I love Journals

It’s as simple as that. I’ve been thinking about journals a lot over the past week. Mainly this is because a new year has begun, and I wanted to start it off right with a new journal. And then I decided to blog about journals because, well, why not. So, I dug around and I think I’ve found all of my journals (at least, the ones that I’ve kept). 

There are 13 journals in that stack (I’ll save you the trouble of counting). I had to use a propped up tissue box to keep the stack from sliding. So, there it is. Thirteen records of various moments in my life. I admit, I have destroyed, um, I mean surreptitiously gotten rid of a few. The journals in this stack go all the way back to my high school days. Yikes, is right! 

During this journal reflection period, I spent some time flipping through the many pages. Some of the entries are funny, some are sad. Simply put, they’re about life. The ups and the downs. There are entries about my high school and college boyfriends, paragraphs about family trips taken, ticket stubs, pictures, notes from friends, and on and on. Apparently, I’ve been an intermittent collector over the years. 

Case in point …

An ant. I remember this was part of a lesson by one of my favorite teachers during my church going days in high school. The actual lesson, and it’s point, vanished from memory years ago, though. But clearly it was important to me at the time, and that’s why I taped the ant inside of my journal. 

Another example …

A McDonald’s flyer in Croatian! How awesome is that? At least, I thought it was at the time. I lived in Croatia for about a year many moons ago. I found this ad tucked in between the pages that recorded my experiences over seas. I see McDonald’s ads in English nearly every week, but apparently they only rock if they’re in Croatian. 

And one more …

My Peachtree Road Race number. Hell, I’m not even a runner, so this was huge for me. Not only did I complete it in 2006, but I did it another year, too. When I see this number, I cringe. I was in excruciating pain the day after the race. 

My favorite journal of all time (drum roll) …

The Kraft Journal by M. Roger Press. The spiral makes it so easy to lay the book open and write for hours. The lines are small so I can fit a lot of text on a page, which makes the journal last a really long time. I don’t care for small journals that I can fill in a month or two. These journals have gotten the most use out of any that I own. The one on the bottom was filled to the last page, it took two years, and now the back cover doesn’t want to stay on. That’s a good sign. That journal has been through a lot. 

A New Year

2012 has begun and it’s time to start a new journal.  

I’m doing something new this year. I’ll continue to add small things to the inside pages, but now I’m going to add stuff to the cover. See, I got a bit crafty for Christmas this year when I discovered Modge Podge. That stuff is amazing!!! I now want to make a collage out of everything. But I can’t. That would be weird. So, instead I’m going to make a collage out of my journal cover (the Kraft Journal would be perfect for this). As the year progress, I’m going to add small, memorable things to the cover–things that are specific for 2012, treasures I’ve come across, interesting notes, pictures of things that I love … you get the point. 

I bought a plain black journal for the new year, but now I’m not really feeling it. I really wanted another Kraft Journal by M. Roger Press, but I can’t find them anywhere. I used to buy them at Borders (RIP) or Barnes and Noble. B&N carries the sketch books, but I haven’t found the actual journal. I think it’s time to head over to their website to see if I can order some (yes, some). 

How about you?

Do you journal? What are your favorite journals?