But these aren't just any old books... they're scrapbooks!
And do you know what makes them extra special? I made them! My mom had the best tradition when I was a kid: whenever we went on a family vacation she would pack up a bunch of supplies to take with us. This way I could keep track of my "mementos" and write down my memories as they happened.So when I came across these books the other day, I read through them... talk about a laugh riot! It is absolutely hilarious to see what I thought was important and momentous when I was a kid. Take, for instance, this trip we took in 1990:
My mom had purchased special paper for this trip: half the page was blank and the other half was lined. This allowed me to illustrate my thoughts. This page depicts our first leg of the journey: from my vantage point in the backseat I was able to see the sky, the tops of trees (those are the green squiggles), and the little brown cup holder that fit into the window of the backseat.
The next day I talked about the Crystal Lake Cave (if you check out their website, you'll see my picture was somewhat accurate) and how I learned to spell the word "Mississippi".
Later on in the trip, I devoted an entire page to the Jolly Green Giant. We had stopped at the statue that day, and despite all the other wonderful adventures we'd had it was clearly the highlight of my day.
Of course, I didn't limit myself to illustrations and commentary. In addition to menus, brochures, maps and postcards, I included other things that were especially meaningful. Here are a variety of weeds that we had come across:
But back to my illustrations (which I think are the best part of this book)! On this day I casually mention that we had visited Mount Rushmore. But the rest of the entry (and picture) describe how we had come across a cow in the middle of the road and I thought he was cute.
Later on in the book, I described feeding burros cheddar popcorn out the car window and how slobbery they were... really riveting stuff!
And while some of my memories may seem a little silly now, I'm so thankful that my mom encouraged us to make these books! For example, I had spent the day in South Dakota learning to be a Junior Ranger. During the day we had come across a lot of things, including buffalo fur, which I lovingly taped into my scrapbook...
Along with my certificate and Junior Ranger Badge... I was so proud!
But that book chronicling our trip out west was just one of many. I also had a book for a family trip we took to Crested Butte, CO. I was apparently enamored with the Courtyard Marriot, and chose to tape everything I could find into my scrapbook.
The next day I spent pages explaining what it was like to ride an airplane (it was my first time in the friendly skies).
My commentary on this trip was especially funny: I talked about how my cousins and I visited the hot tub/sauna at least once a day, the names of the horses that took us on a sleigh ride, and a description of the Caboodle I got from my aunt and uncle for Christmas! Later in the trip I included my report card from ski school (all A's, thank you very much)...
As well as the ski tags from our time in the mountains.
I loved making my scrapbooks! Even when I went to NYC as a teenager with family friends, I kept track of everything... including our tickets to a concert at Lincoln Center featuring Marilyn Horne, Samuel Ramey, and Renée Fleming!
I especially love my page on NYC transportation. On my first visit to the city we used subway tokens and bus transfers- doesn't that seem ancient?
But of all my books, I think this one is the best!
Our parents took my brother and I on a surprise trip to Disney World- we didn't even know we were going until we arrived at the airport! I took a couple pages to record the exact dialogue of how we found out about our magical destination and all the moments following in great detail.
On this page I used sketches to describe my souvenir (a Micky Mouse watch) and Tinkerbell's descent from the castle at the Magic Kingdom light show.
Of course when we went to Epcot, I took a page to describe each country we visited and what I liked about it!
And when my father was called to the stage to participate in a hula dance at the luau we attended at the Polynesian Resort, I made sure to save a portion of his grass skirt! (Not bad for 17 years in a book, right?)
I had an absolute blast going through all these books, and reading about the things that were important to me years ago. So often my memories are based on the photos that are taken, so I am grateful to my mom for helping me to create such wonderful memories!Thank you for stopping by and joining me on a walk down memory lane- I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!
