18 Years and Counting

I've already posted these photos, but now they are in scrapbook form. I love this layout because it is so grown-up. 99% of the time I am doing "kid" pages, so it was a nice change of pace to do an adult page--about me. Actually, I should probably do more pages about the things that I am interested in. Whether it's tomorrow or 60 years from now, I want my sons to know about me. I suppose it should be obvious to them that the most important thing to me is THEM! But I do have a few other interests too (although it's sometimes hard to remember that!) Sometimes I start to feel that scrapbooking is silly and a waste of time--couldn't I accomplish the same thing by putting the photos in an album and jotting down a quick caption? Well, I read a blog entry by a woman who said that when she was in her 40's, her mother brought her an old, raggedy box. She didn't know what it was and when she opened it, she was very sad. It was her lifetime in pictures and mementos, just shoved carelessly into a box. Things were bent and stained--ruined. She had always had issues with her mother, but this was tangible proof that her mother just really didn't care that much. OUCH! I don't think this means that you have to scrapbook to show that you care about your family--it's just a fun, crafty-art way to do it and it sort of forces you to journal about the moment but you should do SOMETHING! My dad keeps all our treasures in a lovely wood box. My boys love to look through it and see stuff about me and Tracy. My mom used to be great about putting pictures in albums. She doesn't do that anymore, but she does keep them together and somewhat organized. So, scrapbooking--or better yet, preserving, is important. At least that's what I keep telling myself as I buy more and more and more paper!