The TY Beanie Baby teddy bear and the jewelry in this photo all belonged to my grandmother. I received these items after she passed away a few days before my high school graduation in 2014. I was very close to her and visited her daily; she was even like a best friend to me; so these objects hold a very special value for me. These objects bring back many memories, like getting up extremely early in the morning to travel with her to a store that had a new TY Beanie Baby release. She loved collecting them and proudly displayed them in a display case in the guest room where I always stayed. I also remember all the times she let me try on her jewelry as a child; it felt like a great honor, as she usually kept her jewelry under lock and key. One necklace was my absolute favorite because it held the most memories, as it was always displayed above the fireplace in the living room, the place where we spent a lot of time together. The necklace in the photo is the large heart-shaped one, a replica of the one from the movie Titanic, which she bought on one of her many trips to Las Vegas with my grandfather. For me, the items in this photo represent many different values, from friendship and family to the value of life, as I shared some of the happiest moments of my life with my grandmother.
