18 February 2010

Tell the Story

Persistence counts for something, even in the face of daunting odds, right?

Our daughter is graduating in May and, although I had done a lot of scrapbooking for her, I had fallen way behind on her pages. She's a busy student with lots of activities and performances each month, so it's very hard to keep up with her current pages, let alone go back and pick up past years. In spite of those odds, I set a goal of having her entire life scrapbooked by graduation. While I would never display all of those albums at her open house, Daughter and I agreed that it would be great to have this stage of life well-documented.

The truth is, I'm making great progress but may not make my goal. The layouts below show one of the reasons why it's slow going: Daughter and I both take photos with an eye toward telling the story, and it's often impossible to compress them into just a couple of "summary" pages. For example, two summers ago she attended a church camp in Colorado which she described as "life changing". She did a great job of documenting and writing about all facets of the trip: The bus ride, the beautiful scenery, the music, and more...resulting in 12 pages for this event alone.


Because my pages are very simple, I'm a fairly speedy scrapbooker. Yet with so many meaningful activities to document, it's taking longer than I anticipated.

But that's okay. At the open house, no one will be able to tell if I haven't finished all of her scrapbooking. I'd much rather take a little additional time to tell the stories.

After all, it's the stories that will really matter in years to come.

9 comments:

Judy said...

Great job. And I'm glad that you are taking the time to tell the story. I have kept a diary for YEARS and it's fun sometimes to go back and read through what I've done. I don't go into great detail. So scrapbooking with the story is wonderful. What treasured memories for Bailey in years to come.

Heather said...

You've done so much more than most people though! If you don't have what you want finished by graduation, that's OK! Just keep going and you will have it eventually. What a treasure those albums will be for her! By the way, I love the way you did your title for the campsite here. :)

Debbie said...

Your pages are so great. I love you simple style and the focus you put on the photos and story. How many months worth of photos do you have left?

Debbie said...

Your pages are so great. I love you simple style and the focus you put on the photos and story. How many months worth of photos do you have left?

Heather said...

I love these pages Janet. And I'm sure Bailey does too. How many albums worth do you have of layouts since she is almost 18 (or has she turned? I forget!) I'm just anticipating what is to come with Owen!

Janet said...

Thank you, guys! The main reason I started scrapbooking is because I enjoy writing, and that is one thing I make sure to include on every page. Takes a little longer, but I think it's worth it! :-)

Debbie -- I wish I had just a few months left, but I have a few YEARS left to do! lol I'm in good shape with her high school years and have a lot of her elementary school years done. I haven't touched photos from birth to age 3, though. I will see what I can get done for those years, probably just a few pages to represent that period in time.

Heather -- Gosh, it's hard to say because I make family albums that have more than just her pages in them (although I'm only focusing on her pages right now). Don't be shocked, but I have 2-4 albums for each calendar year! I'm using 12x12 3-ring WRMK binders and they hold around 60 single sb pages (30 page protectors) each. Yeah, too many albums, I know! lol
But she's almost as sentimental as her mama and wants to use a lot of photos, so that's what I do!

Cheri said...

I too love all the journaling that you always include. I think you and Bailey will be glad you didn't rush through "just" to get "done" for graduation.

Jill said...

They look great! I'm sure she'll be very greatful for the memories. :-) My boy will have maybe years one through six scrapbooked beyond belief and my daughter will have years three through maybe 9 or so. Aside from that, they're going to have to rely on their own memories. *sigh* Oh well. I done what I could. :-)

Mollie Deem said...

Maybe take a break from the detailed chronicalling (is that even a word?) to create a highlights book, "Bailey, this is your life" that can be displayed at graduation? It might provide that respite you need from the pressure of having it all done? It's always good to have a backup plan :)