I haven’t written anything in a few days. It was a busy weekend for me, and I took the time to just enjoy my experiences.

Game night

My friend invited me over for a game night. It was supposed to be a big event with lots of people I hadn’t seen in quite a while. It turned out to be much smaller. There were just four of us in total. It was a great time. We got to talk about the trip to South Africa one friend just came back from. We played Would You Rather, and I learned to play Sequence. Honestly, it was really needed. It was a great break from the day to day.

Signing Event

I took my youngest with me to her first signing event. We went to Committed at the Stanley, a reader’s event. There were tons of authors there. Most of them were in the romance genre, but there were some mystery, suspense, and thriller writers as well. It was interesting to see the different ways people reacted to my 12 year old walking around. Many were okay with that, but some were a bit weirded out. I can understand that. Many of the books offered there are darker, steamier, not really child appropriate. However, there were authors with books that were appropriate. And, my youngest isn’t your typical 12 year old. She is capable of making decisions for herself that most adults have trouble making. She listened to them talk about the books, and passed on the ones she didn’t feel would be right for her. She also will make that choice in the middle of the book if it becomes too much for her. We definitely bought some books while we were there. But it is the memories we made while we were there that will live on in both of our minds. It will be the conversations we had, and the little jokes that only we will understand.

Memories or Material Possesions

My husband and I have always worked to make sure we are making memories with our kids. We try to do more with trips and game nights. Material possessions come and go, but memories give them something to hold on to long into their lives. I know that I can not tell you many of the things that I was given in my childhood. I can, however tell you the memories I made. Not many of them are good, since my childhood wasn’t great, but some of them are great. I can remember the trip my dad took me and my friends on when I was 16. I can remember the short trip to Steamboat in the middle of the night.

These are the things I want my kids to remember. Things like going to her first signing event with her mom. Like the trip to South Dakota, where we were cramped in the car, but got to see lots of the sights. Volunteering for a good cause.

None of that is to say that we don’t buy things for our kids. We do. They get gifts for celebrations, and sometimes just because we feel like it. We buy things to help them memorialize the trips we have taken. We just try to give them more in the form of memories than in possessions.