A walk down Memory Lane

Ok, so I've already posted on "memories" and "lasting impressions," but this is really interesting. On Sunday we started moving things from (rented) storage to (new) shed. I had 2 BIG plastic bins labelled: Celina's Keepsakes. I knew that I could consolidate those down to 1...so I sat on our driveway for several hours digging through piles of memories--choosing things to keep and things to throw out (finally). This job has been on my to-do list for years. Of course all our neighbors were driving by & rubber-necking (maybe they think we're having a garage sale), so I was a little self-conscious. Anyways, I found a few things that I would like to mention.
Trash:
1.Corsages from 9th & 10th grade homecoming. These were individually wrapped in ziplock bags with the dates (nov. 95 & 96, respectively) and the dates (KD & BL, respectively).
2.Calanders from 1991-1998. As I got older, I strayed from writing in a diary to writing things on my calander. ("LH hugged me today" "Mas sat by me on the bus" "BL called at 8pm" "BS gave me a ride home", etc.)
3.Ugly stuffed animal (I say "animal" because I really don't know what it is) that was given to me from a "Secret Admirer" in 6th grade. He knew my locker combination (I swear, I never told anyone) and left me notes, a ring (probably took it from his mom), and this "animal." I never found out who he was.
4.Melted candles. What made me think that all those "smell-good" candles could survive storage in a 100+ degree, 50%+ humidity shed?
5.Shoebox full of letters. I will throw them away soon, I just want to read some of them first. I think these partially cover 6th through 12th grades. Oh, the drama!
6.Pom-poms from 8th grade football game (I wasn't a cheerleader).
7.Name cards. The kind you get with graduation invitations and pictures. I had like 50 of them.
8.Receipts and ticket stubs. From movies, plane tickets, ski lift, Hard Rock Cafe NYC, dinner after Senior prom, etc, etc.
Treasure:
1.Diploma. Yes, I have my high school diploma. And, yes, it is kept in storage with all the other "stuff." What purpose does it serve anyways? Now that I have a B.S. (and soon an M.S.), what do I need this for? Oh well, it's staying.
2.Rudolph and the Fraggle Rocks. These were given to me for Christmas when I was 4. Rudy was the one I snuggled with at night, while Red and Boober mostly sat around the room. Of course, those two had to be kept separated. The person who gave them to me told me that they had to stay separated or they would fight. Even to this day I have them packed with one at the bottom of the box & one at the top.
3.Diaries. Maybe one day these will be dumped, but for now, they stay. I have the idea that one day when I have a pre-teen daughter she might like to read about my pre-teen angst.
4.Strawberry Shortcake and The Ice-Cream blanket. I don't know when I got these, but I was very little. So, again, one day I will have kids (maybe one will be a girl), and these would be nice to "carry on." I also have a(n) Unicorn Blanket from way back, but I use this one almost daily.
5.Yearbooks. I have 6th through 12th, plus freshman & senior years of college--yearbooks. Oh, the agony of looking at my old school pictures!
6.Metals and Awards. TaeKwonDo yellow belt, 2nd & 3rd place medals from colorguard, 2nd place spelling bee, Honor Roll certificates, etc. I don't have many, so I can keep all these.
7.Pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. I used to have a complete picture-taking fetish. These Stay. Hey, maybe I will scan some & post them. Anyone interested?
Undecided:
1.Band Drill books. Why do I have these? I will never march to "Wizard of Oz" or "Camelot" again. High school is over, Celina, get rid of them. But they represent all the hard work we put into those shows. And how my life revolved around band!
2.Button Collection. When did this start? I had a piece of material (pink with a black cheetah on it, about 3ft x4ft) thumbtacked on my wall. One day I started pinning things to it. From the zoo, mall, D.A.R.E., Girl Scouts, picture-buttons, "sheriff's badge," museums, etc. Maybe I should just pick out a few that I really like & throw out the rest?
3.Stamp Collection. I have a nice stamp-collecting book with some really old ones (probably bought at a yard sale or something). I also have some stamp-sets from the post office. Are these worth money? Hmm, maybe I can sell them on EBay.
4.Variety of Stuffed Animals. Some are old, some young. Some have sentimental value, some are just cute. But, are they worth holding onto? I will have kids one day. For now, they're not taking up much space & they aren't very heavy, so I'll hang on a little longer.

Whew! And guess what? I got everything to fit in ONE bin!