Family Traditions.

Each year my family and my uncle's family go on a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks.

We stay at Tan-tar-a in pretty much the same room every year.

We even have t-shirts made.  Dorky, I know, but I LOVE it!

There are 22 of us at last count.

We swim, eat, water slide, play golf (boys), and go to the spa (girls), and just hang out with each other.

Our dads farm together and I grew up really close to these cousins.  We basically still live pretty close to each other.  But, as time goes by we see each other less and less.

I absolutely LOVE that we spend one long weekend a year catching up, reconnecting, and having a little bit of fun with each other.  We do see each other at birthdays and holidays. . . but those are usually chaotic times with a lot of people crammed into a small space.  It is nice to just hang out with each other!!!

Anyway, my point is. . . I have created a scrapbook completely about this trip.  Each year I add a layout or two highlighting that year's trip to the album.  I LOVE that this is an ongoing project. . . it will hopefully never be finished.  If I fill the album up, I will just start a new one!  I love to look back and see how much the kids have changed and how our family has changed each year!

I know I have posted about this before . . . and I still get a lot of questions about it.  I gave up scrapping chronologically a long time ago.  I now do a lot of albums just like this. I have a Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Birthday, Fall,  School, Family, etc albums.  This system works for me, because I don't feel overwhelmed.  I do a few pages from each of these events and then I can add it to the appropriate album.  There is absolutely no way I am going to scrapbook every picture I have ever taken.  I am now focused on the memories I want to preserve. . . . not just the photos.

I still feel overwhelmed at times. . . because it seems to be harder and harder to fit scrapbooking into my schedule.  I keep thinking. . .maybe things will slow down in a little bit.  The truth is, things will probably never slow down.  They are only going to get crazier and crazier.  So, I am just going to have to make the time.

Enough for today.  I just wanted to share a little bit about scrapbooking and how much I love my family and our traditions!

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend.  As much as I love Fall. . . I am very sad to see summer end.