My mom was a scrapbooker before there were stores devoted to creative memory making. I think she had a camera in hand for most of my childhood, And when she wasn't taking pictures of our family, she was stationed at the kitchen table with piles of prints, scissors, rubber cement, and a fresh album.

She didn't just paste the pictures and ticket stubs and trinkets in; she gave context and crafted stories. Looking through those albums I can almost hear her recounting my third birthday or the trips we took to Disney when I was 7. These albums are some of my most treasured possessions because they are a touchstone to her. But they've also kept me from recording my travels and adventures for a long time, because how could I live up to what she had created!

A conversation with an old friend a couple of weeks ago has given me a different perspective though, and I think it's high time to start keeping better track. So this is my stab at it. Part scrapbook, part travel guide, part (hopefully!) resource for friends as they travel as well.

And so it begins!