Pictures bring back memories

At this point I have basically gone through all of my personal belongings and have decided what will go with me to Brazil, and what will be left behind (more than likely in the trash can). Phew. Although it was a task, I was "forced" to look through every folder, envelope, and stack of papers to make sure I didn't leave anything out. The labor was worth it though because boy did I find all of my pictures, from 1999 to about 2004. In other words, all of the pictures that I've saved from before we had digital cameras. Oh yeah, I found a number of pictures from when I was baby and throughout my childhood

What is exciting is that most of these pictures are from my travels. In fact, I was able to organize my pictures into 7 piles - Mexico, the U.S. (and this includes the pictures from my childhood all the way up to my undergraduate college graduation), Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. I love it.

Now the memories are flooding in as I carefully look at each photo. Unfortunately I cannot scan these pictures to put them on display (i.e. on my blog) because I've sold my printer/copier/scanner, but I did find one in a friend's Facebook album and saved it to my computer.

The picture I saved is from my first trip to Peru (it was taken in the Plaza de las Armas in Cusco). I was 18 years old and having the time of my life travelling around Bolivia and Peru with other North Americans and a European friend that had been studying with me in Cochabamba. I'm in the center of the photo with a huge smile on my face and my knees tucked up :). This was definitely an unforgettable moment, for all of us.

And it's not just the pictures of friends who live far away, or who I haven't seen since that particular time in our lives, but it's also the pictures of my high school friends and family that are really touching. I mean, I found pictures from my high school graduation and pictures of my now 13 year old sister when she was just a newborn.

I will be safely packing all of these pictures away to take with me to Brazil. When I get there I'll buy a number of photo albums and display them for the world to see...but more importantly, for me to appreciate. The photos of my grandparents, my mother, my sisters, my stepdad, and my dear dear friends who have always been around to encourage, support, and love me, will never be out of reach.