Another Special Gift

My previous post got me to thinking about other special gifts I received at Christmas (either this one or previous ones). I wanted to document for memory sake another one of those gifts.

Sometime in the late 90s my mom started charm bracelets for my sister, myself, and my sister-in-law. Each year she gets us a charm that reflects something special about that year in our lives!

This is what my charm bracelet looks like now, after Christmas 2008.
I want to highlight each charm and the year I got it- if I can remember (thus the need to document) - They are not in much order, because the charms are not placed sequentially on the bracelet!

1998- My First Charm- the Labrador. I got my own dog for the first time in October of 1998. I named him Buxton, after Buxton, NC. Buxton, NC is actually a small town outside of Hatteras where the Hatteras lighthouse is located. This was one of the first places Buxton ever went to the beach and went swimming. (It was a bit chilly mind you.... October weather.)

2000- The Airplane. The Lord introduced a great friend to me in 1996 (or so)- Carla VanPelt (at the time...now Carla Yoder); and we discovered we had LOTS in common, of which one thing is TRAVELLING! We started taking like 2 trips a year that involved getting there by an airplane! What fond memories! Not to mention trips with other friends as well! (Right Dawn?! ) I've visited Mexico (numerous times), Bahamas x2, Ireland x2, London x2, Hawaii x2, California, Colorado, Florida, Canada....

1999- The Year 2000 Charm- The New Millennium was right around the corner, worth documenting, the turn of a century that I was living through.

2001- The 9-11 Charm-here on the far left is a charm of the Twin Towers. It is a charm documenting the 9-11 Tragedy that the US experienced on September 11, 2001. The back of the charm is engraved with the date 9-11-01. 9-11 has been documented as the worst terrorist attack on US soil.

2003 - The London Bridge Charm -A trip to London with 2 great friends! Dawn & Carla. We found a great deal (see the Piggy Bank charm) on a week long trip to London over Thanksgiving. So we flew out on Thanksgiving Day 2003 for a trip to London! I bought this charm while we were touring the Tower of London, by the London Bridge. Weather was a bit challenging on that trip (remember riding a double decker bus on top- in the rain!) But we had a GREAT Time- right girls?!

2004- The Engagement Ring Charm- In October of 2004 on the 31st I was in Charleston, SC with my boyfriend at the time. We went to Isle of Palms one evening for a stroll on the beach. We had been really dating at this point about 4 months. Matt got down on his knee, pulled a ring out of his pocket, and asked me to marry him! Now the funny part of that story is- the ring he pulled out of his pocket at the time was one that he had 'borrowed' from my jewelry box! It was a ring that I had noticed was missing, and I was actually a little distraught about it. He said he wanted to give me a ring, but he also wanted me to pick out my engagement ring with him! So that was the only thing he could think of to do at the time! So sweet! :)

2002- The Piggy Bank! Over the years I have always tried to find "the deal" I'm always on the look-out for the best price, the cheapest place to buy something, buy it on sale- never- ever pay full price for something, and just all around ways to save a penny here and there to make it add up! My parents have recognized that in me and I got this charm one year for my bracelet!

2006- The Pineapple Charm- In September/October 2006 Matt and I took a trip to Maui, Hawaii. This was a wedding gift we received- a timeshare to use anywhere we wanted. So we decided on Hawaii. We spent about 7 days in Maui, a day on Oahu, and 3 days on the Big Island.

2003-Hatteras Lighthouse Charm- this was my Christmas Charm I received that year. Hatteras has always been a special place for our family, probably because my sister and my brother have spent so much of their lives on the Outer Banks- which means lots of trips for me down there! I also spent many summers there in my college life waiting tables and doing an internship- and Hatteras is a great place to drive out on the beach and hang for the day!

2005- The Golf Charm- this was my Christmas Charm I received that year. Back in 1998 my sister and I took golf lessons together. I remember that year because she was pregnant with her first daughter at the time. Over the years I played off and on. When Matt and I started dating and got married we would golf together sometimes. He is a great man to play golf with! He is VERY patient with me and gives instruction in a way that I can receive it! On a sad note- I have not played golf with him since I got pregnant with Kaitlyn...maybe this Spring we can change that!

2006-The Irish Charm- this was a charm I got on a trip to Ireland in February of that year. Matt and I along with the Yoders found a great deal (see The Piggy Bank Charm) on a trip to Ireland that included airfare, 5 nights in bed and breakfasts; 1 night in hotel, & 1 night in a castle, car rental, and a couple of meals! Again, February- probably not the best time to take a vacation- but that's why it was cheap! Carla and I had been to Ireland back in 2002 and when we saw this deal we wanted to take our husbands back this time! We had a great trip and another funny story about our rental car! If you watch Seinfeld- I'll just say it was the "You know how to take the reservation, you just don't know how to hold the reservation" episode to a "T". But all worked out and we managed!


2004- The Charleston Charm- See the note above with the 'Engagement Ring Charm'. Matt and I bought this charm in Charleston as a memento of where we got engaged!

2007- The Stork Charm- I got this charm for Christmas the year I was pregnant with Kaitlyn. I would have been 4 months pregnant at the time.


2008- The Mother Charm. You can see the front on the left here and the back on the right. This Christmas Mom gave me this charm engraved with Kaitlyn 05-15-08.
She also gave Kaitlyn a charm bracelet to start and her first charm is a birth certificate on the front and her information engraved on the back! How Precious! I can't wait to see her bracelet when she's like 20 years old!

How precious this bracelet has become to me. It has become a family heirloom, it is more than just silver jewelry, it tells a story of what has been, and it will always carry that story with it, whomever has it in the future.
I am so blessed.