:Love:

Tonight as I was cleaning and going through some things I need to put away; things that came from our storage for the past three and a half years... I was able to reminisce in the love in my life....

First was of my husband and me. I found scrapbooks I had put together during our first year and when he left for the military! How I love this man... and yet, how much we have grown. I can even tell in my writing.. the letters to him. They sound so YOUNG. They sound like many of my younger friends, newly married, new to the military friends! How cute we were. I have boxes, literally boxES of letters between Nate and I... well mostly from me to him... from High School, College, all the way to Basic Training... Good times. I sure love that boy. Many memories.

Then there is my Poetry Notebook. :) This spiral notebook is STILL with me, yes Amanda I am serious, since like 7-8th grade. Isn't that crazy. I had Nate put it up in the shelf while we were organizing and he was like.. uh, we can throw this away.. I was like.. UH NOPE! It reminds me of who I use to be... and how I use to express my feelings in writing vs. holding them in. The most important thing to me in them though are the poems about my brother. Pictures I have of him in it.... I will never see him again.. why on earth would I throw it away!!!

My choir and drama shirts.... I was involved in Choir and Drama, a traveling team, in my church youth group for many years.. in two different churches actually. Seeing these shirts brought back a wave of memories... the good times, the bad times... The songs I would sing- my favorite ones.. the skits that were my favorite.. and all of the friends that I had.... Especially thinking of those that I have completely lost touch with... but even more excited to realize that I do keep in touch with several of them. One of the best memories of my teenage years was our Traveling Choir and Drama team.

College! Tons and Tons and TONS! of pictures. WOW! Once again Wow! Reminds me why I want to keep losing this weight.. I never want to look like that again!!! But I made some of the best friends ever in college at East Texas Baptist University! I keep in touch with most of them via facebook- so that made me pretty happy. There was one that I kept in touch with pretty well even after we got married... pretty good until we moved to our first base, Leslie... and then we became like most others- facebook friends.

Wedding Album... the main reason this is near and dear to me is because it has pictures of Shane, my brother, in it. I don't care for my wedding pictures.. BUT having him in those pictures........... means I will FOREVER keep them! I can't tell you how many pictures I have found of him. i wish I had the time to scan them all... maybe when britt comes we can! :) Many pictures of when Chloe was little.. many! Those were the years I was in college.. before I moved far off.

My first baby doll, my favorite unicorn stuffed animal, the nightgown my mom wore when she had me, two of my baby blankets, my baby book.... all of these things! :)

I love my life! I love those in my life.

(and of course, I am rambling)