3 Things

Over the weekend I was reading through Citation's archives (yes all of them, yes there are lots, and yes I will do anything do avoid reading admin) and saw her post on 3 things you would want to grab in case of a fire- or less dramatically, 3 things you would be truly sad to part with. Last night when I couldn't sleep, I started thinking about what my 3 things would be. Here's the list I came up wit

(1) Lilly, the cat. I don't think this really counts as one of my things because if a fire was in our apartment, Lilly would be the first one out. Unlike the loyal dog, she would not be nibbling our toes and meowing in warning- her ass would be flying over the balcony, hoping for the best. However, despite my past claims that I was "not a cat person", I've grown quite attached to our fat, white furball and would be very sad to lose her. I got Lilly in college when JP and I were on a "break" and I was lonely and needed something to come home to. She was only 6 ounces and had to be bottle fed- she's now a hefty 12 lbs with a stomach that sways back and forth when she trots around the apartment. She has a great personality (when she not going psychotic at dinner parties) and is a major source of entertainment for JP and me.

(2) My cigar box. No, I don't smoke- it was a box of my grandpa's that I decorated at their house when I was little. It holds some of my dearest possessions from childhood: a letter from my best friend Sean when he visited NYC in 1st grade, a card from my 2nd grade class when I was sick with pneumonia, random artifacts from camping trips, birthday parties, and holidays, the snail shell Sean used to propose to me, and the letter he wrote me in high school to tell me he was gay (he promises its not b/c I made him marry me about a thousand times growing up), cards from my family for big events, the church program from my Confirmation, letters from my parents for each State swim meet, and much more. I cry (happy tears) every time I go through that box covered with glue, glitter, and feathers.

(3) My freshman year of college scrapbook. This was the last big and fancy scrapbook I will probably ever make. I met JP on the first day I arrived in Austin to attend UT and by Thanksgiving I told my family I was marrying him- through letters, cards, and pictures, this book chronicles that magical first year together. Also, due to an only somewhat successful hip surgery, this was the year that swimming, so long a dominate force in my life, became something I just "used to do." The book has pictures from parties, emails to/from my parents, and hospital bracelets from my two long stays for a severe case of mono. I go through the book often and it reminds me of a wonderful year for both of us.

There are many more things I would be sad to lose- but almost everything we have is ultimately replaceable: the wedding photographer has all the proofs, so we can order another album, Bailey Banks & Biddle still sells my wedding rings (although I never take them off, so if we're talking about a fire, they're a freebie), and due to our very tiny apartment, any family heirlooms that have been passed down to me are being stored at my parent's house. In a few years, when we have more storage space, this may be a much harder list to make.

What's on your list?