One of the websites I frequent is Kate Kelly Photography. She has done some beautiful work - marriages and families. And she is based out of Portland. A city I truly love. The small time that I have spent there has made me fall for the city hard. Yes, it rains and it is freezing there most of the time. But it is just so pretty. And green. Anyway, so I was looking at the pictures and I realized. We, the Purva's family do not have any albums to boast of. Oh there are pictures aplenty. But there are no family portraits. Nothing that kind of marks our growth as families. We have on set of pics, when both us kids were kids. But that is it. Nothing really after that. And I added it to my mental list of things that I would different with my family. And I decided to put the list out here.

1. Tonnes of pictures. Even the most inane ones
2. Save clothing from when kids are infants to toddlers to kids
3. Save paintings or art work
4. Travel. Does not have to be a big trip out to the country. But make a day trip someplace close and a whole day getting buzzed off of candy. Stuff each other's mouths with cookies and all kinds of pastries, cakes and similar extremely-bad-for-you stuff that is incredibly tasty
5. Eat in the good china. Even if it gets chipped. I remember the only time the china would come out in our house would be when I would fight for it. Else it would be only steel ware. While in retrospect, I am not scarred and see the reason of using steel, I will make it a point to tell my family they are special to me by using my special china. If there is a bai, she better be careful. If it is the family washing it, same applies to them
6. Get s oaked in the garden while watering the plants. Sharing the smell of the parched earth
7. Going with them to a temple. We used to do that, then stopped. There is something so calming about the temple bells. I am not an overly religious person, but I like going to places of worship, not necessarily a temple. I want a family that respects all religions equally and treats everyone with respect
8. Take time out for me only. For my parents, everything revolved around everyone. I would like to take time out and be on my own. Have a date night with my hubby. I have ready plenty that once you have kids, everything is about them. I don't know. Lets see
9. Read to my kids at night. It just sounds such a motherly thing to do :D

There is a lot that I won't change. I am sure there is a lot that I would want to change. Who knows. But yeah, I do want a lot of pictures. I will be one of those people you see with a camera slung over them all the time, every where. Well, I think we, Bhai and I turned out mostly right. So the parents did do a lot of right. So will go back to my memories and figure out what needs to be done. But till then, I am happy dreaming :)