Life Changing Moments

 I am inspired to tackle a project I have been thinking about for years, and I am so excited to share!

 

I inherited ALL of these albums and MANY more when my grandmother passed away almost 12 years ago.

 

 

 

I knew I wanted to create and do something special with these precious heritage photos…photos from the past, I simply had no idea where to start.

As I researched ideas about documenting heritage pages and took class after class on heritage photos, I simply gave up. The ideas were GREAT, but I didn’t want a family tree style album.

Last year I took Ali Edwards Yesterday and Today class at BPS. I have to admit, I have not made it past week two, but I loved the idea of combining old photos with photos of today. I plan on using some of my heritage photos in this manner, but it still wasn’t exactly how I wanted to use all of these photos.

Then, this year as the word story is being used so much more than journaling, I started thinking about the “stories “ I was recording in my scrapbooks.

 

 
Having lost my mother at the age of seven I really focused my journaling on the what, how, and when my children were doing things and how I felt about it. Because these are questions I always had as a child. Now, that I am older I have different questions.

I wonder, now that I have no one to ask, what my mom was like, how she felt at different ages of her life, what she wanted, did she feel like me? As I look back on my pages I am missing my life story. Stories that only I can tell, as really I am the only one who knows why or how I truly feel about any given situation. A story that tells my family who I was as a child and who I am today.

Now, I was completely OVERWHELMED. How do you record your own life story? I know there are LOTS of classes on pages and albums that focus on the “All About Me” concept, but again none of those concepts completely covered what I was wanting to do. I didn’t want a snapshot of my life today, I wanted to tell the story of my life and the why behind who I am today. Yet, I didn’t want to write an entire book!

 

 

This spring I came across a magazine by LIFE titled 100 PEOPLE WHO CHANGED THE WORLD. Over all history LIFE came up with 100 people who significantly changed the history of our world. WOW! I started to think about what has significantly changed MY world. I began to wonder if I could come up with 100 moments that changed my world. I decided it didn’t matter if I could come up with 100 TODAY, because I am still living, but I thought it might be possible.

So, I created a list of 100 moments that in some way changed the path that my life had been heading in. Some are much bigger than others, but they all changed who I have become in some way.

I was amazed that in 20 short minutes I had a simple list of 100 moments that changed my world.

I now have a starting point for documenting my story. I have a place to begin. I also, have the photos, or photos from a specific time period in my life to record my 100 MOMENTS!

I am ready to begin a new journey with my scrapbooking; a journey that will allow me to finally use my heritage photos. A journey that will record MY life story in a simple format, capturing my MOST important life moments and memories!

This week I am going to share my process as I journey down this new creative path. Maybe you want to join me? Maybe you have questions? Maybe you are simply intrigued? You can begin this journey today by simply setting a timer for twenty minutes and sit down at your computer or with pad and pen and begin making your list. Start at the beginning of your life and work backwards to today. Have you moved? Did you meet someone important in your life? Did you try something different? Did you have a fight or disagreement that sent you in a new direction? No matter how big or small the moment, write it down, capture it today.

I will share my list with you tomorrow. If you have any questions comment here or feel free to email me!  
  

100 MOMENTS THAT CHANGED MY WORLD…this is going to be an album like no other, and I am excited to share my journey with you!

Comments

[Icecat62]

I've been making a journal for my four year old DD called "Memories of Mommy". I write little short stories about things that happened when I was a kid. They're in a random order as I write the memories as I remember them. I want her to be able to open this book, or books, depending on how many things I can remember, and see who I was as a child. There will be all sorts of things in there about my brothers, sister, Mom & Dad, my grandparents, and cousins...she'll get a fun history to look back on. She'll get to know who I was as a child and a teen. I think this will be a life gift that hopefully she will do for her children when she has them. If it weren't for scrappin', I would have probably have never thought to do this.

[Jodi]

Wow! Thank you for sharing this brilliant idea with us. I love the fact that the list would automatically include the good and bad, exciting events and disappointments. Sometimes scrapbooks only focus on the cute and fun times. I am amazed that my mind is already creating a list even as I write this. I am definitely going to try this. Thanks again!

[Renee T. (italgal on BPS)]

Thank you for sharing this idea, Jen. It is a wonderful concept, and one that any of us can think about, and make uniquely our own. I, too, have suitcases full of photos and memorabilia that I've inherited from grandparents. I've been afraid to touch them for 15 years, because I know they are "special" but I didn't know how to use them. I'm excited to follow you on this journey...

[Becky H]

Thank you , Thank you, Thank you!! I have been facing this same thing. Where to start. What a great idea, I am along for the journey.

[Carol]

Today is a wonderful day! Thanks to The Big Idea Festival I have found your blog and your !00 Moments That Changed My World. I absolutely love the concept as I have been struggling for years with finding a way to tell my story. Thank you so much for sharing the idea with us!

[Joy Buss]

Great Post Jen! Love your idea about the 100 Moments. I will take the journey with you! :-) I am loving the Festival..so much creative goodness.

[clmk523]

Jen - saw the idea for this album in the BPS festival and I had to come here to read more. LOVE this idea! I especially love that I can tackle it a little bit at a time!
Thank you!

[Haley D.]

This is truly an amazing idea! I can't wait to follow your journey. I love this idea and am going to consider implementing it for myself. Thanks for the inspiration!

[SherryGrove]

Jen, I love this idea! Tell me how you're going to deal with the unpleasant things that changed your life.

Looking fwd to Veteran's Day. See you soon.

[Jen Mohler]

This journal is such a treasure!

[Jen Mohler]

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments!

I have posts planned for a full week all about how I am working through this process.

Tomorrow I will share my list and how I use it, and then Saturday I will begin to tackle how I am handling the bad and the ugly moments.

[Tammy]

This idea is so great because it really makes one stop and look at one's life and how we've become who we've become. Have we just gone where others though we should go? What choices have shaped us into who we are? Thanks for the inspiration and I think that I will join you on this journey because I'm in a reflective moon right now and I want my children and grandchildren to know who and why I am who I am. Thanks again!

[Mens Nike Shox Sale]

Concerned about the well-being is a sad, is a sweet, warm is a pain, is a long-awaited

[Nike Shox R4]

KO KO KO....KEAI DE CHUN GUNIANG MAI ZHE QINGYING DE JIAOBU LAI DAO RENJIAN.

[coach bags outlet]

you haven’t had an imaginary friend, you don’t understand how real he or she can be. I have memories from my childhood that include Johnson Johnson as if he were an actual member of my family. I remember going to Rogerasdf William’s Zoo when I was four or five years old and playing with Johnson Johnson in the Oriental Gardens. I remember him swimming with me in the pool in the backyard, sleeping in a chair beside my bed and playing in the barn together.

[Jolynn]

I love this idea. I have books and books of old photos. My dad died when I was 12 and my mom about 11 years ago. She wasn't very good about documenting who people are. By the time I got interested in scrapbooking, she had already passed away. I too can't ask those questions of who are they or how did you feel. I don't want to leave my kids with stacks of photos wondering who the people are or why was that photo important enough for me to take it. I will definately be following your process. Question - how do you safely get old photos out of those awful sticky albums?
Jolynn

[AmySo]

What an awesome idea. I love it! Something that really struck me about your post is the process you took to get to your idea. Sometimes we just have to let things cook for a bit...