Hold Onto the Memories

on July 25, 2011
in Design and Decorating

Yesterday was the obligatory “Help Your Friends Move” day.  Since Isaac and Nicole are ‘legally but not spiritually’ wed (spiritual wedding is in October), they are moving into together.   Specifically, Isaac is moving out of his 1,000 square foot townhouse and into Nicole’s one-bedroom apartment.  

 

Apparently Isaac is sentimental because I think he kept every single memento from 13 years old on – including his bar mitzvah tie, every note from his ex-girlfriend, and this awesome poster.

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I laughed until I cried.  Seriously.

 

So, once we got the U-Haul loaded up, we dropped off some stuff at Nicole’s and other boxes at a creepy storage unit that reminded me of an episode of Law and Order SVU.

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In the process of the move, we inherited Nicole’s bed. 

 

This means our second bedroom/my office – which I actually never work from because I have a laptop and prefer to sit at the kitchen counter – went from this:

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To this…

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To this!  Tada!  A guest room.

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I love hand-me-down furniture.  However, I don’t know where my bike is going to live now. 

 

After the move, we all hung out and ate pizza from Mellow Mushroom.  I got a vegetarian gluten-free pizza and made a homemade spinach and strawberry salad with balsamic dressing.

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And for breakfast, a Panda Puff cereal bowl with yogurt, banana, and sesame-covered cashews:

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Do you hold onto items of sentimental value or do you toss the stuff and keep the memories?  I have lots of stuff from years past, but it’s all contained in boxes.  I refuse to part with my middle school report cards.

 

PS – Happy birthday, Jenna!  Smile 

Jenna & Daisy

{ 64 comments }

 

  • Madeline - Greens and Jeans July 25, 2011, 9:25 am

    Isacc looks SO much like Ted from How I Met Your Mother in that picture. Amazing.

    • jen July 25, 2011, 10:10 am

      that is the first thing i thought!

  • Katie July 25, 2011, 9:26 am

    I always hang on to way more things than I should. Then, every time I move, I force myself to throw out about half of my packrat collection. I still have a huge amount of sentimental things boxed up in my parents’ basement though 🙂

  • Yolie @ Practising Wellness July 25, 2011, 9:27 am

    I am definitely sentimental about certain things – I particularly treasure letters and cards that I have received from loved ones, friends, family etc. I keep them all in a special box, and love sifting through them. They make me feel so full of gratitude! <3
    I also still have every single text message my boyfriend sent me from the year that we lived a few hours away from one another, and only saw each other at weekends. I love reading them and remembering all those little moments…so lovely, and really precious! 🙂 xyx

    • Kristin @ Wounded Fawn July 25, 2011, 2:05 pm

      How do you keep the texts? I wish there was a better way than emailing them to myself. I still have my old blackberry because I didn’t want to lose the text messages the BF sent me when we first started dating.

      • Caitlin July 26, 2011, 11:25 am

        Take pictures of the phone and print it? LOL

        • Yolie @ Practising Wellness July 26, 2011, 12:29 pm

          Lol! I just keep the phone and sim card that the messages are stored/saved on…and the charger for that particular phone so that I can keep looking at them even when I’ve moved onto a new phone 🙂 I totally need to find a better way to do this though. If I figure one out, I’ll definitely let you know! xyx

  • Nicole (Mrs. Muffins) July 25, 2011, 9:29 am

    That poster cracks me up! I have slowly parted with old things. I too have my report cards and trophies and certificates of perfect attendance, etc, etc! It’s so hard. I know I enjoy looking at some of my mom’s old things but certainly there is a limit… right? I love the new guest bedroom! So cute! Can I ask where the folded flag on your cubby came from?

    • Caitlin July 25, 2011, 9:31 am

      It was the flag flying over the finish line at the Disney marathon, which I ran, two years ago. My friend worked at Disney and took it for me to keep. 🙂

      • Nicole (Mrs. Muffins) July 25, 2011, 9:36 am

        Aww! How cool. I’m a Marine wife so I tend to think of folded flags in a different way. Of course that led me to wonder where you got one! But that’s way cool 🙂

  • Lisa @ Sunny Seed Stories July 25, 2011, 9:41 am

    I work at my kitchen counter as well! Makes sense I guess.

