Treasures

Tonight's project was my disaster of a front closet. Coats are organized and set, but the closet's a bit of a catch-all for craft projects & materials, photos, photo albums, and other mementos. Five plastic file bins to go through...full of cards, pictures, maps, programs...lots of memories. And it was a blast to organize - to relive some of the trips I've taken, the things I've seen, and the opportunities I've had. Among the treasures I found:

• a yarmulke
• old driver's license - issued in 2005
• old driver's license - issued in 1993
• business card from the restaurant in Vancouver where I took Joette for her inaugural sushi experience (where we ate salmon, salmon and salmon). Since then, we've probably eaten at least 100 rolls of sushi together.
• ticket stub from when I saw Wayne Newton in Las Vegas 11/6/01
• "Where San Francisco" magazine from June 2001
• $1 casino chip for Ballys/Paris Las Vegas 
• postcards from Virginia, Vegas, Maui, Reno, Bahamas, Seattle, New Orleans
• temporary tattoos. Which I'm TOTALLY wearing tomorrow
• a card from my family to me "As you start college"
• programs from nine different weddings (2 of which have ended in divorce)
• invitations to my wedding - which the invite company screwed up (red flag, anyone?)
• corrected invitations from the invite people after I went all bridezilla on their asses
• replica "Spice World" Spice Girls world tour 1998 VIP pass 
• my sister's college graduation announcement (2000)
• Italian language lessons on cassette tape

So many fun memories, so many laughs and smiles. Biggest lesson I'm taking from this - I'll always have the memories...don't need the actual memento. Kept the cards with personalized notes. Kept the things that really mean a lot to me. Kept the photos. Will ALWAYS keep the memories.