I've been fascinated by dreams for most of my life. When I was younger I kept a dream journal for a while, but I'm just not routine enough to stick with it long (like other journals too).
I started having a recurring dream when I was about 15. It seems to come when I am having a really hard time with life, because I've gone sometimes 2-3 years without (remembering?) to have it, but then it comes back. The theme is always the same. It's very personal and I don't want it analyzed so I'm not sharing. I already have a good idea what it represents. And that in a nutshell is why I'm fascinated by my dreams and others.. because I am fascinated with the subcon and try very hard to tune into it, or understand what it is saying, I feel like I might have more understanding with "truth" or atleast an understanding of how my subcon is in conflict with my ego. Ofcourse I don't think every dream can be analyzed, or that every dream is significant. I think sometimes you just dream a heap of odd stuff that is tumbling around in your subcon wondering where it should be filed. I have noticed that I specifically dream about scenarios that I struggle with, but my dreams distort their image and what happens. I believe it is my minds way of still trying to work things out, or understand how I feel about them.
Some common dreams of mine are being in hallways with many rooms.. being in houses. I understand that a house often represents your self, rooms will be aspects.
I used to have a flying dream alot. I would dream I was being chased and the only way I could get away was by flying, but I had to flap my arms to do it, the harder I flapped the higher off the ground I'd get but it was SO tiresome. I would always dangle just barely above the strangers trying to get me and fear I would become too tired and drop.
I can recall real, bull-blown flying dreams that were beautiful. These involved being on a hillside with amazing trees and flowers, sun, and I found that If I waited for the wind to blow at me hard I could some how catch it, let it scoop me off the ground, and then be able to fly around without effort for small periods of time, landing and then waiting again. Yes, these were nostalgic.
I've also had a few nostalgic dreams about water. These dreams stick out because they are almost other worldly, and I wake up thinking.. how did I imagine that? I've never seen anything like it in reality.
But mostly my dreams coincide with reality. In the sense that they consist of people, places, and often animals! that are here. I have had dreams feel so strong and real that I've woken up and been MAD at people in real life for a few hours before I can shake the bad dream of them off.
Moxiest, I seem to remember things similarly to you. THis is a cognitive processing thing, I saw it on a test one time.. I think it relays more to inuitive vs sensing. But I can almost never recall words that were said verbatum, I remember aspects of things. I remember how things were in relation to others, the undertone, the feeling, other things that were going on at that point.. but I have a very hard time remembering back to exactly what someone looked like, was wearing, or saying.