I got my first penpal when I was 10 years old. I went to my friend’s birthday sleepover, and there was one girl that only the birthday girl knew. Her name was Amanda and she was immediately considered “cool” by everyone for whatever reason. I really connected with her, and the girls got mad at me for “hogging” her all night. Amanda lived far away from me (i.e. I couldn’t ride my bike there) and she gave me her address so we could write each other and stay in touch.

Every time I came home from school and a letter was waiting for me, I would run upstairs and pounce on my bed to read it. I would immediately respond and include a little gift in with the letter. Thinking back, I didn’t know about additional postage per ounce, so it’s amazing that all my envelopes made it.

We eventually lost touch, but after that experience, I jumped on top of every opportunity to send mail. I loved writing thank you notes, and I would even write notes to my friends in high school who had me over to their house. Any excuse was a good one. I only ever had one person in high school write me back, but I still kept sending.

So when I stumbled upon Postcrossing in 2008, I was ecstatic. A whole community of people interested in sending mail? Sign me up! That was the beginning of my “official” snail mail hobby. I was active on Postcrossing, Swap-Bot, Send Something, Nervousness, and any other online community I could get my hands on. In 2011, I signed up for the 365 Days Of Mail Art challenge, which is where I found many like-minded souls.

The point is that I love mail, and even though I might not send as much as I used to, I’m always going to be involved in the snail mail community. I’m continuing my feature of Monday Mailings, although it will now be bi-weekly. It’s where I showcase what’s been in and out of my mailbox recently.

Incoming

Outgoing

 What’s been in your mailbox lately? Link me over to your pictures/post!

 

PS – If you want a guaranteed happy mailbox in September, sign up for Monthly Marvels!