LOOK ALIVE, PEOPLE – IT’S LAUNCH DAY FOR THE PAPER GIRLS' BLOG! TADA!

Hello there!  This is 7-year-old me, the day after a dance recital on the patio of our home in a small, farming town in California and "Tada!" was written on the back by my mom.  So today, "Tada!" is what I bring to you as I present my first ever blog!  Thank you for being here - I really appreciate it!

I’ve kept a daily journal for the last two years.  It’s where I start my day, writing down things I’m grateful for, thoughts that pop into my head and notes to where I’m headed in this great big life.  It takes about 10 minutes a day and I’ll tell you the entries are not earth shattering, sis!  (For instance, “Coffee!” is always third on the grateful list!)

Then this happened:

On 12/6/19, I wrote for the first time: “The stories of #100 are told.”

On 2/25/20, I bumped the number up: “The stories of #1,000 are told.”

On 6/14/20, I took out the number as it shifted in my mind to a movement: “The stories of #____ are told.”

On 8/13/20, I wrote: 

“The stories of #____ are told AND # ____ find themselves along the way.” 

Huh.  Where did that come from?

.

At the time, I was in the process of “catching up” on our second child’s baby book / photo album in which I had proudly completed a few pages … 20 years ago.

SIS, HE IS 21 NOW! 

Let the weight of that statement sink in along with the fact that we only have two children, the first of which is beautifully chronicled for the first 3½ years of her life until her brother came into this world.  Then the train came to a screeching halt!

I kept it all – calendars, birthday cards, locks of hair from 1^st haircuts, school art, trip memorabilia – along with thousands of pictures both printed and digital.  My “someday, I’ll have time to …” was now.   I sorted it all:  pictures along with all of the materials that I had on hand.  I was back at it with a simpler mindset and style, setting pictures onto pages with journaling in my own words.  My own words became a bit sassier and a bit deeper as I continued on, finishing his first album and discovering that through this process, he would know me too - as a person and his mom.   As I proudly put his finished first year on the shelf in our home, I grabbed her book – meticulous, color-coordinated, perfectly documented – but it was missing something.  It was missing me and what I thought of her being here on this earth.  I grabbed a pen and in a long afternoon, added personality, a bit of humor and a greater understanding of those that came before her.  Then up on the shelf it was placed, the pages to be discovered and re-lived when all came home. 

And yes, I did find myself along the way.   

So, I guess “The stories of # 2 are told AND # 1 finds themself along the way.”   

Just start now, wherever you are and with whatever you have, and I’d love for you to join us!  Let's add to the numbers in the sentence I wrote in my journal.  I’ll guide you through your projects as I’m working on mine. I also have a line of cute notecards for kids that just may change your life.  It's like your big sister stopping by with a pep talk and a casserole on a Tuesday afternoon!  I'm glad you're here.

Have a great week!

xoxo

Kelly