Memories

on February 5, 2013

My mom is slowly unloading all the â€˜memory boxesâ€™ that I stored at her house over high school and college. I canâ€™t find the time to go through them all so Iâ€™ve been stuffing the boxes in a closet and trying to put it out of my mind.

You know how chores like this go â€“ you start on one box and then you get sucked into a vortex of memories. Before you know it, an hour has passed and youâ€™ve accomplished nothing but reminisce on one month in 1999.

Today, while transferring the newest load into the closet, I did get through the top of one box in 30 minutes. So many awesome memories!

Remember the movie Rushmore? Me neither. A movie ticket in Miami in 1999 was only $4.75 â€“ canâ€™t even rent a movie on my TV for that price.

I was so obsessed with the X-Files. Flipping through this back issue of US magazine was amazing. The advertisements were my favorite. So many women in grungy clothes with their tummies bared. Remember Exclamation perfume? They still sell it, apparently!

US correctly predicted the rise of the Spice Girls, for what itâ€™s worth.

Also â€“ I have a signed copy of a Ricky Martin CD! Fun factâ€¦ I waited for something absurd â€“ like five hours â€“ to meet Ricky, and when I did, I asked him to kiss me. He kissed me on the cheek. #claimtofame

I also kept my homecoming corsage from 1999 â€“ how did this thing survive?

But the best find of all was my Student Planner. I have a NYC Library planner from every year of high school. I was extremely detailed. Extremely! Not just homework assignments but dates with friends, books and TV shows that I wanted to watch, things I ate, songs I liked.

I also rated every single day using an A â€“ F scale. I had lots of A days! Only a few C days. I found a key for the rating system in the back of the notebook. For a day to qualify as an A day, I had to hear my favorite song on the radio OR have a really good hair or skin day. Itâ€™s the small things, right? Nuclear war was obviously a F day. Obviously.

I also had positive quotes written on every single pageâ€¦ Operation Beautiful in the making!

Nowadays, I keep all my plans on my iPhone in my Google Calendar â€“ suddenly, I think this is so sad! I wonâ€™t be able to flip through my 2013 Google Calendar in a decade quite the way I can flip through my old Student Planner. Itâ€™s almost enough to convince me to switch back to paper planners. But the iPhone is so much more convenient. Maybe I can retroactively fill in my paper planner? Describing what I did that day instead of planning it out in advance? Like a diary, but a lot less effort.

Anyone still use a paper planner?

{ 102 comments }

Christine @ BookishlyB February 5, 2013, 3:03 pm
I’ve tried to use my iPhone, but I always end up reverting back to a paper planner. I have one for my personal use, and the a lesson plan book for work. I love that you rated your days- I think that would be a great activity for parents to do with their kids at the dinner table every night!
Sarah February 5, 2013, 3:05 pm
I really enjoyed this post! I have recently gone through some stuff my parents have made me rescue from their basement and it’s been quite hilarious. As much as I wanted to keep all of it, I threw a ton of stuff away except for pictures which I need to go through at a later date. The movie tickets are especially funny to find and concert tickets too. I couldn’t believe I used to be able to go to a concert of a big name act for less than $20, pretty much unheard of these days.
Beth February 5, 2013, 3:08 pm
I got this diary for Christmas (http://www.amazon.com/5-Year-Diary-Blue-Cover/dp/0977648192/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360094776&sr=8-1&keywords=5+year+diary) as a way to remember what I did every day in a sentence or less. It’s my compromise to keep appointments and meetings on Google calendar while still keeping something tangible to flip through for quick memories. Only one month in (out of 60) but I love it so far!
Lindsay February 5, 2013, 3:10 pm
That is too funny – I was just going through some of my old notebooks/planners. AMost of my life is on the computer or my iPhone- work, Garmin, etc., but I cannot give up a paper planner. I love it. If I haven’t written it down, it won’t happen. The ONLY thing I dislike about my planner is the amount of room it takes up in my purse!
Carly February 5, 2013, 3:12 pm
I am terrible at keeping a diary, but I have a friend who uses Day One (http://dayoneapp.com/)…not paper but you can always flip through your Dropbox in 10 years!
Jessi February 5, 2013, 3:17 pm
I’m a librarian with the New York Public Library – — HUZZAH for lion student planners!! <3 <3

