So, it will come to no surprise that I am a pack rat. Not a crazy one or a hording pack rat...I just like to keep things around "just in case" I usually find a need for all that stuff and am therefore justified which only encourages my stashes to remain close at hand. This behavior has recently leached it's way to the computer.

I have an unnesisarily large number of emails in my in box. I won't put a number on it, but think of what you'd consider a lot of emails, then think of what you'd consider a crazy amount of emails, multiply that by 2 or 3, depending on whether you estimate high or low and that's probably how many I deleted last week when I realized how many were actually in there...mind you I didn't even delete a third...I may need those...[sheeping grin]

So then I went to me sent box. For those of you who have never paid attention to this lovely floder, your sent box is the equivelent of your box of highschool memories you dutifully move with you to your new house even though you've only looked in there twice since graduation. It keeps all of the emails you send to other people. I suppose most people have the settings on their sent box to automatically empty itself every so often...not me, that would be unthinkable. I may (and rather often, do) need to reference an old email or cut and paste or forward something especially witty or interesting. Keeping these emails has actually saved me over $100 when a company wanted to carge me for something someone else in the company already told me I wouldn't be charged for. That definatley concreted my belief that I need these emails.

Anyway, i went there last night and noticed the little number in the bottom that I'd never noticed before. It was 1633. Yes, that number proved htat I had sent 1633 emails from this account alone since January 5, 2005. Really that's only 2.68 emails per day. That's not so bad...sure that doesn't calculate when I've been out of town or sent emails from other accounts or other computers, but that would prolly balance out right?

Wes thought it was hilarious. I started deleting emails, then started reading them and came across the one I sent my mom when Bean took his first steps, the email I sent to announce the birth of Silas and pictures of my poor baby boy when he had a fever of 105.1. There were notes to and from friends, plans to throw an old friend a baby shower and tons of those goofy questionairs that ask you what book you are reading and what your favorite smell is. I found teh emial I sent Brian before I really knew who he was telling him about how much CP meant to me. It's amazing to see how God has fulfilled everything I said I was looking for in a church.

I deleted over 300 totally worthless emails and even emptied my deleted folder (that is MAJOR) But I realized I'm not ready to part with all of these sweet relics just yet. Sure I have 1300 or so to go and only a handful will really be worth saving but I got a good start adn was so incredably blessed by the discovery of this journal I didn't even know i was keeping.