    I haven’t kept too much, but I will keep my old dance awards and costumes until kingdom come, I bet. They are too special to let go of, even if they just sit in a plastic tub in storage! 😛

  • Ashley O. @ The Vegetable Life July 25, 2011, 9:43 am

    I go through phases where Ihold on to everything and then I throw it all out a few months later. I cant to get out spare bedroom set up… we have lived in out house for 8 months and its still full of boxes (thats embarassing to admit…)

  • Kate @ World According To Kate July 25, 2011, 9:44 am

    Haha, I also refuse to get rid of my middle school report cards. I have an overstuffed scrapbook filled with old report cards, various awards, newspaper clippings and even a few research papers that I’m particularly proud of. It’s kind of ridiculous, but it’s fun to look through every now and then 🙂

  • katie @ KatieDid July 25, 2011, 9:48 am

    I use to be a stage 1 hoarder but have gotten much better at parting with almost anything. I do keep a box with special cards, notes, and pictures but anything that can’t fit in there I usually dump. Clothing used to be bad also but ever since I went to college and had to live simpler, I got rid of most of my 25 sweatshirts that I never wore and lots of other junk.

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat July 25, 2011, 9:49 am

    The pizza looks great! I have moved three times (pretty big moves too) in my life and each time, the amount of stuff I carry from place to place tends to decrease. I have one big bin of baby/kid memories, a bit fat scrapbook from the 5 years that I lived in the Middle East, and another one for my university memories. Apart from that, I am a fan of decluttering as much as possible!

  • Holly @ The Runny Egg July 25, 2011, 9:49 am

    I used to keep everything — and now I’ve moved a few times (to college, back home from college and then finally with Jason when we got married) I’ve downsized a lot.

  • Sarena (The Non Dairy Queen) July 25, 2011, 9:57 am

    I don’t hold on to much, but I do hold on to sentimental things. Definitely baby stuff, like my son’s teeny tiny Adidas shell toes and pacifier clip. I also kept an outfit my husband wore on one of our first dates…courdaroy cut offs and a flannel shirt. I love the memories!

  • Katy @ In Between Travels July 25, 2011, 9:58 am

    I hold onto EVERYthing. Bracelets I made in elementary school… notes I passed with my friends in middle school… and every diary I’ve ever kept. I look back on them from time to time and wonder what the hell I was thinking…
    I need to start going through it though! When I move into my first apartment/etc after college, I’m going to need to get rid of some stuff! My bureau is overflowing…

  • Sue @ Sue In Training July 25, 2011, 10:01 am

    Oh my, I used to toss everything! All my art projects from high school, etc. I kind of regret it now, because some of the stuff was really nice. Oh well, I still just toss or donate, I don’t have enough space to hoard anything.

  • Aine @ Something to Chew Over July 25, 2011, 10:03 am

    It’s very grown-up to have a guest bedroom 🙂

  • Baking N Books July 25, 2011, 10:08 am

    How was the GF pizza?? Good?

    Moving is rough. The bed is nice – but I’d love to have an office! Sitting in my kitchen/living room causes me to go to the fridge or cupboards WAY too much…;)

  • Gina @ running to the kitchen July 25, 2011, 10:13 am

    I just recently found a nkotb poster in my old bedroom at my parents house. Classic!

  • Kelley @ Just Call Me Jack July 25, 2011, 10:26 am

    My big problem is T-shirts. I had drawers and drawers of them from all different events and sport teams. But I could never possibly wear all of them.

    Slowly I am winnowing the pile down.

    Last Post: Weekend Wisdom + First Blog Contest

  • Casey @ Pocket Full of Sunshine July 25, 2011, 10:31 am

    I still have tons of stuff from high school. Mostly notes and ticket stubs–wrist bands from Britney Spears concerts–you know. 🙂

  • Bee Goes Bananas July 25, 2011, 10:32 am

    I wish I had enough space to have a guest bedroom. We’re in a one bedroom apartment now, but I can’t wait to get our first house!

  • Danielle & Amanda July 25, 2011, 10:38 am

    Love, love, love all your recipes!!! Amanda went vegan over night and I’m slowly going vegetarian. Keyword slowly 🙂 I feel like I’m always holding on to stuff, luckily I don’t have to worry about storage, it’s still all at my parents! When my husband and I buy our first house, I’m sure they’ll gladly drop it off!

    • Caitlin July 26, 2011, 11:27 am

      Thanks Danielle 🙂 I’m glad you like my recipes!

  • Kelly July 25, 2011, 10:54 am

    I hold onto all that sentimental stuff. In fact, for Christmas this year, my mom gave my sisters and I nice storage boxes filled with report cards, drawings, art projects and notes from when we were children. It was the best gift any of us received that year or since.

  • Kate (What Kate is Cooking) July 25, 2011, 11:01 am

    I’m kind of a hoarder…I’ve been forced to get rid of a lot of stuff because I have no closet or desk!

