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My husband and I have seven children, (I know!), six sons and one daughter. Our daughter, Amelia, is right smack in the middle of brothers with three older and three younger. I've always said that she is the toughest one of all and my husband and the boys like to say that she is pops' "best son" =). Anyone who knows us, (or anyone who has been my Facebook friend for any length of time =), knows that we are a pretty tight family.
After four years of her being my lunch date every day, (I taught at her high school), my Millie graduated. She enjoyed her last free summer as a teenager and an official adult and in the fall she took a semester in college. While she loved all the learning and enlightening conversations she was now having, what she definitely did not love were the stresses of grades and g.p.a and student loans. And the thought of sitting in a classroom most of her days for the next few years was actually dispiriting. After that semester, she worked for a few months at her first "real job", 40+ hours, five days a week. Almost a year after graduation, she knew that she not only wanted, she needed, something more. So what did she do? My girl joined the Navy.
Whew. Of course we were proud that she could make such a decision and beyond happy for the opportunities ahead of her. But gosh, just knowing that our girl was going away - and soon - was hard to swallow. The short time leading up to her departure was probably the hardest of all so far in her Navy journey. None of us had ever been apart for more than a couple of days at a time. The kids will all tell you that they are each others' protector, advisor, confidante, driver, best buddy, boss, you name it. And Millie leads the way in all of those roles. Knowing that she was going away from us for almost five years was really hard. We savored every moment.
And then, just like that, she was off to bootcamp. My daughter and I have a relationship better than I ever could have hoped for. She has always shared all of her life with me. We can talk for hours at a time, about every topic imaginable: friends, boyfriends, faith, morality, humility, compassion, politics, war, fears, loves, funnies, our family, the list really is endless. And, to top it all off, my Mills is hilariously funny and super humble. So, as you might imagine, those eight weeks of bootcamp were tough. We went from talking and laughing every single day to only a single phone call in two months. Knowing she was probably homesick or scared, imagining what she was being subjected to, waiting every week for a letter, and then cycling through all of that missing again was ever-present. I thought of her every day and I prayed for the strength and will she needed to push her way through her training.
From before she'd even left I realized that she was going to need a tangible means of documenting her travels (as well as carry with her a little reminder of her mama ;). She is a very reflective young woman: strong, centered, thoughtful, kind. And, she is a wonderful artist . As a lifelong journaler myself, as well as a mom and a teacher, I knew that what she needed was a journal. I looked at several journals online and even went into a fancy paperie in search of the perfect one, but none that I saw were the right fit. So, while she was in bootcamp, I learned to make one myself. I discovered good drawing paper, learned how to dye and treat leather, brushed up on my sewing and stitching skills and created my first journal. It's not my best work to date, but it is definitely the one made with the most love ♡ .
What better book for a Seabee than a traveler's journal? Using her preferred drawing paper, I stitched together several signatures in a wrap-around leather cover that I cut and dyed. Added in were leather bookmarks, a matching storage pouch and removable pencil case. In the mix I also added special poems and artwork, quotes and other particulars that represent her faith and Native American heritage. All were things that I know are important to her or that I want to be sure that she carries close to her heart. The last thing I included were outline maps of the US, the continents and even some world maps for her to mark where she has been. It came together beautifully. My Mills loves her journal and uses it regularly. It's her diary, travel log, scrapbook, sketchbook. She even talks about how she will someday share this all with her own children and grandchildren. How cool is that? =)
This one project led to the creation of books for other travelers, students and friends. Which is how we ended up here on this snazzy little site =). Take a look around, check out some design elements and my latest creations. Let me know what you think and feel free to customize a book of your own.
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