This is Why We Make the Memories...And Why We Shouldn't Stop

You know I love my scrapbooks!

I had loaned a couple of them to one of Ryan's co-workers last week so she could see how digital album making looks in print. When I handed them over to her, life was normal - as we knew it to be normal, anyway. When she brought them back a few days later, everything about this world had changed.

I sat on the couch and flipped through the books before putting them back, and they made my heart so very happy. One of them was the album from our Friendtastic Fifth Anniversary vacation. While I have loved every single trip we have ever taken together, that one was extra special.

That was the trip in which we visited friends all along the way of our multi-state tour.

We went back to the place where we were married, sat on our beloved beach, and relived one of our most favorite days.

We took a lunch cruise one day and ate in a marina another day.

We watched sunsets from our perch in the sand.

We kayaked.

We toured new cities:

We learned about Duck Donuts (which we are still in love with)!

We visited Mayberry - and the Biltmore. (Both in a snowstorm.)

And then we drove home through beautiful snow-covered mountains.

I savored that whole vacation all over again as I looked through the books. I remembered the stories from beginning to end. The sweet generosity of our friends who let us stay with them. The guy at the coffee shop in Florida who snarled at me, "Do you even know what's in a caramel macchiato?" The wedding we watched on the beach - on our actual anniversary. The shark teeth we never found - on the beach known for shark teeth. The things we didn't get to see in Mayberry because we didn't have enough time. The way Asheville shut down entirely in a snowstorm - leaving us without dinner, because we didn't know we'd be out of restaurants.

I'm glad we made and preserved the memories so I can enjoy them now. In this season of not being able to hang out with friends, travel, visit new places, watch sunsets on a beach, or enjoy restaurants, I'm grateful for the chance to live in the memories. It's why we made them. They were meant to be savored in the moment - and in the time that follows, like now!

And just as I captured all the fun and beauty of a vacation, I'm capturing the strangeness that is our normal. I've snapped pictures of empty shelves at the store, signs of announcements, and more. Even though there is so much I would rather not remember about this time, I don't ever want to forget this time. I want to keep making memories, even if they're relocated to the confines of our house. We may be banned from county tours and other adventures, but rest assured, we will have adventures. We will make memories worth keeping.

So if you're looking to fill a few moments in this season of being sequestered, look back over the memories you've made. And don't fail to make new ones. These days matter too. Perhaps they're not grand or picturesque, but they absolutely matter!