My Crazy Collection (a Whimsical Wednesday post)

Since I was a little girl, I’ve collected things. Postcards, key chains, tea sets, dolls, bells, elephants, Africa stuff, Carolina Panthers paraphernalia, porcelain roses, Christmas cards, and I know there are others I’m missing…but, you get the idea. While I don’t collect most of things anymore, there is something another collection I have and will continue to add to until I reach the end. No – not the end of my life on earth (unless that comes first) – the end of the collection. Yes – this one does have an end. Whew! The collection? Newspapers from state capitals.

I mentioned a few weeks ago in another Whimsical Wednesday post that one of my 2013 bucket list items was to add at least one more newspaper to my collection this year. Now, the catch with this particular collection is that I have to actually travel to the capital of each state to pick up my paper. It’s not enough to simply call the newspaper office and buy one to have shipped to me over the phone. What fun is that? For a travel nut like me, the joy in this is actually creating a fun memory and getting to see more of this beautiful country.

I’ve actually traveled to more of the capitals than I have newspapers for, but I didn’t start this little collection until my daughter was around 3-years-old. That’s been 13 years ago now. A little over a decade ago, my mother and I went on a New England adventure together. The entire purpose of the trip was for me to gather newspapers from all of the capitals in that area (and there are a lot of states packed into that tiny little part of the country)! We packed a lot into a week…including a side trip to Niagra Falls and a Baltimore Orioles ballgame. The best part of the week was the fun memories we made…

• sampling maple syrup on a maple farm in Vermont
• me winning a can of Bush’ baked beans by answering a trivia question correctly on a tram in Portland, Maine
• driving in NYC for the first time and driving completely out of the way to simply avoid heavy traffic only to discover Boston was far worse to drive in
• being in Boston when the Tall Ships come in
• laughing hysterically through the tunnels in West Virginia for no apparent reason.

And the list goes on. So, while many may laugh at my crazy collection…it’s a memory maker for me…time to get more (and create more memories)!

I’d love to hear about your crazy collections (and those not-so-crazy ones too). Feel free to leave a comment or contact me through my Contact page. Meet you again here on Friday!