This past week I worked on an album for a very special family. Earlier during the year they asked me to help them plan their first trip to WDW. Well, as you know that is right up my alley. I created an itinerary for them along with several tips on what to see and do. I even got to speak to them a few times while they were on the trip.
The most memorable being the last night they were there. My girlfriend called me to say that they had been picked as the family of the day for Chef Mickey's. Part of their promotion for a "Year of a Million Dreams". My girlfriend was actually crying and wanted to share the experience with me. I felt so blessed at the time. Mostly because they "got" why this place is so special to me. And I knew that it was a memory that would stay with them for a lifetime.
The biggest blessing came this week when I asked her to let me put together her book. She didn't want anything fancy, and she is not a scrapbooker. She just wanted a simple book that her daughters could look at and remember the wonderful trip that they had. Part of me wished that I could do more, but I took her album and pictures home and started laying the photos out to organize them......and a flood of emotions came over me. It brought me back to our first trip to Disney. The look on my children's faces when they experienced Magic Kingdom for the first time. The first time they danced on Main Street with the characters. Our first monorail ride up front. Our first character meal. Driving through the gates of Walt Disney World and realizing we were actually there. The first time we saw the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom. Nicki's first experience with a "Small World". Buzz Lightyear's reaction to her braids. the day I fell in love with the Grand Floridian Hotel after a trip across the water on the Disney boat. Our first Safari ride and the first time we saw the Electric Light Parade. So many of our first, I saw again through the eyes of my friend and her family.
Then I started thinking about my scrapbook pages and the many pictures I have stored up on my computer ( not even on a disc..big mistake people. Back those photos up ). For years we took pictures that never made it into a scrapbook, but were in albums just waiting for family and friends to see. Now because of the digital age and scrapbook albums most of my memories are still waiting around to be scrapped, not even a tangible image in my hand. As much as I love scrapbooking I love the pictures and the memories more. And so I have made a decision to start developing my memories again. Some may make it into a scrapbook page, others may just be a photograph in a "safe" photobook. There is room for both, but if they stay in my computer to me that is just as bad as when we had them in boxes underneath our bed. I got so much satisfaction from creating my friends book as I did the first time I created a Disney album for my family. And to me that is what its really all about. Not the magazines, or the manufactures, or even the scrapboards or the Design Teams. If you are not enjoying the process then all of the other things are for naught.
My girlfriend has thanked me for blessing her. I want to thank her for blessing me. Seeing her memories reminded me of my memories. My memories reminded me why I got into scrapbooking in the first place. And that was for my family. I don't think I will ever stop being a scrapbooker. I will be the first to admit that I love the shopping, I love touching the products. I love the friendships I have formed because of this hobby. But most importantly I love the picture memories I have and the look on my family and friends faces when they see those pictures....whether it be in a scrapbook or just a plain old album.
