild_ride

Follow us. Love us. Support us. You will be rewarded.

Much love and check ya later,

Victoria

Two girls, one boy, and a car full of dreams.

December 28th, 2009, James Owen "The Rev" Sullivan was found dead in his Huntington Beach home. In an attempt to bring comfort to both the fans and the band alike, Victoria DeRoy and Rachel Perez took it upon themselves to create a 116pg book. This book contained countless stories, poetry, songs, and other pieces of art to commemorate Jimmy's legacy. With the help of fans around the world and Dan The Body, Victoria and Rachel were able to complete the project and have it sent off to the members of Avenged Sevenfold.

The death of Jimmy left the fans with a lot of loose ends. Were they going to finish the album they had been working on? Were we ever going to see them live again? With that, Victoria and Rachel vowed that they would go to great lengths to attend Avenged Sevenfold's very first show without their brother.

In March of 2010, Rachel and Victoria stumbled upon what turned about to be the most fateful post of their lives, "A7X TO PLAY HEAVY MTL FESTIVAL". It was at that moment that they knew their journey was about to begin. There was just one small thing standing in their way.

Destination: Montreal, QC CAN

Current Location: Naples, FL USA

With much planning, scheming, and a poster board, there was no stopping Rachel and Victoria. Now it all came down to money.

Tickets: $400
Passports: $300
Video Camera: $200
Car Repairs: Unknown
Food: Uhhh
Hotel: Mmmm
Gas: Holy shit
Total: Jesus Christ
Concert: Priceless

With nothing in their way, Victoria and Rachel realized their dreams had come to fruition. The last thing to do? Strap a camera to the dashboard, buy a million memory cards, and watch our story unfold.


So here we are, starting our journey.

HeavyMTL2010

"This ride that takes me through life
Leads me into darkness but emerges into light
No one can ever slow me down
I'll stay unbound."
-Avenged Sevenfold