Something Good Pen Pals

There's no recipe today! This post is all about mail -- getting it, sending it... and participating in a sweet blogger pen-pal idea called Send Something Good.

I really like the idea of pen pals. I traveled a lot when I was younger -- first as an exchange student in Germany in high school, then around the world with an amazing field study program for my junior year of college, then after college I interned in India, then worked in Thailand. Each of these experiences took me far out of my comfort level. I loved, loved, loved (and really relied on) getting mail from friends.

These days I have a post card pen pal (who is much more reliable about sending postcards than me). She lives in New Zealand and traveled with me on field study way back when.

Her strange postcards live on our fridge and always make me smile. Here's one.

Anyway, getting to the point. When I read Kristy's blog a few months ago about a pen-pal-esque mail swap with another blogger, I was psyched. This time around, I'm joining in. It's called the Send Something Good Package Swap, organized by Kristy, Gentri and Kaitlyn. You join in, get another blogger's link and contact information, read their blog to learn about them, then send them something in the mail that you think they'd enjoy. Fun!

Of course I signed up for this right in the middle of the 2-month count down to my wedding. Because I love over-committing. It's who I am. Yesterday Bill & I walked together to the post office to bid farewell to our wedding invitations (!!), so now I feel a fluttery sense of openness. And I have a few minutes to focus on non-wedding goodness.

wedding invitations ready to be mailed!

I started putting together a package for my package-pal and realized it was full of things that I would love to get in the mail. Would someone else love these things?

Here are a few of my favorite things: cookbooks, beautiful photographs, 'local' things from new places, coffee, the great outdoors, a good joke, dark chocolate, ferns, gardening, new ice cream recipes,  sewing, yarn & knitting (well anything crafty, really). Maybe this helps my secret 'pal'? Getting mail is one of my favorite things, too, so how can this go wrong?

I'll keep you updated! See all the other participants in this round of Send Something Good below.