The Places I've Been

Several months ago, I scoured the Internet looking for a scrapbook or journal to document all the places Tory has visited (or will visit in her lifetime). I wanted something similar to a baby book where I could write details about each trip, her first experiences, the date and her age at the time. I looked and looked, but couldn't find anything out there matching the vision in my head. I found scratchable travel maps like this one, but it wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I wanted to document each state and its memories, not just checkmark as a place visited. So, I decided to create a kid's travel scrapbook myself. I called it "The Places I've Been" and I am absolutely in love with how it turned out!

Each page features one of the 52 states in the US, a 4x6 placeholder for a photo from the trip and places to journal under the categories: "Places I Visited", "My Favorite Memories" and "My First Time." So far, Tory's book has an entry under California, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas and Wisconsin.

On the inside cover, I featured this quote by St. Augustine:

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

I hadn't traveling much until I met Andi and I think it's one the greatest blessings he's given me. The United States and the world are so vast, so diverse. It's made me a better person understanding how people in different cultures and upbringings experience life. I want Tory to have this same gift of travel in her lifetime and I hope she loves it just as much as her parents do.