Thursday, September 12, 2019

Documenting the Not-So-Good


The Sleeping Bear Dunes area of Michigan is one of our favorite places in the country, and we try to make a trip up there every year. Last year we planned an epic 10-day camping vacation, and we were super excited about it.



Unfortunately, the morning we were scheduled to leave, I woke up feeling awful. I tried to fight through it to get us packed up and ready to go, but I felt like death. About half-way through the 8 hour drive, J reached over to discover that I had a high fever. For rational people that would have been a good point to turn around or maybe find an urgent care center. But not us. I convinced him it was only a 24-hour bug and that I would be fine the next day.


I spent the next five days miserable in our campsite. I refused to go to a doctor, and the only reason I can think of to justify that decision was that I was in some kind of fever-induced delirium. There were good points during the trip, moments when I felt well enough to enjoy some time at the beach or around town, so it wasn't a total loss. But overall, I was miserable. I couldn't sleep, could barely breath, and I was in a lot of pain.


So how do you document a trip like this? How do you scrapbook the times that you want to remember but that you'd also sorta like to forget?


I put it off for a long time. I knew I would make a mini album eventually, but I wasn't sure how to approach it. Finally, this month I decided to tackle the project, and I made the decision to focus on the good.


I'm not completely ignoring the fact that I was sick or that there were times during the trip that were incredibly difficult for me, but I'm not focusing on those times. I've made note of my illness, mentioned a few of the issues I was facing, but then moved on to the parts that I want to remember most. We took some beautiful pictures and had some really wonderful moments. That's what I want the album to be about.


I'll be sharing pages a few at a time on my YouTube channel. Here are the first three sections:



How do you document the hard times? I'd love to hear your strategy!

Products Used:

Citrus Twist Kits Life Crafted Album in teal

Citrus Twist Kits September "Explore" Life Crafted Kit

Citrus Twist Kits September "Explore" Digital Papers

Citrus Twist Kits September "Explore" Digital Cards

Citrus Twist Kits September Add-on Kit

Citrus Twist Kits September Traveler's Notebook Stamp

Citrus Twist Kits September This is Life "Let's Wander" Stamp

Citrus Twist Kits Simple Words Version 2 Stamp

Citrus Twist Kits June "Around Here" Life Crafted Kit

Pinkfresh Studio "Out and About" New Places Paper

Pinkfresh Studio "Out and About" Ephemera

Pinkfresh Studio "Out and About" Puffy Stickers

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