And I still have my ticket from when I saw Titanic in 1997 and The X-Files movie in 1998 (I had my first kiss after that…awww). XF obsessions for the win!
Sarah W. February 5, 2013, 3:18 pm
my dad has been hoarding the many boxes of things from my bedroom at their house. when i moved out 6yrs ago I left everything there. then at some point I guess he went and boxed everything up. and now that hubs and I are settled intio our house, my dad has slowly been bringing 1 box at a time over to my house – most of it i just goodwilled (textbooks from college, empty CD cases (I keep the CDs in a CD binder thing), random junk I don’t want, a roll of $2 bills (worth $32), and just recently, I found my sticker album!

MOst of it I donated to purple heart, I pulled a few trinkets and purses out for my niece, and my sticker album is getting saved for SURE!

we live in a small townhouse and i hate clutter so saving all sorts of things ain’t my style. I do still have a bunch of my paper planners and movie tickets too :-p

I use my iphone/google calendar strictly for planning now. you couldn’t convince me to go back to paper – what a pain in the ass.
Meagan February 5, 2013, 3:21 pm
I use an Erin Condren planner for the exact reason you said – so that I have the memories! I will totally go in and fill in things that have already happened, haha. Go check out her life planner –
http://www.erincondren.com/store/index.php?cPath=1156
Obsessed!!
Bonnie February 5, 2013, 3:22 pm
I completely rely on my paper planner! Although seeing yours with highlighter and doodles… makes me want to do the same! I also write positive notes, but I definitely need to do it more often. I think today I will use the one you posted this morning. 🙂

Happy tuesday!<3
Emily February 5, 2013, 3:23 pm
I still use a paper planner for this reason exactly! They’re almost like little diaries to me. It’s so much fun looking back and reading about what was going on … my little doodles … what was important to me. Love it! 🙂
Stephanie @ A Girl and Her Manny February 5, 2013, 3:28 pm
You don’t need a paper planner – you have HTP!
Kim February 5, 2013, 3:29 pm
I use a paper planner. I love being able to flip through it, highlight things, record my workouts…

And I have a random question that’s totally unrelated to this post – where did you buy your knee sleeves? I was having pain on the outside of my left knee in November, and pretty much haven’t run since. It feels better now but I’m worried it will flare up again… I think it’s the IT band, which is I think the same reason you bought the knee sleeves?

Anyhow, I am looking to order a pair. Thanks!
Katie February 5, 2013, 3:29 pm
I keep a paper planner! I get them at barnes and noble and really love them (it has a leather binding and holds up really well) It helps me visualize my day when I have a lot going on, and while I don’t use it every single day, if I have a meeting I bring it along to write myself reminders (just the writing part helps me remember, even if I don’t look it up in the planner later).
Kaitlin @4loveofcarrots February 5, 2013, 3:30 pm
I still use a paper planner, I am one of those ppl who needs to cross things off my list, otherwise I don’t feel accomplished!
Sara @ fitcupcaker February 5, 2013, 3:31 pm
this is hilarious. I love looking at stuff from highschool! My mom just gave me allllll my stuff a couple years ago…i cant believe i kept flowers/roses etc…so funny!
Kelly February 5, 2013, 3:34 pm
I still use a paper planner. I just can’t make the online switch. I have tried taking baby steps by adding my work meetings onto my iPhone. So at least I am working in that direction. 🙂
Irina @ Chocolatea Time February 5, 2013, 3:40 pm
I loved reading this! I’m a hoarder of memory items as well and our attic is overflowing with things. I kept many of my school notebooks and homework assignments as well (no idea why) so it’s always interesting to look back and see how you’ve changed. I keep all my movie tickets as well…my earliest is ‘Save the Last Dance’ from back in 1999 or 2000 (or 2001?).
Ashley m. [at] (never home)maker February 5, 2013, 3:49 pm
Love the blast from the past!!! And I used to love my agenda. Still prefer to write out my to o lists and appointments.
Emily February 5, 2013, 3:51 pm
I still use a paper planner for no other reasons than they are pretty and I really enjoy checking/crossing things off a list! Although I’ve recently really started to use Google calendars and it’s pretty awesome.

