Those of you who really know me, know how much I love my books. My books are as much a part of me as my green eyes and short legs. I’ve known for over a year now that I would have to pack up all of my books and store them. It’s been over a year that I’ve had time to come to grips with the fact that I would be living without a single actual book while we’re on our most excellent adventure. It was still so hard to pack them all up though. My books are like breath for my soul. They’re old friends I frequently visit. So, when I taped up that last box full of books…it was a little emotional. I’m not gonna lie…it was hard. I kept thinking…maybe I’ll just sneak in a few, but when you’re packing up your life and downsizing to an RV every single ounce counts. The few books we’re taking are all educational and go with the fifty states workbook I made for the boys. We all have kindles…It’s not as though we’ll be completely without books to read…it’s just…there’s something so right about an actual, in your hands, book.  I keep reminding myself they’re fine. They’re nicely packed. They’ll be in a controlled environment storage facility.

I’ll be fine.

Really.

Out of everything in our house the hardest things for me to leave are my books and my pictures. I hadn’t really thought about leaving my pictures. I’m a bit of a picture-holic. Ok, more than a bit…more like a lot. Pictures for me are like little memories frozen in time. I don’t always have the best memory so looking at old pictures is kind of like a walk down memory lane. It’s amazing how many little details I forget over the years. And yes, while many of my pictures are digital now and can easily come with us, there’s a good portion that aren’t. The hardest ones to leave behind are the ones on my walls that we had taken over the years and don’t have digital copies of. I have three particular ones in mind. They’re 16X20s of each boy on their first birthday. While I’m determined to have a few of my favorite pictures come with us and hang somehow on the walls of our new home (RV), I just don’t see that happening with three 16X20s.

While these things are (I’ll admit) trivial, they’re big things to me. My books and my photos have kind of defined who I am for so long. It’s hard to leave them behind, but it’s also kind of freeing. I get to find out who I am without them. Maybe I’ll discover a new passion or rediscover an old passion. I guess we’ll find out!

What things would be the hardest for you to leave behind?

See y’all down the road?