Pack-Rat

I have come to the conclusion that we have too much stuff! It's almost like an addiction. I go into the office and see shelves of books that have not been opened in years. If we were to actually remove one of these books from the shelves, we'd be covered in a swarm of dust. Also in the office are various Knick-Knacks of sorts that we have collected ( or should I say hoarded) over the years. Some of them we purchased at different festivals or fairs and some of them were just hand me downs from people who thought they were too hideous for "their" homes but thought they'd go perfect in ours. I even have some of my dorm room decor stashed away; as if I'm going to be a co-ed again anytime soon. The closets are even worse. Opening my closet doors is almost the equivalent of stepping back in time. This was brought to my attention about 6 months ago when my friend Lisa ( who was innocently looking for a shirt to wear) exclaimed " Oh Katrina! You still have this shirt? You wore this for graduation" Keep in mind she's talking about HIGH SCHOOL graduation. Yes, I have items in my closet from circa 1997. Since I'm laying it all out on the table I may as well tell you about the boxes in my attic that contain oddities from my junior high days. Stuff that many others would consider trash. I have boxes of pictures, postcards, letters, cards, recipts, keychains ect. all stuffed into random little boxes. Sure, some of the stuff evokes memories but other things have me asking "why the hell did I save that?" Why do I do this? I would like to say that it was a "kid" thing, but I must admit that I saved EVERY receipt from my Honeymoon. I would like to tell you that I have something "crafty" in mind, a scrapbook persay but the thing is: They will probably remain in boxes until the end of time. I won't even tell you all of the random stuff I have saved of my daughter's. It would be much too embarrassing. But, after some contemplating I have decided that I have to start throwing things away and stop being such a pack-rat. But, being my sentimental self, that is going to be quite the challenge. Besides, you can't throw away memories....right?