  • Adrienne July 25, 2011, 11:07 am

    I miss going to Mellow Mushroom! Their pizza always has the best dough! Was the GF kind just as good?

    • Caitlin July 26, 2011, 11:30 am

      It was pretty good! Tasted like normal to me.

  • Callie @ Callieflower Kitchen July 25, 2011, 11:14 am

    I love the bed in your guest bedroom, it’s so adorable!

  • Katie July 25, 2011, 11:19 am

    I try to keep small things, but I end up tossing them. After so many moves, hoarder parents, and the realization that most of it is crap that will be buried and forgotten about, I get rid of most of it. There are a few select cards and things, but no more than a smal box or two.

  • Ash @ Good Taste Healthy Me July 25, 2011, 11:26 am

    Yay for a new guest room! I tend to save sentimental things because I have the worst memory ever. I’m scared I’ll lose it!

  • Rebecca July 25, 2011, 11:32 am

    I have a box filled with school stuff in our basement storage room, plus at least one box filled with other stuff under my bed (a lot of it church-related). I used to keep full church bulletins, but now I’ve gone through and kept mostly just the sermon note forms. I actually just tossed some old notebooks and stuff on Saturday… 🙂

    Hooray on the guest bedroom! 🙂

  • Savannah(Sweet and Savvy) July 25, 2011, 11:42 am

    That poster is hilarious!
    I also love recycled furniture. My bed frame is my Mom’s old one, and my brother’s was my daddy’s. 🙂

  • Hillary July 25, 2011, 11:47 am

    I’m a bit of a hoarder, honestly. When my family moved from RI to MD when I was 21, I was devastated to realize that I’d have to let go of things I’d kept since I was in grade school (projects, notes, movie and concert tickets, etc). Since that move, I’ve moved four more times and I’ve gotten really, really good at getting rid of “unimportant” stuff and keeping the things that really matter!

  • Dynamics July 25, 2011, 11:52 am

    I struggle with keeping things so I read a lot of organizational blogs. The best advise I received was to take a picture of the item and then get rid of it. It is the memory that you cherish, not the item. Looking at the picture can evoke the same response. Better to have a few books full of memories than a few boxes. With clothing type items, cut a swatch and make a pillow, blanket or just put the swatch in a book. I try to find a picture of me wearing the item and put it with the swatch. Love, love, love the bed.

  • Shannon @ Mon Amour July 25, 2011, 12:07 pm

    I hold on to things for a really long time.. you never know when they might come in handy 😉

  • Cindy July 25, 2011, 12:07 pm

    It’s all in storage back home but I have every single report card from 1st grade on. And all my class pictures. And every note passed from my BFF in middle and high school. 🙂

  • Kristen @ notsodomesticated July 25, 2011, 12:08 pm

    I used to love Mellow Mushroom pizza!! 🙂

    For the most part, I toss the stuff and keep the memories. I’ve had to move a lot, so that helps me get rid of the clutter. But I hang on to sentimental things, like little notes or card my husband has given me. 🙂

  • Isaac (aka Ted) July 25, 2011, 12:17 pm

    2Pac4Life! thanks for the help yesterday!

  • Cara July 25, 2011, 12:47 pm

    Where did you get your shelf unit from? I love it!!!

    • Caitlin July 26, 2011, 11:30 am

      Ikea 🙂

  • Rachel July 25, 2011, 12:52 pm

    Mmmm… You just made me want Mellow so bad!
    I was raised by a total pack-rat, so as a result I obsessively clean things out on a regular basis to make sure there is never any clutter. I have a few souvenirs from my past, but mostly I rely on my memories and photographs instead of objects.

  • Dori July 25, 2011, 1:24 pm

    That pic of Maggie in the middle of the red rug is so funny. Have I mentioned in the last 12 hours that I love her? Awesome that you got the bed and now have a guest room!

  • Crystal July 25, 2011, 1:26 pm

    Caitlin,
    I’ve been meaning to message you to see if you knew/had ever tried MM Gluten-free pizza. My husband is the owner of a Mellow just south of you (in Lexington, SC). I’m glad you tried it!! Anyway, just wanted you to know I was thinking of you!
    P.S. I think your hubby is vegan? We also have vegan cheese, but you probably already knew that?

    • Caitlin July 26, 2011, 11:31 am

      Yea! The MM vegan cheese is actually pretty good.

  • Amber K July 25, 2011, 1:29 pm

    I’ve actually become a lot better at not being a pack rat. I started taking photos of things so that I can keep a visual reminder without having a lot of bulky stuff. Now my husband on the other hand…lol He has so much stuff, it’s insane. We’re sloooowly making our way through it. We want to buy a house soon and I don’t want to move all of our extra junk with us!