When I got married a year and half ago, my parents gave me all my “keepsakes” boxes. I still haven’t gone through it because I can only imagine how much stuff is in there! Love all the quotes on each page 🙂
Sarah @ Yogi in Action February 5, 2013, 4:04 pm
Wow- you were a very organized high school student! I’m pretty sure in high school my planner would’ve been buried in my locker, underneath 6 sweaters and 2 pairs of shoes. I was a “fly by the seat of my pants” kind of a girl. Which is funny because now I’m super organized. I guess we all change some.
Nancy February 5, 2013, 4:07 pm
I absolutely do, use a paper planner! I can’t seem to “remember” to check my virtual one, as much as I do a physical one. So much joy ticking off tasks and highlighting things that are coming up, in a real planner!
Beks February 5, 2013, 4:07 pm
I don’t know why I can’t keep a paper planner anymore. I was so good at using one while in school! EVERYTHING went into that sucker! So many checklists and events for school, and college application deadlines, and SATs, PSATs, show choir concerts, friends birthdays! Absolutely everything! How did I get so disorganized in college? I didn’t even start to use an electronic planner until I got a smartphone last year. That’s eight years of being unorganized. Amazing I graduated college.
Kristy Doyle February 5, 2013, 4:07 pm
I use my phone, too, but I’ve recently found the BEST solution to still have those “planner memories” — I bought Gretchen Rubin’s “The Happiness Project: 5 Year Journal” and regardless of how you felt about the book (I loved it, but some people weren’t as impressed) it’s so cute! It’s a thick little hardcover book. Every day of the year has 5 spaces. When you get it, you open up to today’s date and jot down a little sentence or quote about that day (you can even grade them if you want 😉 ), with the year. After you’re completely done, you’ll have five years of memories for each day of the year! I’m loving it!
Amy @ Extracurricular Activities February 5, 2013, 4:09 pm
Omg I absolutely still keep a paper planner! And I kinda can’t leave home without it. However, mine is not NEARLY as detailed as your high school version. Grading the days is hilarious. I keep a regular office supply store paper planner with a more detailed weekly “schedule” written out by moi on a piece of notebook paper folded into eighths (four squares on the front, four on the back). I use a square for each day of the week plus a square holding a long sticky-note of “next week and future” tasks. It’s a unique system but it works for me and I am very stuck in my ways!
Michaela February 5, 2013, 4:17 pm
You are the cutest thing, lol. Now I’m all nostalgic and ready to break out my high school senior book. Class of 99!
simply life February 5, 2013, 4:17 pm
yup! still no smart phone here and I love handwriting my notes and to-do’s! 🙂
Taylor February 5, 2013, 4:17 pm
I think I may be the only person in the world who still uses a paper planner.
Maria February 5, 2013, 4:19 pm
My MIL writes what she did each day on her paper calendar and saves the calendars. She has years of them to look back on and reminisce.

This year I decided to start using the calendar that we made with pics of our kids in the same way. I strive to write down at least one memory/event each day. I am terrible taking the time to sit down and write in the kids’ baby books, but this way I will have all of the milestones documented for when I make their annual “yearbooks”.
Christine February 5, 2013, 4:20 pm
This is so funny to see, because I am from Miami Beach and a lot of these places that you have in your planner are places I went to during my high school years as well! If you ever come down to Miami to visit you should schedule a meet up for healthy living folks down here!!
Reshma February 5, 2013, 4:29 pm
HA! I must have that US magazine somewhere myself, I remember when that cover came out! I also loved the X-Files (David Duchovny and I share the same birthday and I thought we were soulmates). I once saw him and Tea Leoni shopping together at Express in NYC and said something incredibly lame to him. I did not, unfortunately, procure a kiss though.
Angela February 5, 2013, 4:29 pm
I have a paper planner. I tried to switch to my iPhone but its just so much more satisfying to write things down by hand and check them off. Also it helps me de-stress to write it down and see it on paper.
Lela February 5, 2013, 4:32 pm
I used to use paper planners all through school, college and law school! They weren’t that detailed in the end, but they certainly remind me what I was up to for all those years!

