As part of the process of going back to college after the summer spent at home, I’ve spent a couple of hours clearing my room of the clutter that’s accumulated. It’s my habit to dump my things in one area of my room, so it’s been awhile since I’ve delved into drawers and piles and cabinets. So in the time I spent sifting through the detritus of my life, I’ve come across some rather interesting artifacts. 

 

Israeli receipts. I’m a bit of a hoarder when it comes to movie tickets and other bits of paper, so it doesn’t surprise me when I find a stray receipt laying around my room. I did, however, do a double-take when I found one in a language I couldn’t read. I’d forgotten that I kept some receipts as souvenirs of my trip to Israel!

 

Old journals and notebooks. I’ve been writing for my entire life, and I always get a kick out of looking through journals I kept back in elementary school. It makes me cringe to see what I thought was important, but hey, I was eleven. I tried to write stories back then as well. While the plots left something to be desired, and the characters were all Mary Sues, my style and voice was rather impressive for such a youngin! I credit the hours I used to spend with my nose in a book.

 

A “Bat Mitzvah book” from my cousin. Do you guys remember these? At Bat Mitzvahs, sometimes friends would write a poem for the birthday boy or girl and give it to them along with a handmade candle, or something of the like. My cousin wrote me an adorable, hilarious poem and put into a journal with old pictures of us together. Since I just saw her for the last time until December (she’s studying abroad in Italy this semester), it got me a little choked up!

 

My magazine collection. Thankfully I’ve stopped keeping every single magazine I get, but I’ve held on to special ones. I’ve got issues of Seventeen and the now defunct CosmoGirl! dating back to 2006, an issue of WWE Magazine from 2003, and an issue of National Geographic from 2001 — it previewed the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone movie before it was in theaters! At least I’ve had my priorities straight for ten years, right?

 

Beijing Olympics Coke bottles. The Olympics were in Beijing in 2008, and Coke put out cans and bottles with “Coca Cola” in a bunch of different languages. I drank a TON of Coke that summer, trying to collect them all. I didn’t even come close, but I’ve got a nice little collection of empty Coke bottles and cans with an international flavor.

 

My SAT scores. I’d wondered why that old College Board envelope was lying around! Today, I finally delved into it… and man, that 690 on the math section still irks me. But I can happily shove it into a drawer and forget about it!

What interesting things do you have lying around your room, Lovelies?