The Memory Book I Waited Years to Create

By Kathy Winters • July 23, 2026

This FOREVER story begins with a cardboard box filled with memorabilia and several packets of slides from a trip I took to Turkey in the summer of 1974 as an exchange student with the American Field Service (AFS). That box moved with me for many years, from my childhood home to closets in at least two apartments and two houses, usually ending up on a back shelf. More than once, I thought, "I should get those slides turned into photos". At first, I wasn't sure how to do it. Then life got busy, and the box remained on that shelf in the latest closet it called home.

Kathy with her host family in Turkey (1974).

After I became a FOREVER Ambassador, one of my first Digitization projects was sending those slides to the FOREVER Digitization Facility. I was so happy to finally have them preserved! Not surprisingly, after 40 years, a number of the slides had faded, but others (especially the ones with people) turned out amazingly well. Using FOREVER Historian software and the built-in editing tools in FOREVER Storage, I restored many of the faded images to nearly their original condition, and the memories came flowing back.

Another treasure that traveled with me in that box was a small diary that I wrote in every day throughout my eight-week experience. Using those journal entries and FOREVER Artisan software, I created a week-by-week account of my trip that brought back so many memories and reminded me of what a wonderful opportunity I had at just 17 years old. With Artisan, I also created beautiful pages highlighting the people and experiences from that unforgettable journey. I even digitized letters that my family and friends had mailed to me while I was away, including one from my grandfather - such a treasure!

Thanks to FOREVER, I finally created the trip memory book I'd wanted to make for years, preserving one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.