For the last 50 years, Kay has kept handwritten letters, photographs, notes, maps and news clippings of her special friendship with Irmi, which developed while she was a foreign exchange student in Austria and spanned decades.  She then used the digital scrapbooking class offered at Camarillo Health Care District to help build a photobook and tell this beautiful story.

Although Irmi passed away in 2023 from cancer before the 179-page masterpiece devoted to their friendship was finished, it did arrive by Mother’s Day 2024, just in time for Irmi’s husband and children to cherish as part of her legacy.

“Every day I worked on the book, it felt like I was reliving those moments we shared together. It was cathartic,” Kay said. “The book was designed as a way to remember Irmi, and to show my appreciation to her and her family for opening up a new world to me.”

Kay’s beautiful book documents their travels, from ski adventures and overnight stays in youth hostels, to the many dances they attended and people they met along the way. It’s packed with personal stories and reflects the evolution of their friendship and lives, as well as their special bond.

Making a scrapbook can seem like an overwhelming project, with assembling photos and trying to organize a story in pictures. But Kay focused on the joy she felt while selecting the photos and reliving each moment in time.  “Focusing on the purpose got me through it,” she said, “doing a little bit at a time and seeing it as a long-term project that would result in a keepsake for the family.”

Kay has made traditional photo albums and scrapbooks in the past, but with the Digital Age she was excited for the possibilities of exploring the creative process online and improving her digital literacy. She appreciated the two-part Digital Scrapbooking class taught by District staff because the first part covered several different online platforms for making photo books. While one platform is recommended for use during the hands-on session, there is flexibility to experiment with some of the other choices.

“It was so helpful having the instructor there. She was very patient with everyone, especially for people not as computer literate, and asked each of us what our goals were for the class and shared ideas for different types of books (family recipe books, travel, holiday-themed, art and children’s books).

The District’s Mission is to “promote community health through service, education and empowerment”, and our Vision is to “transform lives through inspiration and innovation”.  Judging from a recent email from Kay expressing gratitude for the class that offered her education and empowerment the inspired her to create a special keepsake, this class checked all the boxes!  Thank you, Kay, for sharing your story, and Irmi’s story

For Digital Scrapbooking classes, see our listing here.  Register by calling 805-388-1952. Cost is $10. Non-District residents add $4.