My story starts off without fanfare or a flash in the pan idea, but with the realization that I lacked quality keepsakes of my loved ones. 

A typical tradition of yesteryear for many families, the family photo was something that we did religiously for years during the holidays or vacations, but somehow it started to disappear without us even realizing it. Back then we had the foresight to write down the names of people missing from that year’s photo and proudly display them on paper plates so they did not miss out. Polished? No. Practical? Absolutely. Fast forward several years, we were stumped as to how even a family that treasured the family photo could somehow now forget to gather everyone around for a quick photo. Not a paper plate in sight.

Upon this realization we started to bubble up the idea whenever family gathered. A spark was lit. Someone would announce their departure and the frantic urge to quickly gather everyone together would take over. The camera and phones would come out, and someone would ultimately need to track down the stragglers as is herding cats. As soon as the shutter would click, of course after the sighs of relief, the notion immediately shifted to everyone making sure that the photo was shared around in a timely manner. 

This push to capture these moments quickly evolved to the idea of making sure that family history, inside jokes, and memories were documented in a way that we could enjoy forever. So I sat down with Grandma, pressed record, and simply talked like we did countless times before. We had the best time reliving some favorite moments and hearing some stories for the first time. I knew then that I needed to help others save their moments, tell their stories, and ultimately have treasures they can hold onto forever... at least longer than paper plates.