| from butler to bentley (it just sounds richer!) |

moving. ugh, such a pain...but, at the same time theres something definitely refreshing and therapeutic about it. it's quite simple really. box up your life, drive it down the street and open it back up into a new, fresh environment. it's funny cuz you pull out some things and you know exactly where it belongs. while with other things, you either wonder why you've kept it for the last 2 years or even forgot that you had it. i think thats the cue to toss it. i managed to fill up 2 boxes of sacrifice (as i like to call them) to give to the salvation army-- mostly clothes since i have so many (in my defense, i have two older sisters and i get their hand-me-downs). of course i did stumble backwards in my attempts to streamline my wardrobe with my recent purchases from Urban Outfitters (but seriously ppl--$5-$10 sale for UO clothes...who wouldn't go crazy?). as i like to see it-- i made sacrifices! i needed to fill the void that those articles of clothing left, haha (ok, thats just bad reasoning, i know). anyways, in the middle of my unpacking, i came across a collection of old cards and letters from the past 6 or 7 years of my life. as i scooped them up to toss into the good ol' trash can, i stopped and decided to read some of them and i'm really glad i took the time to do this. I was amazed at how all these words of congratulations, birthday wishes, hang-in-there encouragement and just-because messages from so many ppl made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. in that moment, i was struck with this incredible feeling, one in awe of the power or words and the power of relationships-- how what we say and do and feel affect those around us. Even if its as simple as a homemade card with the scribbled words "if there were a voice that could always lift my spirits, it's yours..."

needless to say, i took all the cards and letters and put them in a box and placed them on the shelf in my closet. i think those "feel-goods" are worth keeping (: