Tchotchkes (a peak into my room)

tchotch·ke [chahch-kuh] noun Slang.

"an inexpensive souvenir, trinket, or ornament." -- dictionary.com  

While cleaning my room today, I began dusting my bookshelf. I picked things up and moved them, and then moved them back, and then I started thinking of all the places I got my tchotchkes from, or the people who gave them to me. And I realized how awesome it is that I have these things-- not because I'm materialistic, but because each item holds a wealth of memories.
I love my grandfather for many reasons. He's really my step-grandfather, but he's been more of a grandfather to me than anyone. He's a great man. One of the things I love him for is that his house is exactly what I want my house to be someday. It is filled with tchotchkes-- great and small. Perhaps I shouldn't use the word tchotchke, because it can have the connotation of worthlessness and cheapness, which many of the things in his house aren't. He's got a huge painting from Vietnam of a mother and child that I absolutely love, he's got an old painting of a cow that he got from an auction years ago, he's got samurai swords and marble hippos and a cowbell collar and a real hummingbird nest from his backyard, he's got a massive hornets nest hanging from his ceiling, he has gorgeous stained glass windows, he's got masks and old sports photos and and and... I love the eclectic decorations in that house.
And so I suppose I have aspired somewhat to amass a collection of my own, but I'm not quite there yet, because, well, heck! I don't even have my own place yet! 
But I thought I'd share what I do have anyway...

My bookshelf. My my, how many ponies can you spot? And yes that is a giant book of SPACE on top of it. I like space. *squinty squinty* What else can you spot?

Glow in the dark pony! Okay.. honestly, I can't remember where I got this. I just know I've definitely had it for quite a few years. Its awesome, because, GLOW-IN-THE-DARK!!!

Jar of DIRT! Oh wait... no, not quite. Its a jar of sand, sand from a beach in Maine, specifically. <3

High school stuff, I got an award for Art in high school, its about the only cool thing that happened to me in high school. -_-

This one I got from my dear friend Dogert! :D I love it so much, makes me want to visit a mystical forest of massive trees and magic and glowy lights and get lost forever.

My grandpa gave this to me! I was an easy child to please, give me anything horse related and I was basically guaranteed to cherish it forever. Now that I've had it for several years though, I'm starting to wonder just where this thing was made! It definitely looks foreign... I should do some digging maybe.

Another art award I got for a jack rabbit drawing! And a painting that I got from a yard sale for like... super cheap, several years ago.

Got this from Maine... It smells like pine trees <3

A chunk of horse bone! I got it from the pasture of the stables I used to hang around.

I do have others, but these are some of the ones I've had the longest. :)