Fifty State Quarters!

Do you remember when they started minting the state quarters? Can you believe that all fifty of them have been printed? Did any of the rest of you collect all of them?

I know when my mom bought the holder for me (above) she didn't think I'd really stick with the program for 9 years. But I did. Okay, well, she helped me out a lot because she is the one who brought most of the quarters home for me over the past few years.

And tonight she brought home the very last quarter that I needed to complete my set of fifty. 

It was Hawaii, which made it even more special because we all have President-elect Obama's inauguration on our minds. It seemed fitting--a reminder that endings always bring beginnings.

I tried to get a couple of pictures of the quarters, but I kept getting that goofy reflection in the middle of the cardboard holder. I really need to learn how to use something other than the Auto feature on my camera.

I had a lot of fun collecting these quarters over the past several years and I'm honestly kind of sad that it's over. It was a great way to learn about the states (and learn how pathetic I am at geography). According to NPR, these quarters have been a huge success and many more people than they ever expected collected them and learned about the states. 

What shall I start collecting next? Er, maybe I should be thinking about getting rid of things next! At least the quarter collection is neat, tidy, and takes up virtually NO space!

Blessings,

Emily