And you have the best planner of all: A Blog!
alli February 5, 2013, 4:40 pm
the comment about you writing what you ate made me laugh….cause you still do that 😉
i used to be VERY detailed; and i usually am. i got out of the habit of keeping a planner after i had my son. everytime i use my iphone planner i almost always forget something or schedule ti for the wrong time. i need a paper/pen planner to keep track best!
my MIL keeps a large desk calendar that she writes small notes on about the highlights of that day; like a quick reference journal 😀
Keva February 5, 2013, 4:43 pm
If you decide you don’t want that X-Files US weekly let me know, I’m still obsessed with that show. 😉
Jen February 5, 2013, 4:48 pm
A couple years ago i splurged on a hot pink, leather filofax and i wouldn’t be without it – love the paper planner.
Andrea February 5, 2013, 4:53 pm
I am all about the paper planners. I started medical school this year and my program uploads our schedule onto a google calendar which you can sync with your electronic devices to stay organized. Everyone told me I’d get sick of using a paper calendar and it wouldn’t last long. Well 6 months later I’m still in love with my paper agenda. Always have been, always will be. There’s nothing quite like crossing off those tasks on my to-do list on real paper!
Shari February 5, 2013, 4:59 pm
SPICE GIRLS!

I’m still a fan of theirs … girl power, y’all! 🙂
Tara February 5, 2013, 5:06 pm
Ah, the dreaded boxes of memories. Unlike you, I want to burn everything from 10th grade and younger due to pure embarrasment!
Elise @ Expeditions of Elise February 5, 2013, 5:10 pm
I use a paper planner! What I use is called the “Uncalendar” and it’s the greatest planner I’ve ever found. You fill in the dates yourself so you don’t have to buy it in January or August and it’s not split up by times like so many paper planners are. I love it because I can jot down little notes and color code things the way I want to. I find online calendars are only so flexible and every time I’ve tried to use one I’ve wanted to do something and just couldn’t figure it out. I’ll stick to paper!
rachel February 5, 2013, 5:11 pm
i keep a notebook in my purse and one on my desk – i keep constant running “to-do’s” and check them off – sometimes i set a time i need each task or group of tasks finished – if i finish a group of tasks early i let myself get sucked in to the interwebs or check facebook.
Beth @ Running with the Sunrise February 5, 2013, 5:12 pm
Looking through your memory boxes must have been so much fun. Your photos are definitely making me miss the 90s. 🙂 And yes, I do remember the movie Rushmore. I remember thinking it wasn’t too bad at the time, but my taste in movies back then was horribly unrefined.
Lea @ Greens and Coffee Beans February 5, 2013, 5:17 pm
I still use a paper planner because I’m old schoolâ€¦ and because I don’t have a smart phone. But I have to say there’s something way more satisfying about checking off that to do list by hand than pushing a button on a phone.
And isn’t your blog kind of like your old planner? You can look back on that and get a pretty good picture of what you were doing.
Janie February 5, 2013, 5:24 pm
my planner was my life! hope you’re having fun going through the memories 🙂 xo
Nicole February 5, 2013, 5:27 pm
Rushmore is actually one of my favorite movies of all time! You should re-watch it.

And, I might have a solution for your lack-of-paper woes! My husband and I each write in two journals before going to bed each night and it’s really fun to keep a record of ourselves (as well as see what the other person wrote about that day). The first is called “One Line a Day: A Five Year Journal” and you literally just write a sentence or two each day, every day, for five years. The other is called “Q & A A Day” and is also a five-year journal. Every day of the year, you’re asked a different question and you just fill in your response. The questions range from “What’s the oldest thing you wore today?” to “How was today’s lunch” to deeper stuff like “Who do you want to be?” and “What makes you sad?”