  • Kristin @ Wounded Fawn July 25, 2011, 2:12 pm

    I have so many things. I keep everything and I really shouldn’t because moving is in my blood. I have been told that I am too sentimental for my own good, which is true. If I misplace something that I have been holding onto for years I am crushed.
    My BF and I want to make a really big move though and unfortunately all of the notebooks my friends and I passed in school(passing notes, you get caught, pass a whole notebook, not so much!) can’t come. But I am ok with that, time to move on just gotta clean it all up and get it out!

  • Rebekah (aka, "Ted's" sister) July 25, 2011, 3:32 pm

    Caitlin you don’t even *know*. Isaac keeps EVERYTHING. When I helped him clean out his garage a few years ago he had receipts from 10 years ago, not to mention toys from when he was a kid. PLUS broken computer equipment. Poor Nicole. . .

    • Caitlin July 26, 2011, 11:32 am

      bawhaha

  • Khushboo July 25, 2011, 4:16 pm

    I’m such a hoarder- I have major issues parting with sentimental objects!

  • Ali @ Ali Runs July 25, 2011, 4:47 pm

    I am the worst at holding on to things way too long!!! My mom has had to slowly empty out my bedroom from when I was young so I wouldn’t know what was being thrown out at the time. I’m such a pack rat!

  • Rosi July 25, 2011, 4:58 pm

    I’m some what of a packrat. I hold onto cards and other sentimental things for a bit of time before I get rid of them, but I used to be a lot worse.
    I noticed that when we were in the process of a foreclosure and weren’t sure where we’d wind up, I purged a lot of stuff while packing (we were in the house over 16 years, that’s quite a bit of time to accumulate stuff!).
    Now, it’s much easier for me to part with things.

  • Gabby July 25, 2011, 5:15 pm

    Mellow Mushroom is probably my favorite pizza place ever! I had it in Hilton Head. If only they existed all over the United States 🙁
    Where do you get your sesame-covered nuts, by the way? They look delicious!

    • Caitlin July 26, 2011, 11:36 am

      Trader Joes!

  • Abby @ Abz 'n' Oats July 25, 2011, 5:41 pm

    I hang on to a lot of sentimental stuff. It is kind of a problem. I have all of the cards I have ever received in my life for birthdays, graduation, holidays, etc. I just feel like it would be rude of me to throw them away! lol. Maybe I will weed through them and keep the more meaningful ones! 🙂

  • Marlow July 25, 2011, 5:54 pm

    You have to try the Gluten Free pizza at Fuel Pizza!! It is AMAZING!! Best I’ve ever had!

  • Jacalyn July 25, 2011, 7:01 pm

    That 2 PAC poster is toooooo much! I thought only girls kept love letters. As soon as I moved in with my then boyfriend, now husband, I tossed ANYTHING given to me from an ex. I figured it was bad karma. I feel like a pack rat when I keep things for a long time, so about three times a year, I go through my house and purge. I gave my husband one of the upstairs guest bedrooms for him to store his crap since he is a pack rat and I am going to purge that room for him soon since he can’t seem to do it himself.

  • Kaitlin @ Montgomery Minimalist July 25, 2011, 8:13 pm

    Actually, I just spent yesterday going through my closet of “sentimental things.” It was full of boxes that hadn’t been opened in the 3 years since we last moved. I found gifts from my high school graduation, clothes from middle school, notes I wrote to old boyfriends that I had never delivered… While I’ve held on to them for a while, I decided that if I hadn’t thought of or looked at it in 3 years, I probably didn’t need to keep it. I got rid of about 6 bags and boxes worth of stuff–and feel much better!

  • Sonia (the Mexigarian) July 26, 2011, 11:52 am

    I hold on to things like no other and am very sentimental. I have notebooks from grade school and highschool for the “just in case”/ “what if I need them” moments. I have stuffed toys from my infancy. Thus, I am a packrat. I have over taken the office with my “junk”. I need someone to come to my house and help me organize and let go.

  • AmandaonMaui July 26, 2011, 4:16 pm

    Mmmm. I had Mellow Mushroom pizza in South Carolina while visiting my mom. I have CD so I had the gluten free crust. It was so nice to go out for a pizza with my mom again.

    I noticed that you don’t always eat gluten free, and I was wondering why you choose to eat gluten free things sometimes when you could have the regular (especially since the gluten free options usually cost more).

    • Caitlin July 26, 2011, 4:22 pm

      I’m slightly intolerant but not terribly so, I just try to make GF choices when available. All the bread I eat is GF.

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