charming afternoon

i got invited to one of those "gold" parties. you go through all of your jewelry and pick out stuff you don't wear anymore. take it to the party and trade it for cash! sweet.

i went through my meager jewelry collection - my main criteria was getting rid of anything from old boyfriends. after that i had a little more trouble. all the memories. the little ring my parents bought me for my 14th birthday, the earrings i coveted for so long that my mom finally gave them to me, etc.

i'll let you know how much i get. somehow i don't think my high school boyfriend broke the bank on any of the gold he bought me - no offense. we'll see.

anyhow, i was left with a bunch of charms. i parted with the "charm holder." remember those? i'm sure they will be back in style tomorrow since i got rid of mine.

i decided to put my gold charms on my silver charm bracelet from childhood. i used sterling jumper rings, and i have to say, i can't wait to wear it! if you hear someone clanking in target, that will be me...

here's a brief explanation of my memories, all on one bracelet. oh - and since i'm older - i can say "back in the day" now.

wv charm - mm bought this for me to wear to mountaineer football games, back in the day.
colonial tricorner hat - memorable trips to williamsburg, one of my favorite places.
tennis rackets - hard to believe, but i was once an athlete, tennis and track!
rabbit - my favorite pet, peabody, a boy that turned out to be a girl, abby normal.
mizpah - ahh, young love, mm wore the other one, even though it ruined his herringbone chain, wonder if i could trade that in for cash?
bicycle - the 10 speed bike no one would get me, except for santa, mwah-ha-ha-ha.
sorority paddle - some fond kkg memories, but not too many, see "mizpah."
shark tooth - my dad collects these, this one is from an earring.
roller skate - lots of hours at the rink, shooting the duck, and playing ms. pacman, for real.
senior charm - the unfortunate class of ninety, nothing rhymes with ninety.
aries - and proud of it, so is mm.
mickey mouse - back in the day, i only bought things with mickey on it, still love him.
crucifix - although i am not catholic, mm bought this for me, love it.
ballerina - hard to believe, but i was once an athlete, tap, ballet, jazz, and gymnastics.
best friend charm - from my best friend amy, or was it wendy?
world's fair - 1982 world's fair, you've got to be there!
violin - if they had violin hero for the wii, i would ROCK!
"c" charm - for obvious reasons, and with a diamond, no less.

sweet memories, i'm thinking of starting one for my girls...
anybody else have a charm bracelet?