Memories

In honor of the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday I ran to the store and bought my first kit of scrapbook paper.  My intention was to cover a few empty Kleenex boxes with the paper and decorate them in to “mail boxes” for everyone in the family, so we can all leave little notes or coupons in each other’s boxes.  If this goes well I’m thinking of keeping them around as a perminate home mail system… although I’m sure I’ll end up leaving reminder notes that they forgot a chore or two…

Anyway, I finished the boxes, and still had pretty much a whole kit worth of scrapbook paper left.  I wasn’t sure what to do with it.  I’ve never made a traditional scrapbook before.  However I have made many digital scrapbooks through heritage makers, and I love them. 

I thought it would be cool to see if I can’t pull together a “real” scrapbook.  My Grandmother gave me a 12x12 scrapbook for Christmas a couple of years ago, so I thought I should give it a try.  After all, it wouldn’t cost me anymore that I’ve already spent, and I have a big Rubbermaid container full of old pictures that I needed to do something with.

So, I spent all day today going through all the pictures in the container and putting them into chronological order.  Then envelope by envelope I took the few that I would actually scrapbook out, and the rest of them I slipped into a photo album, still in chronological order.  I ended up with two full photo albums from 1999 when my husband and I met, and I’m through 2002.  I have Droid’s birth documented now, and tomorrow I’ll run to the store and pick up another photo album to slip the remaining pictures in.  I have a few of Oz when he was little, but shortly after we switched to digital cameras.  I’m going to have to go through my computer and print some of my favorites, especially of my Little Princess so our photo albums and scrapbook will tell a more complete story.

I was able to finish 3 scrapbook pages today.  And I’m really excited!  They turned out really cute, and I’m surprised to find that I actually enjoy sitting there cutting out paper, and gluing layers together to get a fun look. 

Today was a wonderful day.  Not only did I get a lot done, but I was able to really take my time, and look back at my life, especially the early days of my marriage. 

As I look at the many stages of life that Doc and I have already been through, I’m struck with a feeling of gratitude that I have this wonderful friend and partner to go through this journey with.  I feel so blessed with the children we have.  I’m grateful that we have made it this far, and I’m reassured that we can make it through the rest. 

Residency is so hard.  This is an uplifting blog, so I’m not going to go into my trials here, but know that I have my down days, my bad days, the days that I want to “clock out” as a Mom and go to a spa (which I’ve NEVER been too… it’s on my “someday” list).  But seeing all these pictures spread out in front of me.  My life captured in fleeting moments.  I’m reminded at how fast the time does go. 

Someday today will be a picture.  And when I look back on today I want to remember this time with joy and satisfaction knowing that we did the best with what we had.  And we will dance through the hard days. 

Just like Florence.