Here are Amazon links for the journals. Seriously, so worth the purchase!
http://www.amazon.com/One-Line-Day-Five-Year-Memory/dp/0811870197/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1360103035&sr=8-3&keywords=q+and+a+a+day+5-year+journal
http://www.amazon.com/Day-Journal-Nov-23-2010-NOV-23-2010-Hardcover/dp/B005O7OC6C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360103035&sr=8-1&keywords=q+and+a+a+day+5-year+journal
linda February 5, 2013, 5:29 pm
So much fun that you can look back at your life. I love your ratings of the day in your planner. I still use a paper planner because hard drives crash and other bad things happen. It’s even fun to see if your handwriting has changed.
April February 5, 2013, 5:40 pm
Ah, this brought back so many memories! I still have my corsages and the ticket stubs from high school as well. I totally forgot how cheap movies were back then!

I use a paper planner now but mostly the calendar view of things and then I take notes all the time in the individual days area. Pretty sure I’m using it all sort of wrong but eh, it works for me!
Isaac February 5, 2013, 5:43 pm
I <3 the 90s.
Kyla February 5, 2013, 5:44 pm
The X-Files is on Netflix…just saying!
Clare February 5, 2013, 5:53 pm
I will always use a paper planner! I tried using my iPhone for a while but it just doesn’t work for scribbling all the spur-of-the-moment, nonsensical bits-and-bobs that need to be remembered. I have three very busy, chatty kids so my thought process is a bit fractured…if I didn’t scrawl it down immediately it would be gone FOREVER.

Anyone else get a bit distracted by the David Duchovny picture? YES, Please. 🙂
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats February 5, 2013, 5:53 pm
I was just at home and had to go through boxes too, although I only made it through one! It took forever, but it was all my art and notebooks from elementary school. I love looking through all those old things, brings back a lot of memories!
Kendra @ My Full-Thyme Life February 5, 2013, 6:27 pm
I just bought a paper planner because I’m on maternity leave and thought it would help me stay organized and also give me something to do. While I’m working I live by my work calendar and use my phone for personal appointments only, but now that I’m at home I’m writting things like chores, grocery lists, thank you notes that need to be written, doctor appointments, etc. I know I could use my phone but writing it down in the planner makes me feel more productive some how. Does that make sense?
Laura February 5, 2013, 6:47 pm
I had to laugh at the rating scale you used! That is so cute. I used to do tons of stuff like that in high school too, I always wrote quotes in my planner and colour coded everything.
It is so much fun to look back on these things!
Lindsay February 5, 2013, 6:51 pm
Oh totally. I don’t think I’ll ever graduate from paper planners. I find that writing something down really helps me commit it to memory. I don’t get the same effect with my Google calendar…

Looking through memory boxes and my old diaries is so much fun. It’s funny how the biggest dramas in your life at age 13 are a joke now. I guess I shouldn’t stress about today’s worries either, as they’ll be no big deal when I’m looking back at age 40.
Kelly February 5, 2013, 6:54 pm
Paper planner all the way! I love the physical act of writing, and like to be able to see things in writing and flip pages and all that. I love my iPhone, but I don’t foresee ever using it for a journal or day planner!

