Vacation Aquisitions

So you're on vacation (remember those days?) and you're at some bazaar or open air market. There's some unique local handmades that really touch you, but mostly it's row after row of the same old kitchy Made in China tourist magnets. Most of it's junk, I know, but here's a testimonial for buying a little bit of tacky on each vacation.

Tracey collects miniature landmarks from her trips: London double decker bus, miniature Eiffel Tower, etc. And on a small shelf in her room at home, it all looks magical. My mother-in-law collects magnets from the places they visit (and sometimes bring one home for us) and I love how it looks at home. Vacations get better the further away we are from them. For instance, I revel in the magic of Disneyland much more six months after we were there and my children are still talking about the Dumbo ride, than when I'm actually getting sick on the Dumbo ride.

A few years ago, while my in-laws were living in Hawaii for a few years on an LDS mission, we went to visit. My daughter woke up at 4AM EVERY morning for all 10 days, and my son was generally afraid of the ocean waves. It took an hour of windy road to drive anywhere in our cramped rental car. However, at the Aloha Statium Market, I bought the above pineapple sampler. It's not hand done, and they were everywhere, but I've hung it in my studio and it reminds me of that far away time of fresh Dole pineapple smoothies, the Waikiki Aquarium, and discovering Thai food for the first time.

For my 21st birthday, I went to Paris with Tracey and Mom. We sat on our luggage in the spare compartment of 2 trains to ride out to Mont St. Michel overnight. I loved it, and there were TONS of little stores all selling the same souveniers. I bought a few tapestries like the above, and this little purple Paris drapeau. It's been a decade and I haven't done anything with them yet, but I will. I'm getting closer. And I'm glad I bought them.

So next time you're lucky enough to escape, buy a little something tacky to bring home and do something fun with. I've found that a whole lot of the same souveniers on the pier in San Francisco all look the same there, but one special one looks like memories at home.