I love pens and I've been writing my pen story over the last 30 years. I love pens so much that I collect them. My collection is over 30 years old, and each pen has a story, so I have a pen story! As a teenager, I had several collections, but pens and markers were always my favorite. It started simply, every business had pens with their name and logo on them. Businesses gave them away freely. The pens were all different.
That's when I started to collect pens and my collection grew, I started to be more particular about saving the pens that meant something to me. Either from a place I worked to a place I visited, pens became a collectible item for me. I still collect today and keep adding pens to my pen story.
I love pens so much that I even compare them against each other so I know which one is best.
I Love Pens-My Collection
When I tell you that I love pens, it may seem silly, but for me, the collection represents different times in my life and it's a way to remember those times.
My Collection
Work Pens
My first pen is a mechanical pencil. I keep it with these pens because it's the one that started it all. It is from my first real job, a job that I didn't work for my Dad.
I was 18 and my stepmother was the nurse manager at the local Emergency Center. My stepmom came home from work on a Friday and asked what I was doing the next morning (it was Saturday). I had no plan so she then told me I was getting up at 5 am to go to work with her because I now had a job. That was my interview and hiring. I worked at Lake City Medical Emergency as the front desk receptionist.
The Crestor pen is from a drug rep at my favorite job ever. It was 1995, and I was working at Southside Orthopedic Surgery. I was “the phone girl”, which meant I answered phones and scheduled appointments. The doctors I worked for were awesome, and I hated leaving there.
At one point in time, I sold Creative Memories. I still worked for the doctor's office, but Creative Memories was a side gig. The cute little pen was a favorite because it clipped onto anything.
Being Crowned Princess
When I worked for Southside Orthopaedic Surgery, one of the doctors started calling me Princess. He thought it was hilarious, so he coronated me, Princess. One of the nurse's daughters was selling pens for a fundraiser. He bought this for me as a joke and had it engraved Princess Heather Renee. He learned how seriously I took the title of Princess.
I ventured into retail after I left Southside Orthopaedics.
I worked at Catherine's for a short period. When I was hired by a local school district my retail career ended, but the pen is a nice reminder of those long days. The pen from Howard Johnson's is from Yuma, Arizona. My stepdad and I worked for an independent professional baseball league. We lived at HoJos for 6 weeks. That was a really fun job too.
Travel Pens
Niagra Falls
In 1992 on the coldest day ever in Indianapolis, my sister and I cooked up a surprise trip to Niagara Falls. We didn't tell my mom, we just planned it. On the appointed day my mom got home from work and we told her to pack a bag for the weekend. We didn't tell her where we were going. As we passed through Ohio my mom guessed where we were going. It was a fabulous trip.
The next two pens are from Las Vegas. On another cold day in Indiana, my sister and I planned a trip to Vegas for my “bachelorette weekend.” We stayed at the MGM Grand, and it was so fancy. We ate at great places and had Champagne Brunch at Bally's. The bill was $30 per person and we were shocked!
Heather Goes to Hollywood
In 2002, I stayed in Arizona to help my grandfather. He was 92 and needed someone to stay with him. I wasn't working so my husband and I agreed I needed to be with him. Although he was in an assisted living facility, my family felt better having me there.
As my grandpa got stronger I was able to be away from him more. It was good for me and good for him to have to start doing things for himself again. My mom and stepdad made plans to take me to Hollywood. I saw so many great things and places. This pen was a purchase to remind me of that trip.
Family Moments
We all have special moments that we want to remember. Pictures are great for that, but I also enjoy having something other than a picture. On June 11, 1994, I married Joe Oliver. We were married at Lynhurst Baptist church. My sister was my maid of honor and my grandfather officiated. It was so hot in the church because they hadn't turned the air conditioner on in time to cool the whole church. Oh, it was hot!
The pen we used to sign our marriage license is the hot pink one.
First Home
After the wedding we lived in the house I grew up in. My mom had moved to Arizona and rented the house to us. When my mom sold the house we moved into an apartment on the Southside of Indianapolis. We lived in an apartment for a few years and then purchased our first home.
Family
Our pastor's son gave us the little marker when we were trying to have a baby and he said that he had prayed for us and he wanted us to have this marker for when we had a baby. We had no idea it would be 13 years before those prayers were answered, but we were able to adopt three children from foster care and give them forever homes.
People say that we saved those kids, I think they saved me! Two of the kids we adopted have Autism, so the pens from Autism Speaks are for them.
I am a big fan of the original Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter, so it's only natural I have a Wonder Woman pen.
Can you tell I love pens? As a pen collector, my collection keeps growing. I love pens and while I'm tempted to collect all pens, I try to only keep the ones that have a special meaning to me so my collection doesn't become cluttered with pens that have no meaning.
Do you have a favorite pen that reminds you of a special time in your life? I'd love to hear about it, leave me a comment and tell me about it!