Just in case

Today has been the kind of Saturday that I l-o-v-e.  In a word, it has been productive.  We are getting things done.  I can't quite describe the feelings of lightness and energy that come with completing projects, especially those that will beautify, organize, and de-clutter my life and home.

One item on today's to-do list was sorting through some plastic bins that have been sitting in the garage for 15 months, when we packed up the house to sell it last year.  (Remember that funny joke that started with "Let's move to Arizona?"  Haha.)  Lots of those bins have not been opened since I packed them up, and many of them had been untouched long before that.  A couple of weeks ago Zach helped me relocate them from the garage to the office and my bedroom, where they have been perfect for stubbing toes and collecting laundry ever since.

This morning Garry sat down to investigate the contents of these bins, since most of it belonged to him.  While he sorted through his junk...ahem...priceless treasures, I changed sheets, folded laundry, and took pictures of the hilarious collection of things Garry has been saving forever, just in case he might ever need to use them.  (Just a note: we have a good-natured relationship regarding his pack-rat tendencies and my penchant for throwing out and/or giving away perfectly good things we never use.  We are polar opposites on this score, as well as a hundred others.)  Getting rid of stuff used to be painful for Garry, but the process has become easier over the years.  Today it was downright hysterical.

First up: Floppy discs (a large cache) and the remote that came with an AV receiver he purchased in 1997 just after his mission.  Also in this grouping of items: a Zip drive, Zip discs, and Zip cases.

Next: A [poorly-focused] movie ticket stub to Star Wars: Episode I, which we saw in Mesa.  Was it the summer of 1999?  Garry thinks we went to the premier.

 

And then: A genuine, first-edition, never-been-exposed-to-the-real-world penny, minted in the year 2000 and secured by us through a box of Cheerios.

Next we have a pair of Garry's old glasses, possibly the ones he wore when we were dating in 1998.  Classic, yes?  And especially fetching on Lexi.

One of my personal favorites: A copy of Windows 95.  Yeah, baby.  Saving that beast was worth the space for sure.

 

Garry also found this: a tutorial for the GMAT, which he took before applying to graduate school in the summer of 1999.  Mr. Smarty Pants didn't study much, but he scored in the 98th percentile.  I think his expression means: "I'm SO glad I got my Masters Degree ten years ago!" (I have no idea why these last two pictures won't center.)

 

These and many other treasures found their way into the trash.  Garry filled this can three times and made a hefty paper recycling donation, as well.  Yesssss......

I have been whittling away at my own list of to-dos, although they are much less funny and photo worthy.  Things like mailing off Women's Conference stuff, making a puzzle out of a picture, preparing a Sunday School lesson, cleaning the kitchen and my bedroom, feeding the family lunch (20 slices of bread in one sitting!), updating my blog sidebar, starting a name-letter-wall-art project, and monitoring Zach and Tyler's post-aerating lawn clean-up effort have been my tasks today.

Now Garry is building shelves in the garage.  He is using some of the tools he got for his birthday and making great progress on a magnificent storage solution.  Ah...I love it.  And him.  Even though he's a pack rat.