My Life in a Suitcase

A simple question: if you could pack the story of your life into one suitcase with 10 items in it, what would you pack and why? Easy, I thought, but boy was I wrong. There are so many wonderful things I could stuff into this suitcase, but I think I would exceed the weight limit. Instead of paying the extra fee for a heavy suitcase, I narrowed the list down to my 10 most important items I would pack into my suitcase. Enjoy a look into the life of Riley!

1. My stuffed bear cleverly named Rattle Bear- This bear has been with me for my whole life... literally. Rattle Bear was given to me the day I was born by my great aunt. As a kid, there was hardly ever a time that I was seen without Rattle Bear in my arms. (he even made it into the official family pictures!) Ever since, he has come with me to start all of life's new journeys. Through starting new schools to undergoing surgeries, Rattles has always been by my side, and that's why he's claimed the number one spot on this list.

2. A soft, fluffy blanket- Anyone who know me well, knows that I can usually be found underneath a blanket. I can never resist the soft, comforting feeling of a nice fuzzy blanket. I think I get this trait from my grandmother on my mom's side. She always had a blanket on her no matter if it was 20 degrees outside or 120 degrees.

3. A puzzle- As a really little kid, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents (on my dad's side). They would babysit me while my parents were at work, so I became super close with them. My grandpa was (and still is) a huge fan of puzzles, so much so that he had whole room dedicated to them. He and I would spend time in there putting together puzzles while my grandma watched. I was very young when it happened, but those are some of the most fond memories of my young childhood, and they have led me to still love puzzles to this day.

4. An OU football jersey- My parents used to take me to OU football games quite a bit as a kid, and while we were there, I would always point across the field and say that one day I would be sitting over in the student section cheering on my Sooners. Fast forward 10 or so years and I made good on that promise! I am at my dream school, and I could not be happier that my parents raised me to be a Sooner! Sooner born, Sooner bred, am I right?

5. A Bible- my faith is something that has always been important to me. I grew up going to church with my parents every Sunday and attending church camps every summer. I met some of the best people I know through these camps. Since coming to college, my faith has looked a bit different, but the roots of it are still the same. A Bible is one of the most important things I can think of to try and describe my life with.

6. A dog's tug rope- Throughout my entire life, my family has always owned a dog, and I really mean always. There have only been 9 months out of my life where I have not owned one. I am a huge animal love in general, but dogs are the absolute best! I chose a tug rope to represent my love of dogs, because I always love getting to play with my dogs, especially when they are good tuggers. I hope to continue to have dogs throughout my future.

7. Thank you cards- This one was suggested to me by me best friend, Gavin. He said I should include thank you cards because I always make sure to let people know how appreciative I am of them. I thought that was very sweet of him to add! Besides that nice compliment, I would also include the thank you cards as a reminder to continue to find the things and people in life I am grateful for, and let them know often.

8. A lamp- This may be the most unpractical item I have listed so far, but this was also a suggestion from Gavin that I just couldn't pass up. He told me to include a lamp, because I am good at remaining positive in almost every situation and finding the light in the dark. Again, the sweetness of this answer urged me to include it in this list. Well, that and the fact that I can't stop laughing at the idea of fitting a whole LAMP in a suitcase.

9. A photo album with pictures of all my favorite memories- As you may have noticed by reading this list, I am a sentimental person. I put a lot of meaning behind everything and I really value my friendships/relationships more than anything else in life. I would love to have a photo album with my favorite memories in it 1. because that means that would already exist and I wouldn't have to make it myself and 2. I would always have it to flip through and remember the best times of my life.

10. A cute water bottle- We finally made it to the end of the list, and I will finish with perhaps my most simple answer. I chose to include a water bottle, because I am almost always borderline dehydrated, and this will remind me to drink more water! (but if it's going to be in the suitcase of my life, it has to be a cute water bottle and not just one of the cheap plastic ones!)

Well, there ya have it! Ten items that describe my life all packed into one suitcase. I hope you enjoyed getting a little glimpse into the life of me!