When we passed her college co-op bookstore, she asked us to join her inside for a minute. She then proceeded to have us pick out two mugs that we thought we would enjoy drinking our coffee and tea out of. My husband lost no time picking out the perfect mug, and I soon had one all picked out.

We both had picked coffee mugs that had the name of her school on them, in big, bold letters. Also, both of our coffee mugs were in her school’s colors.

A few days later, while helping her unpack the boxes she had mailed back to herself, we saw her collection of coffee mugs. She doesn’t even drink coffee or tea, but she we found out that she has been collecting mugs from all of her different summer internship jobs.

That’s when it dawned on me: from now on, every time my husband and I go on a trip, we are going to buy a coffee mug to remind us of our trip, and the fun we had together. I know, I know, you don’t need a lot of coffee mugs in order to drink your daily coffee every morning. But, these mugs will be collectibles to us, just as our daughter’s college mugs are.

I know that a lot of people have already come up with this idea, to collect mugs, before I did, collectors of say Norman Rockwell mugs or Royal Doulton Toby mugs. I just wonder why it took me so long to envision all of the ways I can incorporate these mugs around our home. Right now, as I sit at my computer desk, I see one definite way to use my mug: It is holding all of my pens and pencils, so I can glance over at my cherished mug.