binding our time

(No. That's not a typo.)

It usually begins in January, as we're coming down from the highs of the holidays, as our days are disrupted by the packing of garlands and baubles and sentimental artifacts of Christmases past. This year, however, it simply didn't work out that way. March would be merrily marching on before I'd get around to the annual book project. I don't mean one of my novels. I am speaking, instead, of the yearly keepsake photo book collecting all our favorite memories from the previous twelve months.

The phrase photo book, I should clarify, is mildly deceptive in its singularity. Since our renewed commitment to adventure in 2023, our favorite memories have required two volumes, each containing the maximum allotment of 111 pages. The year 2025 proved no different. I would reveal to you how many photos that entails, but 1.) I have no idea, and 2.) I haven't any smelling salts on hand. These latest editions mark the eighteenth and nineteenth such books we've had printed at Shutterfly. They're fun to make (I highly recommend it), they're more compact and, thus, easier to store than photo albums, and they can be designed to resemble an artsy scrapbook, that is, if, like me, you go a little crazy with the customization of every page, layout, and enhancement.

As usual, in both volumes of Perfect Ten, photos dance across the pages with themed events and creative flair--photos of places we've been, occasions we've celebrated, projects we've completed, and moments of silliness we've shared as a family. It is a year full of joy captured within colorful complementing covers, covers starring our own Maisie Moon. After all, it was her tenth birthday that inspired the title of the books.

Off and on, for seven weeks, I labored over every spread, giving each occasion its own unique look. Finally, on Monday, our newest editions arrived: the photographic revelry of another year shared and the binding of oh-so-much fabulously memorable time.