Oldies But Goodies

After moving approximately 29837498237 times in the past few years, I've become quite efficient with my packing skills, facilitating an appreciation for storage aptitude and minimal junk.  Its a bit crazy how much stuff one person can accumulate in a small tiny apartment, as I did in New Orleans, and by no means am I a pack rat (I think).  I routinely purge knick knacks and old clothes, but it can be difficult to figure out what stuff to get rid of and what trinket or piece of fabric I should keep for upcycling (supposedly).  Well, my criteria for KEEP has greatly increased to weed out most uni-functional, non-essentials because after so many moves, I've become familiar with the high value and limited amount of storage space.  That and Hoarders freaks me out. 

With my de-cluttering momentum in full speed,  I've tried to encourage my mom to reduce as well, but she's reluctant to let go of sentimental items, like the popsicle stick jewelry box I made her or the canvas stitched photo frame with seashells.  And thank heavens for that! I dedicate this post to my mom, who I can't thank enough for keeping some stuff that I probably would have given away a long time ago if they were in my possession.  After Katrina, all our non-damaged belongings were packed away with no order whatsoever and transported to the DC area where we relocated after the storm.  Six years and some change later, I stumbled upon some of these old boxes that must have never been unpacked, and, to my delightful surprise, I found some dear old friends.

 From top right: no name multi-color pumps, cobalt blue Puma sneaks, Airwalk plastic metallic violet, Nike Air Max (don't laugh, but I got the kids version because I liked the color better, and it was cheaper), Steve Madden golfer looking shoes (Hubs' favorite, insisting that I put them back in rotation), Dr. Marten's teardrop mary janes, DKNY sneakers, and no name suede mules. 

Check out some of the shoes that I wore in high school.  I think I had about seven more pairs of sneakers and definitely a pair of Sauconys, red Chucks from my super awesome friend Mincey, and another pair of lace up Docs.  Man, I miss those guys.  Tear.  I worked at Foot Action at the mall during my sophomore and junior year, thus the crazy shoe collection.  The pumps in the top right are sooo fun, aren't they?  I certainly didn't wear those to school.    

My favorite part of this shoe, clearly, is the carrot on the tongue.  Who doesn't love veggie detailing?

The most amazing find of all are my high school yearbooks that I thought were destroyed and gone forever.  Even Hubs was super excited and jumping up and down with me because he's repeatedly heard my sad, nostalgic stories about losing my yearbooks in the storm, especially since my 10 year HS reunion just passed.  I'm a sucker for memories, photographs, and journals (hence the blogging) and the loss of any of these things can be devastating because of the inability to get them back.  I know, its just yearbooks (now covered in mold) but it really warmed my heart and reminded me how much I love my mom and and how awesome she is for not listening to her naggy, pestering daughter who obviously still has a lot to learn.  Remember to hug, kiss, call, and tell your mom you love her today!