I am kind of a sentimentalist. When there’s a hurricane headed our way, I load up all my photo albums, grandma’s china, my wedding dress, and the boys baby stuff and take it with me to wherever we evacuate.

Capturing sweet memories is important to me. When I look at a photo or item belonging to a long gone relative, the memories return fresh to my mind. I also enjoy remembering special moments with my family. I have shadow boxes for each of my sons and inside I placed their first picture in the hospital, their hospital blanket, little hat they were given and their name tag that had been on the hospital bassinet. I also have shadow boxes to remember special trips my husband and I have taken in years past. The one from our trip to England and Scotland holds train tickets, photos, British coins, and other memorabilia.

Since we’ve returned from Paris, I’ve wanted to capture those memories as well. Since I’m pretty much out of wall space (that’s what sentimentality does to you:), I decided to capture our Paris memories in a glass container and place it on my dresser. In the jar, I’ve placed a map that we used each day, a favorite photo, museum passes, metro and other train tickets, a little Eiffel Tower, coins, and a bust of Napoleon. Each day when I walk by my dresser, I see the memories captured and my heart swells with joy as I recall our beautiful trip to the “City of Lights.”

Have you any memories to capture?