Sunday, May 25, 2008

Memoirs of a Pack Rat

So, yesterday Chad and I went to my parent's house in Bountiful. They recently bought a new home (YEA!!!) and are getting ready to move. That, in combination with the fact that Chad and I are also moving in a couple of weeks, has forced me to get all of my belongings out of their garage. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. I am the epitome of sentimentality when it comes to accumulating junk. I never throw anything away. Notes passed to me in junior high school? Oh yes, some of those were there. Every card ever sent to me when I was Junior Miss? Oh yes, they were there. Some things were more than painful for me to toss away. I had to sit on my hands to keep from digging through the trash can to salvage what remained of the memories I was tossing away. I am a sick person. After going through boxes of belongings that have been packed away for the last five years, here are some of the worst of the worst. Things I am still asking, "Why in the heck did I keep this?" Prepare yourselves. It's not going to be pretty. The top ten:


1. WSU alcohol flask


This was gifted to me as a joke from my good friend Lena. We were attending universities with identical mascots: the cougar. My university, however, wasn't as keen on the alcohol consumption. I found this hysterical and it sat on a shelf in my dorm room, and later in my Glenwood apartment. I'm actually shocked I didn't get reported to the honor code office, come to think of it. Even with all of its charm, I'm not sure what I intended to do with it permanently.


2. Pink Fuzzy Dice


I feel a Cake song coming on . . . These used to hang proudly from the rear-view mirror of my 1984 Ford Bronco, Eddie. Oh, bless my heart. I know these were a gift from someone in high school as well.

3. Keys to my first car, a 1982 Honda Prelude


Her name was Truvy and she had a very short-lived life. For those of you who don't know, it is because of this vehicle that I now drive like a paranoid, 85-year-old woman. When I was 16, I flipped this car on my way home from school. Later that night I performed in the opening night of our high school's musical Our Miss Brooks, staring my good friend Emily.

4. Pet Rock from David


This rock from my friend David became a traditional gift. I think several of us were given these stones from his yard for various occasions. Was I hoping to use this to help pave my driveway someday? I know not. But saved it I did.

5. French Class Valentine


His name was Sam. He was a senior. I was a freshman. And was he ever cute. *Sigh. For those of you who can't read French, this says "I think that you are hot." Whatever possessed me to keep this for so many years I cannot say, because I'm pretty sure he might have been gay, but whatever.

6. Japan Airlines Barf Bag


This one takes the cake, folks. In sixth grade, JAL took all the sixth graders on a flight. This was the barf bag included in our flight package. Why did I keep this? Was I thinking that someday I might have the flu and be in need of a comforting reminder from my past that could still be used functionally? I have no idea.

7. IHOP name tag



As if the memories of two summers worth of feeding white-trash pancake eaters wasn't enough, apparently I felt the need to immortalize the experience by forever housing my name tag in a cardboard box. Was I holding on to this just in case the whole college degree thing didn't work out?

8. My Jesus shirt


This shirt became a bit of a trademark during high school. It was when I was going through my whole "Goodwill T-shirts, jeans, and no make-up phase." I think I have photos wearing this at play practice for each of the shows I was in. When I bought it on a Goodwill run, I had no idea that Jesus was on it. It wasn't until my friend Ryan proclaimed that "Jesus is on your shirt!" that I realized what I thought had said "sunrise balloon festival" actually said "Sonrise balloon festival."


9. Good Luck Poster


This is just one example of the countless similar items of memorabilia I had stashed away. This one was a poster my freshman ward friends made for me before I left to give up my title to the new Washington's Junior Miss. I guess I thought this definitely would look great framed in my house someday. I also had a poster my friend Jared used to ask me to Homecoming our senior year of high school. In addition, I had saved the Barbie birthday card my friend Elliott gave me when I turned 16. There was also a monstrous collection of cards from family and friends I felt the need to salvage.

10. Girls Camp Accessories


Every year at Girl's Camp we were all frantically trying to earn the special beads for our necklaces. I saved them all. Of course, one year it was pins for our tweety-bird hats, and I saved those, too. I think I look quite stylish, so I'm surprised I was able to part with these gems.

