One of the benefits of working with a client long term is that I get to see the outcome of all of our work. Creating systems that support a client such as home finances, children’s school and childhood memories, holiday decorations, closets, jewelry, children’s rooms and even remodeling projects have kept this particular client and me busy for many years.
After these many years and projects we finally found ourselves face to face with cabinets full of family photos that were ready for our attention. Over the last several years we had compiled and collected every last photo, including nine years of School Photos, vacations, birthdays, births, holidays, wedding, anniversaries, christmas cards, friends and family birth announcements, and family parties spanning from 1986 to 2015.
There are many ways to sort photos but this client decided chronological was best for her. The goal was to collect and store all her photos electronically for safe keeping, as well as getting the hard copies organized.
The majority of her photos from the last several years are already digital, so we sorted all the printed photos into years and tossed duplicates. Once she had a sorted pile of printed photos, she was able to quickly review each year and set aside the photos that she wants to send for scanning, so she will have access to only those photos that she loves and wants to keep.
My Digital Organizer, Sarah, felt that this project would best be completed using cafescan.com. You mail them a stack of photos, they manually scan each one, and they turn your printed photos into digital photos. Having the convenience of accessing all of her photos in one place is a goal she has been talking about for years. What makes this even more fun is she is surprising her husband with a disc highlighting their life together, from their childhoods, to engagement, marriage, births of their children, travel, holidays, and everything in-between.
A giant stack of photos can be overwhelming and trying to locate dates when all you have is your memory is a tricky game. Its amazing how quickly we forget the who, what, where, and when, when faced with hundreds of photos thrown together as life become busier and busier. I found myself grouping together photos based solely on my client’s clothing, or hairstyles. In the end I had a large pile that only my client could decipher what years they belong in, and along the way as she joyfully took a trip down memory lane.
It was a big job, but it was worth every minute, especially seeing my client get to the end and realize her dream to finally have her photos organized and scanned. The gift she is giving her husband is just the icing on the cake. And, if a picture is worth a thousand words, I just finished reading an exciting family novel! Fun! Fun! Fun!