In case you hadn’t noticed: I’m a sucker for memories. When I part ways with something I love – whether it’s a human, a dog, a place – I like to have items around that remind me of the happiness that person, dog, or place once brought me.

For example, I got this charm for my Pandora bracelet when Baxter got adopted. To me, it signifies all of the hearts that went into his rehabilitation. So many people were a part of his rescue, and that is what made his case so special – so that’s what I like to remember.  I wear this bracelet every day and I’m constantly reminded of my little Bax.

Next up is something a little larger than a charm bracelet. A few weeks ago I made over my childhood bedroom. Now that I am living here as an adult some things really needed to go. The room hadn’t been painted in 30+ years and it was time for a new look. After a weekend of painting and remodeling, I had fresh blank walls with nothing to put on them. Remember how I mentioned my occasional issue with following through on projects for myself, and how my boyfriend is often the remedy? Well this one DIY wall decoration task was no different.  I wanted a way to show off my fosters in my new room, but couldn’t figure out the best way to do that.

Mark ended up constructing a diagram of picture frames to put on one wall in a sort of collage design. It would take about a dozen picture frames of assorted sizes, mixed in with three canvases he got me online. I picked out the photos I wanted and spent hours measuring, leveling, and applying adhesive to get it all up. The end result? A gorgeous wall that highlights each foster through some of my favorite photos. (I also took this as an opportunity to try out my brother’s fish eye lens!)

I am in love! Now I get to wake up to their shining faces every morning. I cannot think of a more perfect way to remember these guys. The idea is to slowly swap out pictures as I get more fosters, but I don’t know which one of these I’ll be able to part with – each photo was chosen for a specific reason. It’s so fitting I got this up just around my One Year Blog-a-versary.

Last but not least, I received a package in the mail from Mark’s mom a few days after Otis got adopted. Inside was this wooden plaque:

I often find it hard to put into words just how and why I foster (especially while my heart is broken after saying goodbye to another). This seems to sum it up better than I’ve ever been able to. Sure, it’s tough letting one go, but the next one fills that hole in your heart and then some. This was the last bit of art to go up in my room – a very fitting piece to complete the collection.

Is it just me, or does everyone do special things like this to remember their dogs? What do you all do?