Memories That Last

The biggest lesson I learned in college was not from the journalism classes I took, nor was it the statistics course that dragged on and on. No, my biggest take-away came from my mentor, Linda, and it shaped me into the person I am today.

Linda taught me that history is important. Preserving the memories from yesterday, so that future generations can enjoy it is necessary. Linda was—and still is—an avid documenter. Over the two years I was lucky enough to work with her, it became ingrained in me to save, keep and/or write everything down. Programs from seminars I presented at? Kept. Photos of our cross-country trip? Framed. A daily calendar entry of the projects I worked on? Check (I still have that calendar now, and it’s crazy to see the amount of things I accomplished).

Now that I am married and have my son, I try to document as much of our life as possible. For Noah, I created his own email address that I can send notes to. I email him with cute pictures and stories of things he’s done that day, but I also share stories about me, his daddy and our lives. I want him to have as much of me as possible, just in case I’m not around one day to tell him in person.

Each birthday, I set out a time capsule for family and friends to fill with their thoughts for him. I’m sure it’ll be overflowing in just a few years!

This is such a simple project, but one that will be used for years to come! First, find a box or container (I used one I got on sale at a craft store, but a shoe box or other container would work just as well!) and decorate it. Last year, I found really cute wooden animals and stickers to decorate the box with, but I decided to re-do it with this year's theme in mind.

I covered the box with striped wrapping paper. Instead of wrapping the entire box at once, cut panels out for each side, and glue them down. It makes for a much cleaner, smoother finish. I also chose to paper the inside of the box, so be sure to cut your strips long enough! Finish the box off with a few decorative stickers. You may decide to cut a hole in your box for notes to be dropped into; I chose not to, so that nothing would fall out when it's stored through the year.

Borrowing from pinterest, I also created a fun instruction sheet for guests. Isn’t it cute?

I would say that I can’t wait to share all of this with future Noah, but I don’t want to skip the memory-making. “Today is a gift, which is why it’s called the present.”

—Supermom OUT