Weekend Thought : Your 12 Stories

I just contemplated this recently when I decided that I'd like to make an album all about me. I wrote an outline to start the process. I broke up the outline into sections including baby/toddler days with info from my mom's perspective, elementary days, middle school, high school, college, single days and my life with my husband and children so far. I rarely think in terms of stories, but more of facts and anecdotal notes. I'm looking forward to reading what you and your readers come up with!

1. My parents divorced when I was 10, so I would tell that story from my perspective - being the eldest of 5 and taking the role of caretaker/wife/mother at such a young age.
2. I would also want to tell some stories about my college years...
3. Meeting my husband and our life together
4. Heritage...I adore finding out more about the stories that make up my family tree - who they were and what they did. I am hoping to uncover more through geneology websites, census, etc.
5. Our dog - who is the light of our lives and what he brings to our family.
6. Buying our first house together and what makes it a home
7. Friends through the years - at different points
8. My jobs - the road to how I got to where I am now
9. My passions - yes, including ice cream..(I am sure there must be a support group for that)
10. A tribute to my "dead" people - those who I have lost and what they meant
11. My everyday
12. A letter to the young me from the older me - acknowleging my hopes and dreams and how I am living them.

Such a cool response :).

All of these stories are fantastic and so inspiring.
1. My Childhood
2. My Wedding
3. My 1st daughter
4. My 2nd daughter
5. My dog
6. My ancestors (my mom moved from Britain in her teens and I am so fascinated by it)
7. My life thus far (1 page per year of my life)
8. My travels
9. Friends
10. Our big move to our dream area (we just made the big move last month)
11. My husband and my life together before kids
12. My hopes and dreams for my girls

I love this...carpe diem!

#4 totally cracks me up! I was in love with Spock (yeah, I'm a geek). What really makes me giggle though, is the differences between Kirk and Gene Simmons -- too funny! Love your list and think it's so awesome that you've written a book -- very cool! Also, love the names of your kitties!
Now, I'm off to check out your blog because you sound so interesting!
=) Liz

I think I was looking or still looking for a rebel who will save me from Klingons!! lol --
Thanks so much for taking the time to read my list!!
Celeste

I'd do it in question form...like a question album
1. What I believe
2. Who I love
3. My best friend...who happens to be my husband...and our story
4. birth sotry of my two boys
5. wishes for my boys
6. what i wish i knew growing up
7. What i love (like material things pepsi, choclate or smells or sounds)
8. Why I am who I am
9. HOw to love and give love
10. Family stories

Wow... I ended up reading all those responses and I'm blown away by the inspiration this has caused. Thanks for making us think, Ali. I would have to say 12 scrapbook layouts that have defined my life would be (very random)
1)the smell of sawdust, oil & sweat on my dad
2)the sounds of children happily playing (both from childhood & motherhood)
3)summers in tahoe, splashing in the lake with my siblings
4)the death of a childhood friend, allowing me a glimpse at a young age of just how fragile life is and the embracing of life that followed
5)spotting my first love (and now husband) the very first class on the first day of junior high, and knowing that he was "the one"
6)the moment that my daughters emerged and were placed in my arms, the weight of that responsibility & love
7)the taste of sweet tomatoes, strawberries & corn, fresh picked and eaten while laying in the summer grass
8)i'm a dog person, i used to think i was a cat person. i was wrong.
9)a list of my top 100 favorite things (including pedicures, baby giggles, lazy sundays, the way RC looks at me, josh duhamel, the smell of wet cement, rascal flatts...)
10)the time i ran off the stage in the middle of the 4th grade talent show
11) my continued search for peace with my mother's addiction
12) a letter to a future generation, offering guidance in the hopes that they learn from my generation's mistakes.

Although I don't have my list quite figured out yet - I definitely got some great ideas from everyone else's list. Thanks!

* My family--my parents, my brothers, their families.
* My childhood
* High School
* College
* Our wedding
* My brother's death
* My Grandma & Grandpa Smith
* The family I received when I married my husband
* Our nieces and nephews
* My husband
* Our foster son
* Our foster daughter
xoxo,
Becca

Contemplating...It could take a while...

Hmmm
1. My parents & sibs
2. My husband & children
3. My grandchildren
4. Music
5. Places I've been
6. Things I love
I'm figuring that each of these would need at least a 2 page layout, so that would be my 12!

I've been thinking about it since I posted...still thinking.

Okay...
1. elementary days
2. highschool days
3. college days
4. first teaching job
5. getting married
6. coming to america
7. living in CA
8. living in NY
9. living in FL
10. married life
11. first home
12. life lesson/s
I think I will scrap all these list. Thank you!

What a great challenge !
1. my childhood in a small village, how times have changed since then
2. my teenage years hobby horseriding and having to give it up when I started working
3. my teenage years friends
4. meeting my husband of 30 years of marriage when we were just 15 years old
5. how my job as stewardess with Deutsche Lufthansa took me all around the world
6. all the homes and houses I lived in
7. how I got to have 4 kids and only one was planned
8. the wonderful life we had with the neighborhoud friends
9. how I love charity work
10. how scrapbooking changed my life
11. how my husband died of cancer in january of this year
12. how I fear I will fail the rest of my life alone with the kids

1. My childhood, the good, the bad and the ugly.
2. My mother and why I forgive her and am trying to love her.
3. Lessons learned the hard way.
4. My Papa, my rock ... what a joy and inspiration he was to me. Words to live by, by Papa!
5. Meeting my Daniel, and knowing I was not going to be a Nun any longer.
6. Our relationship and how we make it so wonderful!
7. Abigail our daughter and what motherhood means to me.
8. Things I want Abbey to know about life.
9. My sisters and our bond.
10. The people I loved, respected and admired.
11. A mommy and a daughter page of just us doing the things we love to do.
12. Things I treasure.

12 Things that define/defined me.MMMM, Maybe.
1. Me - Birth to 10yrs (my childhood in Africa)
2. Me - 11yrs to 20years (My teens in Australia)
3. The female line (the inspirational women in my family)
4. My parents - (what more needs to be said everyone is influenced by their parents in some way)
5. My manifesto - (what I believe in)
6. My life choices - (the good and the bad)
7. My marriage - (from engagement to now)
8. My first child - (thoughts and feelings from pregnancy to now)
9. My second child - (as above)
10. My career - (the way it evolved and my love for it)
11. My Friends - (from my oldest friend to my other sisters of my heart)
12. The future - (my goals)

1. Me as a kid.
2. College years.
3. Wedding.
4. Chad and I before kids.
5. Pregnancy/Becoming a parent (both times).
6. Being a parent of a tween (son).
7. Me through the years.
As I type this list I'm wondering why I haven't already created these layouts.
8. My love of running.
9. A family tree/heritage type layout.
10. High school
11. My, what some might call, obsession with social networking.
12. Favorite music that includes a CD.

WOW these lists are amazing!
Mine would be-
1. My family history (where I'm from)
2. Immigrating to the USA
3. Me and my sisters
4. Growing up in Oregon
5. Things I learned from my parents
6. Falling in Love with my husband
7. My husband and why he is the best ever
8. Places I have traveled to
9. Our daughter and things I wish for her
10. What family means to me
11. A day in the life
12. What I believe
Man, 12 seemed like a lot when I started, but it isn't enough. If/when we have more children this list will have to grow with them. Oh, and these are all double pages because I can't tell these stories on just one page.