(I also don’t own an eReader…real books, real magazines at the only way to go!)
Lesley Zinn February 5, 2013, 6:57 pm
I use this:
http://www.amazon.com/One-Line-Day-Five-Year-Memory/dp/0811870197/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360108463&sr=8-1&keywords=line+a+day+journal
It is sometimes a challenge to keep it short (I find myself trying to write as small as possible). But I think it’s a great way to have something to look back on that isn’t a huge time suck. A couple of minutes before I go to sleep and I’m good for the day.
Stacy February 5, 2013, 7:06 pm
I just bought a paper planner today because I couldn’t stand using my iPhone calendar anymore. Something about seeing it all laid out on paper is more helpful for reminding me.
Katie February 5, 2013, 7:18 pm
I absolutely LOVE that you have “Cocowalk Outing” and “Crandon Park” references…I live in Coconut Grove so that just made me smile!!!
Lindsay February 5, 2013, 7:20 pm
Hey there! I’m new to your blog and totally love it 😀
I definitely still keep a paper planner. I have to see all the weeks and months laid out in front of me or else I panic and think I’ll miss something. Weird, but it keeps me so organized.
Meg @ Anderstons in the Andes February 5, 2013, 7:34 pm
Your HS planners look A LOT like the ones I had. I keep track of everything on my phone now too, but I do have a Line A Day 5 Year Diary (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/One-Line-Day-Five-Year-Memory/dp/0811870197) that I write a note in each day. I’ve been doing it for a bit over a year now. It’s really fun to look back on and see what I did or thought was important each day, now that I’m in the second year. Last year I was working and planning a trip to Peru, and this year I’m there. I can’t wait to reminisce on it next year!
Vicki February 5, 2013, 8:18 pm
Great post! I have a hard time letting go of stuff and had to throw out a pile of stuff dating back to 8th grade before my most recent move in October! I still have a paper planner, and my boyfriend makes fun of me relentlessly for it.
Amanda K. February 5, 2013, 8:19 pm
dude, that planner totally shows that you were a blogger in the making. you still record all that stuff, it just goes in your blog.
i used a paper calendar before i stopped working (after i had my baby). i’d keep it open on my desk. so easy to refer to.
now i use a gcal, and i’m sure if i had a smart phone i’d use it and love it.
Annamaria February 5, 2013, 8:25 pm
I can totally relate to this post. I have always been a paper and pen kind of person, so I always keep a daily journal. Especially with all the technology available at our fingertips, I prefer manually writing and flipping back to the memories. It goes the same for books. I can’t get into the whole kindle/nook craze because I just love the ritual of holding a book… its feel, smell, the pleasure of turning the page and starting a new chapter. I have also been keeping a diary to just jot down some ideas from the day, new experiences, funny moments, etc. so that I can remember what I do every day (other than routine school, work, etc). Time flies by too quickly and so keeping a journal really slows down my days and helps me remember the little things in life that we seem to overlook!

