Making Memories

So, I'm still reading this Donald Miller book. In it all something has occurred to me. As opposed to just let life happen to us, and, proverbially, pass us by, we need to become proactive about making life happen for us.
Look through some of my past blogs. You'll find that I'm a romantic, I'm sentimental, I long for family traditions and experience. I don't want regrets on my deathbed. I don't want to feel like I've missed out on anything. I like to be in control. (I'm being honest here, right?)
When combining those things with what I'm learning from this book I'm finding that ordinarily our lives pass us by with no memory. Think about growing up... say, 1st grade, what do you remember most about first grade? For me, it was my teacher's insanely long hair, and reading Little House on the Prairie books. I can't really remember what I did on the playground, or what our school books looked like, or even my birthday party that year.
In fact, when I look back I see that many years are like that for me. Not much out of the ordinary, not much different, just letting life happen to me.
Granted, as I've become older I've started being more proactive about life. 7 World Changers experiences, and I remember our house and people from every one. Going on the road and traveling. It's almost sad how much of that I remember, the names of churches and where they are located, and the strange lady that sat on the front row and very publicly breastfed her child while Ken preached. I can even remember feelings, vividly enough that if I think on it long enough, I feel it again. It was at times a tough time in our life, but life wasn't happening to us, it was happening for us.
I'm a picture taker and a video keeper. I want all of the memories I can get out of life. I want to remember as much of Bryton's childhood that I possibly can. I want to travel and let him experience life, to have opportunities growing up that I did not have.
It's for that reason that, sacrificing my couch and my comfort, I plan on doing life with my kids and my husband. Not letting it pass us by and wonder "where did the time go", but knowing that our time went to swimming for no reason, or weekend trips out of the blue, or zip-lining through Missouri (which I've actually looked into), or hiking or exploring caves, or just spending the day park hopping, or picnicing on our living room floor.
One thing I remember from my childhood... a friend's mom picked me up and took us to McDonald's, in the days of the play areas. We ate at the first McDonalds, played some, and went to another one where she got a soda, and we played at that one, and then to the next one. It was fun, and different.
Living life. Getting off the couch, getting away from my comfort. That's what it's about!