Some accountants like to be alone with their numbers or a good book. I thrive when I am surrounded by people, laughter, paper shuffling, keyboards clicking and the occasional interruption of someone who needs my sage wisdom or opinion. Scrapbooking is a social activity for me. A group of people scrapbooking together is called a Crop. The term comes from cropping pictures, but it reminiscent of a quilting bee. Unlike a quilting bee, everyone works on their own projects, but I have been to crops to create a single scrapbook for a going away party, or shower. We share happy memories, funny stories, good food and good company.
At PRIER, we are a very close group and often refer to each other as our PRIER Family. Whether we are cleaning a community kitchen, having our Summer Bash in Hurricane Andrew or serving one another a holiday meal, it’s always a photo opportunity and a chance to make more memories. I have enjoyed keeping a scrapbook of my time with PRIER and hope to get the chance to produce many more volumes. We haven’t been able to use my scrapbooks to accurately predict the future yet, but that doesn’t stop us from trying. Our 2011 Summer Bash was held during a heat wave. The 2012 Summer Bash was held during Hurricane Andrew. We are certainly not hoping for a Tornado during the 2013 celebration.
Wellness is always a hot topic. I’ve seen a lot of t-shirts that say, “Scrapbooking is Cheaper than Therapy”. I’m not sure that’s true, but believe that getting together with my buddies and having a good time is definitely good for our mental health. I heard on the news that activities like scrapbooking help to ward off Alzheimer’s. It is certainly entertaining to get a family together and ask them when a picture was taken and who everyone is. With my family of five, you are bound to come up with at least five answers!
Cindy Coats – PRIER Products Controller