Oh, and my mom has been keeping a paper planner for the past twenty years even though she’s the queen of Apple products.
Lindsay @ prettylittleparadise February 5, 2013, 8:41 pm
i LOVE my paper planner… I tried getting into using my iPhone, but I just love making the pages of my planner pretty and writing fun stuff in there. Like you, I have my old “agendas” from high school/college and looking through them now is amazing/embarrassing/hilarious! Your blog is kind of like a planner that you can look back at, too!
BroccoliHut February 5, 2013, 8:41 pm
I’m one of those weird people who just can’t give up the paper planner! I like being able to page through it…must be a tactile thing. I also use Google calendar, but I like having the paper duplicate 🙂
Jenny February 5, 2013, 8:42 pm
This is awesome! Love finding these kinds of things!!! Who doesn’t love an old school picture of the Spice Girls?! and the DMB quote is one of my favorites! 🙂
Kim February 5, 2013, 9:07 pm
I hate electronic calendars, long live the planner! I still kept mine from graduate school b/c it’s so fun to flip back through and see date nights with my now husband scheduled after big tests and all the fun little things we did, and a reminder of how much stuff I used to be able to squeeze in a day! Even with Outlook, I still end up using paper to-do lists – maybe time to get a trusty paper planner again 🙂 Love the inspirational quotes!
Samantha Kashka February 5, 2013, 9:34 pm
Paper planner all the way!! I am always afraid that if I put it in my phone I will forget about it or my phone will somehow malfunction and I will be screwed. Plus, I’m secretly super addicted to looking at my own handwriting. I think its gorgeous. (Look how awesome I sound right now haha.)
Cassidy February 5, 2013, 10:18 pm
This was a great post! Thanks for sharing it with us. Coincidentally I went through one of my “memory boxes” yesterday and walked down memory lane. I found my own NYPL planner from high school and various tickets stubs. It was a nice walk down memory lane. Rushmore is a great movie!
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More February 5, 2013, 10:21 pm
This is AWESOME! I love going through old boxes. Sometimes they bring up too many memories but it can also be so fun!
Avery February 5, 2013, 10:33 pm
Love it! It’s funny because I can totally see your personality in your high school planner. From “rating” your days to the inspirational quotes – What a cool thing to look back on! I can’t imagine NOT using a paper planner! I like having everything on paper where I can lay it all out and see everything at once. Not sure why, but I don’t find online calenders NEARLY as satisfying. And not as colorful and fun to use either 🙂 I like the little fun details!
Rebecca February 5, 2013, 11:08 pm
I use both my phone and a paper planner. And my wall calendar for some things. And post-it notes within my planner. Haha.
I like being able to look back. I’ve started keeping a thank you/prayer journal again (I did for a while in high school and then stopped randomly), and I think I’ll enjoy looking back at it in however many years. I like to look back and see how far I’ve come. Even since last year, things have gotten better (in some respects), and it’s cool to be able to see that change documented.
Kristy February 5, 2013, 11:43 pm
I always did this in high school. It was like a thing in my all girl school t have the cutest “agenda”. My concern was always decorating my friends birthdays in cute bubble letters with colored markers. I still have a day planner that I take with me almost everywhere. I hate using the iPhone calendar.
Katy February 5, 2013, 11:50 pm
I love looking through old things. I am pretty sure I have that same box filled with Ricky Martin and the Backstreet Boys and Titanic!
Cecilia February 6, 2013, 5:46 am
I was actually flipping through some old paper journals a couple of weeks ago. I used to write everything in them-my weight, what I ate, things going on, etc. I loved reading them. So I decided to go back to doing that. It has made me very happy!:) I’m a hands on learner anyway.
Sarah (The Simple Dietitian) February 6, 2013, 6:28 am
I love all your reminiscing! This totally brought me back to highschool. And I had a similar type of planner and so glad that I saved them! 😀
My Neon Running Shoes February 6, 2013, 7:52 am
Love looking through old things! How cool that your mom saved all this stuff for you!
Whitney Bowers February 6, 2013, 7:55 am
My heart was so happy reading this post! I’ve done exactly this countlesss times – every time my mom brings something from my old bedroom, I spend hours looking through my high school planners, notes to and from classmates and the piles and piles of pictures. Remember before digital cameras when we couldn’t INSTANTLY if the picture turned out well? Ah, the old days. Thanks so much for sharing – you’ve inspired a post for me!
Emily February 6, 2013, 8:00 am
I use a paper planner! I’m in grad school, and I’m a write-it-down-to-remember it sort of person, so I love it! I still use my phone for important things–appointments, family events, etc., but all those plans are still written down in my paper planner. The written version is my master list.
Joy February 6, 2013, 8:09 am
I still use a paper planner, and I keep a separate “diary” of sorts chronicling what my husband and I do every day. I’ve kept the diary for the past 13 years. It’s nice to be able to look back and see what we’ve done.
dotsie February 6, 2013, 8:50 am
Love this post! And yes, I still use a paper planner…love it! I write everything down and enjoy looking back. If I actually write it, it feels legit. Typing-well, anyone can type something, add my name to it, and clam it’s mine (or their’s!). But my handwriting? It’s like my brand, it’s unique, it’s mine.
Lesley February 6, 2013, 8:51 am
How come when I click on the “75 comments” link, I get sent to various ads? I had to click on that link 3 times before I was taken to the comments.
- Caitlin February 6, 2013, 12:27 pm
  I am so sorry. I am trying to sort this out!
Corrie Anne February 6, 2013, 9:45 am
I LOVE that you have those planners — and that’s a good rating system! How fun. I just bought a planner because I have a hard time keeping track of things for my piano students. And then I promptly lost it. Nice.
Shelby February 6, 2013, 10:05 am
For our 1 year wedding anniversary, my husband gave me a journal of all the highlights of our first year together (cross country move, learning to ski, camping trips in the mountains, Alaskan vacations, we had an AMAZING first year!). It was the sweetest thing! Now, we write in it as we go along and read the previous year on our following anniversary. It’s so great to actually sit back and remember just how amazing marriage/life is over a bottle of wine. It’s otherwise to easy to just look back at a blur of a year and say “here’s to many more”

