Yep, we need to keep that

I came home Sunday night and stayed the rest of the weekend to hang out with my parents and help with the packing. They're moving to Holland, MI. While they've slowly been taking carloads of things there, the giant moving truck comes on Tuesday to take everything else up to the new house. It's strange to see everything packed up into tubs and boxes, labeled with where it is supposed to go next.

Mom had piles of things for me to sort through and what do you know I found some things I couldn't help but share.

My family had Fred, the camp photographer, take yearly family photographs. Not only have I always loved overalls but I think Katie might have been the person to invent Wolf Shirt Wednesday.

Did you know I used to play softball? It's the truth. I was basically the MVP out there on the field. In an English assignment to assign yourself an Indian name I became "Closet Sleeper" because when we went to my grandparent's house in NH I always slept on the floor of a walk-in closet.

We found the pile of all my Parent Letters. It's so fun to look back and see which counselors I actually remember, what they wrote about me and imagining them writing their letter on their cabin porch late at night with other counselors.

I'll be the first to admit I had some awkward stages in life, but gosh I was the cutest little girl. I also did a project on Camp Tecumseh for school and had to go around getting the autographs of ten people that worked there.

There were pictures from our canoeing trip to the Canadian Boundary Waters.

Pictures of Katie and I with our favorite toys/outfits/hairstyles.

A funny note from one of my teachers in my book of poetry.

Did you know we once had a dog named Heidi? Katie and I would wrap her up in blankets in the winter and push her down the road in our doll stroller.

One of my old Day Camp awards. I wonder what I did to deserve this...

I think this might explain my current fondness of potholder headbands. I'm not too sad about the loss of that vest, but I sure wish we'd held onto that suitcase.
Just in case you don't know about my family--this is the Spark Notes version.

Our favorite Christmas mornings included American Dolls and new clothes or quilts or furniture for them.

I was a story writer at a very young age. It's worth zooming in to read this one.
And yep, I was still cute and patriotic at this age too.

I wish I could be there to pack the moving truck tomorrow and then to help unload and organize everything in Holland with my family on Wednesday. I can't wait to go visit.