CROSSVILLE — Outside of travel, digital scrapbooking is my passion. As a matter of fact, as I grow older, I do believe scrapbooking has taken over first place…. It’s been an uphill struggle, but I’m finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel of Photoshop Elements 8. I’m convinced you need a math mind to understand it – something I don’t have, but persistence and starting over again and again has paid off….

I haven’t done it on my own. I’ve spent a small fortune on books, magazines, videos and lessons. I also belong to Digital Scrapper’s Premium Club (www.digitalscrapper.com), which sends out a monthly array of lessons, templates, elements and all sorts of “goodies” related to digital scrapbooking. There is also a forum for questions and answers. Scrapbooking forum addicts have been know to come up for air only to take care of necessities – things like going to the bathroom and checking to see if the kids and dog are still alive…someone will feed them eventually – not to worry….

This year I have enrolled in my first challenge – Your Story. Brilliant. The teacher is Linda Sattgart, owner of Digital Scrapper.

It starts out with: “Welcome to Your Story. Brilliant. class! I'm really excited that you've chosen to join me on this journey of discovery as you tell the most important story you can tell: Yours! Once a month in this year-long class, we'll focus on creating a double spread about a particular topic or era of your life⒊

I’ve created my first page, and about to finish the second to complete this month’s assignment. As soon as I figure out how to put those pages up on my blog, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, let me tell you what those very first pages are all about. They are supposed to be about: People I Love.  Well, of course, it’s my husband, my kids and my grandkids. Every photo I have on that first page is of us on a trip together somewhere or other. What else can you expect from a travel writer? I’m not only a travel writer – I’m also a travel advisor. Most folks around here know that already, but I like to throw that in every so often for the new kids on the block…. I’m here to advise.

Creating and reliving memories throughout our lives is what keeps most of us going. From where we live, seeing family members more than twice a year is a blessing. Seeing them all together at one time is an absolute miracle – at lest for our family!

Traveling together is what we do. We started with short 3 and 4 day trips to Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York City from my daughter’s home base in New Jersey. We’re now branching out, and so can you. Several tour companies are beginning to cater to the need of creating family memories….

One in particular, Trafalgar Tours – who just won the Travel Weekly award for Best Tour Operator 2011 – has a Family Experience program that may be of interest. Their “Wild West Cowboys and Buffalos” is an 8-day adventure that begins in Salt Lake City, UT and ends in Denver, CO. Seeing America first should be on every American’s bucket list, and doing it with your kids and grandkids can’t be beat…especially seeing the American West.

Who can resist skirting the Great Salt Lake and entering Wyoming for your first encounter with the mighty Rocky Mountains and ending the day with a chuckwagon dinner? It’s then off to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks; a visit to Cody, Wyoming to visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center to learn about the Wild West; The Ranch at Ucross, where you stay on a real working dude ranch, enjoying an evening campfire with s’mores; the Black Hills of South Dakota; and a visit to Bear Country USA – a wildlife park featuring the world’s largest private collection of American Black Bear.

There’s more. Follow the trail to old Fort Laramie, the best-known milepost on the Oregon Trail, where you can still see 150-year-old wagon ruts cut deep into the soil by thousands of pioneers heading West. The trail ends at the Mile High city of Denver.

Talk about memories!

You know, many people choose to cruise with family members, which is great. I like to experience everything there is to do together, and that does not usually happen on a cruise. Everyone seems to spend time apart because of the different activities geared to different ages. You have the little kids programs, the teen programs and the adult programs. Even meals are separate on some cruises. With a guided vacation, you get to go deep inside a destination; you experience meals and entertainment with a bit of education thrown in by the expert guides, and everyone stays together all day long…think about it….

Just for the record…I didn’t just pick Trafalgar Tours out of a hat to have something to write about. I know from experience they are one of the best in the business. They have been at it for 65 years. Not too long ago I took a group from Fairfield Glade on Trafalgar’s Trailblazer vacation, and we’re still telling people how great it was…fantastic! If you’d like to know more about any of their worldwide vacations, you can reach me at 931-484-8228 or email me at elaine@gladeexplorers.com. Need to know more about anything Photoshop, visit Linda at Digital Scrapper at www.digitalscrapper.com. Membership in her Premium Club is a mere $8.99 a month. You, too, can become a “scrappin’ addict!”

Elaine Johnston is a Fairfield Glade resident and owner of The Glade Explorers Travel. Her column is published frequently in The Glade Sun. She may be reached via email at elaine@gladeexplorers.com. Read her blog at www.globetrottingyourway.com