I look forward to our kids reading it someday and learning that we weren’t so boring before they came along 😉
Lauren @ Eat Like An Elephant February 6, 2013, 10:09 am
OMG this makes me want to go to my parent’s house and look through the planners I know are still there (I’m very Type-A) and read all the old boyfriend professions of love and OAR quotes 🙂
Ashley February 6, 2013, 10:25 am
I definitely still use a paper planner! Every year around Christmastime I get really excited to go to the store and find a new one. I barely use my Google calendar, which is absurd to my boyfriend I think. I’m also a huge to-do list person. I have post-its and little scraps of paper all over my desk!
cristin February 6, 2013, 11:21 am
You don’t remember Rushmore?? Watch it again. It’s great!!
Beth February 6, 2013, 11:26 am
I love this post and I used the same planner all through high school, it was the perfect layout 🙂
deva at deva by definition February 6, 2013, 12:08 pm
I love my paper planner. In high school and college I just kept my syllabuses at hand for planning, but now i use a paper planner religiously! Now that i am planning my wedding it’s SO hard for me to lose the date of something if I put it into my google calendar. Now I can just flip through everything and see what is being done and when.
Cait February 6, 2013, 12:25 pm
loved your little notes in the planner. thanks for sharing!
Jess February 6, 2013, 12:35 pm
I may be misreading your Rushmore movie ticket…but that was 14 years ago TODAY! Weird, right?!?!?!
Chase February 6, 2013, 12:47 pm
I do still use a paper planner! I tried to go iphone but it wasn’t a good fit for me. I love reminiscing. I can get totally lost in old stuff.
Zulkey February 6, 2013, 1:11 pm
I love that you quoted that DMB line. That was inescapable my senior year of high school. I was also an X-Files junkie. My first email address was “SpookysGrl” at aol

And I do use a paper planner and save them all. Between blogging and freelancing and writing at work I can’t be bothered to keep a real journal anymore but at least I have a record of what I did, with whom and when.
Jelena February 6, 2013, 2:17 pm
I still use paper planer and I am very detailed about it! I also like to write down the note of the day. Today it was “You can be anything you want to be, but you can’t be everything you want to be”
Stellina @ My Yogurt Addiction.com February 6, 2013, 2:29 pm
Awww, yes I totally know what you mean! I still use a small notebook for me “to-do” list that I leave on my desk. It’s just easier and faster sometimes, especially for things that I am going to do rather soon.
Jerica February 6, 2013, 2:53 pm
I started using this journal: (http://stores.journal10.com/StoreFront.bok) last year for just that very same reason! Now that I’m in my second year of using it it’s so much fun to be able to see exactly what I did on this same exact day one year ago. I can only imagine how great it’s going to be once I get to 10 years! It’s also not a huge time commitment at all because you just jot down a few sentences for each day. I highly recommend it!
Mai February 6, 2013, 5:29 pm
yes! i am all about planners 😀
it’s so much easier for me to physically write it down/cross it off. i’m already on my computer ALL DAY so it’s kind of a tiny break to not have my calendar on there too?
Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) February 7, 2013, 12:08 am
Yes, I still use a paper planner 🙂

Is David D. as good in The X Files as he is in Californication? I’ve never seen The X Files.
Amanda February 7, 2013, 1:28 pm
I don’t have a smartphone, so I still use a paper planner. Though, I think I’d still use a paper planner either way. I like the feel of pen against paper, and I like not having to scroll to see a week’s worth of planning.

Also, I’d never seen the X Files until this fall, when my boyfriend Netflixed the first few seasons. I think it would’ve scared me when I was a kid because I got a little freaked out watching it as an adult.
Cat February 8, 2013, 11:52 am
I had the same problem going through memories. I bought a photo scanner and scanned every single one of my photos to my computer. That was years ago.

Now I have a bunch of unorganized media! I have to go through and name them, and I can’t hardly remember the year half of the stuff happened! Organizing digital media after the fact is extremely challenging.

But going through memories sure is fun 🙂
Sophie @ threetimesf February 11, 2013, 8:13 am
I still have a paper diary! I love being able to flick back over the past few months, let alone years! I don’t think I’ll be changing anytime soon… 🙂

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