So, there you go. Hopefully, you don't think less of me after finding out about my horrifically bad habit. I do, however, feel I deserve some credit because each of these things is either in our garage sale pile, or on its way to the dump.

15 comments:

  1. I was just thinking all is quiet in "Bloggywood" on this holiday weekend. I checked my reader before logging off. There you were! I did a happy dance to see a post from Katie. Thanks for sharing this most entertaining list. The pictures and commentary were superb! I will forgo my crunches tonight... my ab workout is complete!

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  2. That was totally hilarious. I absolutely love that you hung onto a rock. Though the JAL bag might just be the cake topper for me! You crack me up Katie!

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  3. Anonymous11:15 PM

    Very entertaining post. I love posts that help me get to know pre-London Katie!

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  4. Oh the memories! I got rather nostalgic reading all of your "findings". I still think you could find a use for that WSU flask....I have a jesus t-shirt as well. Maybe its time I did some deep cleaning too.

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  5. Oh Katie so many memories. I think I still have a rock from David in my parents garage too.

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  6. Katie,
    I loved this post. The whole pack-rattyness reminds me a tiny bit of myself. I have a rock as well in my box (a florescent green prayer rock) and all those lovely girls camp beads and crafts. I loved the cougar flask and the fuzzy dice though, I think you will be fine just holding onto a picture of those things. :) Glad you got to do some deep cleaning--thanks for the laughs :) PS Amanda Eccles just got home from the mission and says hi!

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  7. Anonymous7:26 PM

    Katie Wick,
    You CRACK me up!!! I enjoyed reading your list. Did you throw lots of "stuff" away, or did you keep too much. Love to hear about your cleaning day.

    Love you,
    Mom Reese

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  8. Wow, I know! I have had to do the same thing! Good thing is you can photograph them and make a photo album or scrapbook of them! Love the pics! :) How exciting your parents get a new house!

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  9. I was a pack rat before I moved away from home also. I totally had stuff like that sitting around for a long time too! However since Jonny and I have been married we have lived in 5 different places...this quickly cured me of my pack-ratitis. Packing and moving is the best cure!

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  10. isn't it funny the dumb little things we keep...after moving three times, I throw out a lot these days!!! although, we do have a storage unit that I am sure has a lot of JUNK we don't need that I will find when we move again in December!!

    Ok for the headband thing. the headband part is just baby tights. then where you sew them together there is a little ribbon loop so that you can interchange your flowers. the flowers you can buy in the scrapbooking and craft places at like walmart or wherever. (I think that is where she gets most of them) then you glue clips on the back of the flowers so that you can clip them on the ribbon loop on the headband. does that make any sense? you are creative I am sure you can figure it out. I have actually never made them, but they don't sound complicated. you can also get baby tights at the dollar store!

    Also I think you need to make a special trip to moses lake someday for spring fest!!!

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  11. I always had the hardest time getting rid of the girls camp stuff too. WHY??? And I love the JAL barf bag.

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  12. yes! that's what I think a true girls camp should be like ... like the ones in Washington! Amazing!!!!

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  13. Oh my goodness Katie!!!! where do I start with comments on this blog?

    Remember how Sam moved to Vegas and became a stripper? and I can't remember for sure, but I believe it was either him or Marty Salinas that came out of the closet

    and can I talk about how I still have the french valentine you made me that year.

    I would also like to take a moment of silence for the "Jesus" shirt because seriously that goodwill find was friggin' legendary. . . .am I right?

    Needless to say I really enjoyed this post, and I'm pretty sure it has inspired me to sort through all my crap, and blog about it, because I'm certain my barbie card from Elliot and Pet Rock from David are somewhere. . . I'm totally not kidding either!

    I think someone should make this a tag, everyone should blog about the ridiculous crap they have stashed away! Absolutley brilliant idea! Good Work my friend!

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  14. Emiline, would just like to say that I totally found your homemade "Birds of a feather flock together" Valentine. Do you remember making that? I hope you still have your tokens of affection from high school, because it will make me feel much better about myself!

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  15. I am glad to see that nearly 10 years later that the pet rock has achieved such internet fame

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